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I recently took my 9 year old twin daughters to Kitty Hawk on the coast of North Carolina, where we decided to pick up some kites at Kitty Hawk Kites to fly at Jockey's Ridge next door. Jockey's Ridge is an expanse of massive sand dunes that, once you are upon them, make you feel somewhat like you are in the Sahara. This is the area where the Wright brothers tested gliders before moving on to powered flight. Introductory hang gliding classes are taught on the dunes. I gave the kids each $50 to buy kites, trying to encourage them to get parafoils or soft kites, as I'm tired of seeing kite spars break or get lost. While I had no luck convincing them, I started looking at what's available as I noodled around the store. I noticed but didn't buy the first day, the 2 and 4 line stunt foil kites hanging from the ceiling above and my interest was peaked. The second day we returned, and I decided that it was time to buy "daddy's kite." I bought the Prism Snapshot 1.9, because it seemed like a good introductory kite at a reasonable price. Also, I live in the middle of the state where we don't get much wind, and the salesperson indicated that the larger surface area would handle lower winds better. I was excited to go out immediately and try it on the ridge. I think the winds that evening were around 25 knots or so. This turned out not the best environment to try my first stunt foil. I weigh 170 lbs, and it dragged me all over the dunes! I even found myself unexpectedly tossed onto my back on the face of a dune once as the kite raced to the zenith in the middle of the power zone. While the power was admittedly a little scary in those winds, it was a total blast!!! The next day the winds were very light, giving my girls a chance to try it out. Within 20-30 minutes, they were doing unbelievably well, with very few crashes, and doing many loops and death defying swoops toward the ground. As other reviewers have mentioned regarding the Snapshot kites, the construction seems very good, and while it sounds aweful and still makes me wince when it hits the ground, it survives just fine. As also noted, there are only vents on the leading edge, so any sand that finds its way inside is not so easy to dump out if it's fine grain. It does fly right out of the bag, and I think the trick to getting it to fit back in nicely is to learn where to crease and fold it. Since it's purely fabric (except for the winder), it stuffs in just fine. We never really had any issues with tangling of the lines or bridles. Winding the strings back onto the provided winder provides easy setup the next time with no tangles or major twists. We've only flown this kite on large expanses of sand at this point. Speaking of that, we didn't really appreciate how much room is required to fly it given our experience levels and how much we were dragged around. Standing under the kite as a pilot, you don't have an impression of just how long the lines are at 100ft, but looking at pictures taken from the side, it's quite a distance away from the pilot. So, inland, we have had a bit of trouble finding a large enough grassy field away from trees, power lines, etc. If you've never flown a power kite before and try this out in high winds as I did, you really need to be away from people, power lines, trees/buildings etc. It is a two line kite with no safety to depower it, so it can really pull you around and get you into trouble if you aren't careful. On the whole, this kite was a great buy. My kids were able to pick up the stunt flying very quickly and were thrilled to fly it. They decided to spend more time on the ridge flying the kite than at the beach by the ocean. It has also sparked a touch of obsession in me now, as I find myself watching the trees outside my office judging the wind to see if I can take it out for a spin! By : ceng

disclaimer : I am not an experienced kite-flyer, so this review is not going to be coming from a very scholarly perspective but if you are a fellow newb, then maybe this can help you pick out your first kite... this was mine! I have been interested in kiting for some months now, and while shopping at Cabela's last week, I noticed that they had started selling Prism kites, and furthermore, that they had the Snapshot 1.9 for 30 bucks off, so I grabbed one. (only the purple one... guess no one likes that color) Setup: After reading the beginners guide on this site, I headed out to the nearest park that had big grassy fields, determined to apply all that I had learned. The kite is ridiculously easy to set up: two lark's head knots and you're done. (the velcro bridle/tail holder is ingenious) I unwound the lines from the winder, which struck me as kind of flimsy, but very functional. Ready to fly! Launching: This kite is pretty easy to launch, even in lighter winds. The first few times up I started by holding the bridle, walking backwards, and letting string out as the wind pulled the kite up. A few strong gusts of wind and a pair of burned hands later, I decided I was better off launching in the normal way, so I tried that. I had to run backwards a bit until the kite was 10+ meters up, but once there it was smooth sailing. Note that the windspeed