JaseRicco

Very good idea, didn't think of that. I already ordered the Silver Fox, but just might try your suggestion anyway.

I was def. leaning towards keeping it anyway, but I was thinking more down the line...how would I explain the staining if I wanted to sell the kite in the future. I don't know.

Mine would never go for that, but that's not gonna stop me from trying

I wasn't clear about my intentions. I ordered two in, but one was going back. I wouldn't have kept both haha. But your arguments hold merit in my mind, and I just might try them in the future.

100% Agree...that has been my experience thus far.

Welcome to the Forum

I ordered two because I couldn't decide on the color. Each kite came from a different retailer. When I opened up the first kite there was a significant amount of black staining all over the sail. I thought maybe just a fluke, so I opened the second, same exact thing, except it had some red staining as well. Since I ordered two different colors, from two different retailers, and the staining looked more like a defect rather than use, I contacted Prism directly. Rep was very apologetic and suggested a kite swap which I happily accepted. When I didn't hear back I sent an email stating that I would need to know asap so that I can return my kites in time for a refund. This was the response... "Hi again Jason, Sorry for not getting back to you yesterday – we spent a good amount of time going through our stock of Zephyrs here at the shop trying to find a replacement for you, but we were surprised to find that all our current stock has this issue. I assumed we had product here at the shop that I could send to you, but it turns out that all of our remaining Zephyrs have sail stains. We’ll be coordinating with stores to let them know about this (you were the first to let us know, by the way) and will be making plans to get new, clean Zephyrs back in stock. Unfortunately, this means your best bet is probably going to be a return right now. If you have any trouble from the stores you purchased from, please let me know – we have really excellent relationships with all of our vendors, so I’m sure we can help you out if for any reason they have an issue with you returning this kite. I’m so sorry about this whole ordeal, this is definitely not the kind of experience that we are looking to provide our customers. If there’s anything we can do for you at this point, please let us know. Thank you," I replied that I was sorry to hear that and am really bummed, but that it is not their fault, and thanked the rep for his candor and for doing what he could to correct my situation. Hence, the decision to go with my second choice...Silver Fox 2.3 UL. All in all, great customer service from Prism. Wish more companies took this approach when it comes to satisfying their customers.

Unfortunately it was. I ordered two because I couldn't decide on the color. Each kite came from a different retailer. When I opened up the first kite there was a significant amount of black staining all over the sail. I thought maybe just a fluke, so I opened the second, same exact thing, except it had some red staining as well. Since I ordered two different colors, from two different retailers, and the staining looked more like a defect rather than use, I contacted Prism directly. Rep was very apologetic and suggested a kite swap which I happily accepted. When I didn't hear back I sent an email stating that I would need to know asap so that I can return my kites in time for a refund. This was the response... "Hi again Jason, Sorry for not getting back to you yesterday – we spent a good amount of time going through our stock of Zephyrs here at the shop trying to find a replacement for you, but we were surprised to find that all our current stock has this issue. I assumed we had product here at the shop that I could send to you, but it turns out that all of our remaining Zephyrs have sail stains. We’ll be coordinating with stores to let them know about this (you were the first to let us know, by the way) and will be making plans to get new, clean Zephyrs back in stock. Unfortunately, this means your best bet is probably going to be a return right now. If you have any trouble from the stores you purchased from, please let me know – we have really excellent relationships with all of our vendors, so I’m sure we can help you out if for any reason they have an issue with you returning this kite. I’m so sorry about this whole ordeal, this is definitely not the kind of experience that we are looking to provide our customers. If there’s anything we can do for you at this point, please let us know. Thank you," I replied that I was sorry to hear that and am really bummed, but that it is not their fault, and thanked the rep for his candor and for doing what he could to correct my situation. Hence, the decision to go with my second choice...Silver Fox 2.3 UL. All in all, great customer service from Prism. Wish more companies took this approach when it comes to satisfying their customers.

Had to send the Zephyr back, and wound up going with the Flying Wings Silver Fox 2.3 UL. Really bummed but had no choice

Had to send the Zephyr back, and wound up going with the Flying Wings Silver Fox 2.3 UL. Really bummed but had no choice

Had to send the Zephyr back, and wound up going with the Flying Wings Silver Fox 2.3 UL. Really bummed but had no choice

That's for the Standard, you have to add the $37 for the UL...roughly $130 out the door for the UL.

Not misunderstanding at all. I was in the exact same position wanting the exact same thing...actually I was looking for a kite that would fly in winds of 3-7 mph. Something that I can fly when my heavier Prism Quantum struggles to stay aloft. The 4D was the first kite I looked at, but decided against it due to its size and frailty, thus my search began. This is why I would take a look at the topics I posted here for you, because all of the same things you want, I have already asked about. No kite is going to stay aloft in 0-5 without working at it a little. So the question becomes what kite will stay aloft the easiest. I think for your situation, which is 0-5 mph winds and not wanting to work overly hard to keep the kite aloft, the Prism 4D may be your best option. Another kite suggestion would be the Flying Wings Acrobatx. This is a kite that I came across in my research that I received good feedback about. Plus @ about $130 including tax from AWindOfChange.com, its not a bad choice for what you get. And you can actually pick this kite up from eBay brand new for $110 w/ free shipping. So thats two quality low wind kite suggestions.

