Chris De Roock

I use a Vampir 5.2 in this wind range. With 20m lines in 10-15 MPH and 30m lines in 5-10 MPH. Truly amazing traction kite...

Vampir 1.8 or 2.3 : excellent high wind buggy kites at a reasonable price Gin Yoz 1.8 or 2.6 : excellent, but more expensive Lower spec kites (like Buster, Firebee) can get torn to pieces in really high winds...

Give the Vampir 2.3 a try, you might be surprised... (well at least I was).

Yep, I did almost exactly the same thing to my 6.6 last year with excellent results. It flew a lot faster, inflater earlier on take-off and generally performed better in all aspects. The only problem is that I had to keep on adjusting the bridle every time I had flown the kite in a decent wind. My conclusion is that the main problem is bridle stretch. The bridle material is just not up to the massive pull and lift of the 6.6. At the moment, I've had my 6.6 sent back to Flexifoil for a bridle change, hoping that they can solve the problem in a definitive way.

Yep, Vampir 3.0 will do the trick at a very reasonable price. As said above : fast, powerful, stable, easy to fly... I have the 2.3 and am selling my Blade 3.0 to get the Vampir 3.0.

I sold my PL and bought a V-MAX. Only wish I had bought the V-MAX straight away...

If I would have to get rid of all my kites except one ... I'd keep my Blade III 4.0. Most versatile and most used kite in my bag.

For buggying, both the Bullet and the Blade are valid options. But if you also want to landboard, go for a Blade, no doubt about that. The 4.0 is the most used kite in my bag, great for landboarding in average winds . Nice kite in the buggy, too. For traction activities : lower wind range 10-12MPH, ideal wind range 12-15MPH, higher wind range 15-18MPH (for my weight of course). The 3.0 is OK in 15-20MPH, but can be quite tricky in higher winds (+20MPH). I'm gonna replace mine with something with less lift. But the 4.0 is here to stay!

I find the 8.5 too slow and prefer the 6.6 because of its better combination of speed, power and lift. The 6.6 and the 4.0 make a perfect pair for most wind conditions.

The Blade III 4.0 is my personal favourite for landboarding. Can get me going from 8 MPH, but preferably 10 MPH. Sweet spot between 12-15 MPH, just fabulous!!! Can hold on until 18 MPH. IMHO this is the Blade with the widest wind range for landboarding. Also have a 6.6, but due to its slower speed this kite needs the same wind to get you going (at least 8 MPH), but will overpower you a lot sooner.

Libre is a manufacturer (just like Flexifoil is). This is as absurd as making a general statement about Flexifoil kites, without making any distinction between Bullets, Blades, Strikes, Storms or deltas. The Libre Bora is a race machine, the Libre Speedy II is a beginner's kite and the Libre Vampir is an allround buggy kite!

Strange... Out of the whole Blade III range, the 4.0 is my personal favourite for buggying. Gets me going from 8-10 MPH, is just perfect in 12-15 MPH, can hold on to it until 18 MPH. The 3.0 comes out of the bag in 15-25 MPH, but is more nervous and lifty than the 4.0. Guess it's down to personal preference and flying time/practice with each kite.

You may be younger, but from reading your other posts and seeing your huge air vid, you could die earlier... A beginner with a Blade 6.6 in +20 MPH, hmmmmm....... Have fun, but take care.

Helen, If you like the Blade 3.0, you'll love the Blade III 4.0. It has more power than the Bullet 4.5 or Yoz 3.8. A very versatile kite, good for jumping, scudding, landboarding and buggying. In general Blades are not rated as good buggy kites because of the lift they produce. The 4.0 does need a fair amount of wind before it starts lifting and when it does, it is a lot easier to handle than the 3.0. Good alternatives might be race kites or intermediates. Real race kites (like Razors, Bora's,...) can be quite a handful compared to Bullets or Blades which are easier to fly. Echoes of the latest generation of Centuries are not so positive, mainly because it is made of havier material (same as the Buster). The Oxigen pro should be quite good : intermediate kite, i.e. fast but relatively stable and very high quality of materials (same as Nitro, water repellant and light nylon sail and kevlar bridles) and the price seems fair enough. Chris

Why not get a 4.0 to start with? It should get you through autumn and winter with their higher winds. Excellent kite for landboarding and buggying, too.Next year, you could get that 6.6 for the lighter winds. The combination of both kites should give you a huge wind range.