that day was only 13mph with gusts to 20mph and not terribly consistent, can't help but thinking it would climb a bit quicker with more consistent wind. Flying: The kite has very predictable flying characteristics once you get used to it's quirks, overall a very pleasant kite to fly. If the wind is lacking, the kite will luff easily at the sides of the window, but the good news is you can usually pop it back into shape by yanking on the lines and running to the side. After a bit of practice I was able to keep it flying even after being folded completely in half. If the windspeed picks up a good bit, the kite will sometimes overfly you, but this is also simple to address by either walking backwards or turning the kite into a dive to bring it around. Much to my surprise, this thing has a decent amount of pull: while it wasn't even close to dragging me around (I weigh in at 235), I found myself using my arms to hold the kite back a lot more than I thought I would. Lots of fun. Manouverability: Despite being large and floppy (no frame) the kite turns extremely well, even in light winds. I was taken aback by how quickly you could execute s-turns and spins with this kite; it was almost as fast as a smaller (0.75M^2) framed kite I had borrowed previously, but considerably more stable when ending a fast turn. After a half hour of practicing I had the kite running back and forth in the window with little difficulty. Landing and packing: The kite was easy to bring down, I just walked towards it slowly and it settled easily. Getting it folded up to fit in the bag it came with required a minor miracle of spatial engineering, but I eventually got it in. The winder proved handy for storing the lines, although one of mine got tangled in a bush, but that is my own fault for not paying attention to it while I was trying to fit the kite in the bag. Construction: The kite is very sturdy, having been smacked into the ground a few times while I got used to steering it, as well as taking a dip in a pond and assaulting an unlucky duck who was in the pond when the kite crashed in it. The kite survived both the water and the angry duck with no ill effects, other than needed a quick rinse with a hose to get the moss off. Even after repeated collisions with a hard grassy field and one incident with some variety of thorny bush, the kite showed no visible wear. Gripes: In all fairness, they should have made the storage bag a bit bigger as it is troubling to make the kite fit in it; but maybe I'm just doing it wrong. The tail, while looking nice, doesn't really add anything in terms of stability, and is prone to getting tangled up in the bridle. While this didn't cause problems, it was extremely annoying to have to untangle the tail after the kite was landed. Value/ final comments: At sixty bucks American, this is a lot of kite for not much money. (if you don't mind flying a very feminine-looking purple kite anyhow) I found myself having tremendous fun with the kite, and it stood up to my inexperience (read: abuse) with aplomb. Can't wait for another sunny day to go fly it! By : jockeys

This is my first power kite! The Prism Snapshot 1.4 is by far the best deal around for a quality dual line power kite. No assembly required and is ready to fly. It's responsive and easy to learn. Good quality and superior design. I looked high and low, searched amazon.com, google.com, and youtube.com among many others for information and prices. I bought from http://www.windpowersports.com/kites/prism/snapshot.html for $69+shipping. Vegas to Los Angeles delivery was 2 days! 1st flight: Excited, but with no wind I was airborne running backwards to keep it in flight . 2nd flight: A nice breeze was too tempting even after eating Easter dinner. I was in a narrow street with trees and power lines, but no matter I was determined to fly! After 10 minutes of untangling the lines just from being packed in the pouch, I had a friend help me launch it. Up it went! Wow it was so much fun to see the kite up in the air. I even entertained the family with a few "S" type stunts. I haven't learned how to get the kite down safely so I crashed into a neighbors house and lost a strap to some shingles. But I'm hooked. I will get some traditional plastic handles from the same supplier and use them to rollup the lines separately from now on to avoid tangles. I didn't expect all these tangles, I will enjoy having 2 spools/handles to keep the lines apart while in storage. This is a quality entry level power kite. I am very pleased. Regards, Mike By : scipione

