Kinnell Fusion 2.5M

I'd been a good boy (for a while) and worked hard to earn some extra pennies so my wife granted me my wish of changing our high wind kite from a 2.5 X-Trac to the unbelievably priced 2.5 Fusion from Kinell Kites.

I got a great deal on the Fusion with a package that included kite, lines and handles in a stuff sack, the obligatory manual which is very usefull and informative for a change and a Kinell Kites expandable rucksack that is in my opinion the Rolls Royce of kiting rucksacks! you can keep the wierd big zip bags from HQ (Sorry Jerry). They really have thought about the needs of the kite flier when they designed this rucksack. I even got a free kite surf video thrown in for good measure.

Off to the local field we go to set the kite up and on unwrapping the kite the first thing that struck me was the build quality. The upper sail is made from Gelvenor silicon coated nylon (according to the manual) and is used for paragliders due to it's longevity and resistance to U.V and dirt.

Kinell have put a two year fabric warranty on the kite and a one year full product warranty which is unheard of with other kite manufacturers I believe. Overall the build quality is superb throughout with velcro pockets at the wing tips to clear any sand (or leaves/grass) from the cells and a stitched bridle system which is reinforced and a reinforced trailing edge. 10 out of 10 for build quality.

I did have a few problems setting the lines up but this was just a minor teething problem (more to do with me rather than the lines themselves) but some may find this very frustrating especially when every other detail has been so well thought out. The handles are okay and do the job well but do feel a bit hard after a while.

Once the kite was set up correctly, I launched it straight up into the middle of the wind window as the wind wasn't that strong. the Fusion is much lighter than the X-Trac and a lot faster with good consistant pull and it responded well to the lightest touch which made it very maneuverable. It can fly closer to the edge of the window than the X-Trac without losing it's shape and folding due to it's partially closed cells. This also means it can handle gusty and turbulent air with ease making it and excellent learner kite.

I brought this primarly as a high wind kite and to help learn to buggy with in conditions that are unsuitable for my 4.5 Pepper at the moment, but my mate used it with a board and was very impressed seeing as it's a small kite with a good amount of pull. Jumping would not be possible as it's designed more for tractive power and speed rather than lift.

I believe that I got a real bargain with this kite as the original list price was just under £230 but I got all this in a sale, brand spanking new, for just £100!

Value for money? I think so.

I can see this becoming a very reliable and user friendly addition to the small collection of kites we now own and on the several occassions that we have been flying since purchasing, it has often been the first kite out of the bag.

By : Rocky