Wayne Dowler

Are you on FaceBook? We have a page there - Portland Area Kite Flyers - keeps people up to date on what is going on. Also used to invite others when going somewhere. Sunday afternoon - planning on being at Broughton Beach- behind PDX on Marine Dr.

Orao, Swiss made by Andi, Elphi-Kite Design, JL Kites In your list above, Windrider was one of the kites that most have not liked. From any reviews I've seen over the years, most say poor stitching, bridles out of balance, rods not well made = problems. With the list you have made, either you are dealing with the maker directly or with an established store. Except the Windrider ....I know it is usually cheaper, but is that savings worth little to no support?

There are folks in Alaska that fly whenever the weather lets them. if you are worried about cold! No, you don't want to be slamming stuff into the ground at those temps, but decent flying all year round is not out of the question. We even have a New Year's Day Fly up here in Portland OR!

Got some beauties there Rob! Love that slow, smooth, mix of old school/new school tricks.

A little loose. Make sure the top is tight. Then gently pull the bottom til there are no more wrinkles. Don't pull so tight as to add any vertical wrinkles. Smooth is what you want. And don't pull so hard the top starts sticking up over the LE.

Equalize from a stake, not the kite. Yes, all 4 should be as close as possible to the same length. The leaders don't count in "equalizing", except as a quick fix in the field. I usually equalize with my handles off, but some leave them on. Never trust what you see setting up - use a stake instead.

No - the springs can be removed. Either just pull them out or cut whatever is holding them. Those springs are just added on. Never been a fan of the new fittings Rev is using. Don't feel like there is enough of the "tongue" inserted into the rod end to hold all the pressure. Feel like it was a solution looking for a problem or just change for change sake.

LOL!!! That is why it was developed in the first place. The tight weave and the make up (material) of the line, all contribute! That is what it is called - sleeving. Many make sets with or without it, your choice. Buy a roll and make 2 sets for the price of one. But don't forget winders and sleeving when you buy. Then it is just time involved. Oh that tool is a sleever. Some take the high ""E" string from a guitar and fold it in half. Others use floral wire. Anything thin works, but take your time and thread through cleanly.

Lines are LPG, do not tangle with your SLK dacron lines - or POP! Your quad lines will lose that battle! Lon - I really don't know to be honest. If you are only replacing the LE, I might order a new set of end caps. If switching the whole frame, get all 6. Caps will fit almost everything, just get the ones that will fit your replacement rods. Hate to say it, but Rev's QC isn't the best on their newer stuff. Bad rods were one of the things that caused people to look at other solutions. IMHO YMMV PS: not a big fan of those new type fittings. Prefer the caps myself.

Just a small add to Edmond's post - the EXP is the same size as all the older SLE and "B" models, including the "B" pro. I am not sure if it is exactly the same size as the RX, but I do know the XX is bigger (between the Rev 1 and 1.5 size). The 1.5 Classic is just a rebranded "B", but with the Reflex system installed. If I'm not mistaken all their Sport kites have that now. You can remove the springs. Try it without them, then decide if you want them. All the old 1/4" frames were interchangeable in that 1.5 size. Do you have one in that size or the bigger size? Pretty sure that Rev has stopped making any 1/4" frames. The good news is that there are plenty of sources for other frames. Unless the bigger rod, your EXP has 3 wrap rods, just labelled differently. Speaking of other rods available - there are SkyShark rods, the rods Andy sells at Ocean Shores kites, and of course any old stock in stores. You can get lost in all the choices, feel free to ask before committing and buying. Edmond is correct on lines - really only 2 types around for quads right now - LPG (Laser Pro Gold) or SkyBond. Both are made from Spectra fiber, SkyBond has an additional coating. Both are tight, finely woven lines. They play nice together in team flying. Whichever you choose is up to your preference. 120' is the team standard length. If you hope to fly with others, I would get a set. As stated, they open up a huge window to fly in, and give you more time to react to the kite. 30' is a urban, small park, type of length, but it comes with everything happening faster. The kite goes side to side or up and down, in a flash. Your reflexes will be tested. The 65' set you have is an OK learning length and you could cut them down to make a short set as they start to wear out. DO NOT tangle them up with your SLK lines!! 2 very different materials and weaves, the SLK lines will break your quad lines in no time - Spectra and dacron do NOT mix! Also take some time to equalize the lines. They should be as close to the same length (all 4) as possible. Think car alignment, pulling left or right without you correcting it. Same with the kite, you don't need it steering itself. JB's leaders and the conversion to no snags are great steps to take. The leaders let you adjust, the conversion takes out an unneeded moving part. Be careful removing the ring, you don't want to ruin the vinyl cap. You can reuse them. Also be aware there is a nasty burr under the cap, where the holes for the ring were punched - it will slice you open! Short of that - have fun!

I am no single line expert, those that are - please chime in! I would start at checking the bridle lines. Measure to be sure everything is balanced side to side, Is the #1 line on both sides equal? Check them all. Also check the knot where all the lines come together - is there any twist or could it have wrapped around itself? Be sure everything is "clean" before launch. Hopefully others will give their ideas.....