While visiting family in San Diego California we always make a side trip to Seaport Village in San Diego Harbor. It also happens to be the location of a nice kite shop called Kite Flite (www.kiteflitesd.com) This trip also included buying a new kite! I have a solid collection of two line stunt kites already and living in Colorado with our almost always, gusty winds, a four line stunt kite is not the best value for wind powered fun. So I was looking at the foils and got to thinking that I only have one of those!! Can't have just one of anything right? (Wives might be the exception to that rule!) Looking at all of the Prism foils in stock I found out from the employees that the Snapshot models were new and would out perform my old Flexifoil. There are three models 1.2, 1.4 and 1.9 and between budgeting money for a kite for my 10 year old son and my kite, I settled on the 1.4! First off unlike large power kites the size listed in NOT the area of the kite only the span, so 1.4 is 1.4meters or about 56 inches. The actual sail area is claimed to be 1 Sq. meter. The Snapshot comes complete ready to fly with lines, straps, winder and storage bag. This one is Grey, black, green and red on the flyers side and solid white on the top surface. The stitching and finish work is very nice! The main ribs are all double stitched and have internal airflow holes to keep the cells inflated evenly. The leading edge inlets are also double stitched and rolled over which seems to help keep the inlets open in gusty winds. (Makes them a little stiffer to stay open?) The straps are simple webbed nylon about 1 inch wide and are color coded for left and right and conveniently are color coded at the bridle end as well. The bridles are preset and are attached through nylon webbing sewn through all the layers of the cells and ribs. It also comes with a single rip-stop nylon 'streamer' tail if you want to fly it that way. Flying this little Kite is a BLAST! The wind envelope is surprisingly large in my opinion, almost as large as rigid/framed stunt kites. Overhead it has some good lift too which if fun for making those straight down dives easy to control. Right out of the bag the lines were even and the bridle seems spot on for all wind speeds. I recommend flying the 1.4 in winds at least 12-15mph for great pull, control and speed and I love flying it in 25MPH+!!! SPEED! The 1.4 is very fast!! I don't know if its the airfoil shape itself or the inlets or what but it easily exceeds 50MPH through the power zone. CONTROL! Having a bag full of rigid stunt kites I'm used to quick turns, loops, snap turns, etc. The Snapshot is almost as quick at my 2-meter span rigid. Super smooth large radius loops and figure eights are easy. The fun begins though when you go for tight radius turns. This kite will PIVOT around the left or right bridle so basically it will turn within its own wingspan. In steady winds its easy to drag the wing tips without crashing. (The only other foil I have is the old Flexifoil with the fiberglass rod in the leading edge pocket and that is agonizingly slow to turn and respond.) POWER! Okay so its not going to out-pull your favorite four-line buggy sized kite but to be honest this little kite packs some respectable pull! I'm about 175lbs (80Kilos) and in 25MPH winds I have to brace hard and be ready for any gusts. I'm sure you could land board with this kite on hard ground and for juniors it's a handfull! I think the Prism Snapshot 1.4 is an excellent design for "power sport flying" Its rugged, reliable and flies very precisely. It's not inexpensive but it's not expensive either. I rated it as an intermediate kite because its speed and turning radius would make it hard to learn on as a "first stunt kite." Anyone with previous two line stunt kite experience will be able to fly it easily. I won't hesitate to buy another Prism kite and I'm thinking the next step is to try stacking a pair! Greg By : GTinColorado

I am writing this review after months of flying this kite as I now have a better perspective and more knowledge. The Prism Stylus P.3 was my introduction to power kiting. I didn't want to get something too big, but I also wanted a little challenge. At the time, I was more familiar with stunt kites, so I was drawn to the Prism power kites as Prism was a name that stood out in my head. I found an online store that was selling the Stylus line and since they were out of P.4s, I ordered a P.3. I was quite surprised at how small the whole package was. The kite was nicely folded in a nice looking drawstring type bag. There was enough room in that bag to store the quad handles I bought as well. I unrolled the kite in my basement to take a look, because it happened to arrive on a very calm day. Everything was attached and ready to fly. The kite looked well constructed as far as I could tell. This was my first power kite after all. I examined the bridle to see that it could easily be converted to a 4 line set up. Finally, three days later I got to take it out for the first time. This kite flies very well on a 2 line set up. There was a moderate amount of pull, but I was kiting in fairly low winds (10-15 kph) at the time. Occasionally, I would have a tip curl in when I flew too close to the edge of the wind window. The second flight was much more entertaining. I went out with my boyfriend in 30 kph winds and it had decent pull. It was not enough pull for me to feel uncomfortable, but it was still a step up from my stunt kite. After a while, I purchased a pair of HQ quad handles and a set of kite killers. I was quite excited to try this kite on its 4 line setting. Here comes the first downside of the kite. The front bridles have nice pigtails to attach the kite lines to, however; the rear line had no such thing. This made attaching the brake lines a little difficult. Once I got it up in the air, I loved the 4 line set up because of the increased control. Reverse