Naish Torch 2021 Freestyle Kite Review

The Naish Torch 2021 is one of the last hardcore C-kites. That means lots of slack for your unhooked tricks and the most extreme kiteloops with maximum yank. Definitely not a kite for beginners or cruising, but if you can tame the beast you will learn to love it.

The Torch is the kite of choice of all freestylers and megaloop fans. It offers an incomparable unhooked experience with good pop and lots of slack. In loops, it convinces with an explosive power development and finishes the loop safely every time.

The tension in the cloth has been redistributed a bit more to the center of the kite by adding a seam, making the kite even stronger and more balanced. The OnePoint and SureLock inflation system is also new.

For whom is the Torch suitable

A veteran of Naish kites, the Torch has kept freestyle and big air specialists on their toes for more than a decade. The Torch is the only kite to win King of the Air, Freestyle World Championships and the Kite Park League World Title. This year’s model has been improved, and optimized for smoother performance and precise handling. Ideal for free and wakestyle, the Torch gives you enough pop and slack to make every handle pass a breeze. The Naish Torch has earned a real hardcore reputation over the years! This kite really takes your freestyle tricks to the next level. This kite is designed for riders who like to do unhooked tricks and need explosive pop to do them.

Torch Performance on the Water

A good feeling for powering up and down is required to get the kite going with big figure eights. When running upwind, the board edge is required, as the kite only moves from its low position in the wind window to its edge at the clear request of the rider.

As the wind picks up, the depower shows effectively. Gusts can be compensated with a short travel of the bar on the depower line. In the uppermost wind range, however, the kite’s depower angle is not sufficient, so the board must be used to brake out. In terms of bar forces, Naish relies on a comfortable setup. A low amount of power is required to steer and a medium amount to keep the kite on the pressure point.

In turns, the Torch’s enormous speed becomes apparent. It masters medium radii with a good current. The power development is sometimes very progressive. Especially for fans of kite loops this is a real blessing.

The Torch literally pulls the rider into the horizontal, but releases the pressure just as effectively, which will please newschoolers. Wakestylers also get their money’s worth with a explosive pop, especially since the pronounced reactivity can be reduced somewhat by retying the steering lines to the front point.

Naish Torch 2021  Hardfacts:

• Lots of pop and slack in unhooked maneuvers
• Improved low-end performance
• Direct handling and aggressive riding
• Quad-Tex Ripstop cloth: the strongest cloth material on the market
• 5-strut design