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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

NIVIUK HOOK 3 25

NIVIUK HOOK 3 25

Hook 3  ( The Wise Buddha)

Flew the HOOK 3 25 today at 97 all up. Conditions were windy and a bit turbulent.
NIVIUK has only one category EN-B.And i was curious to see where could they insert the HOOK 3 ?
Launching in light wind requires a steady pull until it settles above your head.
Immediately after launch,i noticed the following .
If i found the Eden 5 to be comfortable then i have to say that the HOOK 3 is even 'more' comfortable. Amazing what can they do with those new gliders.

The handling is similar to the Eden 5 .Linear but little more precise .This interesting leading edge is quite amazing ! I couldn't feel the active air and the movements of the glider above my head were very limited,as if i was on a low EN-B wing !
Among all the latest B's the HOOK 3 is now the most comfortable ! ...What can i say ??  Each glider seems to have more positive character and i must write it as it is !
The climbing in weak conditions is average,the glider needs a bit of time to climb at my loading, but in tricky and shaky conditions it is good .
The HOOK 3 can be turned into a dime in the most trickiest conditions and it will obey your every input.
The accelerator is fairly light and it can be pushed easily through the rough stuff  ! No worries ...I mean it is very usable !
Now the best part is 'its performance' .

It seems that every glider i test fly delivers some surprise...
After 5 long glides with a Mentor 3,(Video coming soon) ,in calm air,and in head wind glides ,i was always very,very near as if they have the same glide angle !
The M3 could have the edge in 'efficiency' in head wind of difficult conditions,to cut and climb dynamically better, but the easiness of this beautiful machine is outstanding !
Twice easier than the most performant B glider !

Further test will be carried for sure,in order to update my 'B' comparison.  but i was surprised by the amount of comfort coupled with a glide of excellence !
Low EN-B pilots will surely have no problem upgrading into this 'zen' glider !
Many high end-B's will deliver nice amount of performances but with the Hook 3 those performances are reached with a Zen attitude :-)



Cheers,

Ziad.







6 comments:

Daniel said...

The sail looks super clean!

Ziad Bassil said...

It is nice !

keswick adventure centre said...

I have flown it a couple of times now. Yesterday was a strong wind UK day. I managed to outperform the others around; a Cayenne 3, Nevada, Golden 2 and a Delta!!

Security is solid and glide is great. I too fly at 97kg and would wish it was a little more 'floaty' - but with the solid feeling in rough air, it makes me happy.

Kringle said...

Thanks for your report. I am ready for an EN B and my local dealer sells Niviuk. I am also looking at the Gin Sprint Evo which is also available to me. Please keep the comparisons coming! Conditions are often light here but mixed with strong days. Good climb in those light conditions is important but needs to be stable enough for the stronger days. Thanks for your input.

Unknown said...

Thanx to your test report I decided to buy a Hook 3. I had my first, 35k xc without any stress. Super low sink rate. 10:1 glide. The sail is rock solid like the my previous Arcus 6 but the performance is superb, incredibly precise.
Thanx again Ziad!

Lars said...

Hi Ziad,

Would you prefer the Hook 3 over the Hook 2? What are the main differences between the two? I'm about the same weight as you; would you perhaps recommend the 27 over the 25 according the weight?

Thanks a lot and keep up the good work. I just love to read your reports!
Lars