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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/18/2021 in all areas

  1. 1 point
  2. I decided that I'd get a kiteboarding kite to get into the sport. I am very small so I just got a 12m hoping that it would cover the largest wind range and hoping to expand my quiver later. I bought a used kite off of ebay. I got a 12m 2002 Slingshot Fuel for 93 bucks. I got it out knowing I'd have more power than those Beamers I'm used to flying. I was right, and it was loaded with traction, and in above 9 mph it popped me off the ground very well. I jumped a few up to 10 feet high at 15 mph Build quality. You shouldn't have to ask. It's a Slingshot, doesn't that about sum it up? I have crashed this kite many times, gone over sticks on the beach, and lets not forget that it has been used by someone else since 2002. there are no rips, tears, or holes in the canopy, or anywhere on the sail, and the bladders still hold rock solid. amazingly duable. I already crased it twice and thought it was gone. Thanks Slingshot! All the seams on the kite are double stitched, and it has wear pads over the critical wear spots on the kite, including the bladders. The fabric is rip-stop nylon, barely thicker than oher brands, but it is way stronger. my friend tore his Naish V4 after he crashed it the second time on the beach. This kite is as many put it, "bomb proof." The only hassle is that the valves aren't one way, meaning you have to pinch them. The kite flys very well in light winds for starters, but does not depower as well as most, partially because it is a mid-high aspect. In higher winds, it is easy to become overpowered, and I had a couple of very frightening moments when the kite just picked me up off the beach 20 feet. It is harder than most to steer, and I would suggest a longer bar. It turns kind of slow, but makes up for it with its high forward speed. The lift is truely amazing, and the pull is great as well. The kite is not as stable as most, so you will crash it a few before getting the hang of it. It does, however, hang very well once you are in the air. great to catch some sweet hangtime, especially for a 12m. I only paid $93 for this kite, and it was the best deal on a kite I ever got. it was used, but still flies great, and has a long time left in it. The newer Fuels sell for a bit over a grand, and I have heard wonderful things about them, especially because of their one pump, fifth line, and split-strut. As far as I know, the Fuels get better every year. I got a great deal on mine, and I believe even the 06' Fuels are well worth it. The kite is indesrtuctable, and built to last. I've beat on the thing so much, and it has had no problems, and still holds strong. I got it very cheap, an if you get them used off of ebay, you can always get a great deal. It pulls very nicely, and gets lots of pop and hangtime, but can be overwhelming at times. It flies well in lighter winds, but hard to handle in higher winds. Not exactly a good begginer kite, but tons of power for the more experieced. A bit hard to handle and turn, but like I said, the power is ameome. Overall, I love flying this kite if the wind is right, and love flipping on the thing. It definatley puts out, and it was cheap. Not recommended to a begginer, but f you have been flying for a while, you have to try a Fuel. By : Beamerpilot27
    1 point
  3. RaceKites

    U-turn Oxigen 4M

    U-turn 4m Oxigen - mid-aspect kite. First impressions Unpacking the kite I was very impressed with the quality of construction. The kite came in a draw string sack as ‘kite only’ but the price quoted by the shop was set up, ready to fly with free handles and 20m line. The only problem that I can see here is that the 4M kite is such a tight fit into the bag that it is practically impossible to get the handles in as well. The kite comes fitted with power rings that join the power and brake bridles near the line connection points. where the brakes actually hook onto the trailing edge end of the wingtips. There is another ring on the trailing edge. This is used, when turning to increase the turn rate.The kite is reinforced at all the stress points and has internal webs and straps across the rib cross-vents and the across the innermost bridle points too. The bridle are all sewn on, similar to the Ozone and newer Flexifoil kites. It has Velcro dirt outs for removing sand/ grass from the wing tips. It also has a Velcro strip to hold the harness in place when you pack the kite away. First flight - How do they fly? Unfortunately, the first day was not perfect, for the Oxigen, as the wind was very gusty. Lots of juddering and sudden de-power with the kite falling out of the sky and powering up half way down! Well it was blowing between 5-17mph constant gusts. On its maiden flight, I broke my collarbone after being pulled over and dragged a few times. Also getting it stuck up a tree. The following week I tried again this time in more open ground still inland. It was a different kite altogether, well behaved. The wind was between 5 – 10mph. It took a bit more effort to get it off the ground, on its second flight, but once up it was really cool. Turning speed was incredible even given the low wind. Power was there, through the turns. When landing in reverse, no problem with tendency to spin and fight in the last few feet to the ground. It was less aggressive on initial takeoff and can be held back easier on the brakes. On its third flight at a beach, wind between 5- 16mph. It flow really well, well controlled, behaved. When reverse landing it tended to want to fight and twist a little near the ground, on this occasion, but nothing to put you off. Conclusion I love this kite, even after breaking my collarbone. It has lots of power and it can be flown in low wind in order for you to get to know it. I think the Oxygen may be better in a buggy than on a board as it seemed to pull more lower down, however it's hard to say as I was just static flying. Power was smoother on the beach. And I would say that this kite is an all rounder both inland and beach. I would recommend this kite to a beginner and intermediate flyer. Author : dreamcaster2005
