Huffheinz Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 I'm a complete newbie who bought a 64" wingspan $10 dual line stunt kite off of Ebay. I have flown it a couple of times and now I'm completely hooked. I got to the point where I could control it fairly well...figure-8's and squares are no problem. I tried multiple looping for the first time last night and managed to do a full speed nose plant. The tee holding the spine to the lower spar broke and the spine broke through the fabric at the nose. I'm going to patch this one back together, but now I'm thinking that I need another kite. One that is durable enought to handle my newbie crashes and has decent flying lines (with straps). I'm looking at: Flying Wings - Beetle Newtech - Chery Bomb (or Diode) Prism - Jazz (or Nexus) Can anyone recommend any of these or are there others that I should consider? If your friend (that's me) had $50 (or so) and said he wanted to get into stunt kite flying...which kite would you recommend? (And why...) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant man Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 wel the nexus is a little higher then $50 but a good starter kite and the primier addiction is another good one . newtech also makes a dodd gross detionator that i have i paid $40 for it and i love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffheinz Posted May 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 I guess I need to add: Premier - Addiction HQ - Bolero (I'm actually pretty interested in this one.) Newtech - Detonator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 My son-in-law has the Addiction and he is addicted... Not sure how he did it but he broke both 90# lines in the middle, at the same time. His kite lived to tell about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKITCH Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 Welcome to the forum Huf.... Get ready to own more than one...the addiction is a bad one and you will end up with a few kites. I haven't even started learning dual line yet, focusing on the REV first....but, I already own 4-5 dualies. "For when I'm ready". Look to these guys on here that have owned them all or have MANY kites. You might even find someone that will sell you a used one for a better price which will enable you to get even more kite for your money. Good luck. P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousie Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 Hi there... Ok here is my 2 cents worth.. I bought a beetle as my first sport kite. I actually purchased it for my son. It came with straps and lines (80#). I nosed dived... hit things..... put it together wrong, wrapped the tips... you name it, I did it.. but the one thing it never did to me.. was blow apart. I have played around with it alot, and though it is not a kite to *trick* on, it is definetly a hardy kite that will allow you to learn control , land.. and really get the basics with. I have taught many.. and i say many people to fly it... with tails. and without... and it has proven to me to be bullet proof. I have also flown it in the dead of winter, in 30 mph in snow. Yup, I did. I have only had to replace the spreader joint one time, and that was because it is made of hard plastic, and it froze lol. OH, and by the way, these kites are great stacked. So when you master one, and want to have some fun, you can bridle three or more together. Ok, I am done with my 2 cents lol.. good luck to you. mousie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 Hey Huff... I got started with a Premier Vision kite. TOTALLY indestructable, but only good for zipping around with. Skitch was right, though. Once you have one good kite, you'll need a backup for when your primary breaks. Then you need one for gentle wind... then you need one for strong wind... then you need another one because it looks cool... then you need another one because it's the newest latest and greatest... then you need a quad to see what they're all about... then you need another quad because they're a blast... then you need to get a BIG kite, then a super small kite......... Good luck, ~Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim F. Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 I agree with trilbymousie that a Beetle would be great starter kite. It was for me. After many crashes including a lot of high speed nose plants I finally had to sew the nose piece back on, but thats been the only damage. And I too have used it to teach with, knowing the kite could take anything they through at it. Jim F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffheinz Posted May 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 Thanks for the advice everyone! I have it narrowed down to the Beetle, Cherry Bomb, and Bolero. As near as I can tell, they are all pretty much equivalents. Whichever one I can find the best deal on, I will go with. But a lot of you are saying Beetle.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky fish Posted May 26, 2007 Report Share Posted May 26, 2007 first off welcome to kite life. you may want to look in to the nexus I don't think I spent that much on mine it was around $40 at a shop 2 years ago it has survived the worst off my training. crashes and all it has been a extremely durable kite through- yes winter flying hot sumer stuff and higher winds than what its designed for. I rilly should not have flown it but. I love to hear it scream in the wind .and I still like it and fly it though its not in the top spot any more you may fined that you out grow the detonator fast I did .and yes you will end up with a collection of these sky gems eBay is a great place. good winds I got too fly now 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Watson Posted May 27, 2007 Report Share Posted May 27, 2007 I'm a complete newbie who bought a 64" wingspan $10 dual line stunt kite off of Ebay. I have flown it a couple of times and now I'm completely hooked. I got to the point where I could control it fairly well...figure-8's and squares are no problem. I tried multiple looping for the first time last night and managed to do a full speed nose plant. The tee holding the spine to the lower spar broke and the spine broke through the fabric at the nose.I'm going to patch this one back together, but now I'm thinking that I need another kite. One that is durable enought to handle my newbie crashes and has decent flying lines (with straps). I'm looking at: Flying Wings - Beetle Newtech - Chery Bomb (or Diode) Prism - Jazz (or Nexus) Can anyone recommend any of these or are there others that I should consider? If your friend (that's me) had $50 (or so) and said he wanted to get into stunt kite flying...which kite would you recommend? (And why...) I recommend the Beetle. The first time I heard of this kite I was in a kite shop in Long Beach. I asked the guy that worked there about it, then he picked it up, and threw the kite nose first into the ground as hard as he could. He did this to show just how indestructable the Beetle is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffheinz Posted May 