KT Wing Air DD (direct drive) review

The second version of the KT wing came out and I had the change to test the 5 meter wing for a month with 7 sessions in various conditions.

Although the only thing they added to the name was Direct Drive. This wing is different to the previous model. Besides the new carbon handles, overall they changed materials and added extra seaming on crucial areas of the wing. This too make the wing more rigid. The material of the leading edge does really feel quite durable. It also makes the wing slightly heavier than the previous model. Although I am comparing this 5.0 to a 4.0.

The handling of the wing
First where this wing excels, the handling and transitioning of the wing. It’s very easy to move this wing around. The name Direct Drive could also have been Direct Control. Riding a wave, grap it, tack upwind, ride it and tack on the first wave you see and ride it again. It goes very effortless!
Overall the balance of the wing is good and riding waves it behaves well when flagged out.

Low-end to high end range
The first thing I noticed is when trying to get up in minimal winds, that it would pull me forward on my sinker board while not yet being on the foil. A couple of quick and short pumps made me progress on to the foil easily. When the wind powers up I can still control the wing quite well. But it does make my your muscles work a lot more. Also I can feel a bit more tension on my front wrist having a bit of angle compensation as I hold the wing quite wide.
Because of the great low-end of this wing it is possible to grab a smaller wing more quickly than on other wings.
Also when the wind really picks up, the wing feels a bit less stable then some of the competition. This has probably all to do with the good low end performance.

Direct Drive
As they made the construction more stiff and added the carbon handles to the wing. This wing does have a very direct feel to it. It pumps easy and everything feels rigid.
This wing is made for most conditions. I’d say it’s a perfect all-round wing. It’s not particularly made for speed or jumping. It will be all-right, but it excels in being really nice to wing around with.
On the waves this wing is really easy to control and toss around from one hand to another and change directions if needed.

Details
The wing comes in a fluor Orange color which really distinguished itself on the water. You will be the one to watch! Almost all of the other wings won’t be noticeable.Colors a very personal. In this series they only offer this option. For me this is just fine as I like it and being noticeable on the water is always a good thing.
It comes with a nice bag. Do pay attention when you get it out the first time. With the hard handles attached, folding it back in the bag can be a bit more challenging. The bag also comes with one shoulder strap (I prefer 2), a bear opener and you can attach your pump to the outside of the bag.
It comes with a leash that works just fine and it comes with a swivel so your wing doesn’t get tangled up. As mentioned before, the Dacron material of leading edge and strut have a solid and durable feeling to them.

Conclusion
The perfect allround wing! If you are looking for a wing that that does as much as possible without too much compromises in the extremes then you really need to try this one. This is one of those wings probably everyone will like. If you are looking for a wing that only excels in a particular area like freestyle or speed there are other wings out there. If you are looking for wing that will put a smile on your face most days, this one is probably a great choice!. And don’t forget to put on your sunglasses if you are just staring at your wing!

I hope to you liked the review! If you have any questions or feel like posting your own experience about this wing, just post them in comment section below.