SHBKF

The Reflex kite from Revolution is still being developed & there are probably newer versions/sizes on the horizon. The kite I received from Riffclown a few weeks ago was from the second run of the new kite produced I believe last Spring. The first run had just the metal spring & the normal carbon tube. The concern of the springs rubbing & wearing the vertical tubes became an issue. In the second batch it had been addressed by a sleeve or coating being applied to the springs themselves. If any of this is incorrect I will edit this accordingly. You can see this black sleeve on the spring in the images shown. While this may be enough to retard significant wear in normal use it is not uncommon for these kites to be flown a great number of hours by kite enthusiasts. Riff used a green vinyl cap that had the end cut off to slide onto the vertical tube for extra wear protection. Below are images I have posted in my gallery with comments from each image. Here you can see the bag of vinyl end caps from McMaster Carr showing the part number & size. The original mod is still on one vertical & the other vertical is stock. I somehow split one of the original green vinyl end caps that had been added by Riffclown. So I switched to a black one I had in stock. The end caps I used are .313" I.D. x .75" long. After trimming off the end I stretched them a bit by placing them on needle nose pliers & pulling the handles outward. Rotated them & did that four times. Then I lubed the end of the vertical with saliva & slid the vinyl down into position. After the vinyl regained it's memory the end cap is tight on the tube. Once you assemble the kite you can fine tune the final position of the tube protector. I had to move it just a little from my initial guess. I simply slid the piece using my fingernails perpendicular to the tube on two opposite sides of the tube. The springs only seem to move the sail 7/8's of an inch from the vertical. What a difference that little bit makes..... Thanks Riffclown for a great mod to this very interesting new Sportwing. SHFKF A few questions have already been posted about the images I added to my gallery. Below from Hyzakite "My question is how are you making the hole in the end cap? Hole punch I bet, I would use a hole punch now that I recently found out about them. Maybe 100 end caps is overkill. Where did the end caps come from, I bought mine from McMaster-Carr." my response: I simply cut the end off with the main blade of my trusty Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. You can see a little round black spot laying there in the image. I then carefully trimmed it up to make the ends square. The end caps are indeed from McMaster-Carr, an industrial supply house that I ordered from thousands of times when I worked in manufacturing. I ordered many different diameters & lengths to use with kites. I probably have fifteen bags or more. I even have some white ones that I have used on Rev handle mods. SHBKF second post from Hyzakite "I didn't realize there was a story behind each picture, the black end cap replacing the green one picture, I didn't realize they was add-on pieces, a few questions. 1. Why was the vinyl caps added? 2. Why and what is on the spring piece that looks black compared to the shiny part of the spring? 3. If the spring has a vinyl type coating to prevent wear on the rod which is what it looks like, is the vinyl of the spring rubbing on the added vinyl cap going to cause a sluggish reaction compared to the springs original purpose? 4. Is it a vertical rod? 5. Would a small metal band around the rod in the same spot serve the same purpose only in a smoother action, if it is in fact added to prevent wear on the rod?" my responses only here 1. Caps were added to beef up the protection due to a concern that the sleeve on the wire still was not enough. 2. Black on the spring is a vinyl or similar material. 3. No apparent sluggish action has been noticed at this point. The spring coating could be removed easily allowing less friction if needed. The tube protector is much heavier. 4. It is the vertical tube. 5. A small metal band could be fitted & would have less friction no doubt. There are additional ways to approach the protection of the tube. Simple electricians tape would be very easily applied. There are very slippery tapes available that are sometimes called "Moonie tape". These are made from ultra high molecular weight polyethylene which the material our high quality kite lines use. I really enjoy buying kites from other fliers. Sometimes the kites arrive in excellent condition with additions that make them even better than stock. I will continue to fly this kite with the added protection & report back if I encounter any issues. SHBKF

A year from now I'll still be flying the kites I have now. I will undoubtedly add a few more in the meantime. Two years from now, most likely the trend will continue. A couple years ago I came to the realization that some quad kites were fairly rare & I was concerned that a few might not continue to be produced. I found out some were not very popular & I know it makes economic sense for a larger producer to discontinue low volume models. So I made a point to get a few of these kites even though I will not likely fly them as much as my more mainstream models. Here's the prime example. Six hundred dollars kite only. Pretty big commitment literally & financially. My main concern with a kite like this is will I be able to keep it flying if it's discontinued or the maker goes out of business, If I don't have the proper fittings I can make them using machine tools I already own. I can patch the sail if needed & find help for larger sail repairs. But tubes are another matter so buying some spares is a reasonable plan. Substitute tubes exist for some but not all carbon wrapped tubes. This one has a tough frame but some others don't. Regardless I will continue to grab a few more kites, many from the secondary market. My next quad? Might be another foil....Mostly I still just want to fly em all. SHBKF