    1 point
  4. hammer

    HQ Beamer II 2.5M

    After going down to the local football fields with a mate and his 4m Blade III and getting myself thrown, lifted and generally manhandled by it in what were supposed to be 12 - 15mph winds (a visit to http://www.xcweather.co.uk/ showed the wind history to be 29mph), I decided that I had found my new sport having just given up karting. I then spent days reading reviews and comparing prices, and decided that it was going to be a Beamer II 2.5 m. My mate got one as well with the idea of finally using his ATB. It arrived, we packed the tent and kites into the car and of we set off in the torrential rain to Skeggy. Put up the tent in Beaufort 5 - 6 winds and even hevier rain. Next morning a miracle had happened - a clear sky and 20 - 30 mph winds. We got to the beach at 10 am set up one of the Beamers and the Blade and started to fly. The Beamers were easy to set up although the colour coding on the power lines on one of them had a red braid at one end and a blue at the other. Started with the brake lines on the third knot which proved ok, but as the winds picked up (24mph upwards) we had to move them to the forth knot as they were proving difficult to land. I know a lot of people complain about the handles, but having done 6 hour endurance racing in karts, I actually found them very comfortable and prefer them to the flexifoil affairs on the blade. The lines were all equal lengths and the overall construction is very good. We got sand in the pockets during the day as we skidded them horizontally accross the sand, and crashed them once or twice but they still flew wonderfully. At the beginning of the day we were taking off at the edge of the window which just invloved releasing the break lines and away they went. They fly superbly are massively manouverable, and the power you get as you fly it though middle of the window is enough to drag a 12 stone bloke 20 feet on his arse in the sand or three or feet into the air. When they come down the wrong way up a quick pull on the break lies will have them the right way up and back in the air again. They will spin on there axis and happily float above you in the zenith when you need a rest. However, on occasion they will fold up at the edge of the window, but a quick pull on the opposite powerline nearly always sends it skywards again. The Beamer is a superb Kite for those looking to get into powerkiting, it is relatively cheap, easy to fly, very manouverable, predictable and well made.I prefer their range of ability (being new to the sport) to the Blade, they don't have the same power but we spent ten hours on Skeggy beach and we all kept going back to the Beamers. I am waiting for my two new ones - 3.6 and 5m, and we are going Land Boarding (now we can balance on them) on Friday with them. I will let you know how it goes! By : hammer
    1 point
  5. After having played around with my Beamer for a month or so I thought it was time to get airborne and only being 15 a Blade was out of the question, so I went for the poor man's Blade, the Radsail 7.0M which I bought from 39inman (very good transaction, thank you) thinking it would be a little step up from the Beamer but goo do learn from. I underestimated this kite! When the kite arrived I immediately ripped the packaging off and laid the kite on the floor and it was huge, I couldn't wait to fly it. The bag the kite came in is pretty good, two slips on the side ideal for storing little nick nacks in and a front pocket for your accessories. There is also a meshed ventilation space at the bottom of the bag which helps dry the kite out a little on your way home. The handles on this kite do their job but are not the most comfortable in the world, but they are easily replaceable, they come will two tops which you can wrap your lines around which would be very useful, but not for me because I'm a parapacker. I won't mention the first day I flew it because the winds were only 3-5 MPH and while the kite did fly it's not worth mentioning. But the second outing was amazing, winds were about 22 which is over the recommended levels which are 15 but I didn't care, I just wanted to fly my new kite. So I unpacked it and spread it out on the floor and stood there with the handles, a little tug on the power and the kite stood up and inflated and sat there smiling at me. I pulled back on the handles and the kite lifted and hovered there for a second, as if to say "Get ready for this", then the kite shot up to the zenith, taking me with it but placing me back down softly. I flew it across the window a few time and was pulled forward as I did, next on this list was to try a pendulum. I placed the kite right at the edge of the window, yanked the left handle and rand backwards and next thing, without realizing I was 4-5 foot off the ground, the lift was so smooth I didn't even