RobB

I had a Euro-Speed kite that was rated to 40mph wind. It was one of my funniest days of kiting when I decided to test that rating. The kite was flying around in a blur, loads of fun, until BOOM ! The kite just exploded mid-swoop. Blew out the sail ! I guess the gusts were a little more than the kite was rated for... I never fixed it, I just rely on my Microns and full vent 1.5 when the wind gets up there, now.

Welcome, Tammy. If I remember correctly, there are some kiters in your area, one guy I used to chat with that shoots KAP around your city. I think this is his Flikr page... http://www.flickr.com/photos/84853337@N00/ He told me there were some Rev heads over there, too. Sounds like you've got some good kites, I wish you smooth breezes for them before it gets too cold !

I would use 3pt Skyshark rods, that way it's a little lighter but still tough. 2 pt might work, but they are a little fragile. I'm sure if you get all the weights out of the kite and use 3 pt sticks, it will fly in ~2mph wind. Then it's just about the tuning...

Wait, Wayne, you actually found a used Zen ? I need a low wind Rev... I wonder if there are any others out there that wern't happy with the Zen ? Doubtful, right ?

Yeah, love that beach !

I only have 2 FW kites, they've both been less than durable. But when they are in good shape, they fly great ! The biggest problem I have is with the lower spreaders failing at the center T, which seems to be a unique problem with them. After they failed a few times, I gave up on them, and moved on to break other kites !

It would be hard to capture on video, unless you used a high frame rate and slo-mo ! The little booger axels so fast that you miss it if you blink... I only fly my Micron stack recently, and you can't really trick a stack. I did fly the stack in the winds at Wildwood that were gusting 35mph+, there was considerable pull !

I am very interested in a Rev related Karma drawing... I have very little Rev stuff. The first one with the shorty lines had me drooling. 2 Revs and 3 SLK Ghost Deltas are all I have here on vacation up in Niagara Falls (Brought the little kite bag). Too bad I don't have a Zen, because that's all that will fly up here with the predicted winds for the next few days... Maybe we'll find more wind when we get to the next stop in the mountains on the way home ! Good luck to everyone with this one, it's a killer prize that anyone would have a big smile with !

The thing that I've found with the fancy big clearomizers is that they make the whole unit unbalanced, big & chunky. That's why I've stuck with the little 1.6 disposables. The ones with the coils burn out way too fast, that's why I've stuck with the ones with the wicks. I think I'm going to try this VV... http://www.apolloecigs.com/ego-variable-voltage-p/abegov.htm There are so many other sites that look like they have good stuff, but I've been using Apollo & they've provided good service. Do you guys think I could do better with another company ? There's nothing local that I can actually go and see these things in person (kind of like kites) and you never know what you're going to get over the internet...

I always fly on 75'-85' lines on my beach. Any longer and the kite is in the water or the beach brush. I fly shorter lines in lighter wind, but the two Gems that I have need 5-10 mph wind.

The L1 Genesis has been highly recommended to me, although I still have yet to fly one. I also have yet to fly a Soul, I hear good things, but won't spend my own $$$ on another Flying Wings kite. The ones I do have were too easily broken, similar to a New Tech kite. When they weren't broken, they flew nice, though. So, not much help, I guess.

This is the wildest kite to have in your bag, even if you only fly it once in a while. There aren't many kites that I've flown that are more extreme than this one. I would say that I'm 'IN' for this drawing, but I have two Geminis all ready. Some day I'll actually be able to fly it the way it was meant ! This is a more recent video of flying the Gem, I have to get them out and give them some air soon. Maybe they've learned something new in the last 3 years !

Pete, that block to stand them up is pretty classy ! Those are some pretty big units, though. I originally liked the ones that were similar in size to the cigarettes that I gave up, but they just didn't have the charge or juice capacity that I needed. I need to find some variables that aren't too big, I guess...

I'm sure if you win, you'll put up something great!Now, I'm relatively new to kiting in a lot of ways, being solo and in a kiting desert, so what is a Benson Gemini and why does it sound special? Pretty excited about the Nexus, my son will love it ! He needs to fly smaller kites because he doesn't weigh much, yet. When you're only 55 pounds, a full sized kite can be kinda dangerous...Benson Gemini... one of my favorite kites. It's a great kite, but really hard to fly... or should I say, really hard to trick. These videos are what made me want to learn how to learn how to fly dual line tricks. I'm still working on it, I didn't realize that it would take this long to even come close to this guy's level of skill. http://wardley.org/kites/movies/stoked.html I have two Geminis, and have been looking for an UL for some time. I should just order one, but my skills don't quite match what this kite demands, yet. . Rob your videos are what I am striving for, Thank you for saying so, but after we spend an afternoon on the beach, I think you'll go home with all I know ! Coney Island, second weekend in September ? Should be an easy ride for you...