Welcome @shirillz731 I too am on the journey to finding a good low wind kite. That journey is just about over now that I have asked the right questions and received a lot of answers. It is now my job to take all the information I have received and put it all together. I did a lot of research and asked a lot of questions on this forum. So before getting to involved in an answer as of right now, I would say a good start would be reading the topics that I posted. These topics have all been started within the last month or so by me and others and cover a lot of information regarding low wind. Low Wind Topics-------> General Sport Kite: Silver Fox Series by Flying Wings Designed by Lam Hoac!! Silver Fox UL/ Acrobatx UL?? Zephyr good for use as low wind kite?? Low Wind Kite Suggestions Favorite SUL? I think a general rule for lines is that the longer the line the larger the wind window. So when flying low wind I believe you would want 85-100' lines, maybe longer. I have also read a lot of individuals going with shorter lines, but I think this is mainly for tricking. The more important aspect is the weight of the line. I would say anywhere from 50# to 90# is good. I have read pros and cons with both...50# being easier to snap and knot, while 90# might be on the bit to heavy side. My consensus is that 90#, and thereabouts, is a good all around line for low wind. There are two topics that I can think of that give a good amount of information between them regarding different aspects of lines. Line Topics-----> Beginners Flukes Journey Line Length for Beginners As for quads, there is a forum designated to quad flying, so I would post a question there if you are seriously thinking of going that way. I'm sure Wayne Dowler will step in on this...very knowledgeable individual.

I wanted to post this because I feel it may help those individuals I am speaking about given that I was/am one. For those of you that have come to admire and love the kites that are designed and fabricated by the infamous Lam, but cannot afford the $400-$500 that his kites cost, there will be a great medium and solution to this problem. Lam has been, and is in the process of, re-designing the well known Silver Fox series by Flying Wings. As I have come to find out, and as many of you already know, either through ownership or demo, the Silver Fox Series are kites of quality design, that incorporate high end materials for an affordable price. Between this forum and the GWTW forum, I have not read a single negative comment regarding the kites by Flying Wings, including the Silver Fox. And just as Bell Chieu did for a lot of Flying Wings Kites, Lam will be designing the Silver Fox Series under his close supervision to make sure only top end materials and exacting tolerances are kept with quality being foremost in mind. In my opinion I view Flying Wings as somewhat of a hybrid when it comes to kites…somewhere between mass produced and boutique. And now that Lam is on board, I would assume the kite will have a boutique feel now more than ever. What I have found out, as I understand it, is that Lam is re-designing the Silver Fox Standard & UL, and is designing a Silver Fox SUL with a Silver Fox Vented to come in the near future. Release of the Standard, UL and SUL will be sometime in October/November at price points all under $200…Can you say X-Mas Present?!?!? This means based on the current Silver Fox Prices, Standard - $145(All Around Kite), Ul - $145(Low Wind Kite), Vented - $189(Higher Wind Kite), with tax you can obtain each kite that will get you through most wind conditions at about roughly $550. I don’t see how you can go wrong here. You can spend $550 on just one of Lam’s custom kites. I hope this helps some newbies, such as myself, out there, and maybe even helped some individuals that, like myself, love Lam's designs and passion for kite fabrication, but can't justify the cost.

I dug a little and found some information regarding these Silver Fox kites designed by Lam Hoac. I posted in a new thread titled "Silver Fox Series by Flying Wings designed by LAM HOAC!!"

Welcome Back

I Think that the conclusion I have come to here is that instead of purchasing a fix for my all around kite, I need to purchase a kite made for higher winds like the HQ Fazer, or even a vented kite like the Silver Fox Vented...so darn, I need another kite

I stoped by my local shop today to see what they had in the way of Kite/Air Brakes, and they had two kinds. The one that I pictured originally, and one that was similar to the one you have posted here. The package stated that the brake was for a particular kite make and model, and the owner sated that the brake fits on kites of particular sizes...I wonder if the one you posted here is he same, one that would only fit on certain kites?

Yes, I too would like some insight here. I have been told that both Dyneema and Spectra are simply brand names. After doing a little research I find that this is correct, and that both brands use Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fibers for kite line production. But when you see other brands such as Shanti or Laser Gold Pro, their descriptions state "made from 100% Spectra Fibers". Is this just one brand re-branding, or are these terms being used interchangeably when they shouldn't be? As I side note, I notice that Prism uses both Dyneema and Spectra for the lines that they include with their kites, at least according to the descriptions. If these are in fact just brand names, why wouldn't they just stick with one. Leads me to believe there must be some subtle differences.

Yes, I def will be posting a few pics and a review about the Zephyr as a standard and low wind kite. I totally would have driven there lol. Lam is a nice guy. We sent a few emails back and forth, and even though he knew I couldn't afford one of his kites, he was very willing to answer my questions, and was very helpful.

Thanks, I'm excited. And congrats to you as well. Mine should be here by Sat., and should be in the air Sat. night.

I hate and love the wait all at the same time.

Or so it would seem... I like that though

Got it...I would assume I should fly it with weight in 8-12 as well, or am I removing the weight? I guess there will be a couple things to discuss later, because I have seen this a few times. I am not sure I understand the reasoning, or maybe I just didn't realize it could be done, behind flying without an upper spreader. I have a few questions regarding this, but maybe we can/should save that as well as weight placement and amount for a different discussion?