Buying first Kite

[Chikokishi]

Hi there, when i was younger i used to fly the 5$ stunt kites from walmart, I knew they could do rolls and such, but Flips and everything ( such as

) I literally just found out about today!

Needless to say my interest has been resparked and im looking to buy another kite. I want a cheap one because as of girth now i have a LOT of bills and i cant hardly spare enough money for gas, let alone kites. Anyway after surfing the internet i found these kites, they are nylon and fibreglass/carbon fibre. They are very cheap, But i was wondering if they would be flyable? Does anyone know, or know of a good kite <30$ that i could look into?

http://www.mcgillswa...12821&TYPE=GOOG

Thanks in advance!

Edit: I might add that im not looking to be a pro or anything too fast, i just want something that would be CAPABLE of more than just loops if i tried... You know?

Chikokishi

[Baloo]

It looks to fly well, the phrase "you get what you pay for" is probably a good one when buying Kites.

However the prices on the link look REAL good.

I am sure you will get better advie from others though.

[Chikokishi]

yeah the prices are great! but i just wonder if they are built to look like stunt kites, or fly like them.. Lol

[Chikokishi]

They fly atleast, But all they are doing are loops... Makes me wonder.

[BillLamm]

yeah the prices are great! but i just wonder if they are built to look like stunt kites, or fly like them.. Lol

I'm no expert so I am sure better heads can chime in on this... I bought a $30 dual line kite a while back, it flies pretty good and probably with stiffer spars it would fly better... I have yet to master the flat spins and stuff but I think most of the skill is in the hands of the pilot.. it may be a good way to get going and then when a good used kite comes along you will be ready to grow into it... you will be happier with the quality kite but I am like you as far as budget.. too much time to fly means too little money to buy..

[Baloo]

It is quite interesting that on the site there is a bit of video for each of the kites.

I am sure that there is a possibility of being able to trick with them, however it would take a good flier maybe to do this.

Then again the folks flying them in the vids may not have the skill themselves.

I still sort of think if you buy a cheap kite then it my perform cheaply.

I know my £50 kite flys much worse then my Sea Devil, then again, I would rather crash the cheap one.

[Chikokishi]

"too much time to fly means too little money to buy.." <--- Too true. In fact, thats why im wanting a kite. I have a park on the other side of my road, and since i cant find a job, im all but going insane not being able to do anything! I think i can mow a yard for 20$ though =)

I saw a kite in another town for 50$ but thats way more then i have (and that town is 300 miles away) I went kite hunting today, the only thing here in town is a plastic kite that you tie the strings to the wings and put a spacer in the middle and it basically immitates a stunt kite... 6$! I didnt get it.. haha

The wind here is pretty light, today it might be 10-15, and it seems really windy.

I just dont want to buy a kite that looks like a stunt kite, but is basically a glorified diamond. Perhaps ill get one in the next week or so and let you know if i can do anything!

Anyone know any good places to find videos for how to do tricks?

[Hedgewarden]

My advise, worth every penny, is to get a 5 to 7 ft wing span. Generally these are more satisfying, and will be a better introduction (or reintroduction) since they fly slower and are more easily controlled. They should generally fly better in lower winds.

As for tricking a cheap kite - hmmm. Of course I cannot trick a moderately expensive kite, so what do I know.

But almost any dual line kite should be able to spin, loop, fly straight lines (better with bigger and/or better kites) and generally help you develop the basic control techniques.

Good luck, enjoy,

and fair winds.

[Chikokishi]

I built a stunt kite yesterday. Its VERY small... And because of such impossible to control.. But when i get good wind ill try anyway. Its plastic and tape. It will give me something to do untill i earn the whopping 20$ that i need for a kite.. wow i feel poor.. lol

[BillLamm]

I built a stunt kite yesterday. Its VERY small... And because of such impossible to control.. But when i get good wind ill try anyway. Its plastic and tape. It will give me something to do untill i earn the whopping 20$ that i need for a kite.. wow i feel poor.. lol

i know how you feel.. its a roller coaster... kite flying can be a very therapeutic escape form the lack of midday TV shows.. and it can also be a $$ sponge bigger wing span will be more rewarding, start simple and save your milk money.

[Chikokishi]

Has anyone had any experience with the super super cheap kites? What exactly makes the expensive ones better? Are they shaped different?

