Impulse Flyboy

Please pardon this brief highjacking, but I'm wondering if the Itrix would be a good kite for learning tricks in very light winds. Trying to trick with my HQ Breeze has been a royally frustrating experience so I'm looking for an outdoor UL to trick with (and a kite that's under $200 is always a bonus) My main focus is tricks, not indoor flying, so would the Itrix be the kite for those light days or should I be expanding my kite bag with something else?

If I may highjack this discussion for a second, are the Rev 1 and Rev SLE slightly different kites with thier own minor advantages or is one more capable than the other?

Just my 2 cents but it seems like from what you've said, the quad would be the thing for you, although I disagree with John. In my opinion the quad is harder to start with, especially if there's low wind, but that being said, I still think you would do best with a quad. Oh, and as someone who owns one, don't learn on an M-Quad. Although I like it, and it's nice to have something no one else has, it's very difficult to learn on. Imulse Flyboy

Very interesting. I'm pretty sure I'm stuck with this set so it's good to know it's not just dental floss lol. I get the feeling my vendor decided since I was buying an ultralight that the BlueLine would be a better choice. Luckily this set of lines is for a 2-line ultralight so I can't imagine putting that many twists in it. I guess I learned a lesson without about this vendor without too much damage. In response to Dorsal, this is the 3rd vendor I've dealt with and the only one that I've had any trouble with, so I think I'll just stick to the ones that have better service. In response to AudoRob, I have an M-quad which uses braided Dyneema lines and I've found that once you get that thing spun round too far, your pretty much shackled. I'll do my best to use those Dyneema lines on the ultralight and compare them with the BlueLine and give you guys an update (whether you like it or not lol ) From the sales pitch Shanti lines makes, they believe they are the best out there, is that really true? Thank you all for the great info Impulse Flyboy

I've been wondering exactly what the difference between kite line brands are. Specifically I'm wondering about a set of ES/55 Blue Line I recieved instead of a Laserpro gold line i ordered from a problematic vendor. They're both made with spectra line, but the Blue Line product is braided....and ...blue So what are the difference between laserpro gold/sport, Blue Line, Dyneema, or shanti lines? And should I really be all that concerned? Impulse Flyboy

Nice one, but can you beat 707mph? Impulse Flyboy

I've taken the Cesium out a few times and it has surprised me how ready it is to trick. The only problem I face is discovering those tricks. They look so simple when the experts do em, but leave it to me to make the kite tangle and fall to the ground every time. Oh well, I can't expect to be an expert right off the bat. I've noticed it does pancake to fade really well, but I can't get the fade to hold or get it to go back to pancake, which I think is called something else in combination. For that matter my axels don't work very well either. I think I'm shooting 1 for 10+ on those Anywho I will say it was good advice John, now I think I'm going to invest in one of those instructional videos/dvds. Any suggestions? I was thinking the one by Mark Reed looked like it had what I wanted in it. As a final note, in higher wind I have to pull harder to get the moves to go, but it should still trick well in stronger winds right? Impulse Flyboy

So my M-quad (yeah, sorry, i had to try one of the non-rev's ) arrived yesterday and I took it out to my usual field. As I was flying it, I was noticing a lot of oversteer which I was unable to correct. Now I'm no master flyer, in fact I'm not even an intermediate flyer, but I was wondering if there was something I could do or not do to help my oversteering. It seemed like the oversteer was much stronger in one direction, could this mean that either my handles or my lines aren't equal? Hope you can help Impulse Flyboy

That is some very interesting and enlightening reading. Kinda explains why my nexus doesn't stall well, although I'd love to be proven wrong on that assertion. Much Thanx Impulse Flyboy

To tell you the truth Dorsal the only person I worry about having to do repairs is myself. I think it will be a steep learning curve for me. If my kite repairs go anything like my car repairs I'll do everything wrong first, then have to pay twice what it should to fix the stuff i messed up. Now that I have a few kites I'm gonna have to look up bridle design and modification cause I'm pretty green at that too. Maybe you can point me in the direction of a good FAQ or how-to since I'm guessing you've patched before. In response to John, I fly in the little know city of Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada....eh. I usually fly at Vanier park which is a fairly large park on the water in the heart of the city. It's where most fly I believe. If you are interested in some shots of the place, most of the pics on Ray Bethel's page are taken there. I've only seen him there a couple times, but that's where he practices from what I know. Hopefully you weren't asking to suggest a different kite cause I'm afraid it's already been delivered. Yet again, much thanx for all your help and honesty. It's nice to know there somewhere I can turn for good advice. Impulse Flyboy

Well, after considering all the great suggestions, and pondering the I2K, I decide to see if John was right. I've order a Cesium. It seems like it can do anything i can think of doing, it's under $200, its wind range seems good, and I hope it won't be too fragile. Plus, being new, I don't have to worry about the fabric or spars being weakened from use, not that I don't trust you Dorsal (it was a very generous offer). Anywho, much thanx for the advice, and I'll keep you updated as I'm sure I'll need help figuring out how to do some of the moves. Impulse Flyboy

What's the opinion of the expert panel on the M-Quad by HQ?

I stumbled across this forum a week ago or so as I was looking for reviews on stunt kites as I am interested in purchasing one. My history in the kite world is brief, I learned the bare basics on a Beetle last year and this summer I bought a Nexus. I've been working on improving my skills but I've found that the nexus wasn't really made for many tricks as the lines seem to get tangled if you try anything involving flat spinning. Also it's so quick that it can be quite hard to stall. Hense I have come here for advice as to what i should get next. I like so many am a student so funds aren't overly abundant, but I'm looking around $100-150 USD. In this range I've found the following: HQ phoenix supreme Big bang pro Level one easy and extreme Yin yang E2 Basically I'm looking for a kite that will allow me to do any trick I want with minimum trouble, but opinions seem to varry so much, that I'm left at a loss. I recognize that there may not be an easy answer, but I'd love to hear some suggestions. I basically always fly at Vanier Park in Vancouver, sometimes even in the shadow of Ray Bethel. I'm not positive of the winds but I think they come in aroun 5-15 mph most of the time. I was watching a demo by John Barresi this week and....DAMN that was amazing to watch. If i could learn to do what he did with that Sea Devil on any of these I think I'd be more than pleased with my purchase. I don't know if that's possible, but I really look forward to your ideas on which one I should get. Many thanx Impulse Flyboy