leo_

Having recently acquired a second-hand viper I patiently waited for wind in the evenings after work. After a week of waiting the autumnal breeze finally arrived and the kite saw its first action under my control... Now, having only flown an agile 2.5m² Sting and thinking that it offered plenty of pull on top of being quick and nimble, the Viper was a surprise! I'm 6'2" and over 16 stone but that didn't stop me being lifted off me feet and dragged forwards in a kind of 'skimming-run' as the kite reached the centre of the wind-window. This kite really pulls. I'd liken it to a tractor; slow and cumbersome yet very powerful indeed. I'd not want to use the kite in winds above 15mph because I find it hard to control... perhaps due to my inexperience or extremely fatigued arms, but still it just doesn't do what it's told! I have a feeling that one side of bridles may not be adjusted correctly as it usually spins-out in one direction (and no, I don't have one arm longer than the other!!) As far as build quality goes, it's robust. I received the kite in good condition (although a bit grubby) in it's own black over-sized rucksack (actually - I can fit my Sting and a 500ml bottle of water in too without difficulty), padded handles and 4 lines. No kite-killers but I pinched them from my Sting for safety-sake. The Viper certainly looks impressive due to its size. Flown next to a smaller kite it lacks agility but has its own sort of elegance and grace through the sky. From reading another review of this kite (different website) there were comments that the flaps at the wingtips made lots of noise - I didn't encounter that problem. All in all, it's a slow but demanding brute of a kite. An excellent workout to be treated with caution or it'll put your face in the grass. Next on the shopping list will be something between the Sting and Viper... maybe a 4-5m Bullet By : leo_

---My Kiting History: A 2006 Sting 2.4m² is my first four line kite, which I decided to treat myself to as a step up from my 150cm Spirit of Air Scimitar delta kite... ---First Impressions: Having already read some of the reviews on this site I had high expectations of the flexifoil product - everybody saying how neat, crisp and beautifully packed and presented their new kites were. Sounded too good to be true ---Getting it Home The Sting was everything I'd expected and actually exceeded my expectations of what lengths a manufacturer goes to in order to please their customers; my brand new bundle of fun contained; 25m 100kg lines (I think the brake lines are 70kg?), a crisp and parachute-like kite (compared to my previous kiting endeavours it seemed like a parachute anyway!) decorated in the Petrol colour scheme, a pair of very comfy colour coded handles, instructions, stickers and a one-month free repair card... all neatly packed in a small and durable drawstring backpack. ---The Build The quality of the materials seems very high. On close inspection the stitching is impossible to fault, the bridles are neatly fastened when not in use by two velcro straps (colour coded) and despite my best efforts it seems hard to actually get the bridles tangled, which is a bonus! ---Assembly Everything being colour coded is extremely helpful and makes assembly smooth and simple. Roughly 5 minutes after arriving in the flying area and i'd tracked back into the wind along the fully extended lines, put on the kite killers and picked up the comfy vaguely 'J' shaped handles. ---Flight A gentle tug from both lines and the Sting leant itself to an effortless smooth and controlled launch. I'm amazed at how little wind is needed to actually take-off and fly this thing (I'd estimate 3-4mph). I've now flown the kite twice; in the most recent outing I was content for 3 hours (got a bit sun burnt!) last Saturday morning in what was probably 8-10mph winds tracking the kite from either side of the wind-window, skimming the grass with wingtips (it really is very, very stable and thus easy to control and put where you want it), spinning the kite around its wingtips by pulling one line and braking with the other (surprisingly nimble), and trying to provoke the Sting to surrender every ounce of its pull when in the centre of the wind window. I was suitably impressed as a first time power-kiter with how much pull I received in such light winds. --How hard does it pull? Although I wasn't close to skidding anywhere I was consciously having to shift my weight and lean against the pull to stay on two feet (I'm 6'2" and about 16.5 stones ). Strangely the pull amplifies if the brakes are gently applied 'mid-swoop' which had me pigeon stepping towards the kite whilst leaning back at 30° from upright - great fun! 36 hours later and muscle ache from the shoulders was a sure indicator that some physical exertion had occurred in a muscle group previously unknown to me. ---Crashing Losing control of something new just seems to happen. You first ride a bike, you fall off. Your first attempt at parking a car and you're bound to hit the kurb. Fortunately due to the stable nature of the Sting, such misfortunes don't seem to apply... to crash it has taken an intentional tug on one of the lines when it's near the ground in order to ditch it from the air. This doesn't actually cause a problem because it's really easy (and I do mean really easy) to launch the kite (without the helping hand of a companion) irrespective of whether it landed flat, upside-down, nose down or nose up; unfolding the kite or reverse launching just seems to happen without the pilot even trying. I like this fact very much ---SUMMARY Excellent quality. £125 but I already feel I've had my moneys worth after 2 flights (certainly found a new hobby) Very simple to unpack, launch, land, pack. Easy from start to finish Even just two flights has left me thirsty for more! I believe this kite to be an excellent first-power-kite for anyone wanting to experience a stable and fool-proof, yet thoroughly enjoyable flight and introduction to power-kite genre. However - looking into the future - due to the Sting's relatively small surface area it's almost certain that a bigger, more powerful beast is on the horizon for me! Meanwhile it's got a lot of potential for fun for a long time yet. Thanks for reading my first review. I hope it's somehow been helpful or of interest to you Author : leo_