Wayne Dowler

Sure- anything can be flown - but should it? Personally - there is no way I'm putting up a std in 20mph!

The "B" series was JB's ideas incorporated into the 1.5 size kites. He left the company and no longer endorses them, as a result - the "Classic". PS: there is no Reflex Classic, there is a Reflex, or there is a "Classic", but not both in one. I do believe you can get the Reflex system on the "Classic"? Not sure on that, but maybe ....

So a bit of a history - there are no B-series being made anymore. Stopped in January of this year. Any you find, are from dealers still having stock of them, with very little color choices. They have used the "Classic" series to replace the "B" series, all the same models within the type - std, mid, full vent. Even kept the panel layout the same, just changed the logo. The Reflex is their newest offering. They came up with a tension system for the sail. Anytime you give slack, the springs take effect. Most beginners are looking for a "one kite does it all". No such animal exists. I recommend a std and a full vent for starters. Std first, then add the f/v. My reason: wind too low to fly mid, what you gonna do - watch and wait? You'd be flying that std. Wind is strong - then the f/v can handle it easily. It is no fun sitting there with one kite and unable to fly in either extreme of wind. YMMV. Be open to look on the used market, a good way to get both sails reasonably. Can't agree more with Paul's advice - flying with another that already knows the "ropes" can get you much further down that path!

I use a kite stake from Walt.

Richard's Monark is the kite on the far left, a glider for indoors. I've seen and flown them, here in the PNW, at several indoor festivals. It is an excellent glider!

Flying Smiles still makes kits, and Andy at Ocean Shores Kites has experimented with a kit too. The only kite I really liked them on was my Zen. Those and the hybrid frame I came up with, really helped the kite fly better - IMHO! The combination of frame and sticks made for a stiffer LE for me.

Yep - I did - on short lines, if I remember correctly! Probably the same material as the Pro Dancer too!

The SUL I tried at WSIKF, seemed poly, but not for sure. Can't see nylon being used in an SUL of his standards.

I was thinking you might use it as vertical wear strips, more than a stop to the LE mesh tearing. But it should work for that too.

Where did you find someone to fix it? I made my own wear strips from insignia tape. Didn't have to sew them either. Just took my time cutting to size and used a laminate roller to secure them down. They lasted several years that way. I would suggest, if using that adhesive tape, to put a small piece on the front side too, otherwise crap will stick to the tape on the exposed front side through the mesh.

The trick is to gently stretch the sail out without adding any creases. Use the bunjis at the bottom and end caps to still get the sail flat, without adding any wrinkles. Those indicate stress areas that pulled too tight for too long will fail.

LOL!!! Tail gunner usually, sometimes 3rd. Mega fly - anywhere there's room for me!

It is!!

That works only if you can still run!! Old guys like me use their brakes and walk! I still get to where most of the others get to, just in my own time! PS: I'm usually near the end of the line!!!

Forgotten giveaway?? I know you have been on a "walk-about" for the month, but time to get back to the "KiteLife"!!!

Heard of, never seen. TK uses some sort of jig to do hers and they come out sweet!!

Myself - I change sails before frames. I do have "favorite" setups in my kites, and rather than swap frames and mess up that, I'll switch sails. Be aware that this is "MY" way, and not for everyone. Part of it is that I had a stroke years ago and I want nothing to do with chancing a face plant!! In fact, I'm almost always the first to switch to some vent, because of that fear! My rule of thumb is how it "feels" in my hands. Is it in control? Is it surging when a gust hits? Can I just tune it out or ????? In the end it's common sense I go by, if it feels like too much, swap or pack it in! PS: having 5 sails to choose from makes it a bit easier sometimes, but can also lead to second guessing yourself!! Luckily it isn't hard to switch if you guess wrong!

Too much wind?? All up to you and your equipment. Can you stand the conditions, being sand-blasted all day? Not my idea of fun, but we do it anyways. When it comes to equipment - that is a different story ..... Why do you think there are so many different "models" in a series? It's an attempt to match up sail to conditions. I've seen it go both ways in high wind - people putting in the stiffest rods they have, afraid of any bend in the LE, to people ignoring the conditions and only flying their "favorite" setup. Can you push things too far? Tell me when a seam lets go or rods start breaking, or....?? You can play it safe or push it to the edge, but if something explodes - fun time is over!

