Review Liquid Force Havoc 2011

Kite

The Havoc is the 5th generation Havoc by Liquid Force

Designer Goals

The Liquid Force Havoc is a 4 line SLE kite with 4 struts designed for Freestyle, wakestyle, big air and wave riders. An allround performance kite with the safety of 100% depower.  Made for all conditions, stable, smooth lift, predicatble and able to do controlled kiteloops.  Worth testing!

Who is the kite meant for?

The Havoc is a 4 line SLE kite with four struts. It can be used for freestyle-wakestyle, big airs and wave action. The Havoc is an allround performance kite with the safety of 100% depower when needed.  The kite was designed as a stable, predictable allrounder able to perform in all conditions.

Off-water

The Liquid Force Havoc is a 4 line SLE kite (which uses briddles and pulleys). One of the features is a one-pump system. The little tubes connecting the struts to the leading edge are easy to replace if one gets damaged.
When inflated the kite gives a very rigid and firm impression.  When connecting the lines you have two options; Normal or Lightwind, these different options are clearly marked on the connectors.
The Havoc has a swivel above the depower and o-shit-handles on both sides (in case of an o-shit situation just pull one of the handles and the kite will lose its power).  The clamcleat is right above the loop!

On-water

The first thing you notice when you fly the kite is the light bar-pressure. The pulleys perform as expected. This means that the feedback through the steering lines is reduced and that the reaction speed to steering commands is somewhat decreased. This takes some getting used to, but the pulleys also result in light bar pressure and good unhooked handling.
Underpowered the Havoc does not impress and it makes you work to go upwind. But when the wind picks up the Havoc shows what it was made for. The lift and glide-phase the Havoc offers make it a good Big-air kite. Wave-riders who want a quick reacting kite might not find what they are looking for, but the slower reaction time is just what wakestyle freestylers and slider freaks are looking for. The Havoc retains pressure on the steering lines when riding towards the kite, which is something the downwind wave-riders will appreciate.

Conclusion 

The 2011 Liquid Force Havoc is placed in the market as an allround kite. The 100% depower gives it the safety needed for different conditions. The Havoc is smooth, has lift and a good glide phase and is stable.
It's low end is not great.  The kite has little pressure on the edge of the window. The late reaction to steering commands in combination with a late buildup of pressure in the flightline make it hard to generate pressure, but this is not a problem.  Just ride one size larger than the other people on the water and you are fine!
Old school riders will love the Havoc as a true high-end big-air tool!
Liquid Force has it's roots in wakeboarding, and you can feel that in the Havoc. Good unhooked characteristics (for an allround kite), light bar pressure and good float which is ideal for unhooked slider action.

Kite benchmark Liquid Force Havoc 2011