JoneZ Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Im finding myself looking at a UL. My Widow will now fly in winds as low as 3Mph, but it takes a little struttin backwards. The Desire UL looks like a good kite, but Im reading that its not really a freestyle kite (not great at slack line tricks). Comes with lines. Added bonus. Has anyone been able to tweak this thing to freestyle? (I'd honestly rather buy this one if it can be modded to be trickable, because Theresa's got em at her shop. ) The Acrobatx looks great as well, but my main concern is how good it will actually fly in 0-3Mph winds? I've watched a couple vids of it in action, and it looks a bit heavy. Doesn't come with lines (from what I've read. Can someone confirm?). Big minus there. The Silver Fox UL looks slick as well (watched John in action on it.). About $20-$30 more, and I suppose worth it, but once again Im interested in how it flies in the 0-3Mph range. Also doesn't come with lines, and Im not really into buying another set of lines right now. Any comments, recommendations? Thanks!! ~Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upnet Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Im finding myself looking at a UL. My Widow will now fly in winds as low as 3Mph, but it takes a little struttin backwards.The Desire UL looks like a good kite, but Im reading that its not really a freestyle kite (not great at slack line tricks). Comes with lines. Added bonus. Has anyone been able to tweak this thing to freestyle? (I'd honestly rather buy this one if it can be modded to be trickable, because Theresa's got em at her shop. ) The Acrobatx looks great as well, but my main concern is how good it will actually fly in 0-3Mph winds? I've watched a couple vids of it in action, and it looks a bit heavy. Doesn't come with lines (from what I've read. Can someone confirm?). Big minus there. The Silver Fox UL looks slick as well (watched John in action on it.). About $20-$30 more, and I suppose worth it, but once again Im interested in how it flies in the 0-3Mph range. Also doesn't come with lines, and Im not really into buying another set of lines right now. Any comments, recommendations? Thanks!! ~Jon Don't mean to hijack...but I am becoming skeptical of the wind ratings for various kites. l can't get my standard Acrobatx to fly in less than 7mph. Again...maybe it's me. It's rated 3-20mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgewarden Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 I cannot comment on the others, but the Silver Fox UL does not fly well in lower winds, as it comes from the factory. I, however, have not tried removing the tail weight and the upper spreader. I have seen other posts describing that, and it probably would bring the lower wind range down substantially. Although the SF UL has not flown well for me in winds under 5-7 MPH (estimated), in higher winds it flies extremely well - just like the standard but in slightly lower winds. Also consider this 67 year-old non-athletic body does not back-peddle well. I look forward to trying again with the upper spreader and weight removed, if we ever get decent winds again. Summary: SF UL very nice kite, but considerable effort or some adjustments needed for true UL flight range. In light winds, 75 to 90 lb lines should be sufficient, if you already have those. As for those wind range ratings, they seem to apply only to expert athletic fliers. Like gas mileage on cars, use them only for comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Desire is NOT, I repeat not, a "trick" or "freestyle" kite... Not by any stretch, it's a great low wind, basic flier. As for Silver Fox, VERY nice kites for the price, but much heavier than their more expensive competitors. While removing the tail weight and top spreader might lower the wind range a bit, it'll also impact the trick ability significantly. Silver Fox is 3X the kite that the Acrobatx is, imho... But honestly, you'd be hard pressed to get a "high performance" or trickable ultra light that flies in less than 3-4mph for less than $200... So, spend $200-$250, or wait for the 4mph, basically. Again, just imho... Some of the shop owners and other pilots may have other solid suggestions however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoneZ Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Opinions are what Im after m8. Thanks for the honesty. I know its kind of a long shot at grabbing something HQ for under $150-$200. I guess Im not really leaning toward an uber HQ UL just yet, with my budget restrictions, just something that'll do the job with minimal frustration. lol these were the most popular results I pulled up today. Im open to other UL's really, I just have a budget of $150 atm. ~Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 To be quite frank, you're not going to get anything near the trick ability you're looking for from an HQ kite... It's not their "bag". You'd get better tricking from a Silver Fox, even if you do have to wait for that extra 1-2 mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoneZ Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 hehe. woops, I meant ""High Quality"" not HQ Kites. lol sorry bout the acronym messup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Glad