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Thanks for all the advice everyone! I am proud to say that I am the owner of a NewTech Cherry Bomb!!! I went with the Cherry Bomb because I got the impression that it is more trickable than the beetle. It cost me $43 with free shipping and it arrived yesterday. I haven't had a chance to get it in the air yet but I'm hoping to go out tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDenny Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 let us know how it flys and where you got it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffheinz Posted May 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 Alas! Mother Nature and a visit from my mother-in-law have thwarted my attempts to even get my new cherry bomb to the field!!! This is driving me nuts!! Maybe tonight... I bought the kite from the E-Bay store Northcoast Wind Power. The prices were comparable (if not better) than the major retailers and they had free shipping on several of the kites. So I ended up getting my cherry bomb for $42.89 delivered. I placed the order on a Thursday and I had it in hand the following Tuesday (even with Memorial Day holiday on the Monday). I would definitely recommend them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Watson Posted May 31, 2007 Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 I bought my first kite from e-bay! I just re-sold it now though, to a dude from GWTW. I just never flew it anymore! ( i got a Quantum Prism) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffheinz Posted June 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2007 I finally got some fly time on my new cherry bomb tonight! The winds were pretty low (I'm guessing 5 gusting to 8) but I was able to launch her and keep her in the air without any problems. It took me a little while to get used to where the wind window was and how it would grow and shrink with the strength of the wind. Since I'm a newbie I stuck to flying large circles, figure 8s, and squares (per Dodd's advice in the video). I was really concentrating on flying straight lines and using small and slow controlled inputs. I also found that my hands kept creeping up to shoulder height, a habit that I want to nip in the bud. I also found myself wanting to cross one hand over the other when flying push turn squares....talk about getting your wires crossed! I put the lines into several wraps just to convince myself that the kite will remain in control, even with 10 wraps in it. I crashed it a couple of times, but only when it stalled out when I was near the edge of the window so they were nice and soft. One major lesson I learned tonight: When you're in a stall on the edge of the window, pulling with the inside line only spins the kite out of control, it doesn't steer it back in. I practiced a few controlled stalls in the middle of the window, just to get a feel for how the kite reacts to different inputs. A couple of those landed in the grass too, but it didn't seem to hurt the kite at all...not even when I panicked and smacked it into the ground by pulling on the lines instead of pushing. The kite really flew like a dream...MUUUUCCCCHHHH better than the el-cheapo Texsport kite I've been flying recently. It was easy to set up and I didn't have to make any adjustments to it at all. It is sewn together beautifully and everything just seemed to fit. I was surprised to see that, instead of using a molded center tee, the upper and lower spreaders were held to the spine with an o-ring. It seemed to hold it in position but I wasn't sure exactly where the center of the spreaders were because there is no mark (something I will remedy before the next flight). (Photo courtesy of Kite Life Cherry Bomb Review) It was completely silent and it seemed to move nice and slow in the light winds. I only heard the slightest flap of the sail during some particularly strong gusts thanks to the leach(sp?) lines on the trailing edge. And I have to say that the CB looks awesome in the air...the colors are really vivid...the pictures on the internet do not do it justice (it reminds me of a red-eyed cicada). I'm extremely happy with my $43 investment in this entry-level kite. It has been a joy to fly so far and I am confident that it will keep me entertained for many hours of flight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted June 1, 2007 Report Share Posted June 1, 2007 Great report! I bought a dozen of these for handouts last year, for those rare times I run into a needy young'un. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted June 1, 2007 Report Share Posted June 1, 2007 Hey Huf... I did most of my early learning on New Tech kites. Myt first stunt kite was a Premier Vision, but I quickly learned I needed more. I bought the New Tech Big Bang about 2 weeks later. I still love to fly that kite. Since then, I accumulated a Pyro XS, a New Jam, a Firestorm, and somewhere in there I got a Cherry Bomb. I keep the Cherry Bomb on hand for a loaner to those that are just beginning. I am on my second stage of learning, after mastering all of the rudiments described in the Dodd video, like the box turns and stalls that you're describing. I have gotten some easy tricks down like Lazy Susans and once in a while I can pull off an Axel. At this point, I'm crashing alot again, but not breaking kites as much as when I first started. One thing that I find is that a larger kite (7-8 ft) flies a little slower and more precise. And in less wind. It might be just me, but bigger is better when you want control, and you can see exactly what's going on at the other end of the lines. I really like my New Tech kites, I even bought the quad line Spirit, but don't fly it much because it take longer to set up. I only get to fly for 1/2-1 hour at a time, and I can set up a 2 line kite in about 3 minutes now. The other kites that I have that improve my skills whenever I fly them are a FW Acrobatx (a prize of the month from Kitelife (thanks, John)) and a Prism Hypnotist (Mirage). It will probably take me years of flying to even come close to the incredible tricks & stunts that you see in the videos, but every little step forward is incredibly rewarding. If you don't have anyone to teach you 1 on 1 in your area, the Dodd video is real good, and the Prism video that comes with the Mirage and the E2 is very helpful, too. Best of luck with your flying... ~Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugly Posted June 2, 2007 Report Share Posted June 2, 2007 Antman nice story but terribly off topic. Cant you just create a new thread rather then posting it as non sequentuer? Unless you have a rev you are selling for $50 and have bridled it as a dual line kite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Post moved to Quad Heads section. http://kitelife.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1608 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKITCH Posted June 5, 2007 Report Share Posted June 5, 2007 Nice job John.....thanks for the edit. Now we are back in "proper sequence". P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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