imranipatel Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 What are Key Diff and similarity between prism ziphr. Vs E3 Vs quantum pro from Pro kite pilot perpective ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 I'm not a pro, but I do have all three. The Zephyr is the best bang for the buck and is the easiest to fly, the QPro is more demanding of proper inputs, but you can't beat it for precision flying, and the E3 is best left on the shelf at the store. The only thing I like about my E3 is the way it looks... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHBKF Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 I'm not a pro, but I do have all three. Watch some of Rob's videos. He could be a pro. I too have all three of the mentioned kites but I am what I call an advanced beginner. I like the Zephyr so much that I bought a spare. I fly it often. I like the Quantum Pro as it flies so well & is a full size kite. I am collecting all three types of the Quantum Pro. I now have the standard & the variable vented. The ultra-light is in a pending deal. I bought the E3 contrary to advice like Rob's & I must agree with his assessment. It is a great looking kite but needs more wind than the Zephyr. Have not heard of anyone excited about the E3's tricking potential. But no problem, I like Prism kites regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 I like my Zephyr when there is some wind, but my question is how many helium balloons do you have to attach to it to make it fly in 1mph wind, or even 2 or 3 for that matter?Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 It is difficult to fly the Zephyr in 1mph of wind, but possible. Remove the top spreader, move the knots all the way up towards the nose, and fly it on 50' lines. It's not an SUL by any stretch of the imagination, you have to work for it, no doubt. The Zephyr is happiest in 3-10mph wind... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 It is difficult to fly the Zephyr in 1mph of wind, but possible. Remove the top spreader, move the knots all the way up towards the nose, and fly it on 50' lines. It's not an SUL by any stretch of the imagination, you have to work for it, no doubt. The Zephyr is happiest in 3-10mph wind... What I did this morning. Removed top spreader, already had knots toward the nose where they stay all the time, and I had it on 75 ft lines. With the spreader out, upon launching, the nose wanted to swing towards the ground with the slightest input. Put top spreader back, that problem disappeared, but still couldn't keep it in the air for more than a few seconds. Wind was about 2.5 to 3 mph. 4 mph and more, it flies fine. Surprised that Prism put that 1 mph in the spec. Seems like most of the experts on forums, call the Zephyr a "light standard" rather than even a UL. Only thing I could fly today, ( with a forecast of 12 gusting to 16 mph this morning, which of course never materialized ) was my good old reliable Niknak, but that is getting to be an old story with me. I've just about gotten to the point where, when I step out of the car, I grab the Niknak from the pile of kites in the back. I decided to order a real UL last night, and have a Skyburner Freestylist UL on the way ( in Red of course) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Bob, it sounds like you had the tail weight in... I forgot to say 'no weight', as I never fly mine with the weight in. 75s are also too long to fly the Z in light wind. I know this combo works on my Zephyr, but our Zephyrs are 7 years apart in production. I can't imagine that Prism changed the kite for the heavier, but who knows... Another difference could be technique... I haven't seen how you fly, but it sounds like your inputs may be a little heavy. When you're dealing with light wind, smooth, controlled, long arm sweeps are required with walking backwards. Feel the pull in the lines and always try to make up ground when the kite gets up there... point it down and walk towards the kite. Push your hands forward whenever you can, so you're ready to make another arm sweep when necessary. It's all smooth, slow motion moves that coax the kite into the air. Strong inputs will just pull it out of the air, or cause something like a backflip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Bob, it sounds like you had the tail weight in... I forgot to say 'no weight', as I never fly mine with the weight in. 75s are also too long to fly the Z in light wind. I know this combo works on my Zephyr, but our Zephyrs are 7 years apart in production. I can't imagine that Prism changed the kite for the heavier, but who knows... Another difference could be technique... I haven't seen how you fly, but it sounds like your inputs may be a little heavy. When you're dealing with light wind, smooth, controlled, long arm sweeps are required with walking backwards. Feel the pull in the lines and always try to make up ground when the kite gets up there... point it down