Must86

That is one sharp looking kite ! I've been wanting to fly a Nirvana, but it hasn't come to the top of the buy list, yet. My guess is that I won't find that one in the classifieds any time soon, either...

My most recent favorite kite... Fearless vented light... ~Rob.

It is really hard to recommend any kite for less than $100. It would be a matter of a few flights before you're bored with it. That being said, I started out with the Vision kite, but quickly bought 10 more in the next few months... ~Rob.

Hi Mat, I've found with most of my kites that once I find the right adjustment for the bridle that suits me, I just leave it there. There seems to be a sweet spot that works through out the wind range of any given kite. This works for all of my Prism kites, new and old. Kites like the Sea Devil and Fearless, they say to never adjust, just fly the kite out of the box, the way that Lam sent it. The only European kite that I have is a Gemini, and I've never had to adjust the bridle on it since I got it. This is just me, but whenever I've messed with the bridle, I always end up putting it back to the way it was. ~Rob.

I haven't counted lately, but I've got a few bags full. And single line kites, a couple of foils... The funny thing is that I only fly my Sea Devils and Fearless SUL lately, and am eagerly awaiting delivery of my Fearless vented light. We'll see if it can take the place of all the other kites... ~Rob.

Wow, the E3. It's hard to say... hated it, grew to like it, was having a good time with it and found out the hard way about a problem with the center T/Spine. It seems that the hole in the center T is a little bit bigger than the spine, and creates a weakness at that point. Well, mine snapped right there, and ripped a 4 inch gash in the sail. I'll say this... the wind was 10-15mph that day, and a gust did cause this, but the gust was by no means close to the rated top end wind range of the kite. This would've happened to me long before this on other kites, and I have never had this happen to me, on any kite. My only point is... if you have an E3, check how your spine fits in the center T, if it's loose, put a wrap of tape in there or something to tighten it up. It's kind of a heart-breaker because I was just starting to like the kite after a few months of not. I got it adjusted to the point that it flew the way I liked it (~5 hours of test & tune, + help from Jared) and got maybe another 2 hours out of it. So, eventually I'll get around to sending the sail back to Prism to see what they can do with it, and in the meantime, I haven't missed it too much. I have other kites I'd rather fly anyway... ~Rob.

Hey CAG... You're going to enjoy your Zephyr. I like mine way more than the E3. It will fly down in the advertised wind range, you just have to prep it for that... remove the weight, remove the upper spreader, adjust the bridle, and fly on 13 meter lines. I never fly my Zephyr with the weight in, I think the weight is what causes it to fly weird, like other people complain about. Maybe the weight is too heavy, I don't know, but I never have a use for it. Make sure the ferrules in the leading edge are tight, reglue them if needed. I hear they have a tendancy to slip. Overall, the Zephyr is a very tough, well made kite, and should serve you well for years. Mine has, and it was in the first batch produced. ~Rob.

Wow, you found one ? That was FAST ! Not as pretty as the rainbow one, but you'll never find a day that there's not enough wind. Nice score !!!

Steve, Great looking kite, I kind of wish my Fearless was white, I could see it better in our failing light this time of year. I'm having a hard time getting my FL SUL out of a turtle/backflip postion, but the kite can do all my other tricks really well. I need more time to fly it... wondering what your impressions are, and can't wait to see the video... ~Rob.

Hey CAG... Great job ! How about a flight report ? How did you mount them on the TE ? I am really interested in your Mod... looks like a great implementation. I would suggest checking your spine/center T junction. Evidently, the spine hole is a little bit too big for the spine, and is a point of weakness. Mine broke right there, and the spine shreaded the sail. I had finally gotten the kite to fly the way I like, or I got used to it, and a 15mph gust caused catastophic failure in mid-flight. I have to send the sail back to Prism for repair, if I ever get around to it. ~Rob.

My bad, I thought it was a Level One Eternity. And you're right, there's not very much L1 product around here. Probably has to do with an unfavorable exchange rate. Their kites do look nice, but the Thor's Hammer is the only one that's on my must have list. ~Rob.

Jason... Do tell... I think I know what that kite is.... and if I'm right, it's a rare bird. Really nice looking, but how does it fly ? I'm going retro with my light wind persuits, looking for a PBSK to go along with my other light wind kites. Have only shaken one loose so far, and don't know if it's the right one for me... ~Rob.

I can understand why you're looking for a new light wind kite, I hated the 3D, thought it flew too much like a toy. Prism used to make a really nice low/no wind kite called the Ozone. It's my goto kite when the wind is 0-2mph. If you look around, I'm sure you'll be able to find one in good shape for ~$100 US. Most people will tell you otherwise, but I thought the QPro SUL was a complete waste of money, it didn't fly anywhere near what I expected, it's been at the back of the closet since I got it, and I will probably use the parts for my good kites when I need spares... HQ used to make a kite called the Shadow that flew pretty low, and was tricky. You might be able to find one new somewhere as a leftover. If you like to do all the tricks in next to no wind, the BM Exile UL is exceptional. Probably my favorite kite, at least over the last few months... http://vimeo.com/6337920 Sorry the video is long, but it should give an idea what the kite can do in <3mph wind. Actually, it can do more with a better pilot. I'm sure there are some European kites that can fly like that in as low wind, but I don't think there are any of the Chinese kites (New Tech, newPrism, Flying Wings...) that can fly in 0-4mph and still remain trickable. ~Rob.