The little Micron is one of my preferred higher wind kites. Just a fun little kite. It will do some tricks but if you blink you'll miss seeing them. My first flights with a Rev were similar. Did not have that ah ha moment until the third session when I finally had my breakthrough by steering with brake inputs. Here's a picture from my second session as I had advanced to the launch, veer to the right & crash stage. Moments later I was walking to the kite, again. Note the very poor hand positions in the third image. SHBKF

I have the Ice color scheme, blue, which happens to be my wife's favorite color. I bought blue & blue/white kites as a preference for quite some time. I do carry mine in the vehicle often as I enjoy it & it's not so precious that I would ever hesitate allowing anyone interested to fly it. Here's the kites I carry when I am in the Prism frame of mind. The case that says 3D actually contains a Prism 4D. I can carry it without breaking down the leading edges this way. That little kite will fly when nothing else will. SHBKF

In this price range the Prism Quantum (not Quantum Pro) has been recommended so many times I finally had to buy one myself. It comes ready to fly with decent lines, straps & case. It is a larger kite which means it will fly more slowly than the medium sized ones. Your grandson's size will allow him to easily handle the pull of the Quantum. It is a tough kite which helps when you are first flying or allowing someone new to give it a go. It is a nice looking kite also. It really got to me when my wife saw me flying it for the first time & said it was my best looking dualie. I have several kites that I like the looks of better & of course they cost more, much more. It has a good presence in the sky & is able to pull a long tail if you wish to do some sky writing. Some have modified theirs to give it a bit more performance but I have left mine completely stock for the sake of reference. One consideration is that it takes a bit of wind to fly but that is true of all standard kites especially when you are first getting started. I am not a really advanced flier but I can do some of the more basic trick moves with mine. But that is a topic for another post as progress is achieved. Their are many other choices & I am sure the Widow NG by Premier also deserves mention. Best wishes, hope to see you & yours flying some day. SHBKF

Many fliers talk about accidentally stepping on their kites, closing car doors on the tips, dogs attacking them when they land & so on. Probably just a matter of time before something like that occurs for most of us. Just recently I was loading a few in the back of a van & just before I shut the door the Prism 4D slid part way out trying to make an escape. Luckily I saw it. That would have destroyed that delicate little SUL no doubt. I also have broken a kite in the first moments of the first flight & broken expensive vintage kites doing things that I knew better than to attempt. New parts & a bit of sewing/taping/gluing have covered my sins. But they are just kites after all. Best of luck to you. Just keep flyin', SHBKF

I would suspect the spine may have already been cracked & the first flight merely finished it off. It may have been damaged in the store or during transit. I have smacked the ground with kites & thought they were okay at that point. When I got them in the air the first gust broke them. At that time I thought the gust was strong enough by itself to break the tube but after discussing it with others I came to the conclusion that the damage had already been done. I was flying a Mongoose in too strong wind one time & hit the ground during a gust. I got the kite in the air flying it around for a bit & noticed it seemed to have a hinge in the spine. It flew okay but I immediately landed off to the side & was relieved to see the sail was okay. It was some time before I was able to get the proper replacement tube as I live out in the sticks. SHBKF Mongoose is the one that is leaning on the cinder block wall. I had a few other kites to fly in the meantime.....

I have used three foot link lines on sixty inch dualies with no problems. I eventually switched to longer forty-eight inch links just to make the stack longer also conforming to the stock set up for that type kite. It does give the stack a bigger look in the sky & allows me to see the individual kites a bit better. But I did like the tight spacing for it's close formation look. I am just beginning to stack Revolution Sportwings as it takes some time to acquire similar kites, not to mention the expense. But I am in no particular hurry to run through the many possibilities as my desire is to just enjoy it all on the path through my KiteLife. SHBKF

Welcome to KiteLife! Glad you decided to join. We need to hear more from the kite boarding side of the hobby. There are other avid fliers from Long Island on this site. Hope you can meet up with them. SHBKF