you cleared that up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoneZ Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 I've been looking at a Zephyr for about a year now. Had mixed feelings and mixed reviews on it. So I've looked around, shopped around, got different options, but have seemed to make my way back to the Zephyr. So I think Im gonna stick with my guns for once. lol I've seen it in the field, and it flies great. I've heard it is a little on the heavier side, but I think Im willing to deal with that. The way it flies, the look, and the overall package it comes with (hard case, 2 linesets) look pretty solid to me. Think it'll make a great addition to my bag. With the price, Im gonna have to wait til after my Wedding, but I've got some good books to read for when the wind dips below 4Mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windofchange Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hate to contradict but the Shadow from HQ is an awesome SUL kite. It will fly in winds starting around 1-2 mph and tricks very well in 2-5, top end is somewhere around 8mph. The Shadow has been discontinued because of the multi-colored material used in the center is no longer available. HQ did come out with a limited run of solid colored sails but those to have now been discontinued. We have two left in stock and you may be able to find one or two from other shops around. The Shadow sells for under $200.00 new. Lines are not included. The Shadow can do most slack line tricks very easily and sweet but is a little difficult to Yo-Yo without some tail weight. Sail is 4mm pultruded carbon with wrapped tapered carbon spreaders. Sail material is PC31 Icarex. Wing span appx. 7+ ft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Note Kent, I didn't say HQ doesn't make good ULs... I was referring to trick ability. A couple of their kites that I've flown can trick, but I didn't find it nearly as smooth as some other kites. I have flown the Shadow. Zephyr is a great all around kite imho, nice balance between precision and tricking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windofchange Posted April 16, 2009 Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 I agree with the Zephyr, very nice kite that performs great and the case & accessories it comes with is awesome. The reason I didn't recommend it is because it is (IMO) a "light" standard kite. Doesn't really classify as a UL or SUL but it is lighter than a normal standard kite is. The bottom end of the Zephyr to actually trick with is around 3-4 mph for me. In 4-6 mph winds it is a dream to fly but below that it starts to get to much work (for me anyways). For SUL and the lightest winds my pick is still the Shadow, unless it is totally dead then I fly my Innerspace. The Innerspace flies awesome in zero winds up to about 5mph but it is quite limited on its tricks (for me anyways). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted April 16, 2009 Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 Totally agreed on the Zephyr, but in a solid 4-8mph... Very nice kite. Of course for those reading, remember, kites are like cars, everyone has different tastes and gets different responses out of each kite. Richard Debray for example flies the SNOT out of a Nirvana, but it's not my cup of tea at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoneZ Posted April 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 Wow. That shadow looks really nice. Watched a couple vids on it in flight. Can't find a buy link anywhere on the net though. Too bad. =\ Im still psyched about the zephyr (although if I run across a shadow in my travels,,,, YOINK!!) Thanks for all the input guys. I Really appreciate it. Helps me sort sh** out in my head. ~Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windofchange Posted April 16, 2009 Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 The Shadow has been discontinued which is why it is hard to find anymore. We have two left in stock and both are in the Purple color. You might want to contact your local shop to see if they have one or two sitting around that haven't been listed online. You may even get lucky enough to locate one in the multi-color pattern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoneZ Posted April 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 How much are yours runnin for m8? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windofchange Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 $189.00 plus shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoneZ Posted April 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 So.... Tempting.... Been thinking a lot about it, and I think Im sold on the zephyr. Deciding factor being the accessories it comes with. Can't go wrong with 2 linesets. I see you have it in stock, and right at my price range. We'll be in touch in a few months m8 -- I'd love to grab one off ya after the wedding. ~Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windofchange Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Just let me know and we'll get it on its way to ya. And congrats and best of wishes for you and yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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