notice! Just to test the power I asked my friend (jumping jim) to hold onto me while I launch it and after a second we was both in the air then scudding along the floor. You have to get past the 'you get what you pay for' theory because it's false in this case, the feel, performance and look of the kite do not give away it's £180 price tag which in my opinion is the best price for what you get. 7 meters of kite which was designed by Andy Preston, the creator of blades! This kite will give you great lift and even traction for a board. I will enclose a video of my using this kite at Wallop in around 18-21 MPH winds. http://www.zippyvideos.com/4222884255265246/movie_0021/ Just watch this video to see its power, and remember this. I have only been flying kites for around 3 months so just imagine what this kite could do in the hands of a pro. By : clarkey1990
    1 point
  6. This is a review of the Flexifoil Sting 1.7m I suppose the first thing anybody will notice about the Sting is the packaging, out with the old flimsy drawstring bag, and in with a much tougher canvas bag with a reasonable sized pocket on the side. On packing the kite away, you need to be careful about how you fold and pack as the top of the bag is a bit tight, as I found out one day packing away in a hurry, but if you fold the kite properly it all fits nice and snug in the bag In the bag we get – Kite, Handles, Killers, Lines, Instructions, Stickers, Registration card and Free repair card. Construction Well what else would you expect from Flexifoil, as usual top quality components and construction of the canopy, handles, lines, good easy to follow instructions. This is a personal thing but I’m not sure about the new Flexifoil designs, the Sting, Blade, Rage all having the same designs, I much preferred it when I could look into the sky and instantly say 6.6 Blade III just by looking at the design on the kite and the colours used (whinge over)… Set-up Kite set-up couldn’t be simpler, even if you are a novice follow the instructions in the book and the nice card they have attached to the bridle leaders (how could anyone get it wrong), unless your me, who always fly’s with the red handle on my right….. Flying the Sting Here we have to bear in mind that my site is inland, with most often Westerly or South Westerly wind, which can be very lumpy and is prone to quick changes of direction. First session took place in 5 to 9mph nice and gentle to work the kite in the power zone (making this an excellent beginners kite), if you push the kite to close to the edge of the window, it will luff, but then again what kite wouldn’t, recovery is very easy and soon the Sting is fully inflated and sailing around in the power zone again. Taking the kite to the zenith, I have found that it can over fly, but with some brake application can be made to sit comfortably above your head. This 1.7m Sting is not as quick as the 2005 1.2m but then again bigger kites are always that much slower moving them around. This next session took place with winds averaging 15 gusting 30+ mph with the wind coming from the SW & Very lumpy indeed. What a mover – From Launch in the centre of the window steady power all the way to the zenith. Left to right just above the ground, and very quick it is to, ok so it luffs but that’s my fault flying it so close to the edge of the window and the wind is swinging in direction by 45 degrees, but recovery is very easy, at the top of the window I get the kite to over fly my head, with the predictable result, down it comes like a sack of s**t, ok I asked for it but unless you try these things how are we going to find out what we can do with them. Up it goes again to the zenith, a little brake, and the odd bit of input, lovely, the Sting sits there, gently pulling on the arms, so we have some lift as well (not enough to lift me, unless I were flying in a hurricane). In the power zone this kite is very predictable, positive and fast, whizzing from left to right, nice gentle wide turns on the handles and fast turns on the brakes and pulls very well. Outcome For the beginner this would be a good first kite, the instructions and set-up of the kite makes this so easy and it is not a kite that will give you a good spanking unless your flying in insane winds. The Sting 1.7 would also make a good high wind traction machine for those more advanced, stable and predictable, a very nice kite indeed Well let’s face it, what else would we expect from Flexifoil Author : D-Alien
    1 point
  7. gaddy

    HQ Beamer II 3.6M

    I was introduced into power kiting by one of my friends (Panthro on here). I’m a complete beginner and have never flown anything more than a single line kite about 18 years ago. Anyway Panthro was saying to me how much fun it was and I should give it a go so I read up and looked around and decided to go for a HQ beamer 2 3.6m. I wanted as big as recommended so I didn’t have to buy a bigger one so soon (it was hard enough getting my wife to let me get this one let alone another one in a couple of months). A couple of days later and it arrived. I can’t really compare it with any other kites as I haven’t used or really seen any others but this is what I think of mine. It came with very clear instructions and with the beginners guide on here I decided I was confident enough to go out and start. The lines only needed a little adjustment to get them all the right size and I liked that it came with an easily adjustable brake lines. It probably only took me about ¼ hour to get set up and ready