Supporting the local shop is a noble notion. Mine lets me down time & time again when it comes to ordering parts, or ordering a QPro SUL. They told me that they would order it, but never did. Glad I wasn't holding my breath. It looked like some of those kites might be fun for someone that wanted to fly figures and carve lines, but the designs really look like they're 10-15 years old. Granted, the Prism Zephyr is the last significant design they came out with, but it's 2-3 years old at this point. Prism is a great way to go for 'bang for the buck', or the Blue Moon kites also offer tremendous value for the money. I don't know how much they are there, but most Blue Moons are less than a QPro here. Invest in your kites, it's worth it. You quickly forget how much you spent for a kite after you fly it a few times. The joy of flying a nice kite is priceless. ~Rob

Yeah, Rev kites are ugly, but really pretty cool to fly. It's really easy to learn, I think easier than 2 line trick flying. It's not as complicated as you might think, but setting up a 4 liner takes a little more time & care. There are some better looking 4 liners out there, ask Steve about his AirBow. The Spirit is better looking, but isn't as capable as a Rev. Then there are Decas, they're flying works of art, but you've got to pay big $$$ for them. It seems that anything will fly on four lines, I've seen pictures of a guy flying his Prism rollup bag on four lines, but my favorite is the flying cursor... http://www.windfiredesigns.com/timbofol ... rKite.html ~Rob

Hey there... Prism isn't the only option, but it's a good option from a learning perspective. Too bad they're so expensive by you guys. If you had a Prism Hypnotist and Zephyr, you wouldn't need anything else when you're learning. They are both quite durable, and you would have the entire wind range from 1mph to 20+mph covered. Not to mention, a full range of linesets, a cool carry case, and a DVD, all with the purchase of those 2 kites. It does sound like a really good idea to contact Jason, I guess the owner of your local kite store, and find out what he recommends. And what he's got in stock, maybe a demo kite for less, so you can afford more kites... ~Rob.

Hey CAG... I have a Yin Yang kite... It's pretty cool, stalls and does side slides like crazy, and it is also pretty durable in up to 25mph wind. It's more of a novelty kite than a serious trickster. It's a little small for my taste, but it is cool to hand off to an interested by-stander. ~Rob.

Hey Cool-Aid... Did you see this ... viewtopic.php?f=63&t=11894 Hopefully these mods will get it to fly better for you. I didn't like the way mine flew fresh out of the bag, messed around with the bridle a bit and it was a little better, but I haven't flown it since. Too little fly time to waste messing around with testing & tuning... I'll eventually get around to trying these mods, hopefully they'll make the kite fun to fly.

Hey guys... It's not a Prism ! It's a custom Sabre by Wayne Knott (Dreamweaver kites). It looks like he made a bunch of 'colorful' customs, but can't find much info at all. Yeah, I guess I'm nuts for buying a kite like that, not knowing anything about how it flies. But I think it looks cool, even though most people don't like my rainbow customs. ~Rob. BTW, Steve, I would've bought your Benson instead if it came to the swap meet a day earlier. It's always the way of it, blow a bunch of kite $$$, and something better shows up the next day !

Cool, Steve, that matches my SD std. You'll have to let me know what you think of the light compared to the std. I don't know if I should get more Sea Devils, or just skip to the Fearless. In the meantime, I picked up this crazy looking kite last week. It's one of a kind, and I don't know what to expect... http://community.webshots.com/photo/ful ... 6791pXfZNd ~Rob.

Shawn... They're right, buy something that is gently used. I've heard good things about the SF, but nothing good about the other 2 mentioned. I actually watched an acomplished pilot wrestling with an Insync last weekend. He actually liked the E3 better. But when his Benson kites came out, I could see this guy could really fly ! There is a big difference between those off-the-shelf kites and the artisan kites, even if you're not good enough to do all the tricks, yet. I know I have alot to learn still, but one thing I have learned is how nice Benson, Blue Moons, and Sky Sport kites fly. ~Rob.

I keep alot of them only in hopes of handing them out to people that want to learn. Seriously, I live on an island with 3 million people, hundreds of miles of beach-front, and NO ONE flies here. It's such a waste of good wind...

I agree...

Small bag with big kites !

Most of the stunt kites are in roll-up bags, the SLKs are in old school zipper bags. The rest are just kind of hanging out in closets and the basement. I am a 5 minute walk from a good single line beach, less than 5 minute drive to a beach with enough room to fly stunt kites. I am a true addict... but I don't feel like I need help, yet...