I'm right there with you, Nick. I don't ask why some of my kites have one, two, or three standoffs. I know how they fly & feel in my hands. That's all I care about, the actual physics of it I leave my to my friend, the aerospace engineer. I recently got him into kiting, and am really excited to hear his technical insights to the kites that I fly. We got out together on the beach for the first time last week, and he was floored when I got out my SUL kites and flew in 1-2mph wind. I think he's hooked !

Well, it was the fall editions of the Stoked in the Park series, and JBs Sea Devil video that got me hooked on learning tricks. I just knew I wanted to be able to do that someday ! BTW, John, are there any HD copies of this video floating around ? It is one of the best dual-line videos out there, but just like AW's videos, the video quality is, well, so 2004 !

I use big screwdrivers as my kite stakes all the time, they're not just for travel ! The big old regular that I use works better than any other 'real' kite stake that I've tried...

I'm sure if you win, you'll put up something great! Now, I'm relatively new to kiting in a lot of ways, being solo and in a kiting desert, so what is a Benson Gemini and why does it sound special? Pretty excited about the Nexus, my son will love it ! He needs to fly smaller kites because he doesn't weigh much, yet. When you're only 55 pounds, a full sized kite can be kinda dangerous... Benson Gemini... one of my favorite kites. It's a great kite, but really hard to fly... or should I say, really hard to trick. These videos are what made me want to learn how to learn how to fly dual line tricks. I'm still working on it, I didn't realize that it would take this long to even come close to this guy's level of skill. http://wardley.org/kites/movies/stoked.html I have two Geminis, and have been looking for an UL for some time. I should just order one, but my skills don't quite match what this kite demands, yet.

I used to like to mod & tinker with stuff, I just don't have time now. The coil based clearomizers don't work as well as the ones with wicks for my eGo. I bought a few, but went back to the basic ones. I guess I should've bought the variable voltage battery, it sounds like.

It's true... there is always great flying weather a few days before the storms, the wind after the storm is good, but pretty choppy. I can still see damage caused by Sandy, BTW. It's still all around me, as close as my back yard. They just found another guy that was killed in Sandy a couple of weeks ago, so yeah, respect Mother Nature...

Completely understandable, Wayne. We have been on a bit of a prism kick. Are you guys saying that I'm going to have to choose something else from the kite room ? Not that I've won, yet, but I all ready knew what I would offer if I did win...

Yes, buy the matching UL to the kite that you like. More than likely, it will fly similar to your standard, just in lighter winds. I have a few full sets, the UL, Std., and vented of the same kite. There are subtle variations that you have to adapt to, but you're also adapting to flying in different wind conditions, as well. My Sea Devils all fly pretty much the same. There is also the consistency in quality. If you like the way the Kaos is built, the UL will give you that same satisfaction.

I've tried some of the fancier Clearomizers, but revert back to the cheap disposable $5 ones with wicks. My eGo batteries aren't variable voltage, so I don't know much about that. As far as juices, I just buy from Apollo, a 30mg bottle lasts me almost 2 weeks. I've wanted to try others, but haven't found any that I like. I have a bunch of 10 mg bottles that I didn't like, and got tired of wasting $$$ experimenting. I only buy the classic tobacco now, 18mg nicotine strength. I would like to find the juice a little cheaper, my bottles cost ~$20 for 30mg, which seems a little steep. I could see it being that much if it was the flavor Matt was talking about, but we can't get that here !

Must be nice... and I didn't know you could do that with an e-cig ! That's a flavor I haven't tried... I have to try more flavors, I keep returning to classic tobacco. Not that it really tastes like tobacco, but I'm not much for the fruity flavors. Any other good ones you guys have tried ?

Changing the sticks for lighter ones might be worth a try, but the kite would loose some of it's pop. Not to mention, it would be more fragile, and possibly a hazard to itself (sail puncture) As it is, with the large nose-billow in mine, it can fly in pretty low winds for a small standard. Maybe some venting would be more useful ?