Haven't tried a 5.5 Bullet with the board yet. In a decent wind (15 MPH and +) you will have a blast with the Blade III 3.0. Great little kite for boarding!

Is the 5.5 Bullet any good for light wind ( How does it compare to the 4.9 Blade III ?

Got some speed wobbles on my Kheo Flyer, but only when riding quite hard for longer distances. The best thing to do is to bend your knees and lower your center of gravity. If this is not enough, then try to make big S figures instead of a straight line by applying light toeside and heelside pressure alternatively. The wobble only occurs when the pressure is evenly distributed toeside and heelside.

Yes, I have some deltas, as you can see in my signature. However, since I took up powerkiting : - I have never flown the Stranger anymore - in light winds I prefer my 6.6 above the Matrix UL (I still fly it from time to time) - the Psycho is great when it is to windy for landboarding - the Dot Matrix is still my favourite delta for trick flying, although my trick learning process stopped when I started powerkiting. I can do some basic tricks like axels, turtles, lazy susans, but that's about it.

Did my longest and fastest landboarding session so far last Saturday. Ideal conditions: low tide, wind on average 15mph perpendicular to the beach. Used my Blade III 4.0 and Kheo Flyer and got my first serious speed wobbles, easily solved however by bending my knees and lowering my center of gravity. Anyone any idea at what speed the Kheo Flyer gets speed wobble? Must have been going quite fast, overtook a buggier several times. Could I mount a speedo to my Flyer? Englisho : nice to see you have almost the same kitebag. Beware of the Blade III 3.0: it's as wild and agressive as the 6.6 is cool and relaxed!

Blade III 3.0, awesome high wind kite. Amazingly stable for a 3m kite and more power than you think. Gets me moving on my landboard from 15mph. Got some very fast rides with this one! Despite the difference in size and wind range, the handling will be similar to your 4.9. It's a Blade, so take care. Above 20mph it kicks ass...

According to my information, flying is only banned in a couple of villages at the Belgian coast and only in the bathing zones. In July-August, these bathing zones are crowded with tourists, so no sensible kiter would landboard there and then anyway. I fly/landboard in Oostduinkerke. When the tide is low, you have a huge beach of approximatively 500m wide! Last Saturday, I spent 3 hours landboarding between Oostduinkerke and Koksijde, about 2km in one straight line. There is also a Flexifoil shop and kiteschool in Oostduinkerke. Other good beaches should be : - De Panne (lots of buggiers) - Oostende - Zeebrugge. Have fun!

Got my Blade III 6.6 for my 40th birthday last year. The mountainboard followed a couple of months later. Took me 30 minutes to do faster and longer straights than most 15 year olds on the beach. Who said life begins at 40? Even if these goodies had been around when I was 15, I wouldn't have been able to afford them! The falling isn't a problem, but getting back up is not quite what it used to be. But what the f***, still feel half my official age. Maybe I'll feel 40 when I'm 80...

My 6.6 gives me floaty jumps from +10 MPH. In 15-18 MPH you start wondering if and when you come back down again... Smaller Blades also give good jumps in the right winds, but not as floaty as a 6.6 or 8.5. A 3.0 for instance will take you up in 20 MPH, but it will be a fast and high jump, not far and floaty.

6.6 should fill the gap (my favourite summer kite). Probably the best size in the range. Can't comment on the Bego, since I've never flown - let alone seen - one. Does anyone know if they are available in Belgium? Personally I prefer to have different sizes of the same kite in order to have similar handling. I find this important for boarding, but not for static flying. I would love to try a Bego 600, but if the other sizes are not that good (is this true?), that would really put me off from going Bego...