[windofchange]

The biggest difference between a "cheap" kite and an expensive one is usually the materials that are used to produce it. Most high end kites are produced with Icarex or Ripstop Polyester material. These materials are quite expensive to purchase and run the cost of the kite up much more than say Toray or Chicara or even standard ripstop nylon. Also, different materials have different types of coating on them to help protect them against UV damage as well as being somewhat water repellent and the coatings also effect the amount of porosity (how much air can blow through the material). The higher end kites usually have much better coatings that allow the kites to fly better in different wind conditions.

The second and usually the most unrealized cost is the time that is put into producing a high end kite. With some kite manufacturers, they can spend up to a year or even longer fine tuning and perfecting a design so that once the kite is finished, the kite is absolutely the best it can be in all areas. Each re-design and tweak can be as simple as moving a tow point, changing the bridle, swapping out rods - all that can be done on the same prototype. But other redesigns such as deeper sail, higher aspect ratio, different shapes all mean that the maker has to sit down and re-build a whole new kite. Most of the time the new rebuild replaces the older design and the old design is trashed and no good to anyone.

I know of some kite makers that have worked on a kite for a year and a half and have gone through hundreds of re-designs, resulting in building the same kite (with new ideas) two or even three dozen times. So when the design is finally ready to market, you are not just paying for that one kite but actually paying for 30 - 40 different kites that were needed to get to that one final design - not to mention the hundreds of hours it took to get the kite finished. Total cost of building one high end kite could be as much as $20,000.00 or more if you added up all the hours, all the materials, the packaging, shipping, marketing, labeling etc.... Then when you divide that cost over 75 to 150 kites that will be sold over the next year or so (hopefully more will be sold but that would be pushing it), you end up with a kite that costs the kite maker to build about 150.00 to 200.00 each. The one kite you are purchasing may only cost about 30-40 bucks in materials....but you aren't really paying for that one kite, but paying for the designer and builder to produce a kite that is absolutely a dream to fly which includes everything else listed above.

A "cheap" kite takes about oh.....20 minutes to design and finalize. Plug it into a computer, cut one demo, take it out and if it goes up then its ready to go into production. People who design "cheap" kites really don't care if the kite can do everything....or even care if it can do anything. As long as it goes up and looks pretty, its done. Not only is there no real R&D, but the materials are usually whatever is cheapest at the time.

As said before, when it comes to high end kites and "cheap" kites...you really do get what you pay for. Now I am not saying that if you purchase a high end kite such as a Skyburner or Blue Moon you will instantly become the next worlds best pilot and be able to do everything under the sun....but the high end kites will allow you to learn faster and be much easier and nicer to fly - and if you are working on tricks, the high end kites will do those tricks much easier and smoother. Some tricks just can't be done on a "cheap" kite. One thing is for sure though, if you can't do a trick on a high end kite, chances are it isn't the kite that is holding you back.

There are some really great kites that are inexpensive. I would not call these kites as "cheap" because these kites are actually made by some really good kite designers and are made from some really good quality materials - "cheap" to me means they are kinda junky kites. These are not junky or "cheap" but very affordable. Some of these would be the Premier Nighthawk, Premier Wolf, Premier Jewel, Premier Addiction, Prism Quantum, Prism Nexus, Flying Wings Acrobatx and I am sure some others that I can't seem to recall right now. All of these kites are very capable of doing a majority of today's tricks and all of them can be purchased under $100.00 - and they come with good quality lines and straps!!!

So an affordable and capable kite doesn't necessarily have to be a "cheap" kite that you can't grow with.

Hope that helps.

[Hedgewarden]

If you are just trying out sports kites, a larger wing $30 kite is a good place to start. If you don't like flying stunt kites, you will not be out much money. If you like it, you will be buying within a few months your next kite from the list that Kent described - very good kites for around $100 that will stay in your bag for quite a while. Give the starter kite to a friend or nephew.

I don't trick (except axels and turtles, and occasional tip stands and side slides). I'm a bit old to be that athletic. I don't know anyone that starts pitch tricks right away, which is why a very cheap kite is OK for initially learning flying basics. But if you decide to continue, you will need a better kite.