launching was easy and I loved the tight spins I could pull off. Performance-wise, this kite is better suited as a 2 line kite than a 4 line kite. I had to do many adjustments to the break lines because in higher winds, it really wanted to fly in reverse. I still don't think I am quite satisfied with my settings. Although I think it performs better as a two line kite, I still haven't switched from a 4 line setting. For me, the benefit of better control outweighs the poorer performance in a 4 line set up. I found that this was also a great kite for kids to learn on. I took my boyfriend's little 10 year old sister and his cousin out for a day of kiting. I was a little concerned about his sister as she only weighs 54 lbs, so I had his cousin go first. He picked it up in no time. His sister caught on quickly as well when it was her turn. The power had them both struggling a little, but not once did they have to let go and use the kite killers. And, I sure had a difficult time prying the handles out of their hands. I think they were hooked. Ah, little kiters in the making... Overall, this kite was a great buy. It has been smashed into the ground repeatedly by my self and others with no signs of damage. The colours are vibrant and it looks great as it zips though the sky. After having flown much larger kites, I realize how fast this kite is. Sometimes it is fun to fly a kite that rockets though the sky. The P.3 performs better as a 2 line kite, but it is still good to learn with in a 4 line set up. I still take this kite out on really windy days when I am not comfortable flying my 10m Turbo Diesel or when I want more speed than power. I would recommend this kite as a starter kite and one that you could share with your family. By : loulton

This is my first posting and review, so bear with my editorial skills! I stumbbled upon this little kite during my vacation to California, where I took a day trip to Bodega Bay (where Hitchcocks 'The Birds' was filmed). I poped into a quaint little kite store 'Kites and Candy' (you get the picture) looking for something fun to fly for passing away some holiday hours in the winds....for $50 I got the dual-line Prism Snapshot 1.2 Manufactureres Specifications: Skill level: novice - intermediate Wing span: 48" (122 cm) sail area: 0.6 sq. m Wind range: 6 - 25 mph (9.5 - 40 kmh) Speed: Very fast Pull: light Sail: ripstop nylon Flying lines: 75' x 100 lbs spectra The kite comes ready to fly, with its own little carry pouch (made of Ripstop Nylon) that holds the Kite, Lines, Winder, and handles and a 'peacock tail for the kids'. Its storage size also makes it easy to shove in a bag, glovebox, or use the caribiner to hook on your jeans. Perfect for the little trip to the beach! Although the numerlature has this as a '1.2M', the wingspan is a humble 48' with a 0.6 m2 canopy, making for a little nimble foil that can tear up the heavens once you get it out of that little fetching purse. The canopy is made from the usual Ripstop Nylon and great stitching. I've repeatidly pounded this kite from the zenith at 75 feet, straight into wet sand, all without bursting a cell or ripping. The thing just wants to get back up and fly! No problems here. Having flown it for the past two months, this is one mean little foil that's fun to fly and learn how to control and get imperssed into the world of Power Foils! With the dual-line control and ~20MPH winds, the Snapshot 1.2 has a niffty response (you can easly control with your hands only a couple of inches apart, rather than wrestle arms apart) and easily carves shapes in the sky. You aren't going to get a workout from the medium pull until the wind picks up, but with the speed and menovarability on this little bugger, it will keep you hooked for months! This is a wasp as opposed to being a butterfly! With that being said, This is a great little begginers kite that allows you to practically learn all about the wind window, pull, turning, stalling, the zenith and controlled landing without getting into any trouble or danger. This is the perfect platform for stepping up to the power of the larger foils The downside (an only a little slight on a good kite) is only aesthetically....the canopy has coloured ripstop on the underside that you can see when you are piloting. However it only has plain white ripstop on the topsheet. This makes the kite look cheap, and dull for any spectators with no clue to how addictive this wee kite is. For sub $50 bucks, this is a great starter kite or one that you can use in higher winds with no problem.The build quality is great for the price point and I'm now on the market for a bigger 3M power foil (Ozone Cult or Quattro