to fly (baring in mind this was my first time and I was on my own). I also liked the ground stake (might sound strange) it came in a belt sheath and wasn't pointed at the so you can't stab yourself and it has a nice bright orange handel so you can see it a mile off if you forget to pick it up straight away. It took a few attempts to get it in the air and much muttering under my breath about how easy everybody makes it look. But I did eventually gat the hang of it to a low standard. I found the kite killers that came with it worked but got in the way more often or not particularly when I crashed and I found I didn’t really have a problem hanging on to the handles anyway so I took them off. After mastering take off and landing I got to grips with steering which was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Again the reading up before hand helped a lot there too. This all took about an hour and after all that I was happily getting dragged round the field in a relatively controlled manner. I was able to drop the kite if I thought I had lost control or was sliding too fast or far. Overall I think the kite is excellent and good fun. As I said earlier I can’t compare with any other kite but this one is certainly easy to control and great fun. So if you’re also thinking of getting in to kiting I can strongly recommend this kite but can I also warn you it is highly addictive. I have spent most of my free time flying it since it has arrived. Author : Gaddy
    1 point
  8. From the moment I bought my 4.5 metre Bullet I knew I'd made a good choice. The kite comes in a well made rucksack and is supplied with Flexifoils legendary four line handles complete with kite killers, also included is a set of colour coded flying lines on a winder. The first thing I noticed when I upacked the kite at home was the difference in quality between my new Flexifoil and my cheaper kites, the Flexifoil is better in every way thinkable. The rucksack is well costructed with neat little touches to aid stowage of the kite. The foil is made of high quality chikara material and the stitching is of a very high standard and there is gauze on the leading edge intakes to allow for bigger intakes. The bridals are neatly stitched at the ends and the bridal attachment points are reinforced. The handles are by far the best and most comfortable available, all kites should come with these as standard. The lines are really easy to set up as they are colour coded and they have identification tags, the lines are sleeved and stitched at the ends and they are perfectly equal in length so no messing around before you can fly. The first flight was great, the set up was straight forward and I was flying in no time. The Bullet flew effortlessly in a 10mph wind, the controls responded well to my input and after getting used to flying the new Bullet I got on my board and straight away the Bullet was pulling me along like trian. I can't wait to fly it again, it was definately worth every penny. By : hu11aba1oo
    1 point
  9. Now that I have had these kites for some time, I would like to offer a few more thoughts. After a small problem with one of the bags that was fixed immediately, (great customer service) these kites have held up very well. My whole family has been flying these kites (2 adults, 3 kids) as well as our cousins and the kid's friends. They have been crashed to the ground, twisted around fence posts, dragged across the ground, stepped on, tripped over, and flown in many different conditions. I have not had even one broken string. I think that says a lot for the quality of construction and durability. I am looking forward to expanding my quiver of HQ Kites. Having only flown 2 string kites before these, I was a little put off by all the lines on these kites. After quickly learning how to properly put away the handles and strings, they have been a joy to use. My kids have also learned how and don't mind helping at all. As far as flying characteristcs, these kites have been amazing. I have easily taught kids and adults to fly these who had never flown any multiline kite before. The Beamer is fast in the higher winds with a more steady pull but easily manageable by beginners. The Crossfire is a bit slower with big bursts of power, but once someone gets the feel for the Beamer, switching over to the Crossfire has been easy. Everyone wants to try the bigger kite, but I try to limit it to people who are a little heavier or a little more experienced. Our cousins enjoyed flying them so much that they are going to be buying these same 2 kites later this year. Last week my 7 year old daughter (Danielle) was finally managing the Beamer on her own. Her older sister (Nicole) had to hold her down by the waist, but she did very well. Danielle started dragging Nicole around so one of Nicole's friends held on to Nicole and then together it was enough weight to keep Danielle in one place. It was the funniest thing you've ever seen. I had to tell Danielle to stop getting air and learn how to fly the kite! We have been using them for recreation and scudding, with a little jumping as well. We plan on getting a buggy later this year. Since my last reviews I have also flown the Crossfire 7.7m kite. WOW! It was powerful. On a light wind day I was easily scudding and jumping. When it luffed, I was able to recover it very easily. On the high wind day I was struggling to control it. I now understand better than ever why it is important to have a couple of kite choices depending on the conditions. Having said that, we have been able to enjoy one kite or the other on any given day, but I can see that the 7.7m kite would make the lighter wind days much more fun for my big frame. The family time and enjoyment we have gotten from these kites far out weigh any monetary considerations. My daughter's friends are now calling us to see when we are going flying. I know this review is more about our enjoyment of the kites than the kites themselves, but I wanted to post it any way. Thanks!! Randy S. By : rsherwood
