EOLO Radsail 2.4M

When I bought this kite, i was a total beginner. I'd never flown a 4 line kite before... come to think of it, I'd never flown a 2 line kite before either. I didn't know anyone else with at kite at the time, and hadn't ever seen one being flown, so I really didn't have a scooby.

With my complete lack of knowledge about anything kite related, I pitched up at Sky High Kites wondering how much these things cost. After some deliberations, I ended going for the 2.4 - it came with a "free" 1.4 duel line babyfoil, so I thought that I couldn't really go wrong.

It all arrived as expected and I unpacked. At first glance everything seemed ok, so I stuck the instruction DVD in the machine, and made myself sit through tedious, but informative and clear instructional video clips. I now knew what to do, so armed with this information, and a windy weekend in Derbyshire with some chums, I headed out to the field next to where we were staying.

First flight: It was... a bit windy. I'm guessing something like 15mph, so knowing that I ought to be a bit sensible, I got the little 1.4m fella out first, set it up, and up it went. Left, right... job done. Down it came, away it went, never to be used again... by an adult 🙂

So, I unpacked the 2.4, did exactly what the DVD said by way of set up, and then came the moment off truth. Up she went... left... right.... down a bit.... *splat* After a few more repetitions, I knew vaguely what I was doing, and flew till my hands ached.

That was my first flight. I've had that kite a while now, and have beasted it as hard as is possible, so think that now is the time to reflect on build quality etc.

Rucksack: Crap. Not a lot else to say. 2nd time out one of the shoulder straps snapped clean off. I tied it back which did the trick. After about half a dozen times out, the zip broke.... safety pin fixed that until the whole think just fell apart in my hands. So i binned it.

Handles: Not in the same league of crapness as the bag, but still not great. Brushed aluminium, and reasonably tough. The leaders are essentially made of rope, and are sleeved at the handle with a rubbishy bit of squidgy plastic which chafes the fingers. The grips are basically coloured foam glued on. I guess they do the job. You hold them, and they feel ok, and you can use them to move the kite about. If you handle wrap with damp lines, then the foam won't last. Mine are looking a bit worse for wear after only 6 months.

(One thing i have noticed with the foam is that because it has more give, and is softer than eg, regular HQ or Flexi handle grips, if you have soft hands like the wife, then you won't blister as easily as you might with other handles. )

Lines: The kite is supplied with pre stretched 25m dyneema lines. They have a breaking strength of 100Kg for the control lines and 60Kg for the break lines. The 25m length is a plus. They aren't coated, so look and feel rather cordy, which means if you birds nest your lines, they are SOOOO hard to untangle. They are white with coloured (but not colour coded - why i wonder?) ends. They do the job though.

Bridle & Stitching: The bridle is made of similar cordy el-cheapo material, but doesn't tangle (as it is fixed), so that isn't too bigger deal. The bridle is well stitched on to the sail, and doesn't look as if it would come away from the sail without really really trying to break it. I have to admit, I've not paid a huge amount of attention to the construction of the bridle, which I think is probably a good thing. I've not had cause to.

The sail: is again well put together, and well stitched. It isn't as nicely put together as other entry level kites, but it is rock hard. On my first real windy flight with this kite, I ended up landing it in an apple tree and spent a good while rescuing it. It was so entangled, that at times I just had to pull hard, and see what happened. Thankfully the tree broke before the sail and bridles 🙂

Flying: The kite retains it's shape pretty much anywhere in the window, and it is so easy to fly. It is possible to park it right on the edge of the wind, sit it on the tip, then rotate into a climb without it losing shape. There is not a great deal of luffing, which makes this an excellent beginner kite. It is very forgiving.

It is possible to fly it in as little as 4mph winds (not that you would want to but hey) and I've had this little fighter up in 30mph inland winds. On a greasy surface, it had me scudding in 15mph winds (I am 6ft and 13 stone), and above 25mph, I've even managed diddy little jumps. The scuds and jumps are small, but so is the kite! The power is reasonably smooth, and very easy to control - it doesn't take you by surprise, which is a good thing cause you don't get killers with this kite. For lighter flyers, like the wife, killers are a good investment as there is still plenty of power in the little badger.

It is pretty quick through the air and in the turn. Faster than a 3m Beamer III, and faster ever than a 3.5m Bullet. This is where the most fun comes from with this kite - just for zooming through the sky, spinning, diving and climbing. The speed of the kite combined with that little bit of power means that you do feel like you have had a good workout when you fly it. There is no lift with this kite, so you can park at the zenith for a rest if your workout gets too much.

I noticed that another reviewer had commented on the noise the lines and bridles make in higher winds. I kinda like it, it's cute.

In conclusion: This is a recreational kite first and foremost. In a stronger wind it can get even my great bulk going on a board, and so is a good trainer for that too. You won't get many jumps out of the 2.4 unless the wind really gets up.

This is a beginner kite. A training kite, and one for the quiver for those ludicrously windy days. For a complete noob, this is an excellent kite. It won't scare you, cause it can't, but there is enough in it to get you hooked, and to teach you the basics. It won't put you off because it is so easy to fly, and it won't break the bank cause... it's cheap as chips.

By : The Moog