RobB

Found out what happened to the Kymera... it turned out to be nothing more than a slipped ferrule. I got it out from inside the tube it was hiding in, glued it in place, and it's as good as new. Can't wait to fly it again, it's been months since I found the problem, and it was just sitting on the repair pile. Gotta love an easy fix !

Yes, the Mirage line will work fine. Don't hesitate to use it if the wind is coming close to double digits, or gusty. My Solus broke the Skybond 90# fairly easily, and I only fly on 90# lines in the lightest winds, now. If your Prism lines bind up with multiple wraps in them, you might consider LPG or Skybond. Binding isn't a bad thing, but it annoys some people. Me, I kinda like a little bind, it reminds me to unwind the lines, and also helps to temper some anxious inputs. I also have a Solus UL 'in-the-works'. I've waited up to 6 months for some of the kites I've ordered in the past (not from Skyburner)... it really is just that much sweeter when they finally do arrive.

Congrats on the Solus... I really like mine. You will want to get some 150# line for the Solus, once the wind goes above 10mph, you'll need it. I broke 90# Skybond flying the Solus, it's a big kite and can pull. But, between 5 and 10mph is where the kite really shines, the 90# will be fine for that !

Congratulations, Karen... so happy for you ! I know you'll get good use out of this !

Yup, I've been trying the rotations both ways. Also works doing clock-work turns & sliding at the same time. I haven't figured out any slack-line Rev tricks, so stuff like that has been keeping me busy !

The QPro & WidowMaker are pretty tough kites. I would say the Kymera is tough, but I took mine out of the bag to fly it recently, and found it broken. I don't know how that happened, it must have gotten stepped on while in the bag. Otherwise, I thought the build was durable, at least I never broke it while flying. Another kite to consider is the Solus, made by Skyburner, just like the WidowMaker. The Solus is geared more towards tricking, while the WidowMaker is more of an all-around kite. The WM is much more forgiving to less-than-perfect inputs...

The Kymera is a little easier to trick than the Widow Maker. The Widow Maker is a little easier to trick than the QPro. I would say the build quality of the QPro and Widow Maker is pretty close. For a budget alternative, the Kymera is well built for it's price. I would be happy with any one of the three, as a matter of fact, I have all three !

Oh, so many options... but there really is no one kite with the wind range you describe. 5-15mph for dual line kites, anything above 15mph is Rev territory for me. I used to fly the QPro VV in winds up to 30mph, but the fun level drops off at about 20mph.

I'm not sure what it's called... it's like doing a slide & bicycle rotations at the same time. I've seen videos of people doing it so smoothly, looks like the kite is rolling on the ground, but not touching the ground. I can do one or two rotations, and then either my slide or rotations lock up. Serious concentration... hurts my head !

I can fly duals by feel, and frequently do fly without looking at the kite. Revs, well, maybe with some more time. I can look away when I'm just simply flying, but something like a clockwork move or a sliding bicycle rotation requires all of my attention & concentration still. I have to remember to stop clenching my teeth at times...

Wow, nice kite, great price ! If only it was a full-vent or extra-vent.... I'd be all over this. But for our friends considering buying Rev-clones, this should be a no-brainer !

That Skyform looks great. Nice colors, too... Gomberg colors ? Even the black line's looking good, I gotta get me some of that !

The SLK flying is a perfect diversion when flying multi-lines gets stale. Want a challenge ? Try putting a bunch of SLKs up at once, keep them all flying, and try to keep them from crossing lines & taking each other down. Especially challenging with long tails !

Here's the thing... if you buy a knock-off, you won't get to enjoy the full experience. You may not like it because the knock-off doesn't perform as well as the real thing, you might give up on it, never having experienced how nicely a real Rev flies. If you buy a Rev & don't like it, you can always sell it for close to what you bought it for. A knock-off would have little to no value on the second-hand market...

Judging by the glassiness of the water, it looks like you should've brought your glider...

There's a section for that... http://kitelife.com/forum/forum/32-kites-for-sale-swap-or-trade/ Doesn't sound like you're selling anything with vents... still looking !

IDK, I only use 90# line, and change sails. I've flown my full vent on 90# line in winds over 30mph without issues. I have 4 linesets, all 90#, just different lengths.

I totally agree ! When I get bored, I just fly something else. Bored, frustrated, whatever. I notice that the good fliers seem to fly with some idea what they're going to do next. Getting that flow seems to be the key to entertaining solitary flying. I'm still trying to find that flow... I can say that I've practiced holding hovers for 10 minutes or more, though. I think it helps to tune those muscles you would never use normally !

Hey Dave... the great thing about a Windbreaker spool (bobbin) is that is can be used as it's own cleat. Just like you would tie a line off on a boat, you use the side of the winder as kind of a wooden cleat... a couple of figure 8s, and loop the last wrap under... I've also used sturdy driftwood to make a cleat when I'm using a hoop winder, but strongly prefer Windbreakers.

Hey Dave, I use a simple loop of rope, or a strap similar to a dog leash to tie off to strong anchor points. Could be a park bench, a sign post, railing on a dock... a carabiner clips onto the rope/strap once it's tied off.

This is one of the spots we ride to, it's a couple mile ride to the end of this preserve nearby us... Notice the bikes, and you can kinda see the backpack on the bench... I carry the Ultrafoil 15 and PowerSled 24 in the same backpack, along with line, sand anchor, gloves, and tie-off strap for natural anchor points. The Kap rig & camera fits in the front pocket, too.

I use a backpack for my soft kites, line, sand anchor, and gloves. Perfect for biking & kiting... there's even room for some water, sunscreen, & camera.

It should be easy to modify that move to a 540 instead of a FlicFlac.... How awesome would that look ? If one wing Flics higher than the other, tug the high wing and slack the low wing. Once the 540 completes, just sit there and hover in a stall. Like, yeah, I meant to do that.... and fly away !

Nice mellow day at the beach.... I liked seeing that DDC peeking in the frame. Glad to see that you resisted the urge to dead-launch at the end, that's too nice a kite to drag through the sand ! Also liked your fractured backspin to flic flac move. You gave me some ideas for the next time out...

Hey Paul... Since I wrecked the sail on my full vent after many years of tough flying, I've realized how much I need something with lots of vents in my bag. Last week I blew out my Prism Alien, which was my temporary high wind kite. I did fly the Zen at Wildwood a bit, it was OK, but it still doesn't thrill me. A friend who was with me gave it a try, and couldn't get much out of it at all. He only flies once or twice a year, but does have an idea how to fly a Rev. I guess the Zen is nice to have, but it doesn't make sense for me since I only fly it a few times a year. Our winds up here are stressing my mid-vent to the point that I hesitate to fly it... It kinda sucks to have to turn away from the beach because there's too much wind. I've got plenty of kites that can fly in no wind, but nothing now that can take over 20mph. ~Rob.