).So I am riding the 8m and 12m RPM this year. The kites are very responsive, but not twitchy and a tad slower than the Rev. It turns a little differently as well. The Rev pivots a bit in a tight kiteloop, but the RPM arcs like the Fuel. So the kiteloops are a lot higher and deeper with the RPM, but I didn't feel that the yank at the bar was much more pronounced. As a results the kiteloops feel mellow and under control, but look great with the increased altitude.
The RPM is very stable, so the start of the turn is mellow but the rest of the turn happens pretty fast. So it's great for unhooked tricks when you want some stability at the kite so you know exactly where it is when you land without having to look at the kite.
The jumps are different from the Rev. The boost happens a little later, probably due to the way it turns as mentioned above. It's kind of an odd jumper in that you can squeeze out all your speed and convert it to height. So you can land with very little speed. It threw me off a bit at first, but then I learned to use it to my advantage to get more height. One word of advice though. When jumping with the RPM for the first couple of times, make sure you keep an eye on it during the jump. During a front roll the first time I took the 8m out, I found myself higher than the kite on the way down.
The relaunch is as easy as the Rev. The depower is great. In the gusty waconia winds today, my 12m RPM hot launched, but the bar out, it didn't yank me too hard. In fact, I wasn't pulled out of the water and moved about 5 feet forward.
Anyway, I think it's a great kite for people wanting mellow but spectacular kiteloops, it's an awesome jumper and has a lot of the nice attributes of the Rev. Finally, it's a great kite to go unhooked on. The change in pull when you unhook is smooth and not as punchy as the Rev, making it an great option for people learning unhooked tricks.
If you catch me on the beach, I'd be glad to let you try them. Here's something I uploaded in the gallery.
http://www.lakawa.com/phpBB/lakawaphoto ... p?show=252