Crossfire vs Cobolt

[RTB 0]

I have read good reviews of both the Crossfire and the Cobolt, but how do compare ?(flying, landings, etc.) I know crossfire has had some problems, but I'm counting on Icarus to have solved them. Also comparisons to airlocked canopies (samurai,vengence) would be of interest.
Thanks!

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

There are also plenty of Cobalt vs Crossfire comparisons here in the archives. Just do a search and you will find it all. Bottom line is that they both fly VERY similar.
Chuck
My webpage HERE

[cobaltdan 0]

many of our customers demoed cobalts and crossfires head to head.
the general feedback we have received was that flight characteristics were a bit different but comparable in performance and that the cobalt has a slightly beter glide and definately better low speed lift/ bottom end flare.
the cobalt has staged openings, invented to provide lower opening force at higher speeds. currently live jump tested up to 237mph. (you can request a video showing 180mph head down deployments on our web site). also note the cobalt is based on our 7 year proven airfoil and planform.
there have never been any issues of design flaws or quality control.
sincerely,
dan
atair
ww.extremefly.com

[ramon 0]

A good samurai has very deep brake settings and with proper flare input which takes practice can surf very far. A crossfire seems to take less skill to land nicely, but both require a lot of skill to surf far. The vengeance is very easy to surf, but unlike the other two it flat turns very lousy, it always wants to dive..in fact instead of a flat turn, it does medium carves . the samurai flat turns like a champ Both a crossfire and a samurai have low riser pressure, but I believe at the same wingloading you might be able to dive a crossfire a little longer before riser pressure builds. A crossfire is more twichy in the toggles, but like I said the samurai takes practice to land properly.
Both crossfire and samurai seem to have similar glide angles and the crossfire seems to open on heading a little more. the samurai opens fine too, but with uneven harness pressure it is easy to induce a turn. My vengeance opens very predictably brisk yet soft and usually I do a 90 degree diving turn if I am sloppy in the harness or have endcell closure.
Vs. vengeance. the vengeance is more sluggish in toggles and seems to be slower than a similarly sized canopy. I like the vengeance because it is sluggish in toggles and during a high speed swoop that translates to stability and ease of control, a crossfire, for me is twitchier and so is more difficult to change heading during a swoop. the vengeance is also more ground hungry and will continue diving for a while after a trun. I bought it because it swoops very steep and hard yet is stable and solid in its maeuvers.
both a vengeance and a samurai after a hard turn do not return to prefect straight flight bu rather stay in a very slight dive. during a hard dive off of other canopies like a stilleto they plane out flat and if you hook a little too high you will plane out 10 feet above the ground and then fall when your canopy stalls and dives again. the vengeance and samurai both require a small amount of taggle pressure to pull out of this slight dive so they maintain speed if you hook too high and that is a little safer.
I think the vengeance and the Crossfire are both capable of hooking much higher than a traditional non-crossbraced canopy. In fact I have done a 180 hook on my vengeance at 1.67 wingloading from 400 feet. this offers a lot of time to change course, bail from the swoop and notice any previously unseen obstalces, plus you build a lot of speed. The crossfire my friend Josjh had could start his approach at 1.8 wingloading from a higher altitude than a PD velocity loaded at 2.0. There is a theory that Josh's riser pressure was too low because he had one of the mis-designed canopies.
The samurai will make it back from a very long spot. It seems very efficient in rear risers wheras the vengeance..hahaha wants to come down...now dammit ha but not nearly as bad as a cross braced, however a good cross brace will make up distance onthe ground where the vengeance will not do it efficiently. the crossfire seems very average on getting back from a spot.
samurai is probably the safest canopy at a given loading if you believe that airlocks are safer and consider flat turns and will not really be doing hard front riser hooks. the samurai carves very very effieciently and will build up lots of speed. My friend Wane would do the gentelest carve (the safest high perf apporach) and he would surf as far as me when I hooked my canopy hard)
the crossfire is definitely the best opening canopy (camera flier) and is very versatile, whether you hook or toggle whip it down (I personally don't care for spiraling down..belch). It has low riser pressure and can dive very steeply if loaded up. I think it can be gentle at a low wingloading and provide all sorts of fun at a higher wingloading. it also builds up much speed in a carve.
the vengeance is probably the least versatile, but is vey easy to swoop. In fact that is what is does best is a very hard front riser hook followed by double fronts and a very smooth transition to brakes. and..well..that is what I like. the vengeance flies sort of like a step iinbetween a non cross braced canopy and say and FX, but the riser pressure is lighter than an FX. it does not carve as well is the other two canopies and typically prefers to just come straight down. Factory brake settings could be let out 2 inches to prevent the tail from deflecting on a double front riser maneuver. the vengeance also has a low stall speed if you flare correctly it will really slow you down at a higher wingloading whereas you will be running out a lot of samurai landings until you perfect its flare (at a high wingloading that is).
hope this helps ( all are good canopies, but the vengeance will not be as versatile if you don't hook hard)
ramon