Peter Lynn Pepper 4.5M

Got into kites last December and started off with a Peter Lynn Pepper 4.5 at Christmas, 'Wildcard' kept on at me to get a samurai but I'm a student and how am I suppose to find the money for one of them?

Being my first kite I was looking for something that would pull me about considerably but not over power me I did the research found some nice kit and my budget said NO! So I had to find a cheaper way into the sport. So here goes...

The Pepper as much as I love it comes in a rather poor quality 'bag' I use the term loosely because it is literally a pocket of rip-stop and a draw string, nothing a trip to the local sports shop cant replace. I found the foil its self to be excellently sewn and aesthetically pleasing, the only downside is that the design is one sided so your more showing it off to others than to yourself the bridle is well balanced and power delivery is dissipated evenly down the lines. The lines are pre stretched and treated (powers in grey brakes in red), when a beginner is looking for a new kite, treated lines can be over looked but they are worth their weight in gold to prevent knots in your lines. Handles are satisfactory, they are not the best and by all means not the worst they have adequate cushioning for sudden pulls and prolonged gusts alike. You get a little manual and a Peter Lynn sticker as is kiting tradition.

The Pepper's flying characteristics are typical of a deep bodied kite e.g. sami2 etc... As it has a lovely smooth delivery of power that kind of warns you to lean back before the full force hits you, this makes it in my opinion a fantastic beginners kite, the Pepper is not rigid in the air like many, and this is not a bad thing, it means by applying the breaks you can still turn the foil in strong wind easily to avoid others, the bridle design prevents 'stepping' and so increases comparative corner speed when attempting a jump or when working the kite for the boards.

Practical uses, this size pepper is in the middle (4.5) it has good horizontal pull, which will leave scudder smiling. I have had it on grass fields and beaches and performs lovely for both, I have seen it boarded with on the beach pretty well, and in little wind. I have had it racing along on the grass at Stopsley, you need to work it fairly hard though. Jumps are possible in moderate wind and get larger obviously the more wind there is, if you experienced id say you would want a 5.5 or 6.5. If your new have a good think what you want a kite for and choose the size accordingly, mine was intended as a stunt/scud crossover as iv flown a few deltas in the past but the pepper has had the versatility to it that has kept it my favourite kite to date

Conclusion:
The Pepper 4.5 is a cheap and cheerful power kite; It ticks all the boxes for a newbie and can satisfy intermediates alike.

Costs £140-£160 new hardly worth worrying about...

It drags me (108kg) around with ease.

Build quality is excellent I have crashed mine lots of times and it still has not damaged it in any way

Choosing the correct size for you will give great scope for a range of activities. If the wind disappears flick it on its side for a swift re-inflating spurt of speed.

Going to keep this little gem in my collection and maybe get a 6.5 for lighter wind if I can afford it

By : Bombardier_45