jammy_salsa

Hello fellow Kiters! Are you sitting confortably?... Good... then I'll begin. My 21st birthday was coming up and I had already been flying kites for a bit, so I decided I'd take it to the next level and try it out on water. Have to admit I did a fair bit of research on what kite to get as it's not a cheap hobby to pick up! I finally decided that for my weight (about 10.5 Stone), a 12 metre kite would do the trick well. So I eventually got the '06 Rhino with the 5th element bar as it seemed like a wise investment, judging by what other people had told me and I took the IKO levels with it. I've now had many sessions with it on the water and from my experiences these are the pros and cons of this kite. Pros: Setting up this kite is literally idiot-proof, you can't go wrong, if you can and you have, get in touch with me so that I may mock you endlessly. This kite is amazingly stable, it just refuses to stall or slow down in most cases, that 5th line adds a lot of strength and stability to the C-shape so there's not much chance of it going "floppy" on you. Manouvers well in the air and can be adjusted for quicker or slower turns depending on your style of riding. If your a fan of big air (and I am) this kite will keep you smilling all day long. The power this thing can muster is sometimes scary but great fun. All modern North kites come with this now but the Ironheart safety device works great and is easy to take apart and put together again. Water re-launching is fairly simple once you get the hang of it, the 5th line does make a difference I think. The bag that comes with it is huge, which is great since you can fit half your gear in too, but it's pain in the ass if your flying with it trust me, airlines don't like you for it. Cons: Since this kite is designed for competition freestyle jumping among other things, it doesn't like to come down often and can be a bit problematic in water if you need it to. The battens on this kite ( little plastic rods inserted along the kite to maintain shape ) are a bit fragile, I've already broken 2 packing it away, but the good news is that it comes with spares The 5th line makes a self rescue procedure interesting, i've almost had it power up before whilst wrapping the lines which was slightly concerning... My Opinion: I personally think this kite is great, I actually liked it so much that I bought a 14 metre Rhino four months later. I started kitesurfing with it and I'll admit it's not the most beginner friendly kite to use, but once your doing water starts confortably this kite has some real attitude on the water, it delivers a lot of power which is pretty easy to control. The fact that it doesn't like to come down can be considered a good or a bad thing depending on how often you fall in. Hope you find this review helpfull and I would appreciate feedback or even personal experiences with this model. Ride safe ! By : jammy_salsa

The Beamer II 5m is a great quad line kite for money value, for roughly £160 (and they do come cheaper than that) you get an impressive 412cm wingspan with 16 cells creating surprisingly good lift. So what do you get for this cheap price? - the kite obviously - pre streched bridle lines - quad handles - a set of kite killers - a ground stake with cover - a groovie video SVCD (computer disk) - a manual - and finally a spacious bag to keep this all in What's it good for? The beamer is a forgiving kite in strong winds so good to learn on, but would maybe recommend starting with it's smaller version the 3.6m as the 5m version can be quite nasty in stronger winds. Ideally, I use the kite for boarding, and it copes very well, I've picked up some good speeds with it. I've been told it's not a bad kite for buggying but have had no experience. The kite can also produce enough lift for jumps but not huge ones. Pros and Cons : Pros: Great kite for money value, had mine for about 6 months now and still looks new. Loads of people have complained about the bridle lines but I have to say I've had no problems so far and the kite has been taken out in 25+ mph winds. The whole package is simple and very easy to follow. Comes almost ready to fly, just attach the lines and your off! Cons : The handles are personally not to my comfort and my beamer now has a set of flexifoil handles instead, but they are durable. This maybe isn't a flaw but what is with that zip on the bag! it's a pain to open and shut and doesn't even achieve an aesthetically desirable look. HQ... if you're reading this, bad bad bad idea (slap!). Conclusion : Simple really, It's a great kite and if you're cheap like me and want a big new kite for less, this is by far the best choice. Hope this is usefull would be great to get some feedback. Have fun and stay safe ! By : jammy_salsa

Started having fun with a 2 line kite this summer with my cousin who introduced me to it and am now completely hooked. Got home and had to buy one myself, so i went down to the local shop and asked for some advice about what i should be looking for. Having come to the conclusion that i wanted to pursue landboarding and traction i was suggested the Beamer 2, 5 metre version, a 4 line kite, which was something new to me. I was up for a challenge and decided to buy it. Took the kite for the first day to the beach with a friend and set up the kite to my satisfaction having asked and read about it. The wind was fairly constant but not too strong, so i wasn't expecting a lot of power from the kite. Well... it almost lifted me clean off the ground after it rose about 10 metres into the air which scared the daylights out of me, but decided to stick it out and eventually got the hang of it after a few days on the beach. The kite is amazing value for money, mine has taken a pretty heavy beating and still looks new. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to give this great sport a go. Having said that, i would possibly suggest a smaller kite if you are new to this,the 3.6 metre version ( one my friend owns ) is a lot better to learn on, but you won't feel so much pull if you want to take things further. i did leave the first few times with some nasty bruises and slight burns. Which brings me to my next topic ... ... SAFETY GEAR, no jokes guys, get some first before you give this a go. My full face helmet has saved my prety face many times now ! Hope you find this helpful, Jamie By : jammy_salsa