This is my first kite review, so here it goes! Note that the product is named "1.9" even though the sail area is only 1.5 meters squared! The 1.9 is my first foil kite. I got my start in kites with a Prism Adrenaline delta kite and was impressed enough to get the Snapshot. It came in a small pouch made of some cordura type stuff and ripstop, which fits the kite, lines and winder and has a cheap carabiner on the top. Setup was quick and easy; the bridle is simple enough for a noob to figure out even if it gets tangled. There is a velcro closure sort of thing in the center of the leading edge, which allows you to secure each end of the bridle in there to help keep from tangling. The bulid quality seems up to snuff as I have crashed it repeatedly into the ground from the top of the window in moderate winds and it makes a *loud* popping noise but no busted cells or fraying stitches of any sort. The ripstop is nice and crisp and has held up to two months of steady use with no problems. Its kind of annoying that the back of the kite is all white fabric instead of a matching or contrasting color from the front of the kite. Not noticeable to the pilot of course but it looks sorta bland from the other side, not to mention that the white gets dirty pretty quickly. Keep in mind that the kite only cost me ninety bucks though, so they had to cut corners somewhere! I still believe it's a great value though. There are no dirt outs, so I typically have to shake the kite out pretty well after a good day in the sand. The kite flies fast and hard in 15 mph winds. In slower winds it will fly but very lazily and not very fun, plus it will be prone to luff in the turns; around 20 mph and the kite moves like greased lightning and my 175 lbs are being dragged down the beach. I love to fly it in heavy wind but I don't last very long when the pull is that great, it's tiring! In decent wind, the kite will sit patiently at the edge of the window or the zenith, waiting for input from the pilot. I have never seen even a hint of a luff when the kite sits in those spots. The kite recovers easily from a crash. 9 outta 10 times I can manage to get the kite to right itself after a crash without the "walk of reflection" just by giving the lines a few tugs and letting the wind catch. Also, I had some trouble flying the 1.9 in 20+ mph winds because of the lineset--it kept breaking! The line broke in the same spot--around one or two inches away from knot of the sleeved loop that attaches to the bridle. I talked to my local shop and they contacted Prism with the issue. Apparently Prism has had issues with their spectra for quite some time, and are still trying to iron them out. Today I got a new 300# spectra lineset with padded straps, mailed from Prism headquarters. (The lineset that came with the kite was 200# spectra, with cheapo straps that hurt your wrist). The new lineset holds up well in 20-25 mph winds and I can scud easily this way, but my arms are still getting used to it, so I still can't go for very long! Props to Prism for taking care of the customer without any fuss. All in all a good, relatively inexpensive kite for me to learn the basics of kite control and behavior, with a chance for some scudding and a good workout in higher winds. Hopefully the kite is a good prelude to my new Flexifoil Sting 1.7 (quad line), which should be arriving soon! I have since purchased the Snapshot 1.4 (1.0 meters sq) and have not regretted it. By : liquidinfo

This foil is very powerful for its size. This is my first real traction foil and I have been very surprised at the amount of pull this kite generates. It is a convertible design (duel-line standard, convertible to quad-line) which was a big selling point for me as I plan to train with it for now and then move it up to a quad-line for some real fun when I am ready. Quality seems very good to me, but i have not had a lot of experience with foils yet. All seams are well reinforced, mesh inlet covers really do keep sand, dirt, and debris out. The sail is super-tough polyester, crisp and durable. Solid feel, amazing pull, a slight tendency to deflate the wing edges if flown to the edge of the wind window horizontally. Very easy to re-pack in the supplied bag, nice padded wrist straps and 100' of 300# Spectra line all set up to fly right out of the bag. At about $220 this kite is lots of fun for the money . This is a fairly large kite though and if hadn't had a friend to help me unpack, launch, (and especially re-launch) then pack again on my first flight with it, I would have been very discouraged. I took the P.4 out for its second flight, wind was 13 mph when I launched. It quickly jumped up to 22-24 mph soon after. I tried a slow loop and was forced to run a good distance to maintain control ( again, I am a total beginner to traction kites). That showed me, I landed the P.4 packed it up and got out the stunter. I would recommend the P.4 to anyone looking for a challenging trainer that you can grow with and eventually convert to quad-line for an amazing medium wind traction kite. By : Argo

