Eolo Radsails Pro II 3M

What my quiver of kites really lacked was a usable foil for stronger winds and something for my 12 year old son to get into four lines and not worry me too much.

I read all the reviews and knew I needed something with a bit of lift (so being good for jumping and boarding) BUT on a really tight budget. If I had limitless resources it would have been a blade but we can’t always have what we want.

I don’t buy second hand kites – it just seems too dodgy to entrust your safety (and kids) to something where the history is not fully known – don’t know whether I’m being overly cautious?

The Eolo Radsails ProII 3.0m seemed to fit the bill and I shopped around eventually going with Mistral Kites for around £140 p&p free. As with all purchases of this kind I couldn’t wait and sure enough after ordering from Matt on the phone a kite arrived the next day – the wrong kite! They sent the standard Rad by mistake, a quick call to Matt resulted in serious heartfelt apologies and after much effort (and expense) on his part he got the right kite to me THE NEXT DAY. I don’t know whether I’m allowed to give dealer feedback in reviews or not but the service I received from Matt at Mistral was exceptional, mistakes happen but the speed and the way this was sorted out was above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks Matt.

I like the bag! Nuff said.

Handles seem OK too quite comfy enough although the little plastic bit supposed to shield the leaders where they meet the bar keep slipping out, I suppose it doesn’t really matter but overall the quality is not up to Flexifoil or Quadrifoil standards, but then this is a budget kite. The leaders themselves also seem a little short to what I’m used too, maybe reducing the effectiveness of kite killers (not included in the package) but then this is a budget kite. Handles are better than the ones that arrived with the standard Rad though.

Lineset is the usual but the brake line rating seems a bit scant, 60kg apparently. Is this enough? Time will tell although I don’t want a brake line to fail at the wrong moment so a line upgrade may follow, but then this is a budget kite.

Sail seems well made and bridles well put together, sturdy and coloured nicely which makes sorting out and tangles easy, also easy to check that all is OK pre-launch. The sail looks nice with black; red and grey wingtips but why not continue the colour to the reverse side? Overall the construction and finish reminded me of a Symphony rather than a blade, but then this is a budget kite.

First flight was on top of the Devils Dyke! It was just the first opportunity I had, not ideal but the wind was fairly light and clean with few folk about. From the outset it was clear the break lines were way too long and I ended up taking about 23cm out of the lines. When it was just right the kite flew and responded really well, very easy to fly in that clean breeze, sat at the zenith patiently and at the edges of the window, power was what I expected strong but a little snatchy as befits a fairly small kite. The next day was at Goring and as the tide was out we headed to the sand for a real test, wind was probably about 10-15mph and this suited a really good test for me and my 12 year old son. The flight characteristics were very smooth and predictable with low passes feeding in loads of power to get me scudding (11stone of weakling) with a fair amount of lift although higher winds required for jumps.

Landing seems quite jerky on the brakes but easy enough. Handed over the handles to son who weighs considerable less than me so he scudded much further! After an hour we had proved that the kite was OK, a joy to fly recreationally and, most importantly the right size for a 12yr old with lots of kite experience in these winds. Next time out was at my local flying field, typical lumpy wind 5-25mph and changing direction constantly (I’m used to it!) For me I would have been reluctant to put up a 5m kite due to the severity of the gusts but the Rad was perfect. There was a certain amount of instability at the edges of the window, to be expected in these winds but overall the kite flew like a dream, more scudding from the 12yr old (see pic hopefully) and some quite impressive air too.

Overall then:

Although “but then this is a budget kite” I can see very little to reflect this in the way the kite is put together and, most importantly, in the way it flies. There are loads of people out there looking to get into the sport and I can’t fault the Radsail for being an excellent entry level foil. 3m seems to be about the right size for a beginner or younger flyer. For more experienced pilots who, like me, want to be able to fly in all conditions this kite hits the nail on the head. The only thing I am concerned about is the weedy brake line strength. I would like to think that this kite now completes my quiver (10 kites last count) but I know this is not true! Maybe I’ll win the lottery soon and buy all the Blades (or Crossfires)….maybe…

Will post more when I have tried it as a board engine etc