Welcome to KiteLife. You have found a great resource with a bunch of enthusiastic kite nuts who will help you any way they can. Please post your thoughts & feelings about our favorite topic, all things kite. I believe I saw you in chat the other night. Sorry I had to leave & did not get to talk with you. Join us in chat. We love company. Wishing you all the best, SHBKF

So the Reflex arrived just before lunch this morning. As I opened the box it began to rain. So I took that as a really strong sign that this was going to be good. Temperature was nearly 90 & the humidity was now incredible. Took a few pictures & got in the truck to go to a kite field. No wind so I did a few chores. Drove by a location I had not been to in some time. A couple weeds swayed briefly so I knew there were some little summer puffs of hot air in the area. Walked up the hill to a rise through the tall grass. Set up the kite & rolled out the new line set. The lines unrolled perfectly showing the care & competence of the one who sent them. Wind was shifting east to west with dead calm to over 10 mph measured. So this was going to be brief but doable. Set the stock handles for maximum brake & waited for a puff of hot air. Kite launched straight up & it was apparent that the line set was equalized. Flew two thirds of the way to the top of the window & did a little left & right figure eight flying. First spin turned into a spin and a half. Reminds me of the Rev 1 as compared to the 1.5, has a bit more momentum. Tried to fly high, turn & glide out a bit. This kite is going to be easy to gain ground with if you have backed up too much I thought. The fickle winds went from fading to the lines singing & the kite handled it well. I proceeded to land & launch as the wind came & went. After only twenty minutes I got too hot & headed back down to the truck. I will carry the kite with me as I travel around to find out more. So far I am very encouraged. Looks like it's going to have a superior wind range which is a very good thing. More comments to come later. SHBKF The red white & blue Reflex is very pretty in the sky. Had some sun back lighting the kite & it shimmered in the glory of the sky. The fully assembled kite can be carried in the truck as I travel around looking for some wind. Notice the lines & handles still attached to the kite.

The Revolution Power Blast 2-4 will do the same type of float, flying with only the top handle & even just the top leading edge line. It can do it all the way across the window when you are flying with the wing vertical, even in higher wind as it is a heavier kite. It stays in a stiff airfoil shape by design, no springs involved. The PB 2-4 has a curved/rolled leading edge & no mesh. Four verticals & a "Super Leading Edge" make it stiff & tough. The tall wide sail with a large center belly generates considerable power. So the sideways float can be used to dump power & give you a little rest. If you misjudge a dive stop it may just spit out one of the verticals. It excels at flying to the top of the window & going behind you. Hope the Reflex does that as well. SHBKF

I have got one on the way (thank you my friend) & can't wait to fly it. I am thinking it might be just the ticket for flying in some of the common conditions I encounter here in the inland mountain valleys. Summer thermals cause fickle shifting, then dying winds that can be frustrating at times. You get set up parked to fly & the wind shifts blowing your wing toward you. Then the wind ceases completely for ten minutes & you wait.... The tall vegetation in mowed hay fields make some of the slick ground recovery maneuvers too problematic to allow success at my level of skill. But then the wind picks up & you begin again. Not complaining, just mentioning my reality. If I can do better with ground recovery that's a plus. If it's floaty characteristics help me fly off the side further, that's good. If it can go up & over behind me easily, another plus. But this is all speculation & hope. But isn't hope what encourages us to try different kites. It is for sure another step along the path of my KiteLife. And they say round these parts, "There's no accountin' fer taste." And I am fortunate to have several choices of Revs to fly. SHBKF

I usually just carry several kites loose in the vehicle not bothering with a kite bag. When I get to the field I grab the few I wish to fly and put the line sets in my back pockets. For major hauling I use a pickup or maybe get out the ultimate kite hauler. My ultimate kite hauler is a small custom trailer for all the goodies. Shelf on the drawbar holds a full size cooler. Also has patio umbrella & mount for shade. Sides fold out to make bench seats. Three drop down legs make it stable when unhooked. Dualies can be stored with leading edges fully assembled. Entire top hinges upward for access & top is a great kite table. SHBKF The other car is my wife's......

Did my best, tried extra hard to be graceful. Left everything done as best I could. Said my good byes. Already had the jalopy pointed toward the exit when I got in gritted my teeth & grinned. A giggle slipped out. Then I laid rubber all the way out. That's how I did it. Never looked back. Guess a little redneck leaked out..... Best Wishes, SHBKF