I have flown stunt kites for several years, and I decided to get into power kiting last year. I didn't want to spend a lot of money so I bought the Prism stylus P4 online for about 200$. The kite comes in a large cinch bag that has enough room to store the kite, handles, and lines. You just need to be able to fold the kite neatly. It is a two line kite, but has the ability to covert to a four line kite. Since this is my first power kite, I don't have anything to compare the build quality to, but I think this kite is made extremely well. It has screens over the vent inlets to prvent sand from getting in, and the bridle is almost tangle free if you fold them carefully with the kite. There were two things I didn't like: the standard handles got very uncomfortable after ten minutes of flying. And the standard lines snapped on my third flight. This wasn't a huge problem as I had already ordered four line handles (Ozone) and a four line line-set, also from Ozone. So far, these I tems have performed very well, and I love them. So, would recomend getting some heavier lines, and more comfortable handles, other than that, this kite is very well built. The kite handles well in all wind conditions, but I wouldn't fly it in winds over 20 mph or in gust conditions. It performs well inside the wind window, but if you get close to the edge, it has a tendency to collapse and fold up. Ususlly, it recovers as soon as it gets within the wind window, but other times it can tangle in the bridle, and you have to walk down to reset it. Again, I don't have anything to compare the stabilbity to, but I think the kite is very stable and fly very well. I am just using this kite for static flying, but I think it would do very well for use with buggying, land boarding, and mabey snow skiing or boarding. I think you could definately use it as an alaround kite without any problems. Also, this kite has a really tremendous amount of pull inside the wind window. It can get pretty scary, but then ouside, it dramatically loses a lot of power in lower winds, but in higher winds, the kite pulls very well outside the wind window. As for jumping, the kite isn't great at it, but I have managed to get about five feet off the ground in fifteen mph winds. And it also isn't big on lift, which was dissapointing. Overall, for 200$ this kite is great! I would recomend it to anyone trying to get into power kiting. Its a great kite to get started with, and I think it can move with you as you get better. By : rkbriz14

After flying a Prism quantum kite for a month I got the Stylus P3 from prism to maybe use it for land boarding. I'm pretty much a beginner kiter and still learning( fast). The kite came in a cinch style duffle bag and the quality is excellent,design and materials. The lines were already hooked up on the kite and came with a strap handles color coded red/grey. It spans 9ft and suppose to be able to fly between 5-20 miles an hour wind. So I went today to the Ocean beach here in San Francisco and it was blowing between 5-10 miles but more on the lower end of wind speed. Launch was easy,she filled up with air right away and up she went with out assistance to launch her. Responds pretty good so far and I would think it will do the same at higher wind speed. Crashed her a few times and it recovered pretty good with out walking to the kite and rearranging her to launch again. Pretty easy user friendly kite. Launches easy,re-launches effortlessly. The pull is pretty good at the wind speed today(5-10 miles/hr) Can't wait to fly her at a higher wind speed at the same beach.Usually it blows above 10-25 miles an hour at this beach so I was a little relieved to fly her at a mellow day condition at flying site. This kite is howling even at this wind speed and can't imagine how much more fun to get her out when it's blowing hard here at Ocean Beach. I was getting tugged pretty good at the highest point of the wind window and I expect dragging myself pretty good above 10 mph.Will try it with four lines as it's capable of doing so with the mounts ready to go.Just need to purchase handles and lines to convert it. Now , all I need is to get a mt.board and have a ball. Would highly recommend as a beginner kite and it won't bore you as you progress with your skills. Top quality construction and material,awesome price. By : redster

Fun, fun, fun. This kite was my first 2 line parafoil kite. Flying it for the first time on the South Carolina island of Hilton Head with a wind of about 15 mph and 100 ft of dual line and straps provided with the kite it inflated quickly and was swiftly at the top of the wind window. It did not take long for me to get the feel for it's responsive 108" of sail area. The pull was not overwhelming but was very substantial in the wind speed. I was impressed with the construction and the strength of the kite as well as it's quick response to my commands. In no time I was cutting low across the wind window sliding down the beach. That evening the wind was still at 15mph and I took it out to the beach and attached two chemical glow sticks at the line connection points. In no time I had an audience of evening beachwalkers gathering around, "that looks really wild from far away!" was the prevailing comment. The kite also comes with a nice storage sack with mesh panels to shed sand and aid in drying. It's constructed with connection points on top for stacking another kite for even more fun. Currently Prism has a line of P-Series kites available in four sizes from 66" to 132" and two color schemes. If you are in the market for an affordable, very well constructed kite the Prism P's are a great way to start. By : MuchMuch

