PeatyMcBog

We've owned this kite for a few months now and felt it was about time I put a review together (and to change my smiley face). The kite oozes quality the moment you take it from the package, rucksack is of good quality too. Ours is the florescent green version, which we still like to this day. Easy to follow instructions are included and the colour coded lines are easy to understand and work with right down to the little tabs on the line eyes to enable the easy removal from the larks head knot when tight from flying. The Flexi killers are some of the nicest we've used, being elasticised they tend to stay out of the way while flying. Setting up the kite is dead easy. The brake lines on mine only came with two-knot positions and we tend to fly on the second knot (closest to the trailing edge) and find this fine for all conditions. Others may wish to add further knots to trim the brake settings differently. The size when you open it up in the house is impressive but it looks more to scale when laid out at the chosen flying site. For our first flight the wind was low only running at 7ish mph and I found the kite would fly but was hard work to keep in the air. We came away a little disappointed having flown smaller kites in similar winds and had much more fun. Was the Blade not going to live upto its expectations? Not on your life! All that is said about these kites is true When the wind rises a little this pussy becomes a fire breathing dragon with all the temperament you would expect from such a beast. We've had some really good flying days with this kite and for scudding you can just go on and on, the only thing stopping you is the thought of the walk back with the kite 'resting' at the edge of the window. It cannot be rested at the zenith its just got too much lift to walk back. We've also had some frightening flying days when the kites started to go up and just dragged me along on my backside until Ive managed to crash it to a stop with Betyboo running after me to stop the kite taking flight again. On another occasion I was lofted uncontrollably into the air towards the sea and a wet end so decided to deploy the killers which worked superbly, dropping me to the ground, for albeit a bumpy landing but safe and sound. We have tried jumping with this kite pendulum style and have managed some air but I guess I need to refine my technique somewhat, most people seem to report flying with Blades, maybe they fly in higher winds? This is not the most flown kite in our collection and I guess some of the reason is its unpredictability is confidence sapping when it all goes wrong. I like to have some control over what my kite is doing but this is a very on/off kite with the power cutting in and out like the flick of a switch. In flat gustless winds things are much more controllable it's in gusty conditions when it gets hairy. I am happy flying in moderate flat winds of upto about 15mph, but I wouldn't risk it above this, well not until I have gained more, much more experience. This is not a beginners kite and I would put it into the high end of intermediate flyers to expert to release its full potential. Were very pleased with our purchase and hope that the love/hate relationship, if that's the right word, will turn to more love as time and experience improves. A great kite with real bite, just don't take your eye of the ball, not even for a second. By : PeatyMcBog

We wanted a smaller kite for the misses and high wind days but a four liner unlike the 2.2 Symphony we already own. So after reading the reviews and having experienced a couple of other HQ kites decided on the Beamer 2.5. This was purchased from Atmosphere Kites in Bristol who despite a problem over delivery details gave an excellent one to one service to resolve the issue (thanks). We have owned the kite for a few months now but rather than writing a review after the first flight thought we would get a better overall picture before putting pen to paper. The Kite bag is fairly good quality and storage space adequate for all bits and pieces plus a few more if required. Big zip is a bit of a novelty but we don't really use that compartment we don't think the zip would stand up to much abuse. The kite itself is well made and has taken some abuse over the last few months without injury including crashing into the sand with learners and smacking into a concrete block (me). I like HQ kites so maybe I'm biased! The foil is predominantly red in colour with a black material motif stitched within the air chambers. It very square shaped unlike other kites I've flown. Ground stake, with a big orange head, and pouch is a nice touch and easy to see in the sand my normal stake being a tent peg and we've lost count of the amount lost and time spent searching the sand for them. Lines at 20m long are an issue at times and I sometimes wish they were 25m or 30m although the shorter lines have proved useful when operating in limited space (i.e. a rapidly rising tide with little beach to play on). No line colour coding with all sleeving black, but easy to distinguish between main and brakes. The winder we don't like all 4 lines are wound onto a 2-sided winder with elastic to hold them in place. We're not parapackers and use winders every time so ease of use is important to us. If you parapack I doubt you'd notice a problem. Handles appear ok but a little tiring to hold after a while, a common gripe reported on other reviews but not a major issue. The only others we've tried are PKD and Flexifoil so not much experience to compare them with. Killers are ok and functional but we've never got to try them in anger. Attaching the lines for the first time we thought was going to be a problem as they all looked tangled up, they are attached to the kike via a central loop on the trailing edge. However this was not the case and they all came apart ok and we've never had them tangle up since. Attaching the mains and brakes is no problem, it's un-attaching that sometimes has me pausing to think when I start to undo the wrong knot. Kite bridle sleeving is also black. On first flight the kite lifted then went into a spiral and hit the deck, adjust the brake lines try again! After a few goes we go it right and have ours set at the third knot from the trailing end and find this just right. This kite likes a good wind and doesn't fly well in a light breeze. When the wind gets up a bit it comes into its own. Its a fast little kite, turns very quickly on the brakes and is very agile in the air. Great for swooping through the window and skimming close to the ground. We've not noticed any folding at the edge of the window either. Its got good power for a small kite, its had me and a friend over when caught off guard in moderate winds. When pegged out on the stake it doesn't always sit up and tends to fold over, but self-launching has never been a problem with it providing the windspeed is good. Overall we like the Beamer it fills a gap in our arsenal. It's a great beginners kite, which seasoned kiters will also enjoy in higher winds. For the level of quality and all-round kit you get, we think this is an excellent and economical buy. By : PeatyMcBog