HQ Beamer

since moving to uni ive been looking for a hobby to take up and living within a few miles of about 5 prime locations for kiting i thought why not spend my student loan on something ill actually want and use, not to mention my housemate is an avid kiter with a selection of flexifoil kites.

after looking around the internet for a good deal on kite/board packages i ended up settling with the kiteshop.co.uk as there price and service was second to none. not long after the money leaving my bike there was a nice big box staring at me when i got home. after removing it from the supplied backpack (gotta love the comedy zip) i was very impressed with the overall quality although im no expert on the matter, but my kiting housemate was also suprised of the quality for the price. basically my first impressions were very high.

after only a few days the perfect flying conditions came up so it was time to giver her the maiden voyage. my mate gave me a hand to set it up for the first time although tbh it really wouldnt be too difficult to work out for yourself, id say it takes about 20-25minutes to get from the back to up in the air aslong as you repack the lines properly. i let my mate take it up first of all basically show he could show me the basics of flying and controlling the kite, this proved to be very helpful and 5 minutes later he handed me the lines with the kite stuck at the top of the zenith. i began bringing the kite down to the side of the wind window and hovering it a few feet from the floor then taking it into the zenith then around the other side.

after a few minutes of that i began bringing the kite into the power zone and was suprised at the amount of pull it had, for the first few attempts my instinct was to run with the kite but after a few goes i was leaning back and sliding on my heels. being as the kite is for begineers and low aspect it has no upwards lift which i feel is good for a first time kite + i use it for boarding so it decreases the learning curver somewhat. the wind speed i went out in was around 20-25mph according to my friends wind speed meter and tbh was a very good speed for the kite, not uncontrollabe but when bringing it through the power zone the velocity it pulls you down the beach is quite alarming. by the end of the day, a few face plants and a crevis full of sand id say id picked up the basics functions of the kite and even managed a few small runs on the landboard.

my second outing was today and the wind was a lot calmer, about 10-15mph but was ideal for learning on the board, i can now run the stretch of the beach (about 2 miles) down and then back up with no real concerns, although once you get up a quick enough pace and the speed wobble kicks in it makes for some fun moments. on my feet however i couldnt really get it to pull my down the beach at anywahere near the velocity it did in the higher wind. personally id say anywhere between 15-25mph wind is ideal for this kite wether recreational or boarding.

as thios kite will only be used for boarding i can say its fabulous to learn on. pretty much no upwards lift and bucket loads of pull makes it ideal to learn the basics of kite and board control.

as for value for money im over the moon with the purchase. if you are looking for a first low aspect ratio kite then look no further, i highly doubt that at this price there is anything better on the market.

the only bad points i feel worth mentioning on the kite are: the lines are only 15m i believe, id have much rathered some 25m lines.

when trying to get the kite to react quickly it has a tendancy to come close to or actually stall, but i mean quick reactions, it takes a fair bit before stallage occurs the anchor to hold the lines down while setting up the kite is comical, just go to a local pet shop and buy 1 of those corkscrew things for putting the dogs lead on.

so to conclude the kite is absolutely amazing for the price, aslong as your not expecting any big airs then it will not dissapoint in any way. everytime i go out on it i get more hooked on the sport. basically if your looking for a quality kite at a budget kite then look no further.

By : xxxrated