sunset

I also own a Widowmaker Standard, and a local experienced pilot in my area told me that this kite is good until 12 mph winds. Based on my experience flying it, he is probably correct. Often times, there are stronger, gusty winds at the field where I fly, and I fly my Premier Widow NG or my Wolf NG instead of my widow maker. The stronger winds abuse the kite too much, and I would rather beat up the Widow NG and Wolf NG, instead of the widowmaker

I would choose the Prism Hypnotist over the Quantum. I would choose the HQ Maestro 3 (the latest model) over the Maestro 2. I am not familiar with Skydog kites. You might also consider the Premier Widow NG or Wolf NG.

First of all, I think when you get to fly a Widow NG, you will really be surprised, and many very experienced fliers that have flown the Widow maker and the Widow NG have been surprised on how well the Widow NG flies, especially factoring in the cost. Now on the Zephyr, I have read post after post after post, that clearly state that the Zephyr is not an SUL or even a UL, it is a light standard, period. Haven't read one post yet, that raved about it's low wind performance. The difference, for me, between flying the Zephyr and flying the Freestylist UL, is like the difference in driving a Corvette compared to a Lincoln Navigator. The Zephyr feels heavy flying, and it also feels heavy just carrying it in the bag. Not sure what it weighs, because it seems that Prism doesn't want that shown on their website, but I'm betting it weighs alot more than other low wind kites. . The other issue with the Zephyr is the trailing edge flutter which acts like a speed brake any time the wind picks up, which I think is part of the problem. As soon as the kite achieves some decent speed, the TE starts buzzing, and the kite slows down. No, I haven't set the leech line, because of the reported problems with trailing edge wear, and the leech line ripping through the TE if the leech line is used. I have asked on the Prism facebook page about using the leech line, and received no response at all from anyone, users, or the company. I have read quite a few posts from people in the UK, where if you claim a product can do something , and it can't, you can get into legal trouble. They are all surprised that Prism hasn't been called out on their 1-17MPH claim, which is obviously not true. I tension the leech line on my zephyr, and do not have any noise or braking from the trailing edge. I have not seen any wear on my trailing edge.

I am also curious about the freestylist, and look forward to your comments after you fly it.

Excellent!

I own the E3 and Zephyr, and they are fun kites to fly once they are adjusted. They Zephyr had a strong pull, and heavy feeling until I moved the tow point above the upper knot on the bridle. Then it was fine, and flies the way I expected it to, when I bought it. The kite seems to have a heavy frame for on ultralight, and I would also consider it to be a light standard. I changed wing tip tensioning system to the same used on the E3, it is more user friendly for me. The E3 is a strong kite and has taken a lot of abuse, especially in stronger winds. It does require moving the standoff position as the wind changes, along with the tow point on the bridle. If I had to do it over again, would have bought a different kite, like the Premier Widow NG. After owning then Zephyr and E3, I decide to avoid the Quantum Pro, and bought a Skyburner Widowmaker instead. I am happy with that decision.