mee Posted July 6, 2004 Report Posted July 6, 2004 I think it has been established that there really is no such thing, because different kites can offer a variety of performance. A big blade is great in low wind but they are not cheap, the Mac Bego is powerful and nimble in low wind. For those that are not inspired by the Mac or do not feel the need for a Blade then look no further than the U-Turn Oxigen Pro 7.8m. I thought I would write this after having flown the kite for a couple of weeks now in the correct conditions, here are some observations. This kite will fly and start pulling from about 3mph. Even though it is designed as a buggy kite as the wind picks up it can generate considerable amount of lift when flown through the zenith, more than enough to get some seriously high jumps with a board.The kite is wonderfully stable and when you are in the air the hang time is great. The kite will overfly but you can use this extra speed through the air to great advantage for a big kite.Turning is again very quick and easy to buggy with. The materials the kite is made from are top quality and more importantly it has been well designed. When the wind is very low some kites will simple loose pressure and stall, collaping from the sky. The Oxigen will just hang in the air until repowered, almost motionless. This is down to the very light material the Pro is made from and light weight bridles.When I first got this kite I thought I had made a big mistake and that it would be far to big and slow compared to the other low wind kite I had owned. After spending only a few weeks with this kite it is very impressive, does not need flying in and has a bonus that it can be fitted with a full depower without hindering low wind performance.With the buggy or board it is great. If you are after a low wind kite then you may like to give this one some serious consideration. I know this is not a fair comparison because it is a bigger kite but when flown head to head with a Bego 600 the Oxigen has way more pull, both pulled from the same low wind speed. The Bego had more static lift but the Oxigen more dynamic.The oxigen did not loose canopy pressure in very low wind , the Bego did and always landed. Both could be flown on a bar. The Bego had a slightly faster turn, as expected for a smaller kite.The Oxigen can be fitted with a depower. Both kites cost about the same. Just some observations. Quote
numb nuts Posted July 6, 2004 Report Posted July 6, 2004 Hi m8, Very interesting. Not heard of one of those before. How much (IYDMMA) and where from? I'd like to learn more.... Quote
sky hippie Posted July 6, 2004 Report Posted July 6, 2004 very interesting,how do you compare it to the blade Quote
andylyon87 Posted July 6, 2004 Report Posted July 6, 2004 you can buy em from coastguard kites and I think zman sells em but dont quote me on the last one defo here though: www.coastguard-kites.com Quote
gregh Posted July 6, 2004 Report Posted July 6, 2004 I wonder what the U TURN NITRO 15.4 sq/m would be like Quote
Joe2003 Posted July 6, 2004 Report Posted July 6, 2004 I got an oxygen only today!, its a 5m, not the pro though, got it from coastguardkites, they delivered the next day, my folks got it for me, I was gonna buy it off a guy on the forum, im sure he will answer when he reads this. Havnt flown it yet . Just a couple of questions though mate. I noticed mine has got a wierd loop under the main that the brake runs through, and another one where the brake attaches to the kite, what are they for????? Do you run the brake through these or not????? Quote
sprogg Posted July 6, 2004 Report Posted July 6, 2004 The 8.5 and 10.6m Yoz are just as good, and probably just as nimble as the U-Turn. Power is comparable and both can come with a depower system. I buggy with the 8.5 a lot and it pulls like a train from 8mph up. The 10.6 has a smaller woind range but is a seriously nice kite. The blades don't come close as they have too much lift for buggying. Are you on commision by any chance???? Quote
Airborne1599968603 Posted July 6, 2004 Report Posted July 6, 2004 The 8.5 and 10.6m Yoz are just as good, and probably just as nimble as the U-Turn. Power is comparable and both can come with a depower system. I buggy with the 8.5 a lot and it pulls like a train from 8mph up. The 10.6 has a smaller woind range but is a seriously nice kite. The blades don't come close as they have too much lift for buggying. Are you on commision by any chance???? But these will be double the price of the Oxigen...hardly a fair comparison. Quote