I have never flown most kites - but of the many I have flown, I can recommend:

XL Sport 5' or 6' - cheap beginners kites only, fly pretty well actually. Cheap lines, tends to have spars come unconnected in flight occasionally - not a big problem for a beginner - actually a good learning opportunity for recognizing and landing a crippled expensive kite.

Nighthawk - one of my favorite kites, flies very well in light to moderate winds. So easy to axel, even I can usually hit an axel OK. I think it is over $100 now tho.

Addiction - just a lot of fun to fly, and does basic tricks easily. I tend to break the spine in power dives into ground, tho. Easy and cheap to fix.

Flying Wings Silver Fox series - very hard to beat for the price, around $150 (each, 2 sizes with 2 and 3 wind ranges). My main kites - they can fly my style (ballet) as well as tricks. 20 mph winds? no problem with 2.5 m vented.

Start cheap, and be prepared to move upscale after you know what you like. IN MY OPINION. Others may differ, so this is not an absolute rule. Many say buy a kite at the beginning that will suit you for many years to come. I think that advice is good only after you have been introduced, learned the basics, and are sure you would be willing to spend $300-$400 each for 3 or 4 kites for different wind conditions. (Actually an inexpensive hobby considering the joy it can bring.) And the $100 - $250 range has many very good kites that can satisfy most fliers except the very serious.

After you know what you like, stores like Kent's A Wind of Change can direct you to the kites most likely to be satisfying to you.

Right now, I'm flying Revolution quad kites mainly. Tricks with these require less athletic effort - just experience and finesse. But these are not under $100, and not a good place to begin unless you have had a chance to try one for a while before you buy.

Note: If I did not mention a kite, that does not imply it is not as good or better choice.

Fair winds,

-Howard

[John Barresi]

I've even had good runs and a few tricks on the Cherry Bomb, runs around $50.

Not likely to find a flipping, tricking kite until at least $75.

[Chikokishi]

Wow, both very good posts! These "give a kite to your friend" ideas... Know anyone giving away?! hahaha. Im in montana, and where i live the wind is rather random. Sometimes it blows sometimes it doesnt. And most of the time its a gust followed by nothing. Rather irritating.

[Baloo]

Some guys in the UK called Skybums make Ripstop Indian fighter style kites.

I tend to carry a couple with me so I can give them away to any kids who watch me flying my Revs.

They are neat little SLK's that you can pretty much garantee will fly in a breeze. Then if they get adventurous they can take the tail off and fly them like a fighter.

[Chikokishi]

I actually saw a fighter video.. Thats insane. I never know you could control a kit with no tail... Would a regular diamond kit do that too?

[Baloo]

Not sure if a regular diamond type would fly like a fighter.

I pretty much sort of presume not, havnt tried it though.

Tried a fighter, was rubbish at it. However I can see that if you got good at that it would help with other flying.

[John Barresi]

A regular diamond kite will not handle like a fighter...

Fighters handle the way they do because of their ability to go flat (loose line - kite rotates) or bend into an airfoil (line tension - kite flies forward).

Diamonds are pre-shaped and bridled to direct wind off the tail and be tail-heavy for stability (in theory), most often with a tail.

-

Fighter Kite on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighter_kite

North American Fighter Kite Association - http://www.nafka.net/

[BillLamm]

a pretty friendly/helpfull group over at http://www.fighterkitecentral.com as well..

[Chikokishi]

oh.. thats no fun.

I was looking into buying a really cheap kite, like iv said. I found some Premier brand kites for like 15$... I know its super cheap, but does anyone know anything about this brand?

[John Barresi]

Premier is among the commonly known, solid brands... Also there are Prism, New Tech, Skydog and a few others who I'm sure will be mentioned in replies to follow.

The performance and materials used in individual models from any of these companies vary widely, most often in line with the price.

I know that doesn't fill in the blanks you're immediately looking for, but it's what I've got to offer at the moment.

[Hedgewarden]

Chikokishi,

I believe you are looking for the $1000 pearl for $10. If anyone knew where that was to be found, they would not share!

Go to your local kite store, or any kite store on-line, and ask for the biggest, bestest stunt kite for the trifling amount you are willing to spend.

You have already received information worth far more than your budget from the likes of JB etc.

Good luck and fair winds,

-Howard

[Chikokishi]

I think i found one im going to get, it has a 77" wingspan

[John Barresi]

What is it?