I have seen it flown on 30' outside, but that is the longest I've seen. Not sure how effective it will be on longer than that lines. I'm sure there are many other kites better suited for this purpose.

Nope, was talking about the drawing also.

Looks to be a flat pattern, not a "flying" setup. Notice the dotted lines showing a regular 1.5, very much smaller. I would guess putting caps on would introduce some flex in the LE.

Brakes. Letting the top lines out, squares the sail to the wind better. No more "surge". More control. Like having a standard transmission, you have to "put it in gear" to go in either direction. Might make launch a bit harder, but so much more control in the air. And with the knot system, you can adjust to each days conditions. PS: most of those patterns and ideas are years old. So much more new info out there as a result of quads being so popular.

Got a feeling it would work similar to the leech line on a dualie. Loose and the edge vibrates, tight and the sail gets quiet. Mesh to some degree "regulates" how much air escapes, no mesh means it spills faster - no resistance. IMO

And one thing I forgot to mention - everyone commented on how smoothly this transitioned to backwards flight. Thank you for the loan - further testing to be done!!!

riff was kind enough to lend me his "A Touch of Purple" sail. All he asked for was an honest review of my opinions. Since I also happen to belong to a team, Quad Squad North West, I thought I'd pass it around and get some other thoughts as well. Here they are: 5 of 7 members present got to try it out. EVERYONE liked it! One of our members is a kite maker himself and felt that by and large, your worked passed muster! He was especially impressed by your stitching, felt it was very good. He also was one that tried it. He did notice that the center was a bit shallower than our Phoenix sails. Maybe more like the older SLE pattern? Many of us used to fly B pros before our switch to Phoenix, so we are used to Bazzer's work. I myself have flown his work for the last 6-7 years. The general consensus is it is great. One of our members that I trust very well, liked it a lot. She really tested it hard. Braking, turning, holding the load, accelerating. she gave it the works. Felt it did everything well. The ONLY thing she mentioned negative was that it seemed to need just a second to go. A pause, then no problems. Sort of like the old "turbo lag" that old cars had when the turbo was first released. Other than that one comment, everything else positive! My own impressions were just as positive. Since it takes me a second to process any info, I never noticed any lag. It was very smooth, even in winds that were possibly a bit much for it. I had a black race frame in it, might could have used a 3 wrap instead for those winds. But still it was very nice. It reminded me very much like an early Freilein I was asked to test. It was early in their production, Andy gave me one to try out and report on. Still had screen in the LE, way before the A-holes. How it would perform in a team setting, I didn't try. Since it was a practice, we all flew Phoenix together. This next weekend is a festival on the coast, I'll test it further. Maybe get the chance to fly it in a mixed crowd of other line fliers and see how it feels around other stuff. But so far - everything is pretty positive! Sorry I don't have pix - tech challenged!!

Sorry - haven't dealt with Kent in quite a while. Not because of problems, just that I've found those things I needed here in the PNW locally. Didn't know they were going to open another brick and mortar store in SLC. They did have one when they were in Las Vegas. When they moved, it was all online only.

Everything I've heard about the NG is good. Don't know much about flight characteristics, but maybe others will chime in. Just felt when you posted that you were getting a kite that was too much the same as you already had. I personally, ( when I flew exclusively dualies) believe in having a variety, capable of handling many wind ranges. i settled on 3 - a light wind kite (the Prism Ozone), a midrange (the Stranger), and a midhigh (the Prism Alien). Sadly none are in production anymore. I recently decided to upgrade my Stranger to a Hydra. Felt it was more in line with the modern tricks, but we will see. But I still believe in covering the wind ranges first, before duplicating what I already have.

Please bear in mind that this is my opinion only! Not sure that the Widow NG qualifies as a "light" wind kite. Are you going off the stated "wind range" given in the description? Sorry - don't believe in them. Why? Who wrote or established those? Think some common person did? No, it was probably a very experienced flier that could wring the most out of the kite. High range too. You, by your own admission are still learning. Depending on skill level, I usually knock 2-3 mph off of both ends of any stated wind range. Good light wind kites are spendy for a reason - they use very light materials. Rods, cloth, design, all are chosen to get performance at a low range. If there is any chance to hook up with other fliers - do it. Go to a festival. Meet some fliers. Get some advice. Learn some of the secrets others have spent years to get. Or, if possible, go to your local brick and mortar store. Ask questions. Online, have you tried either The Kite Shoppe or Ocean Shores Kites? Both are well qualified to answer any and all questions about your needs. I have dealt with both (and AWOC) and have had great success! Any of them should be able to help. And you will make friends as a result!

No need to Dremel the insides, the anchor grabs on to those little edges and covers the end of the tube for leader protection. The only thing I remove is that nasty burr from punching the holes for the ring. Never saw any need to glue the holes, they get covered by reusing the vinyl caps. Makes it look clean.

Are you on FaceBook? If so, I would contact Tony Jetland. He has bought a bunch of stuff from China and might be able to put you either in the correct direction to go, or maybe hook you up with a decent maker. Tony lives in California and has become quite the "big kite" guy.

WOW!!!!!!

No pix, but when you assemble the kite for flying, make sure the caps go outside the hole in the LE pocket. Makes the center that little bit bigger ...