DaveH

Jon, mine was never loud like that. I'm pretty sure it came with a leech line. Could be they just forgot to put it into yours..

No problem, Jon. I'll have to dig it out, as I'm flying the Deep Space mostly these days. I do know this: I haven't touched the bridle since I got the kite, other than to put it on the top knot, which would raise the tow point as high as it could go using the knots. Hope that makes some kind of sense. So other than putting it on the shortest knot, I left it completely stock. I found over time I felt the kite was too pitchy and didn't want to flat spin the way other kites would. I mean, I could flat spin it, BS cascades, etc, but it wanted to flip out of the move more readily than other kites, like my Nirvana or Exile. I sort of felt the kite was designed to allow beginners easy access to yo yos, and therefore was a bit unstable in flat spin moves. I prefer the yo yo ( within reason) to come from technique, rather than ultimate pitchiness. This is one of the reasons I stopped flying it. That, and the fact that I was tired of looking at it.... I still think its one of the best values in kiting. Better than the E3 ( in stock form). I prefer the flying qualities of the SF series, but stuff falls off of them.. So for me the Widos is the best of the bunch in this price point. Now, shorten the outhauls of the E3 and you have a new winner!

Thanks, Jon! I think more time with John B is definitely in order. He's a great dual line flyer. I agree, time with another flyer is far better than any tutorials. Curious about your leech line... In tons of hours my Widow has never made a sound. I assumed it already had one.... Also, mine has great forward drive. Much more than my other French kites. It works so well, I feel smart thing is to not mess with it. My Nirvana is loud when the widn is up, like the leech line is loose. Is your Widow loud?

Jon, I havent done much other than take out the inserts and the weight. The thing flew pretty well for me once i did that. Check out this vid, its the first I did with the kite after making those changes. Good representation of what the kite was willing to do for me.. http://www.vimeo.com/4561780

Jon, very glad you figured out yours was one of the original ones. Mine is stock except for removing the upper inserts, removing the weight and raising the tow point via the knots. Very nice kite. I have so much time on this thing. Its been my go to kite for a long time. Not flying it these days, got some new toys, but I think its a great value. Wonderful yo yo trainer. Why not shoot some vid and show us your Widow in action?

I think I asked you this on another forum but dont remember... Are you flying your widow with the weight? I took the weight off mine and its still plenty pitchy for really tight, fast, rollups. Removing the weight makes it a bit less touchy. My opinion is you're just hitting it too hard, and as Kent said, probably popping more than sweeping. Now here's an alternative to the one wing low BS entry: from a stable fade, just let one wing back a few inches by gently moving one hand toward the kite. Once the wing is back a bit pull for the backspin with the same hand. Its a great setup for a BS and makes a very pretty rotation. I always use this setup on kites like my Nirvana, or QP. Nice too, becasue you can establish your fade, take a couple of breaths and then enter the backspin. Anyway, its what works for me. Best of luck! Dave

Here's a pic. Custom sail pattern. Tim is very cool

I just took delivery on a new Deep Space. Wow! what a beautifully made kite. I have cheaper kites that do the same tricks, but not nearly as well, in my hands, anyway. The balance and response is out of this world!

I shot some simple vid of this new kite. Thought folks might want to see what it looks like in the air.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CzY5Tx-OT8

Hi Jon, I can really relate to the long line fans. Lots of folks, especially comp guys or those influenced by that really like long lines. I'm pretty much the opposite. I like really short lines. Favorites are 50' but I often use 40' as well. With my Widow (love that kite!) I tend to go a bit longer, especially because that kite does so well in higher winds. So I keep a 60' and something upwards of 75' or 100'. I think its really about what you like to do. No right or wrong, just different advantages to both. Enjoy that Widow! Dave

Penny, I saw a vid of you in an indoor final against Lam. Your flying was great! That video made me realize I need 1.5

Here's a pic of mine

I had the Schockwave out today. Man!!!!!!!!!! talk about fast! It was really fun. I couldnt believe how quick it was in the different orientations, like climbing from a tip stand, or backwards flight. Its a real rocket and tons of fun!

Thanks for the link! I've been lurking on there for awhile, just don't have anything to add yet. I'm getting closer to ordering a B series std, though, at which time I'll make a pest of myself over there Ant man: I love my Shockwave too. super, serious fun!!!!!!

Today I put up a Rev ll I bought new in 1992. I haven't had it out for years. I was flying on fairly short lines and man that thing was fast! It was such a challenge, trying to do the basic Rev moves, inverted hover, flying the clock, etc. I really had a good time. Tomorrow I'm going to get out my shock wave and see what that can do. I'm looking to buy a B series and begin working on technique. This quad thing is such a great aspect of the sport. No real reason for a new thread, just a chance to share the joy! What a breath of fresh air, coming off of a few years of Dual line tricking! I'm stoked!

Thanks! I made the corrections. It will be interesting to see how it flies now. As I said, I liked it a lot before....

Good point, Merlion, thanks. Stryker, please post your findings. I'd like to hear what he has to say. I read about this problem on GWTW, but after changing the tow point and chucking the weight, mine's flying fine so I let it go. Still, it would be interesting to know...

Super cool! Thanks for sharing that wonderful photo! It makes me want to go fly my stack of Hawiians!

Yup. It definitely likes a bit of wind. I feel like I need to do a bunch more flying with it before I truly click with it. I've barely begun to do any adjusting and I haven't really practiced any moves with it. I just pretty much fly and have fun. I think I could get a lot better at certain transitions, etc. Things I've gotten down with other kites but haven't spent the time with this one to learn what it wants in a given situation. Most things work ok and its really fun to fly so I haven't worried about it. I just think there are some pretty nice rewards in there for someone willing to spend the time. It promises so much. However, as mentioned above, I never thought it would rival the Widow Maker. I consider it an inexpensive fun trick kite which stands on its own.

Cool. I was flying mine in light wind today without the tail weight. I really liked it that way. 'It still rolled up like crazy. Kind of makes me think it might benefit from some weight further up the spine. That weight's pretty heavy. Feels like about 20 grams. It really reduced the effort needed to fly it in light winds. Yeah, so Stryker, this kite will teach you all you want to know about tricking.

Stryker, so you got those two red ones? The photo was beautiful! yeah, I think I'm with you on the multiple kites thing. Probably not the best tool for the job at hand. I like mine alot, as I said in the review. The oversteer isn't that big of a deal for messing around tricking. Thats sort of how I see the kite, just something fun to relieve the intensity of "practicing." My only complaint so far is that it doesn't sit as deep in a turtle as I would like. Still, the winds have been pretty weird lately and I want more time on it. I think its something I can get used to/figure out. So far I'm hitting lazy rotations immediately after throwing it into a backflip. That way I can catch it wherever I want and keep the tips lookin up, so to speak. Anyway, sorry they're not working out. I think you're right on the money and if it were me, unless you want to start trickin' I'd sell them and get something more appropriate.

Thank you sir! very kind of you

Hi folks! I made this simple Nirvana video last weekend. I hope you like it! Dave http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nLLkMgLOog

I have no good reason for starting this thread except I have a Nirvana Standard coming in the Kite Shoppe's latest shipment and I'm freakishly excited!!!!!!!!

I own a couple of Quantum Pro standards and think they would suit your purposes well. I've flown the Evo a bunch but its the only other one on your list I have experience with. John's right, it takes work to fly the QP standard in light wind. It tracks well and responds solidly and consistently to inputs, in tricking or flying figures. It does pitch based tricks well but doesn't give them up easily to sloppy inputs. A bit of weight in the tail (couple of quarters in the velcro) helps a lot in this regard.