RobB

If I had to choose one kite that I could keep out of all of the kites in my bag, it would be the Widow Maker. Not to say I don't like the Solus, I do, and have a hard time choosing which kite to fly whenever I get out. The Widow Maker would be the kite that could take you the furthest, though. It can do every trick in the book, fly precision, and is VERY forgiving. Not to mention tough as nails and a work of art as far as build quality. A cheaper kite becomes more expensive when you realize 6 months down the road that you need a better kite...

Post a wanted add for a Dodd Gross Firestorm. There are a few of them floating around out there, I'm sure you can find someone willing to part with one for less than $200...

The only two kites mentioned above that I would give the thumbs up to would be the Kymera and QPro. You don't need to be an expert to fly a QPro, it is rewarding to fly at any level of proficiency. When you get to the point that your attempting advanced tricks, or combinations of tricks, it is more demanding of proper inputs & timing. Kites like the Widow Maker are much more forgiving of poorly timed inputs. The Kymera is also more forgiving, and a little more radical in the tricks department. Quality-wise, I would rate the Kymera higher than the kites from HQ or Flying Wings. It really doesn't get much better than the QPro, especially if you can get a QPro for the price of a factory kite. Kites like the Widow Maker are a little better, but you have to weigh whether the extra quality is worth $100 extra to you.

Well... you would certainly be better off with a Glider, but... the 4D is going to be the easiest available cheapest answer to your need to fly right out the back door if you insist on flying a duallie. If you're dead-set on flying a duallie, 15'-20' lines are what you'll need to fly the 4D. That & a lot of patience... remember, deep breaths & smooth, big arm sweeps.

I think the 4d would be the only real choice... let me take that back. In my backyard, the 4d would be the only choice because the yard is small and the kite is small. A full sized kite on short lines just wouldn't do it for me. Also, since the 4d works for indoor conditions, it would work well in my backyard. I usually fly a glider in the backyard if I have the sudden need to fly. Now, your backyard maybe 50 acres and you could get away with a full sized setup, I don't know...

Sounds like he is having the ABS made off-shore, like his new ATM design. That's how he's getting the pricepoints so low. He actually told me that about the ATM, I'm just assuming because the ABS prices are so low that must be the case also. The kites that Lam makes himself start at ~450 and go up from there. BTW, according to Lam, the kites made off-shore are made by a personal friend of his, not some factory. The quality is up to Lam's standards.

Anyone get any prices yet ? I'm expecting the ABS to be around the price of a Pro series Rev... but you never know.

I would certainly be interested in seeing what you've got. There aren't many Four Winds kites out there, I'm actually pretty surprised to see a random response to this 5 year old post. Especially since I just let my set of Nebulas fly to a new care-taker !

oh, I missed the single line bit. They're not usually very noisy, but some long tails flapping in the wind make some noise.

It is hard to beat the QPro in the precision game, but it is a difficult kite to fly well. I'm still working on getting the most out of my QPro after owning 5 of them in the last 10 years. Skyburner makes a few kites that are close to the precision of the QPro, but can trick with more forgiveness to the pilot. A great all-around kite from them is the Solus, and it's a little bigger than the QPro, if you count that as an advantage. Skyburner's Delta Drive is known for it's precision, and the best all-around forgiving kite is the Widow Maker. If you're not a Skyburner fan, Sky Sport Design makes some great kites that trick & have good precision. They're a little pricey, though. Consider the Kymera by ITW, as well. It's a little smaller than the QPro, but can cut sharp turns & trick. It is also good bang for the buck.

Well, an easily obtainable noisy kite would be the Kymera, and it can do more than make noise... Otherwise, find any big kite from the 90's, and I'm sure it will make more than enough noise to entertain you !

I had a fly before bed, good for the sleep... I had to trim a few branches in the backyard for a little more glide-room... The glider is the Plutz Pop-Art version.

I would take that one, too !

What a great number to have... 999 !

I'm in ! I lost my favorite old screwdriver stake, and the new ones just aren't doin' it for me !

TM... Maybe the kite will still be available when you rebuild the 'kite fund'. I know these kites aren't for everyone, and they might not move that fast. Nick... The RM10 is an insane kite, you have to be an adrenalin junky to really appreciate it !

Well, no kite flies perfect, but you should have pretty good luck with the DCs or double DC from Into the Wind. I find them to be the most stable and forgiving fliers. The Ghost Deltas are also pretty good... You will also need a dog stake anchor if you're flying on grass, or a sand anchor for the beach. Get line that is heavier than you think you'll need, it can't hurt...

Sold... OK... one more that I just don't fly. I know these are pretty popular light wind trick kites. You CAN NOT find the HQ Shadow with the rainbow print anymore. I like it much better than the two color model that you MIGHT be able to find new these days. This kite has some hours on it, but no issues with the sail. As you can see, my beach is a bit rocky, and it takes it's toll on the nocks. This kite can be flown in winds under 2mph with work, but is best in 2-8mph. I haven't modified the bridle, but there are bridle mods published that help the kite fly in lower wind, and reduce the oversteer. Two things about the kite... it has a small tear in the leading edge fabric just below the lower spreader connector (detailed in the detail pics) and the clip-on yoyo stops were lost when I loaned the kite to a friend. The kite isn't easy to roll up anyway, and I never missed them. I'm sure you could get them from an HQ dealer if you really wanted them. Those things being said, I am asking only $100 shipped ConUS for this kite. I think that's a deal, like half off the cost new. Detail pics... http://ferob.com/kites/Shadow/

Looks like an awesome time ! Winds were strong ?

Looks like a great spot & a lucky bunch of people in that class !

Thanks to you both for sharing the pictures. I am so happy to be able to share in your excellent adventure from afar ! Please keep them coming... I have always wanted to make the same trip that you're on. Safe Travels !

OK, next kite up for grabs. This one is more common, The Ray Merry Speedfoil RM10... RM10 is Gone ! http://ferob.com/kites/100_0131.mov Yes, this thing is FAST for a big kite. And it pulls like a Mack Truck... It would pull me 50' through deep sand, and it would pull me off the ground, much bigger jumps than are in the short video. The kite is in good shape, only flown a handful of times. I don't have lines for it, I used to share the lines that came with my 2.8m foil. $100 + $10 shipping...

Well, I've been talking about doing this for some time... so here goes ! I want to pass along some of these great kites that I've collected through the years to someone who will actually give them some air. If I haven't flown it in two years, it's going to go. PBSK is Gone ! The next kite to come out of the bag... Super hard-to-find piece of kiting history, a PBSK Bad Boy UL. This kite is over 15 years old, but is in really good shape... except for some yellowing of the white panel in the tail. You can't see that when you're flying it, though. This kite flies in really low winds and does gorgeous flat spin tricks. It can also make some sharp corners, but not quite as precise as a ProDancer. Here's some video of it flying in extremely low winds... Some detail shots that were taken today... http://ferob.com/kites/BadBoyUL/ $150 shipped ConUS For these & the rest of the kites I sell here, a donation to JB's & TK's gas tank fund !

Mine is... I'm in !

Well, since the leech line pocket on my Z ripped out, I've flown with it loose, I can't really tell the difference in performance. I've never noticed that a kite with a buzzing TE wore out any faster. The Zephyr is the only kite that I have that the dacron frayed like that. I seem to remember that I wasn't the only one who had issues with the TE, but my Z is from the first production run. Others have said that Prism changed the kite a bit since then, especially when they went with the new colors a few years ago. Hopefully that is one of the shortcomings that they addressed. Bottom line... you can't see any of this when the kite's at the other end of the lines, and the kite flies fine still.