Airush Union V4 (2019) Kite Review
Kites Tested
12m and 9m in winds ranging from 10 knots to 25 knots
Three Line Summary
High Performance Allrounder
Out of the Bag
The Union4, as its name suggests is the fourth incarnation of Airush's high performance kite for intermediate-advanced riders.
Like the majority of the Airush range, it benefits from their load frame technology in addition to Technoforce D2 rip-stop - creating lightweight strength, durability and high performance.
There are a choice of bars on offer - The core bar with either strap or cleat de-power system, progression bar or access bar for small riders. All bars come with low diameter tubing and a comfortable, hard-wearing grip; Brain quick release flagging the kite onto a single front line, heavy duty flying lines and integrated bar ends.
In the Air
Now before we go any further, I must mention the default knot on the rear line pigtail; If you fly the kite with this setting it feels incredible in the way it flies, pushing well forward in the window and giving great upwind performance with medium-light bar pressure, but does suffer from a lack of low end grunt in this configuration.
I opted to fly it with the rear lines connected a few inches further up the pigtail, and with this setup you get all the benefits of the lower connection setting when sheeting out, but with far improved power, low end and medium bar pressure when sheeted in. The rest of the review follows with the kite in this setting.
The Union feels super refined in flight and generates a great deal of power when you move it through the window. The pulley-free bridle gives a nice direct feel, and bar pressure is medium on the middle setting, but can be altered to suit user preference.
Turning is fast even on the 12m, provided you're assertive with the bar, on the 9m the Union whips around quickly generating a good surge of power.
On the water
The union has a very wide wind range - plenty of grunt at the low end, and power can be dumped away by sheeting the bar out, so I'd expect an excellent top end; I took the 12 out in some pretty serious winds, and felt nowhere near the upper end of the kite - making it a great choice for variable/gusty conditions. I couldn't feel any significant downside to removing the bridle, the only minor thing may be a slight increase in bar-pressure when fully powered, but this is more than made up for with the excellent direct feeling.
The union generates considerable extra power on tap when whipped around the window, making it a lovely kite to freeride aggressively - blasting in and out of turns, boosting, loops and underturns.
The upwind ability of the Union is very good, more so with the bar pushed out a bit. The relaunch is good for a kite of this style - better than the razor, yet not quite as good as kites with more sweep down to the wingtips.
The grunty nature of the Union, and power on tap when worked makes it a great kite for boosting, and I was very impressed with the height and hangtime I could get on even the 12m without it being crazy powered. Its fast turning response and power in the turns also makes it an awesome kite to heli-loop; the video below shows me doing a double heli on a 12m, which is impressive indeed. The 9m is an incredibly fun kite to boost with too - I was fortunate to try it in a recent Woo competition; in which it performed incredibly well - Boosting on the flat it was just 20cm shy of the winning jumps of those boosting off the waves with specialised kites.
For kitelooping, the natural boostiness gives you a good height cushion before pulling on your backhand, and the kite whips around quick giving plenty of time for landing. With the bar pushed out a bit the kite does a wider forward turn with a smooth powerful pull, which is great to set the heart beating.
It's also a great choice for freestyle - the direct feel gives a great connection to the kite and you can gain power and height by redirecting the kite to suit your needs. It unhooks very well with decent amounts of slack, and is a great accessible choice for someone wanting to progress without many of the downsides of a more hardcore C shape.
Conclusions
The Union is a great choice for an intermediate/advanced rider that want's more from their current kite; whether that be boosting big, sending some loops, working on wakestyle manouevers, shredding the water hard on a twintip, or use with a foil or surfboard. It provides a wider wind-range and better de-power than the hardcore Razor, whilst still retaining many of its desirable features for wakestyle, and significantly surpassing it for boosting big and general user-friendliness and 4-line setup.
For me, the one thing i'll take away from my time using the Union is how much of a fun all-round kite it is - I love the variety of razzing around, boosting big, looping, doing freestyle and wakestyle all in one high performance package.
For more info, check it out on the manufacturer's website at Airush
12m and 9m in winds ranging from 10 knots to 25 knots
Three Line Summary
High Performance Allrounder
Out of the Bag
The Union4, as its name suggests is the fourth incarnation of Airush's high performance kite for intermediate-advanced riders.
