Jump to content
  • Rev 4-8

    By Rev 4-8

    Rev 4-8

    By Rev 4-8 •

    HQ Symphony 2.2M

    OK, I freely admit that I started off badly in the world of power kites.

    I looked at magazines, I looked on the internet, and I ended up on e-bay. I plumped for something called a Powerfull Parafoil Stunt Traction Kite - 2 Line 3m span.

    My batsense should have been tingling when I saw Powerful spelled with too many Ls.

    The full description read:

    Powerful Parafoil Kite ,Comes with Bag and Control Handles.Colourful design.Powerfull 2 line KiteSits low in flying window and pulls hard for its size3m X 0.9m55 Meter Lines20 Ram air pockets

    Why on earth would anyone want 55m lines?

    I honestly thought that this was an HQ Symphony, which isn't a great surprise because that is exactly what it is trying to look like. A 2.2m Symphony that happens to be 3m wide. Well how bad can it be for under £50?

    Dire, absolutely dire, unredeemably dire. But it looks pretty.

    It is a full rainbow of glorious colours, almost exactly like the 2.2 Symphony, but without the HQ logo. The material is low grade nylon, the lines are sewn on, and the handles are small and uncomfortable. The same handles you would get on the cheap plastic kites you can buy in seaside newsagents.

    ebaykite01.jpg

    To my shame I took it to Woolacombe, where there were people flying 'proper' kites. I dragged it's sorry hide out of it's cheap nylon bag, and attempted to fly.

    Being a 2 line kite, this sorry bag of air cannot stand for a self-launch, and so I ended up trying to launch by holding the lines below the bridle, and just pulling it into the air. After many attempts I managed a couple of launches. It was up!

    And down.

    It crumples at the slightest touch, it crashes in the slightest gust. It CANNOT turn without the leading edge folding like an empty bag of crisps. No matter what you do with the bridle, it cannot fly. I even resorted to attaching a thin spar along the leading edge in an attempt to keep the cells open, but alas, one light spar was too heavy for this flying bag of shame.

    Dear reader, learn from my error, these kites should be avoided at all costs, no matter how cheap they are.

     

    By : Rev 4-8

    Go to reviews

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    SUICIDAL1600949556

    SUICIDAL1600949556 2

    Posted

    i feel vindicated. unfortunately its taken someone to actually buy this monstrosity before we all get a decent review(and an honest one at that!). i suggest we all chip in and give rev 4-8 his money back to prevent him leaving the sport in disgust

    Pedro1600949555

    Pedro1600949555 2

    Posted

    If you want a good kite with easy to fly and enough power to make you scared get a Peter Lynn Pepper 4.5 or even less. Good kite for under a

    skyback1600949556

    skyback1600949556 0

    Posted

    Great review, pity you didnt name the seller. I also purchased a bag of wind of ebay it looked just like a crossfire, in fact the picture used was a crossfire, unfortunately the kite was not! Crap lines, crap handles, and shopping bag type nylon sail. The seller was ce-jason JUST SO YOU DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE. If you want a seriously cheap kite that works buy a Firebee and spend a little time setting it up. Top fun per pound

    Rev 4-8

    Rev 4-8 2

    Posted

    I have had another look on e-bay, and these kites now appear without the black and white stripe (I guess HQ had a word with them) but still have the rainbow colours, same price (

    johnkiteman1600949552

    johnkiteman1600949552 5

    Posted

    Superb to read, shame you had to buy it. We need more reviews of horror stories like this to warn people off the cheap and nasty e-bay cowboys.

    SeaView1600949565

    SeaView1600949565 1

    Posted

    Top review. Scary how quick these copies appear in the country. Also scary how many people are willing to sell this cr*p without any concern for quality. Sorry you had to buy it to review it!!

    justmax

    justmax 2

    Posted

    saw one of these at lytham over christmas and truely felt sorry for the guy trying to get it into the air (really struggling I mean really really stuggling) it is a complete and utter dog of a kite so much so that I gave him the chance to fly a decent kite (3.5 bullet) which he appreciated and has gone on to invest in a bullet of his own DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK

    Guest surfervince

    Guest surfervince

    Posted

    Rev 4-8. Hi I am Bid-Surfer... yes its true. There was a guy on ebay listing loads of these and I too thought it was a HQ-symphony and bought it. Found out it wasn't, flew it once and found it was No good for jumping as it sat very low in the window (as stated in my advert). I didn't want it so I like most Stuck it back on ebay with NO-RESERVE. You gave me + feedback and paid less than I did when I got it. anyhow at no point did I say it was an HQ kite. Look closely it actually doesnt look the same as the HQ.. Other than that all the other deals I have had on ebay have been good, but now days its not the cheapest place to get stuff anymore.. too many bidders.. Why dont you put it on ebay and get shot of it. Im sorry you were so gutted by it. It flew and it was cheap, and it was very powerfull for its size. I fly PL Venom's now and have moved beyond cheap ebay kites. Good luck for the future.

    colin g

    colin g 0

    Posted

    surfervince (Bid-surfer) i cant belive you have sold this kite knowing it was a load of rubbish the fact that you admit you fly venoms. i should think you should have stood the loss yourself instead of selling it. the symphony is aimed at beginers most dont want to spend alot . How about you refunding his money and you suffer the loss or return it yourself.

    Rev 4-8

    Rev 4-8 2

    Posted

    Surfvince - no hard feelings. Not sure about the pull (if you think that puny thing pulls hard, I don't think you will cope well with those Venoms), but fair enough. You never said it was an HQ. I was green enough to buy it, so that is entirely my fault. Trying to build a Revolution Power Blast 4-8 is now causing me a much bigger (and more expensive) headache.

    Guest surfervince

    Guest surfervince

    Posted

    I got caught out and like anyone else, if you get something crap on ebay you just stick it back on and cut your losses, I felt I was fair with my description, yes it does pull hard compared to your usuall ebay buyer who would get it for his kids to go with his thomas tank engine kite. Its all part of a learning curve most of us go through. I myself, like rev 4-8 im sure, now stear clear of bargain kites or any suspect bargains on ebay.

    samuel_j

    samuel_j 1

    Posted

    tooo true i managed to get one flying okish using a homemade bridle based on a radsail 1.8sqm



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    Loading...
    ×

×
×
  • Create New...