RobB

If Rev is anything like some other kite manufacturers, it is best to call them than email them. Likewise for the store that you got it from. You will probably get an answer to your email, but it's not an instant turnaround. I know we all get used to that type of service with full time big online retailers, but the kite industry is very small, and people's time is stretched thin. If it were me, I'd just slap some tape on it and get out there & fly !

Spares ? I always order extras when ordering replacement parts. If you broke it once, it will probably break again. OR... if you have a spare, you probably won't need it ! Welcome to Kitelife, Escape... BTW, sounds like you need a tougher kite for higher winds. I put my Z away when the wind goes over 8-10 mph.

Awesome... I hope you get some pictures to share once you're back at home base. Kiting is great, it's the only diversion I have anymore, as my time is so jammed up with work & 3 kids at home. The few hours a week that I get to spend with my kites is probably the only thing that keeps me sane. I've flown for 30+ years, but only on a serious level for the last 10. I used to have a number of expensive hobbies, but kiting is the best bang for the buck that I've found so far.

Exactly... bunch of... well I probably shouldn't even say how horrible I think the TSA is... I went from being a frequent flyer to flying twice in the last 12 years because of them. If the trip is less than 1,000 miles, I drive, more than 1,000... I don't go. I do miss skiing in Colorado the most !

A Prism Zephyr case is a great carry-on, I hear... Revs fit right inside...

Khal, that one looks pretty nice. I guess all kites look better in the air with some good sunlight. I'm hoping to try out some OPKs at Wildwood next week, maybe I'll get a better idea of what I'm looking for. Well, I know what I'm looking for.... a Rev that flies like my vented 1.5b but in lower wind, and that looks good doing it.

My Plutz-3 matches your blue one. It hangs from my living room ceiling. Much nicer than keeping it in the bag, and it's all ready setup, ready to fly if I get the urge to run out in the back yard & fly.

Nick, try flying with a wand. It makes the glider experience much more enjoyable. Some might call it cheating, but I think gliding without a wand totally sucks. It did for me, at least. I hooked a wand to my Plutz-3, and all of a sudden I could get it to fly !

I really like the look of that yellow/orange/red non-vented Shook Kite ! Nicest looking one I've seen. I wonder what it's vented counter-part looks like...

I fly as much as I can. I always have a roll-up bag full of kites in my car, and skip my lunch break to fly sometime during the day. So that's 2-4 times during the week, and I go every Sunday for a few hours to 'church' (my beach). I fly dual line kites mostly, and yes, I've practiced flying with my eyes closed, by just feel. I've only been trying to learn the Rev for the last couple of years, so I don't fly those with my eyes closed ! If you travel all over the country, take a look at the member map, there might be a Kitelifer near by on your next trip. Give me a holler if you're ever in the NYC area !

Nice shots... I always like the way the kites look right by the sun. Can't be too good for the eyes, though.

As long as JB & crew have safe travels, jet lag is just a small thing. Travel well, guys, and watch what you eat !

I'm not totally sold on the look of the Shook Mesh Revs. And with Wayne saying that it's faster than a 1.5, I don't think it would be for me. The last thing I need is the kite to be faster. I'm just learning to control the Rev & get it to do what I want. That's probably why I'm having trouble with the full sail. BTW, I spoke with Dave S. and the 'Black Rainbow' is in fact available as a B series and SLE.

Wayne... what's the scoop with the 'Masterpiece' kites having a 1 piece sail ? Do their flying characteristics suffer from that ? And what about those 'Kitelife Revs' ? I could swear that I saw a picture of some Revs with a Kitelife logo on them... BTW... I think that Black Rainbow Custom is a 1.5 SLE, at least the one I found. I was just talking with Dave S. and forgot to ask about that. New handles, bridles, and 3 wraps coming soon !

Congratulations, Raul ! You're getting a great kite !

Wayne... my standard sail 1.5... It looks amazing against the sun in flight, but it gets a little fast for me and tends to over rotate. The same moves on the 1.5b vent are crisp and precise. I know, different wind, so lots of variables at work. See, my understanding was that the panel shape & layout on the b series helped to spread the load of the wind so it's even across the sail, and that was one of the improvements from the 1.5. I wonder why the customs are all just 1.5s ?

