1.5 SLE or SuperSonic

[bbbix]

Howdy all, this is my first time posting here...

I have flown 2 line kites for a while and am looking to get a quad line. I am wondering if it would be better to start out on a 1.5 SLE or a SuperSonic. While the SuperSonic is more sensetive, I feel that I might get bored with the 1.5 before too long. What do you think? Which would be a good one to start out on with room to grow?

Thanks,

Bill

[John Barresi]

IMHO, I'd recommend the SLE 1.5... It offers far more control, and ability to do intricate manuevers. I also feel that there is ultimately much more to learn, more depth to the flight.

What the Supersonic offers is less control, and faster flight... Again, only in my experience, it's a good "exciting kite" for zipping around the sky with.

[CLTKiter]

Bill,

I'm with John. My first Rev was a 1.5SLE and I never regretted getting it. I doubt that you'll really get bored with it for a while. It can do so much more (IMHO) than the Supersonic. I don't have a Supersonic, but do have a Shockwave. John's right -- they're good for flying fast, but you don't have quite the control. And control is what the 1.5SLE is great for.

Maybe you should get both! Before you're through, you'll have a wide variety anyway. I sure do now.

Doug

WACKOS - Wings Across Carolina Kiting and Okra Society

[samritter]

Add another vote for the SLE 1.5

[johnnmitchell]

The Supersonic is fast and a bit of fun, but lacks almost all precision. Thus I never got one.

The REV 1.5 SLE is terrific and precise. On short lines you can play with it in zero wind(when you get that much in to them). You can also fly it in very strong winds with out fear of popping the the spars. However, you could stretch the sail in too strong of winds.

I think you would get bored with the Supersonic in time. Not really knocking it that much, as I still enjoy flying it when I get my hands on one.

The REV 1.5 SLE always has something new to learn hidden within it.

The REV 1.5 SLE and variations there of, are "THE" competition multiline kite, at least in Europe.

Of all the REV and Speed series, I rate the REV 1.5 SLE with 10 points. I could only give the Supersonic 4 points.

[John Barresi]

My two cents... Once you get comfortable with the 1.5, nothing offers better quad precision ability than the Revolution 1... It took 1st place in both Masters ballet and precision at the 2004 AKA Grand Nationals.

[johnnmitchell]

John, You are totally correct!

When it comes to precision, the REV I is the best quadline.

In my best competition year 1996, I flew the REV I in precision and the REV 1.5 in ballet. It was 7 back to back first places.

In the following years I chose the REV I for precision figures and the REV 1.5 for the precision routine and the ballet routine.

[John Barresi]

What I've really become fond of is a VENTED Rev 1 with 2 or 3 wrap frames in lighter winds... Something about the vented model, it's just smoother and far more adept at reverse flight.

Doing this, I flew my BEST precision freestyle ever at AKA Grand Nationals this year.

[johnnmitchell]

Never thought of using anything less then 4 wraps on a vented REV I, though I do have several sets of 2 and 3 wrap spars. I have 6 wrap set which I tried once with it with no noticible difference. They are presently on loan to the German Museum with an original REV I.

When I really think back in time to 1996, I flew two of my precision competition with a REV I super vented(of my own design). This was before Revolution came out with their own vented. Ask Lolly who gave them the vented design!

I was in fourth place at EuroCup 1996 after flying ballet. The wind was extremely strong. Out comes my super vented for the precision. I ended winning overall at EuroCup 1996 in multiline. Five of nine competitors flew my super vented REV I in competition at EuroCup 1996.

My super vented REV I, does fly superb in reverse as you can see in the attached photo. Leading edge bent around 100 degrees flying in reverse. Impossible to flip the rear tips! A fantastic training REV which has at least 50 different persons flying it over the years. Today it looks like junk, but still flies super.

This one was made(by me) in Decemeber 1994.

My first vented REV I was made in the summer of 1993. It appeared the first time Internationally at the EuroCup 1993 in Vienna, Austria. This one had three vents on each side with velcro covers for all vents.

It was 100% expermental and served its purpose very well.

Enjoy!

Photo removed by johnnmitchell on 2007.02.13

[Penny Lingenfelter]

Bill,

I don't have a Supersonic, but do have a Shockwave. John's right -- they're good for flying fast, but you don't have quite the control. And control is what the 1.5SLE is great for.

Maybe you should get both! Before you're through, you'll have a wide variety anyway. I sure do now.

Doug

WACKOS - Wings Across Carolina Kiting and Okra Society

Aiiyy, but once you get it up can you control it is? is the point. I competed with a SS agaist Ron Desporado and lost by tenths of a point. I lost control of that kite for less then 2 seconds and it showed. At least to me it did. High winds are challenging, not something i want to do everyday, but you got to love a challenge.

Still, when you get bored with a 1.5 contact us. We'll give you move s to work on.

BB

Penny

[windofchange]

Have to agree with everyone on this topic. The 1.5 is the optimal kite for someone looking to move to quad line. That said...I LOVE my Supersonic, what a fun kite to fly. I usually won't even bother getting it out of the bag unless the winds are above 12 mph, under that the kite is difficult to fly and precision is very poor. I also have the 1.5, EXP, Rev I, blast, powerblast 2-4 and powerblast 4-8. My most used rev is the 1.5, owned it for over 5 years now and I haven't outgrown it yet. There is always something that I can try to improve on. It is an excellent kite to fly for fun, easy for beginners to learn on and advanced enough for you to never stop learning on. The 1.5 is our best seller out of all the Rev's and we have never had one complaint from anyone who has bought one. Precision is awesome, control is incredible, speed is great, not nearly as much pull as the Sonic or Shockwave, just an all-around fun kite to fly. The Sonic will be much harder for you to learn on and can be very difficult to fly in lighter winds and will give some serious pull in the stronger winds (as well as tremendous speeds). I have snapped 6 leading edges on my Sonic between my own flying and trying to teach others to control it. The 1.5 gets 100 times the flight time with many more beginners and I can't remember the last time I had to replace a leading edge.

I would highly suggest the 1.5 for your first rev, don't worry to much about the Sonic tho, if you get the Rev bug like the rest of us you will eventually own the Sonic too (as well as a few other models).

[jimmcp]

Coming from a different point of view, my first quad was a Rev Blast. And that it was! Lots of pull but there's still nothing like having the control of four lines.

That being said I wish I had gotten a 1.5 FIRST and then transitioned to a Blast, SS, or SW. I think my learning process would have been more refined.

Jim

Camas, WA

http://www.tksmidair.com

[CLTKiter]

Kent,

Your comment

I usually won't even bother getting it out of the bag unless the winds are above 12 mph, under that the kite is difficult to fly and precision is very poor.

probably explains why I wound up with the Shockwave instead of a Supersonic. Just about a year ago I was going through the agony of which Rev to buy -- I could only rationalize one kite and it came down to those two. I solicited recommendations from forums, and probably the advice came back slightly more in favor of the SS than the SW. However, I had a chance to go to the beach and fly both for a couple of hours, and my conclusion was that the SW performed slightly better in lower winds. And being in central NC, our winds are light. If my memory serves me right, that weekend I went to the beach the winds rarely got above 12 mph, and the SS had a lot of oversteer.

For higher winds, I now fly my Rev II. But maybe a Supersonic......... I've got some Christmas money....... Hmmmmmmm.

Doug

[bbbix]

Thank you all for your input, I think I have decided on the 1.5 SLE, I'll let you know how it turns out...

btw, any fliers in the Boulder area?

-Bill