eyefence Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Hey Everyone, I just recently got into flying kites. I have been flying a quad-line Beamer 2.5 for about a month now and am really enjoying kiting. Recently, I flew (and broke) a 7 dollar sport kite, and now I want something a little more advanced. I am looking to get into slack-line tricks, and want a kite that is very trickable but in the $100 USD-or-less range (but would consider spending upwards of $120 if I was really convinced). First-timer durability is not needed.. I am confident I will be able to keep the kite in the air, but need something that will survive the average bumps of learning tricks. I plan to fly in winds of 5-15 mph. A light to medium pulling kite would probably be best. I've been looking at Prism and New Tech, and was originally thinking a New Tech Big Bang, but read some poor reviews.. In addition to a trick kite, I have also been thinking about getting a Prism Micron for myself, and a New Tech Cherry Bomb for my girlfriend (a beginner). Can anyone comment about those kites? Thanks, Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsal Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 If you look far enough, you can find at least one negative review for every product ever sold. So what? Buy a kite and form your own opinion. My suggestion would be to stay away from the Micron and Cherry Bomb for the time being. Smaller kites are more sensitive to minor inputs, and are more difficult to learn to fly with. Not that a person can't start with one of them, but why do things the hard way? The NTK Big Bang and the Big Bang Pro are pretty good kites, and you get a lot of bang for the buck with the New Tech kites. If they were still available, I'd say to get a NTK Dynamite or the Jam Session, as they are also very capable kites. Now, if you're looking for the "best" kite, just keep looking. I own over 75 dual-line stunt kites and although they are all slightly different in handling and trickability, I haven't seen anything that would qualify as "the best". Whatever kite you like is the best for you, so buy one you like to look at, 'cause you're going to see a lot of it when you fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyefence Posted August 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Thanks Dorsal, I appreciate the input. I really love the idea of getting the big bang--it looks awesome and comes with a dvd. It's not that I saw a bad review.. it's that both of the reviews I have read have been negative in the areas of trickability.. which is what I plan to use the kite for. Can you recommend any other companies or specific kites I should be looking at? Thanks again, Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorsal Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 New Tech French Connection, Level One Easy Light, Prism Quantum, Flying Wings Acrobatx, Premier NightHawk - All of these are currently on the market, all of them are capable trick kites, all of them have people who seem to love them, and I think they are all in your price range. If you can't find them at your local store, just email me and I'll send you some links to an e-store ot two that carries them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Hey Doug, I have a New Tech Big Bang, and a Flying Wings Acrobatx. I would be hard pressed to say which is my favorite, they're both really good. The Acrobatx seems to be more sturdy, but not heavier. The DVD that comes with the Big Bang is a huge help, especially if you don't know a good kite instructor. Don't mistake the New Tech New Jam for the Jam Session that Dorsal recommended, I mistakingly bought a 'New Jam" and found that it flies like a Mack Truck. Another nice New Tech kite that Dorsal didn't mention is the Pyro XS. It's a smooth flier, and my wife's favorite. Another point I agree on, get a BIG kite, it doesn't seem so big at the other end of the lines, and bigger is better when you're learning, because everything happens a little slower. A small kite like the Micron is fun for zipping around doing loops & figure 8s, but if you want to do slackline tricks, look for a 6-8 ft wingspan. Alot of the fun of kiting for me is flying different kites, and seeing what makes them different from the others. Some are faster than others, some have a stronger pull, some make more NOISE... Good Luck... ~Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyefence Posted August 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Thanks, both of you, for the suggestions. After a bit of thinking and review reading, I have decided to go with the Pyro XS. It sounds like a good kite that I can learn most of the basic tricks on (and is under $50!). When I get a bit better, I think I will move up to the French Connection.. which also sounds quite good, but a bit expensive for my taste at the moment. Thanks for you comment on the Micron as well.. they look like a blast to fly and really zip around.. which sounds like a lot of fun for me. I will wait until I have some more time under a dual line before I pick one up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windofchange Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Take a good look at the Acrobatx, this kite is the 2006 kite of the year at KTAI and is capable of nearly eveyr trick you can throw at it. Retail price is around $80.00 ready to fly. I was quite stunned watching Barrassi throw it around at the KTAI show, very impressive for sure! Construction is pretty good on this kite as well, it can take some abuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 For $80 or less, I don't know of any kite that will do as many tricks as the Acrobatx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 I have to agree, I've only flown the Acrobatx 4 times, but I am improving my skills much quicker with the Acrobatx than any of the other kites that I have (about 10 different ones). It does seem to be built to take abuse, as well. I have had to fix my Pyro and Big Bang a few times, but New Tech was really good to me with warranty replacement parts. I can vouch for their customer service dept. as being top notch. I have broken kites from other manufacturers (HQ, Premier) as well, so maybe I'm a little tough on my kites, but it seems that learning tricks breaks kites. You gotta pay to play... ~Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyefence Posted August 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 Alrighty, I will take a look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wing Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Looks like you're on your way to enjoying your new adventure in slack line flying but while you're at it, for future reference, i noticed you also fly a Beamer quad foil. After two years of flying sport kites and dual foils i ended up flying a Beamer quad foil also in about the same size range as yours. Also a Rev and fighters by now. So i would suggest, perhaps for later, don't forget to give a Rev or similar quad a try, they're a lot of fun too. Your Beamer quad experience may help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant man Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 the acrobatix is a good slack line kite as well as the french connection fro dodd gross that kite is $115 at my local store and i flew one for the first time yesterday and liked it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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