I've been flying my standard sail with 2 wraps in it. The winds have been low, and I broke my 3 wrap set. So the vent has the 4 wrap set in it, I don't really notice much of a difference between the 3 wrap and 4 wrap. I was ordering some replacement parts from a well known Rev distributor and he actually talked me out of buying a Race Frame. What I was trying to figure out is if the 1.5b just has the best controllability of all the options out there. I'm going to have to try a 1.5b standard sail, it seems, and compare it to my 1.5. I hope it's just the difference between a full sail and a vented sail...

So here's the question after flying my 1.5 standard & 1.5b full vent back to back this week... is there that much difference between the 1.5 and the 1.5b, or is it just the difference between the full sail and the vent ? I can fly the vent SO much better. I struggle to control the full sail, while the 1.5b vent makes me feel like I'm really starting to get it. If I made the mistake of buying the full sail for looks, I don't want to make that same mistake when I get the mid-vent. I'll settle for the blah looks if the 1.5b is that much better.

Hey Rob... I fly my gliders in the back yard, I've even cut the low branches off the trees to eliminate sail hazards. It was pretty funny seeing this topic revived, I was really surprised to see a post from AntMan (Anthony). I haven't seen his name in a L-O-N-G time. He lives in South Jersey, maybe he'll show up at Wildwood at the end of the month !

Hmmm... is light on the lines a good thing ? I like to feel the pull of the kite to some extent. My full vent is light on the lines at ~10mph, and that's where I say that it feels 'mushy'. Kind of like light wind flying... it requires more work to get things done, and positions aren't as precise. The standard sail is too fast at the same speed, or my control just isn't good enough yet.

Hey John, I know what you mean, as soon as I get out on the field, most of my computer study flies right out of my brain ! Steve's kite inventory has changed a bit since that site was last updated. The Prophecy that you see on there used to be mine. It cost $110 to ship it to him ! I've got a couple of his, he's got a couple of mine. I think he's into flying R-Sky kites right now.

Terry, I'm looking forward to meeting you. Hopefully the wind will be good before the crowd gets there, there's not much room to fly on Saturday & Sunday. I'm planning on just walking around with the family those days... The endcap location on the outer LE is where mine is about to blow out. That's a great idea to recycle the bridle material that's still good ! Thanks. Yes, the vented. I have at least 100 hours on it in the last 2 years. As soon as my supplier gets back to me, I have to order some replacement 3 wrap, 2 bridles, some endcaps... what else should I have on hand ? Maybe some Pro Handles... That worries me... My standard sail isn't a B-series, and it's not as fun to fly as my B-series vent. I thought it was just the full sail & not being used to it. At my level, I thought that I shouldn't be able to tell the difference. Can the standard 1.5 be tuned to make it behave more like a B-series ? Those Bai Design kites look very nice. I like the fish & butterfly. The flowers will be perfect for my girls if they get into kite flying ! I should do that. I have a bunch of bright red bridle line. It certainly couldn't make my Teal Vent look much worse, it was stained by 'Red Tide' last year, so a red bridle is just too appropriate ! I'm still looking for more pictures of the Shook kites, a purply-rainbow one would be hard to say no to... Thanks for the suggestions, all. I am really leaning toward the looks of the Polo vent, but am worried about them not having the same crisp handling as the factory's sails...

I've never met Steve in person, but we've communicated & traded kites for years. He's a great guy, a little busy with work & family, but if you can catch some time with him out on the beach, I'm sure you could learn more in an afternoon than you could after years of trial & error. I've seen some videos of him flying, he's quite good !

I've been enjoying my full vent & standard sail, but I see why the mid-vent is so popular. The full sail is too fast in 8-15mph, while the full vent is mushy. Soooo... I'm getting ready for my next kite, I've got to decide what's next. Instead of making an impulse buy like my first Rev, I want to weigh all my options. I never liked the factory sail designs, and that's the biggest reason it took me so long to get a Rev in the first place. I like Bazzer's eyes, but the $$$ is hard to justify for a beginner like me. The Polo kites look really nice, I'm leaning towards one of those, but hear that they don't handle the same as a factory Rev. What other options are there ? Are there any other sail makers like Polo ? BTW... I wore out my first bridle, I must be flying a lot ! Is there something I should do to make my next bridle last longer ?

Wait, Pond... I just noticed you're from Tasmania. There's a guy down there named Steve P. who's an accomplished flier. Maybe you'll run into him on the beach ! He's in Hobart, I think. Tell him Rob says 'hey !' if you run into him !