With a warm feeling we give the Pivot the biggest compliment it can dream of; the chance that this is a perfect kite for you is very close to 100%. It is as smooth as a ballerina. Immediately you get that feeling you know it already for years. Which gives you the freedom to grow. Your teacher and guide to the next level. But above all it is what kiteboarding is about: fun! From beginners to high flying advanced riders. Okay, it isn’t a freestyle nor a pure megaloop machine. And maybe the rough image doesn’t match with the real nature of the kite. But who cares. It is a smile maker.
Image
King Kevin changed the last couple of years at Naish from the Torch C-kite to the Pivot. The real reason he did it? It could be anything from a marketing move, him getting older or really getting more out of the Pivot than the Torch. Fact is -by winning two king of the air’s with it- the Pivot got everybody’s attention. But to us always the question remained why skip a step? The Dash would have been a much more logic step on paper. You don’t see Lasse Walker entering the King of the Air with an Evo. What we want to say is that the image the Pivot may have as a high-end mega loop beast isn’t the correct one.
The fact you should inflate it to 10,5 psi and the canopy with the highest amount of threads on the market (Quad-Tex) and it’s ’80s looks neither give it the friendly look it deserves.
Test
So why is the Pivot among our favourites like the Enduro, Union, Bandit, FX and Dice? It is its easiness and its versatility. The response is so quick -like the Enduro- that even with its longer lines (24 mtr) it reacts quicker than most other kites. Normally we are not really keen on such long lines. But on the Pivot it is different. It rather opens up positive aspects. A better low end and higher jumps for example.
People that use a recent Bandit will recognize not only the inflate but also the medium amount of bar pressure. The short amount that is needed to get used to the kite, its ideal pop moment for a jump and how pleasant it makes you air born are also similar with a Bandit 2020. It is less susceptible for unstable winds, a (tiny) better low end and has also less back stall issues compared to the 2020 Dice. And more good news for the Pivot: Naish dropped its unhandy octopus system and wisely choose -as all other brands did ages ago- for a normal one pump system. So is there anything we didn’t like? The only ‘issue’ is that a proper mega loop isn’t in the DNA of the kite. With 24m lines it seems quite impossible to get the kite low enough. We did try with shorter lines. But in that set up it messed up the long list with positive aspects.
Torque bar
There are a few things to say about the Naish Torque bar. The “above” the bar (that is why it is called ATB) trim is just as any other bar. The 500kg strong lines from Cousin Trestec are hanging on a smooth -mostly- auto rewinding swivel. Just as most A-brand bars it isn’t cheap. But most importantly aspect is that they are 24 meters long. Which is one or two meters more than average. It sounds as a small detail. But highly relevant for its flying characteristics. Naish also sells a 20 meter version but in most cases that will be too short.
List Prices
Naish Pivot 9m kite only 1399,- Euro
Naish Torque ATB 4*24m lines including leash and chicken loop 599,- Euro