RobB

The Widow Maker has long been my 'Desert Island' kite. Likewise, I haven't flown the new generation 'WM Pro'. I have to wonder how much different they are. I found the original Widow Maker insanely easy to fly, it gives away beautiful looking tricks even when the inputs aren't that good. The wind range is pretty wide, too... I don't know about these Widow NG's though. I haven't heard much good about them, it makes me wonder how they even got the name. Once again, never flew one.

Thanks, Lon. That's to give you an idea of what the Solus can do in light wind... really light wind. Still tricks. The Solus is a full-on trick kite, it's not as precise as the Widow Maker. I'm expecting that the Tica 2020 will be a good mix of both. I am excited to fly it, especially in these same winds. Big kites are just easier to see ! (good feature for old eyes like mine...)

That's the standard. As with the WidowMaker, I don't see the use of having an UL. Both fly down to about 3mph while still being able to trick. Sorry to hear about your UL, is it totaled ?

Anthony, my Solus has become my favorite standard trick kite. After it's trip out to the west coast to visit you, and then the gradual trip back east by the way of the Skyburner shop, I learned to fly it the way it wants to be flown. It still has a lot to teach me, but I enjoy every minute of flying it. Not to mention the XXL, it's an excellent kite as well. I can't wait to fly the Tica 2020, I'm just having a hard time deciding on the colors. The stock red/black/white is hot, but I'm not done playing with the colorizor...

If they're anything like the WidowMakers, there will be no use for an UL. The standard flies well down to 3mph with tricks, I can't see needing an UL for a wind range of 1-2mph.

Tica 2020 is available for order, as I hear. Just yesterday... Today I get an email from KMac that my Moonie Mamba will be ready by the end of the week. I haven't bought a new kite in a while, but when it rains, it pours, I guess. Oh, the kicker ? If you order a standard and UL Tica, there's a hefty discount ! Head's spinning, how do I justify this ?

Nice meeting you two. Fun to put faces to the names on here. Hopefully I'll see you next year, and we can get a chance to fly together !

You'll see me there, but probably not flying grid. More like watching...

Looking forward to it... See you all there ! Friday - Sunday for me.

Glad to hear that the Lam kite is working for you. I have flown a number of his kites, but only have ULs and SULs in my bag right now. The Sea Devils are good all-arounders, a little old-school, and the Fearless can do anything I know how to do. Lam says that he designs his kites for smaller inputs, because he is a smaller guy and is more about the finesse.

I am so IN !!!

Most kites that are rated to fly in 1-2mph will break in winds over 10mph, and they are too fast & light to do much with once the wind is over 5-6mph. If you're looking for an all-around kite to fly in 3-15 mph, the Prism Zephyr, Blue Moon Exile, or Skyburner Widow Maker would be great choices. The Zephyr is rated as an UL, but that is highly debated, a number of people can't get it to fly in low winds, but the other two are standards that will fly easily in less than 5mph of wind. You won't be able to find the Exile or Widow Maker new (more than likely), but they do come up on the used market at a price comparable to the Prism Zephyr. Along those lines, a Prism Quantum Pro is rated 2-20mph, it is all the kite that most would ever need, but you will probably have to settle for used. If price isn't a concern, Lam's kites have a wide wind range, especially the kites that he rates as 'light'. I had a Sea Devil 'light' that would fly easily in 2mph of wind, and not be too out of control in 10mph+.

I am noticing from your picture, it doesn't look like you put your sand anchor into the hole that the sand came out of... it looks like it is flat on the ground. A big part of the holding power of a sand anchor is the resistance to it actually coming up & out of the hole, not just the weight of the sand in the anchor. This is the best picture I could find quickly, but you can see that the anchor is dropped into the hole that I dug the sand out of, and the filled with sand. I can get twice as much sand in, too, if the wind is stronger that day...

I thought the Hydra's weight was close to what it needed. I didn't spend much time flying it, so I didn't even get to experimenting.

This is true, but it's my general theory that the less weight the better. I like to fly in low wind conditions, and save my four liners for double digit winds...

I try to use as little weight as possible, but some kites need weight in the tail. The trick is to find out how much through a lot of time & experimentation. Try it with the stock tailweight, then try it without. Spend at least 10 or 15 minutes with either configuration. Try it with 1/2 the stock tailweight to really fine tune, see how that goes. Once you figure out what works best for you, lock it in. Certain kites like the Prism Zephyr come with a tail weight, I never use it. Others fly fine, even though they have as much as 20 grams (some more). Blue Moon Exile I fly with only 5 grams. I custom made a tailweight for my QPro that is around 10 grams, much less than the smallest weight in the weight kit, but just enough to get it to fly the way I like...

Lam kites are designed for what you describe.

I am comfortable flying my FV in winds 20-25mph, but once it goes over, I can fly it, but it becomes work. I just want to make sure that the kite I choose has a good overlap on the bottom end to the FV. Are both the XT and HV easy enough to fly once the wind is up to ~15mph ? Of course, I assume the high end of both is in excess of 30mph, and much higher, it becomes unpleasant to be out on the beach, anyway...

What is the wind range of the XT vs. the HV ? I have long needed something the fly when my full vent 1.5 is pulling too hard...

I have the Climax lines that were brightly colored, I got them when they first came out, thinking they would be easier to see. They weren't really... but they are quality lines that have many years on them now. Still use them even though the color has faded and they are fuzzy.

ooo, pretty !

OK, sorry, didn't get near a computer last night, so without further delay, here it is.. Congratulations, 11 - jeepinjeepin Hope you've got wind ! Please send mailing details & I'll get this out the door !

I see some last minute entries today, so I'll hold this open until later. We'll have a winner this evening, EST. Good luck, everyone ! Another teaser pic for now...

If you want to trick in low winds, Lam's kites are hard to beat. I can fly the Snow Devil in winds that you can barely feel...