Hello all, I am new to this whole kite thing but felt compelled to write this review. It all started for me at a local beach with a moderate amount of wind and a goodly amount of time to kill. Being to hot at home and looking for cooler climates we hit the beach. After watching the surf for a few min. I decitded to take action. My girlfriend and I headed to the local kite shop (one of many in the area) and sorted through the many offerings. Having been impressed with the apparent quality of the Prism kites I was starting to favor the P2. Being of larger size but fit in stature I didn't want to under buy my abilites. After talking to the nice sales lady I was very confident that the P2 was what I needed (thats her job, right?). I can tend to be somewhat of a compulsive buyer but diceded that I needed to do some shoping before I parted with my hard earned money. So off to another kite shop. I found a slightly smaller offering at this store and was still leaning towards the P2, even if it costs me more the quality looked better. When confronted with the nice sales man he did the best he could do. Yep. A loaner kite! How can the common man resist?! Its like a free un-supervised test drive! The fools didn't know how I could be with a new toy! Especialy one thats not mine! So... Back to the beach I went. To make a long story short, I was hooked! Turns out they knew exactly what they were doing! I bought this model with no hesitation. I was also compelled to buy the P2! After all there was me and my girlfriend right? So back to the beach once again, this time with two of my own foils to play with. I was eager to try the prism and was not let down! Being a novice of aproximatly one hour I was looking like a skilled artist in a matter of one hour more. The review: This kite was (still is) fantastic! with wind speeds of aprox. 7-10 mph nothing more than a gentle pull on the lines was needed for a smooth lift off. The P2 headed right to the top of the wind window and hovered nicely, waiting for my next comand. After a brief review of my flying window I began to "wring it out" as we say here in the states. Thump! With a tremendous thud it hit the ground. Well its all a part of the learning curve right? Much to my delight a few gentle tugs on the lines and she flipped right over and filled with air! Wow, no kite monkey needed! I turned and carved and spun and dived and carved some more! Nice pull for a beginers kite. Very easy to control and it felt like I had something on the end of my lines. I went back to my other kite (a review on that later) and found it to be more agile and nimble. A smaller kite should be more nimble, right? I soon began to appreciate the crash recovery of the P2. It is truely a one man kite. Now returning to the P2 I had a little more love for this kite. On my next go round I was a little put out that it didn't turn or carve as well. But I kept playing (learning!) and soon found that my P2 did indead possess the quick turning and carving I so craved now. My findings... PULL THE STINKING HANDLES!! Wow! If I pulled the handles like I wanted to hurt it she snapped to attention right quick! That first kite needed slight movement to make it jump around but the P2 just needed a bit more! Once I learned this little trick the P2 and I were best of friends. In summary: This is a great kite! Handles well, easy to fly and very responsive! The pull is good but left me wanting more. I soon realized that I needed to be dragged through the sand to feel more satisfied. All in all a great begining kite. For first timers, Don't borrow this kite unless you can afford to buy one! I loved it! So now I'm spending my extra time waiting for the next trip to the beach by serching E-bay for my next foil. A four meter kite at the minimum end! I used to skateboard.... Humm.... I think I see a trend starting here! This is CHEAP FUN!! By : klahowya

I have been flying stunt kites for a couple years and wanted to try something new with more pull for my trip to the beach in Hilton Head, SC. After a bit of shopping around on the net I decided not to spend a whole lot and since I have Prism stunt kites I figure I would stay with the same company so I purchased the P.3 which is their largest traction kite. It comes in a practical nylon meshed drawstring pouch which has just enough room for the kite, lines and wrist straps. The kite comes with two lines out of the bag but can be flown with 4 lines w/handles by adding two more lines and easily reconfiguring the bridal. This was one reason why I purchased this kite as a beginner, it gives me the ability to move to quad lines. The construction seems very good for the price and their organized bridal system is virtually tangle free but you do have to pay attention to it when packing up, no velcro to organize the lines. On it's first flight and my first experience with a traction kite I was impressed with the pull for a kite of this size. Winds were about 24kph and though the pull was not unmanageable to was strong. The kite turns quickly and is quite responsive and stable. It also lands easily at the edge of the window for a two line kite. On two occasions I flew it at night and attached two glow sticks where the lines meet the bridal. In a matter of minutes I attracted a crowd. All the elements of the kite package are good for a beginner except for the straps which become quite uncomfortable on the wrists after 10-15 min. I suggest padded straps. did however purchase some handles and another line set so I can go to quad line configuration. By : pastafreak