Like the majority of the Airush range, it benefits from their load frame technology in addition to Technoforce D2 rip-stop - creating lightweight strength, durability and high performance.
There are a choice of bars on offer - The core bar with either strap or cleat de-power system, progression bar or access bar for small riders. All bars come with low diameter tubing and a comfortable, hard-wearing grip; Brain quick release flagging the kite onto a single front line, heavy duty flying lines and integrated bar ends.
In the Air
Now before we go any further, I must mention the default knot on the rear line pigtail; If you fly the kite with this setting it feels incredible in the way it flies, pushing well forward in the window and giving great upwind performance with medium-light bar pressure, but does suffer from a lack of low end grunt in this configuration.
I opted to fly it with the rear lines connected a few inches further up the pigtail, and with this setup you get all the benefits of the lower connection setting when sheeting out, but with far improved power, low end and medium bar pressure when sheeted in. The rest of the review follows with the kite in this setting.
The Union feels super refined in flight and generates a great deal of power when you move it through the window. The pulley-free bridle gives a nice direct feel, and bar pressure is medium on the middle setting, but can be altered to suit user preference.
Turning is fast even on the 12m, provided you're assertive with the bar, on the 9m the Union whips around quickly generating a good surge of power.
On the water
The union has a very wide wind range - plenty of grunt at the low end, and power can be dumped away by sheeting the bar out, so I'd expect an excellent top end; I took the 12 out in some pretty serious winds, and felt nowhere near the upper end of the kite - making it a great choice for variable/gusty conditions. I couldn't feel any significant downside to removing the bridle, the only minor thing may be a slight increase in bar-pressure when fully powered, but this is more than made up for with the excellent direct feeling.
The union generates considerable extra power on tap when whipped around the window, making it a lovely kite to freeride aggressively - blasting in and out of turns, boosting, loops and underturns.
The upwind ability of the Union is very good, more so with the bar pushed out a bit. The relaunch is good for a kite of this style - better than the razor, yet not quite as good as kites with more sweep down to the wingtips.
The grunty nature of the Union, and power on tap when worked makes it a great kite for boosting, and I was very impressed with the height and hangtime I could get on even the 12m without it being crazy powered. Its fast turning response and power in the turns also makes it an awesome kite to heli-loop; the video below shows me doing a double heli on a 12m, which is impressive indeed. The 9m is an incredibly fun kite to boost with too - I was fortunate to try it in a recent Woo competition; in which it performed incredibly well - Boosting on the flat it was just 20cm shy of the winning jumps of those boosting off the waves with specialised kites.
For kitelooping, the natural boostiness gives you a good height cushion before pulling on your backhand, and the kite whips around quick giving plenty of time for landing. With the bar pushed out a bit the kite does a wider forward turn with a smooth powerful pull, which is great to set the heart beating.
It's also a great choice for freestyle - the direct feel gives a great connection to the kite and you can gain power and height by redirecting the kite to suit your needs. It unhooks very well with decent amounts of slack, and is a great accessible choice for someone wanting to progress without many of the downsides of a more hardcore C shape.
Conclusions
The Union is a great choice for an intermediate/advanced rider that want's more from their current kite; whether that be boosting big, sending some loops, working on wakestyle manouevers, shredding the water hard on a twintip, or use with a foil or surfboard. It provides a wider wind-range and better de-power than the hardcore Razor, whilst still retaining many of its desirable features for wakestyle, and significantly surpassing it for boosting big and general user-friendliness and 4-line setup.
For me, the one thing i'll take away from my time using the Union is how much of a fun all-round kite it is - I love the variety of razzing around, boosting big, looping, doing freestyle and wakestyle all in one high performance package.
For more info, check it out on the manufacturer's website at Airush
|
Kite Style
Struts Inflation Front connection Rear connection Tuning options Depower Safety Low End High End Bar Pressure Turning Freestyle Unhooked Upwind Boosting Relaunch |
Hybrid
3 One Pump (Single valve) Bridled without pulleys Direct 3 rear connection options Tested with cleat bar, but other options are available. Flag onto front line. Very Good Excellent medium on medium setting Radial, fast when steered aggressively Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good |