    1 point
  10. Wow, I hear you say, a review for the Beamer 3.6. That makes a nice change! Anyway, I won't bore you with details of the bag, DVD etc as you don't buy a kite for all the accessories. Bought from the good people at powerkiteshop.com, I was advised to go for the Beamer as a good beginners kite for someone my size (15 stone) and with fairly limited experience. Since I bought this kite I have used many others and should therefore give a fairly balanced view of what the kite is like. First flight. Inland with a 10mph wind with a few gusts. Set-up was a piece of cake with all lines being the correct length and the break connection point guessed at knot 4. Gentle pull and up, needing a bit of work to get it ot the zenith as the wind was inconsistent. Easy to control, pulled well across the power zone and generally well behaved. I found it wasn't to happy sitting at the zenith but put this down to the wind level. Had a bit of a problem with luffing at the edge of the wind window and some overflight above me. I changed the lines to 30m to give it more 'play area' and found it made the world of difference. The next few flights were again in land but with winds around the 20mph region. Not much of a problem with luffing now and managed to skud along the local playing fields for a stop-start 100m or so. Yes! Try as I might could get more than a weedy 3 foot in the air with pendulum jumps, but hey, it's not designed for this! Without access to a buggy or board at this point, I fashioned a unique method of traction with a metal tray - highly unsuccessful but funny trying. The last flight I had was on a picnic field on the river Severn where the northerly wind was perfecly channeled to a fairly consistent 35mph (my pocket windmeter measured gusts of 42mph!!!) Without adjusting any of the kite, launched directly into the wind. Now I'm sure you know what happened next! I landed on my face and shot across the field at some ungodly speed to the amusement of many on-lookers. From my horizontal position I applied the brakes but all they were doing was making it twitchy. Eventually I steered it out of the wind and came to a stand still by now wearing tatters where my clothes were and blood everywhere. Unperturbed by what happened I adjusted the brakes to the point where the line was as taught as the power lines and managed to have more control but still with awesome power. Anyway, to summarise: Pros - Great value for £100. Will take punishment and a great starter/intermediate package. Cons - Handles. Luffs at wind edge. Can be unpredictable in uneven winds. By : davekermito
    1 point
  11. Well where do I start.. My previous kite to this was the Air Rush 3.0m trainer, I was under the impression this was a powerful kite.... WRONG. I took delivery of the 4.9 blade 20/10 the wind was howling a gale, so I decided I would wait a bit until the air was slightly calmer after reading some of the reviews here. Well the weekend arrived and my wife and I are visiting friends, what a bummer I thought no chance to fly the beast, however I took the precaution of throwing the blade in the boot. Well you never know.. After a particularly drunken night and much p**s taking from my mate about a grown man of 100kg flying a kite, the morning arrives and it's a 10-15mph wind, so I persuade my p**s taking friend that we should fly the kite. After setting it up and making sure I'd attached the brake lines correctly! (please read instructions) the kite is launched. Initially watching her climb gently up the edge of the wind window to sit steadily above my head I thought what's all the fuss about, although she was pulling it was very manageable, then BANG, I decided to drop her straight down the middle of the wind, what followed was me being dragged along the ground at an unbelievable rate. It was then I realised what a truly awesome piece of kit this is. Thank heavens for the kill lines. My friend by this time is starting to get interested, have watched me getting dragged around and up in the air, thought he might like a go. Weighing a good 15kg lighter than me I thought why not, it may be my turn to take the p**s. Sure enough after some instruction on flying the kite, away he went literally after a few gentle turns he decided to really attack the wind, which resulted in him being pulled 5ft+ into the air for about 25ft and then landing in an un-ceremonial heap. I am pleased to say no one was injured, which I was able to verify after I'd picked myself up from the floor from laughing so hard. The moral of the story is don't take the p**s out of someone elses hobby if you don't understand it. As for the Blade, this has now become my best friend and can't wait to fly her again(could phone in sick at work i guess). The build quality is excellent and is very easy to launch, but she does deserve your full respect. As with all beautiful women she can deliver pleasure and pain in equal measures. Let the affair begin!! By : martin
    1 point
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