Most all kites come with a sleeve, but anything else is optional. If you're looking for a "package, with lines and accessories", look for the letters RTF - ready to fly. Haven't flown the Silver Fox, but I did a Pro Dancer this summer. Absolutely a great no/low wind kite. I think what you have to be careful of is that there is no "standard" to judge kites by. One maker can call their kite a UL, while that same kite might be another makers std, or SUL. And that is where you may or may not "click" with a particular sail. You might find that even though it says UL on the label, it might not be in your eyes. Also be aware that any stated wind ranges are pretty much BS. Can you fly in them? Maybe! Depends on skill level more than anything else. There are times when the kite is capable of doing more than you can! Learning to match line length and strength with kite and conditions, goes a long way in the equation. That and building your skill set. Keep flying!

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2Fu3MgGCL1pQk&h=ATNhKSTAO3iygjkud9U2ruNBbO9BvAa_To8WB0f12RY11G-yPxUiDU-bHOSn6cA-nJzWIkZPlPy9mx2puKspauJ-o9DuLgRjR6l1hjeyloL9A4ZKkpjn-xEudYlo8hPhz45Jds1L_eA0XIuys_ZelMqDmYUlr9MrrTFVDndArMy23g3yu5L6qj--7qYC1CA5HY_8Sq7nX_804k8fx45lEUrmZe_N0jjYUErQ2QGx4a2NstZ74Ix6xXCveEcZe-mg3fInF39r3ckfH2Ug25dPV4_NaWh5srU-KaYFiLiqgLMhcNVrF67HClfY41SYp4A Not sure how this turns out for those not on FB, but you can YT - Quad Squad North West - and see some of our routines there.

Wind range - more for the higher with the TE vents, not so much on the lower. So a fair (?) comparison might be to add a mile or three to the top end and lose one or two from the bottom. Again compared to a Rev. Ashes is Bazzer's answer to the need for a full sail in lighter winds. There are no vents and construction is based on the old SUL formula, with Bazzer's tweaks from the "B" pro series. It has a lighter LE pocket and I think uses lighter material for the sail. Also uses the "B" pro profile, with a deeper center and changes to the outside wing cut. With the light frame (P-100) I'm pretty sure it will keep up with my Zen! It is that good! Almost all the Rev products are now equipped with that fatter frame. There was talk of modifying the "inny fitting" to still use the old frames. Inquiring around, that doesn't seem to be the case, you have to use that bigger frame. I think the "Classic" (a rebranded "B") still uses caps and still uses the old frames, but I can stand to be corrected if not. All told - the Phoenixes have 6 sail choices now - Ashes, std, mid, f/v, x/v, and Mega vent. Not a lot of Mega's out there yet, but the summer winds we've had, justify our wanting them for the team! Been pretty windy so far this year!

Paul: you are one of the "fortunate" ones! Spent years at your craft, formed strong opinions, and had the cash to execute your requirements. Well done. Others have had no choice but to buy used, on sale, or fly donated kites! Just a fact of life. I was only able to start flying Pros by buying a 3 kite set used - and those were at least 5th hand! Both of my extreme wind kites (Zen + X/V) were used too. So put me at the other end of that spectrum. This set of Phoenix sails are the first brand new, complete set I've owned! Flying with other Phoenix kites on the team is no problem at all, we just agree on a setup and go from there. The "rub" comes when flying in mixed company, sometimes you are still on a STD, when others are using Mids. As long as the response is similar among all kites - all good! Reminds me of flying with Paul D. and his Shook's, they are good in lots of conditions. But you usually have to swap at odd times in relation to the rest of the group. Not a bad thing, just different.

Never heard of it. Any idea on who made it? Pix?

As one member of a team that flies them: If you are used to the wind ranges of the Rev, be ready for a bit of a different one. Those TE vents do slightly increase the ranges on the STD, MID, and F/V. Those vents do work very well at the top of the sail's wind range. I also questioned the TE vents on the STD, especially when at the lower limit of that sail's range. But along came the Ashes! Did you know that unless specifically ordered as such, no SUL version of a "B"pro was ever made available? (Yes Paul, got ya!) The Ashes is his first readily available 1.5 size SUL. And believe me - it is well put together! Got caught in a wind shift at a festival and ended up on Ashes when we should have been on Mids! Not only did the sails hold up, but so too the rods (P-100's)! Diamonds would have been blown to smithereens Even more of a challenge to overcome, was how the SkyShark rods would feel, compared to the Rev rods I had flown for years. While slightly different, not unmanageable. They do have a slightly softer flex to them, For those that want to use Rev rods in the Phoenix sails, use a 5/16th" drill bit to clean out the caps without drilling any tip material away. Rods like diamonds, 2 wrap or Race will fit OK, the 3's and 4's could stick in the cap and be a real PITA to remove! Since I have the full suite of Ashes to X/V - it has been an adjustment mentally to get used to a different wind range. But overall very satisfied with their quality, craftsmanship, and overall performance!