Eolo-Gayla Radsail Pro3

That is my very first kite, and I live in windy Aberdeen, so bear that in mind while reading my review.

After reading articles online (mostly on racekites.com), I decided to go for the Radsail PRO. One should be aware that the Radsail comes in two series: Radsail and Radsail Pro, the PRO being, well, more expensive. Also, there's been a few releases of the Pro since its first inception; I believe the 2006 is the Pro3 but I might be wrong. On top of this, it's sometimes confusing to shop for these because the 'Pro' bit of the name is sometimes followed by 3.0, which is not necessarily the version but might be the size. Phew! Bear with me.

I got my kite online, through SkyMonster.com. Thumbs up for this great little company; my kite was delivered overnight and when I called in for a bit of reassurance, they were helpful and courteous. I bought the 3.0m (I was originally considering the 2.0) in the Pro3 version as it was offered for £99 (instead of £149) as an ex-demo. That's what made me nervous and made me call in. But at the end of the day, it had the advantage of arriving assembled and ready to fly, without any scratch or stain or tear. Brilliant!

The kite itself: hum hum. That's the problem you face when reviewing a kite as a first user; is it behaving like this because I am a clumsy beginner or because it's not such a great kite after all? What about the wind conditions? Is this extreme, or just regular wind and I am a sissy? Let's agree I am average, and that the conditions (Aberdeen in a scary winter, on the beach, by the North Sea) were rather extreme (4-5 Beaufort) to toy with a 3meter sail.

The kite is lovely. The fabric is crisp and quite sturdy, with good-quality net between the top and bottom layer of the sail. The stitches are regular and straight, and the lines are made of two different weight of nylon, stronger for the lead, lighter for the break, quite a convenient feature when it comes to untangle the little baby. The lines are tied primarily along the edge of the sail, as opposed to the body of the sail itself (like on a CrossFire, for example). The handles are good quality aluminum, with a layer of neoprene for strong grip. It comes with some funny plastic caps that are to be put at the top and bottom of the handles, and turn them into a spindle. Not bad. The bag it comes in, of course, is super low quality but, as they say, you don't fly the bag but the kite... Which takes us to the flight of the kite.

Tough. To start with, the kite lifts straign into the air and climbs to the zenith, instead of going astray and crashing (I experienced this with the PKD Buster on my first time, maybe a line problem). Once in the air, the sail stays up, and is responsive, whether you decide to make some eights or pull the breaks. Even in extremely low maneuvres, it's possible to pull it up and bring it back in the air. The kite does have a tendency to luff and fold when the wind drops, although I was impressed with how it could be rescued, even once it had fallen on the ground and had gotten twisted. You can feel that the sail is begging to go up, and up again. If anything, that's what I didn't like at first: the sheer power this little 3meter slice of fabric could deploy. Put it in the window and you immediately skid as it pulls you like a mere piece of rag. I would fall on my back and roll and swear. And my forearms were going numb after 5 minutes of this. Not exactly an enjoyable beginner's first kiss.

I was there with an experienced kiter who loved it, although he couldn't manage to bring the kite back aground on the side of the window. Everytime, the kite would twist and fold at the last minute, whereas I could land the kite if I simply remained smack in the window, with the breaks full on. Both the experienced and the beginner got a little scared from time to time, and this is what made me hesitate to register the kite as a 'beginner' when starting this review. As far as safety is concerned, the engineering and the breadth of the sail requires good understanding of the wind and maneuvering, a sturdy built (definitely not a kite to put in the hands of your 13 year old son) and good fitness. The frustrating thing, however, is that the kite folds when the wind falls. So it's almost as if it can only be enjoyed safely in a wind bracket of 4MPH to 15MPH. Also, on the promotional DVD, no one actually uses the kite for sea traction, so it seems like it's only for buggy or wheel board. It probably performs poorly when wet. So I say it is safe if you are a smart kiter, but it's probably disappointing if you are intermediate and are looking for versatility and technical brio.

So yes, it's a good, well-designed, if demanding, kite. Not one to learn with (although I am a complete beginner, I am not really 'enjoying' the struggle). Not one to go on the ocean with either. Of course, it's only £99 in its 2.0m version, and it's probably quite fun during the summer months, when the wind is a bit friendlier. Generally, I felt like Mickey Mouse in the apprentice sorcerer, summoning forces I could not control. Hope all this helps you to make a good choice!

Nico
Aberdeen, Scotland

By : bzz_bzz