KiteJan

Ever since I first got into Revolution kites with the Revolution EXP in 2001 I wanted one of  these. I don't actually know why, I think I just liked the shape and the fact it was reported to be very fast. The only thing that put me off purchasing one was the high UK price (more than £200). During the past seven years I nearly bought one of these second hand at least six times - and each time I told myself "I would sleep on it" and in doing so lost out each time. Well this time I got lucky! What actually happened was I missed out on a forum sale (again!), but the winner offered his old Shockwave to me for a good deal - which is always nice! 

The Shockwave is part of Revolution's Speed Series which comprises of the Shockwave, the Supersonic and the Blast. Each of these is much, much faster and more powerful than the standard Revolution kites - the Exp, 1.5, etc. This speed comes at the expense of precision but they are fast and furious fun!

The curved leading edge, the four vertical spars makes the sail much tighter, along with the higher aspect ratio (i.e. it's longer and squatter than the 1.5 SLE) provides the extra speed.

Purchased: April 2008

Details

Good Things

• Very fast in both forward and backward flight.
• Powerful pull - especially when it's flying full speed in a strong wind.
• Surprisingly precise (much more so than I was expecting).
• Good at flic-flacs and axels.
• Pleasing shape.

Bad Things

• The power can be a bit overpowering sometimes - especially in strong gusty wind.
• Needs a moderate wind for it to be happy.
• Definitely not as precise as the standard Revolution 1.5.
• Breaking spars will be expensive - and given the speed the thing moves somewhat inevitable if it hits the ground hard.
• The Shockwave (along with the other members of the speed series) isn't recommended for quad line beginners (although it's more than possible with care).
• Not sure how well the Mylar panels will last with repeated use.

Final Thoughts

Well worth the wait - loads of fun, not as 'imprecise' as I had been led to believe, and easily capable of some the Revolution slack line tricks (possibly easier and better than the Revolution 1.5 SLE). The Shockwave won't replace the 1.5 SLE but will complement it very well indeed.