1.5 SLE-then 3wrap-then2 wrap

[genesant]

Hello everyone. I bought my 1st Rev (a 1.5 SLE) at the Lincoln City kite show 6 weeks ago. It is very addicting and after lurking here and at revkites.com I called Ben and ordered replacement LE's 2 weeks ago. I typically have 2 - 6 mph winds and the 3 wrap was a nice improvement. Then I tried the 2 wrap. VERY NICE. I swapped back and forth a few times and I will mostly be using the 2 wrap unless I let a friend fly in which case I will put the SLE back in. I like this website. You folks are very helpful. So - A big question.

I'm doing OK with the 1.5 at the low speeds and my skills are picking up. I want some variety and am considering a Supersonic or a Blast or Blast2-4. Occasionally I get 8-10mph but mostly 2-6. Which one will give me the most flying time at the lower wind speeds. As I read all your comments these wake up at the higher speeds. I like flying inverted side slides and tight turns as well as speed if that helps. So far I am leaning toward the supersonic.

[ant man]

get thoserace rodas for your 1.5 too i hear they are the best i cant wait to get mine

[MrDenny]

Hello everyone. I bought my 1st Rev (a 1.5 SLE) at the Lincoln City kite show 6 weeks ago. It is very addicting and after lurking here and at revkites.com I called Ben and ordered replacement LE's 2 weeks ago. I typically have 2 - 6 mph winds and the 3 wrap was a nice improvement. Then I tried the 2 wrap. VERY NICE. I swapped back and forth a few times and I will mostly be using the 2 wrap unless I let a friend fly in which case I will put the SLE back in. I like this website. You folks are very helpful. So - A big question.

I'm doing OK with the 1.5 at the low speeds and my skills are picking up. I want some variety and am considering a Supersonic or a Blast or Blast2-4. Occasionally I get 8-10mph but mostly 2-6. Which one will give me the most flying time at the lower wind speeds. As I read all your comments these wake up at the higher speeds. I like flying inverted side slides and tight turns as well as speed if that helps. So far I am leaning toward the supersonic.

After flying my first 1.5 for around 6 months, I got a Blast. That was around 5 years ago and I did not like it at all for lots of reasons that I won’t bother to go into. I have posted before that the Blast was less than my favorite kite. Well Sunday I took it out of the bag for the first time in at least 4 years. I was kind of hoping that if I set it up someone might like it and I could sell/trade it. It was very light wind and the 1.5s had to work to stay up. I had a fantastic time with that kite! The pull, the float, the speed, what fun. I realize the problem was simply I was not experienced enough to get the most out of it. It is not easy to fly but I owned it Sunday. I am so glad over the years I didn’t sell or trade it. So if you see one of my posts which are not quite Blast friendly please realize, ignorance is bliss but it can be cured by experience. I still will fly the 1.5s most of the time but I also have a new friend it the bag that will see a lot more sunshine and wind..

[Spence Watson]

For a flier who's been flying for 6 weeks, I would not suggest a speed series kite or a blast. Thos are the hardest revs to fly.If you want to have some more speed, get a rev 2. They are faster, but not as fast as the speed series. You must remember that the Speed series can go from one side of the window to the other in an instant. I'm not saying that the spped and blast revs are bad, just that they are tough for an inexperienced flier. In about a year, I think you would be able to fly one with few problems.

[windofchange]

I agree with Watty, I wouldn't recommend the Supersonic or the Shockwave. Not only are they FAST, I have found that the work best in the stronger winds. Flying a Sonic in sub-6mph winds would require some serious patience and a lot of running. To me that is not fun flying, I would rather pull out an SUL. If you can, try to fly one of the speed series first before purchasing. I don't want to discourage anyone from these kites but they do tend to sit with certain people a little better than others and it would be a lot of cash for something that may not fit with what you are looking for right now. Like Mr Denny said, when I got my first Sonic it was ready for the trader list after 20 minutes of fighting and a broken spar.....I am soooooo glad I didn't get rid of that kite, experience really helped me appreciate what fun that kite can be. Now for the stronger winds around 12 mph+, the Supersonic is an all out riot to fly! The Sonic and Shockwave have a permanent home in my kite bag and I am glad I have them.

I don't really classify the Blast as part of the Speed Series although it is the closest in design to them. It is indeed much faster than the 1.5 but nowhere near as quick as the Sonic or Shockwave. As mentioned, the Blast will take a bit of getting use over the 1.5 and can be a little disappointing if you don't quite know how to over-correct it and man-handle it around in the air. Once you get familiar with it then it turns out to be a very fun and versatile kite to fly. It surely was named correctly!!! (way to go Joe) The Blast is a bit smaller than the 2-4 so the fun wind range I would say starts around 5-6mph.

For the light winds you are talking about I would kinda move towards the Power Blast 2-4. This kite is larger in size than the Blast so it will go up in much lighter winds. It floats for what seems like forever and when the wind picks up, the kite has the ability drag you around quite a bit. I use the 2-4 for buggying in winds over 15mph and it rocks! In the sub 10mph winds this kite is wonderful to fly without too much power at all. A simple flick of the wrists and you can dump all the power completely out of the kite and it will float in the air. Wind range - I would say 2 to 12 mph is some serious fun flying, 12+ and the power starts to really kick in and the fun gets a full sized shot of adrenaline! You do have to man-handle the 2-4 around with much more authority than your use to with the 1.5, the flick of the wrist turns into a solid pop with a counter pop and the more aggressive you get with it the more it responds.