mee Posted July 6, 2004 Author Report Posted July 6, 2004 Not on commision Sprogg, just like to share a good find with all, however, I did spend almost two days at Wallop flying the things trying to make a decission. After already owning a 3.2m which is a great buggy kite the 7.8m was a bit of a gamble. I was going to go for the 6.2 but I am glad because the 7.8m has that real low wind power, like the Bego. The small rings are power rings, fitted as standard to these kites. If you use them it increases the low wind performance, even the 3.2m will fly in 5mph. Using them increases the power massively ,however, there is a down side and that is that the kite is very hard to stall ,although this adds to its non collapsing nature. The only reason I did not go the Nitro route is that I did not want to race just potter around in the buggy doing the usual stuff. The Oxigen sits between the Nitro and helium.The Helium is super stable, nothing will make it overfly. The Oxigen will overfly due to its higher AR and speed. The Nitro is very stable for a Race kite, but is still a race kite with all there characteristics.As for blade like lift. It is difficult to describe what the lift is like. Any big kite will generate lift especially if you power it up but the Oxigen is very predictable. It is almost like it announces, 'right I am going to lift you now', before it does, it is just so easy to fly. It is also easy to keep low in the buggy and lock in position.This is not a kite you need to work when powered up.How much is the 8.5m-10.6m Yoz??? Quote
kenny_dilger Posted July 6, 2004 Report Posted July 6, 2004 Thanks for the info on the U-turn. I do love my Bego 600... but after flying a 5m Samurai its amazing the difference in Agility. If the 7.2 Samurai is anything like the 5m then I think it may be a contender as a very nice low wind kite as well... Quote
Rivertay Posted July 6, 2004 Report Posted July 6, 2004 Any ideas on how the 6.2m Pro compares to the Mac Bego 600??? Thanks Rick Quote
makka Posted July 7, 2004 Report Posted July 7, 2004 The 17m Proteus from Viokite could well get down to that sort of windspeed and still fly, although I have yet to try that. I know they are developing a 26m Proteus designed for kite surfing and land boarding in wind speeds as low as 1.5metres per second, now that could be interesting! Quote
Joe2003 Posted July 7, 2004 Report Posted July 7, 2004 Cheers MEE. So do you fly it with the power rings sometimes, and without other times, or always with the power rings????? Quote
mee Posted July 7, 2004 Author Report Posted July 7, 2004 Keeping the power rings on all the time seems better, the same as the Bego to be honest.I wondered the same thing about the 6.2m It is faster than the 7.8m but I found when I flew it it did not have the real low end power of the 7.8. I would say that the 6.2m has a wider wind range than the 7.8m and would be better if a slightly higher wind range kite was needed. It is worth noting that the Oxigen 7.8m and Bego are comparable on pricing. There are loads of kites that will wipe the floor with both in low wind performance but at a higher price. £350 seems to be the budget end of the low wind performance kites especially looking at what you can pay for the really big stuff, Flysurfers, Frenzy's, etc. Oxigen, Bego and others in this price range are very good kites but they are made to a budget price and can not compare to the quality of the more expensive stuff. Quote
MadMan1520 Posted July 7, 2004 Report Posted July 7, 2004 on coastgaurd kites it says that the helium is the begginner kite but the 2.8 was pulling like a train in 5mph winds!!! Quote
mee Posted July 7, 2004 Author Report Posted July 7, 2004 The Helium is the beginner kite but that only refers to the fact that it does not overfly which is better when your learning. It is no lesser kite than the others in the range, you could argue that it is better because it does not overfly. Quote
kenny_dilger Posted July 8, 2004 Report Posted July 8, 2004 The Helium is the beginner kite but that only refers to the fact that it does not overfly which is better when your learning. It is no lesser kite than the others in the range, you could argue that it is better because it does not overfly. Yeah but the ability to overfly comes from it being more efficient design, and flying faster. I actually find a kite like that easier to use in the buggy because it will get out in front quicker, being mindful of the brakes to keep it from overflying... Quote
Rivertay Posted July 8, 2004 Report Posted July 8, 2004 Thanks for the thoughts on the 6m. Must find someone who flies these kites locally and blag a go. Rick Quote
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