Sorry to say but you'll eventually end up with all of them anyways so it really doesn't matter as much which one you buy right now. For what you are talking about in your post, the 2-4 would be my recommendation.

[Penny Lingenfelter]

Wind got it right. I've met a few people who could fly Rev's fairly good for a year before buying the Blast. They couldn't fly it. I bet they could now. BB Penny

I agree with Watty, I wouldn't recommend the Supersonic or the Shockwave. Not only are they FAST, I have found that the work best in the stronger winds. Flying a Sonic in sub-6mph winds would require some serious patience and a lot of running. To me that is not fun flying, I would rather pull out an SUL. If you can, try to fly one of the speed series first before purchasing. I don't want to discourage anyone from these kites but they do tend to sit with certain people a little better than others and it would be a lot of cash for something that may not fit with what you are looking for right now. Like Mr Denny said, when I got my first Sonic it was ready for the trader list after 20 minutes of fighting and a broken spar.....I am soooooo glad I didn't get rid of that kite, experience really helped me appreciate what fun that kite can be. Now for the stronger winds around 12 mph+, the Supersonic is an all out riot to fly! The Sonic and Shockwave have a permanent home in my kite bag and I am glad I have them.

I don't really classify the Blast as part of the Speed Series although it is the closest in design to them. It is indeed much faster than the 1.5 but nowhere near as quick as the Sonic or Shockwave. As mentioned, the Blast will take a bit of getting use over the 1.5 and can be a little disappointing if you don't quite know how to over-correct it and man-handle it around in the air. Once you get familiar with it then it turns out to be a very fun and versatile kite to fly. It surely was named correctly!!! (way to go Joe) The Blast is a bit smaller than the 2-4 so the fun wind range I would say starts around 5-6mph.

For the light winds you are talking about I would kinda move towards the Power Blast 2-4. This kite is larger in size than the Blast so it will go up in much lighter winds. It floats for what seems like forever and when the wind picks up, the kite has the ability drag you around quite a bit. I use the 2-4 for buggying in winds over 15mph and it rocks! In the sub 10mph winds this kite is wonderful to fly without too much power at all. A simple flick of the wrists and you can dump all the power completely out of the kite and it will float in the air. Wind range - I would say 2 to 12 mph is some serious fun flying, 12+ and the power starts to really kick in and the fun gets a full sized shot of adrenaline! You do have to man-handle the 2-4 around with much more authority than your use to with the 1.5, the flick of the wrist turns into a solid pop with a counter pop and the more aggressive you get with it the more it responds.

Sorry to say but you'll eventually end up with all of them anyways so it really doesn't matter as much which one you buy right now. For what you are talking about in your post, the 2-4 would be my recommendation.

[genesant]

Thanks for the opinions folks. And a special thanks to Wind. I have enjoyed reading your extensive posts on various things and I believe I will follow your advice on the PowerBlast 2-4. I have felt like I have progressed pretty well on the 1.5 and even if I fail at first on a different kite I will at least learn something.

[genesant]

I bought the Powerblast 2-4. 1st flight several days ago was a little disappointing because I dropped it out of the sky fairly often. Then a couple days with no wind and I had a chance to watch the excellent DVD that came with the kite. I flew it today for 2 hours with maybe 3-5 mph wind and thoroughly enjoyed it. The inertia of that kite is surprising. I went back and forth between it and my 1.5 standard with 2 wraps. The 1.5 feels like a butterfly after flying the Powerblast. I do believe my skills are going to improve much faster with 2 very different kites to fly. Kent was right. I am going to be buying more different style kites. Thanks for the advice folks!!

[johnnmitchell]

I have flown the Supersonic and Shockwave but never bought either. They only gave me a short thrill and little challenge.

I bought one of the first Blast. It is nice to fly, however not that thrilling to me. It has spent most of the time packed away and looked brand new the last time I saw it. Basically, it is not my favorite.

I fly both the REV I, REV 1.5, NoWind and sometimes a REV II.

I recommend trying out another REV in this category and see which one you enjoy. Then buy!

[genesant]

Yes. I'm already contemplating my next kite purchase. Does flying a Rev I feel tame and slow compared to a 1.5? What kind of wind conditions make you decide to pull the Rev I out of the bag? By the way, I've never packed up either Rev since I bought them. I just carry them out my front door and go 300 yards to a farmers field. The winds aren't ideal but it is sure handy for a quick fix. My wife kind of tolerated the 1.5 in the living room but she is not happy with the Powerblast. I'm going to have to change my ways. Especially if I buy more kites.

[MrDenny]

I too am looking at the Rev I so any reviews would be great. Most stuff I read says it is the best thing since ice cream but if you look at the date of the writings they are pre 1.5. My 2 top videos are of Rev Is. One is Jon B’s demo on the beach and the other is Ron D’s. When I see those videos I just want to go out and fly.

[nckiter]

Just replied to a similar post in the rev forum http://www.revkites.com/forum/index.php?sh...pic=636&hl=

Prior to the B series hitting the market, unless I was flying with other rev pilots who were on 1.5s, I almost always would pull a Rev 1 Sedgwick out first. Vented always being the first choice given appropriate wind conditions.

Like the 1.5s, the different frame sets are available to mix and match for wind and flying style.

[MrDenny]

Just replied to a similar post in the rev forum http://www.revkites.com/forum/index.php?sh...pic=636&hl=

Thanks for both replies! It seemed to follow this thread well, but after I posted here I figured it was better suited to start a thread for this on the Rev forum.