and walk towards the kite. Push your hands forward whenever you can, so you're ready to make another arm sweep when necessary. It's all smooth, slow motion moves that coax the kite into the air. Strong inputs will just pull it out of the air, or cause something like a backflip. No tail weight, I think I tried it once when I first got the Zephyr on a windy day, and haven't used it since. Immediately after launch, the kite is basically in a stall in very light wind. I can hold it in a slide at that point with the front spreader in, so I don't think it is an overcontrol issue. Without the front spreader, as soon as launched, it seems like any input at all, no matter how light, causes it to head for the ground. I have read numerous posts where Zephyr owners say they wait for 5 mph winds before the really enjoy flying it, which is what I am experiencing as well. Seems like the kite is just too heavy for winds under 4 mph. Now maybe, I am pulling to hard when launching it, like I do when launching a Rev. I will experiment with that next time I fly it. I do have a question about tuning. I have read a couple of posts that said the early Zephyrs didn't have enough range between the fixed knots on the bridle, to get enough forward adjustment, so fliers would actually move the adjustment past the upper knot by an inch or so. I then read that this range between the knots was remedied by Prism in the later models. I just adjust mine by moving it up to the limit knot closest to the nose. I just decided to experiment with the bridle adjustment, and move the adjustment on the other side of the low wind limit knot towards the nose by about 1/2 inch, which apparently Mark Reed has suggested for low wind. I figured it would be easy to return it to where it was, just by moving it back to the other low limit knot inside, if this makes matters worse. Will post the results. Much of this is discussed in this thread. http://www.gwtwforum.com/index.php?topic=8005.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted June 22, 2014 Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 Yeah, there was a lot of back & forth on this issue on the Prism site, too. I flew with a guy who used to move above the limiting knots, he liked it adjusted there. It does decrease sail pressure and gives the kite a floatier feel, but I was used to the way mine is adjusted. I never move the knots away from the top limiting knots. High wind, or low. Two linesets in the hard case, one 50' 90# and the other 85' 150#. I used to keep the Zephyr in my wife's car, stashed under the seat. It was like an emergency kite, it would pretty much fly in any wind, and always be there if I got somewhere with the wife & kids & the opportunity to fly arose. You are right, though, if you have an SUL in one hand & the Zephyr in the other, fly the SUL when the wind's under 3mph. Like you've been doing, flying the NikNak. If you only have the Zephyr in your hand, it will fly in SUL wind with effort. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmadz Posted June 22, 2014 Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 Rob, everyone needs to remember that you fly on the beach. Imran lives in Chicagoland and unless he gets to the beach I doubt the winds he's gonna have are smooth enough to fly in 1 mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted June 22, 2014 Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 And where I live a steady wind of any strength is as rare as winning the lottery.Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunset Posted June 22, 2014 Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 I own the E3 and Zephyr, and they are fun kites to fly once they are adjusted. They Zephyr had a strong pull, and heavy feeling until I moved the tow point above the upper knot on the bridle. Then it was fine, and flies the way I expected it to, when I bought it. The kite seems to have a heavy frame for on ultralight, and I would also consider it to be a light standard. I changed wing tip tensioning system to the same used on the E3, it is more user friendly for me. The E3 is a strong kite and has taken a lot of abuse, especially in stronger winds. It does require moving the standoff position as the wind changes, along with the tow point on the bridle. If I had to do it over again, would have bought a different kite, like the Premier Widow NG. After owning then Zephyr and E3, I decide to avoid the Quantum Pro, and bought a Skyburner Widowmaker instead. I am happy with that decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainbob Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 I own the E3 and Zephyr, and they are fun kites to fly once they are adjusted. They Zephyr had a strong pull, and heavy feeling until I moved the tow point above the upper knot on the bridle. Then it was fine, and flies the way I expected it to, when I bought it. The kite seems to have a heavy frame for on ultralight, and I would also consider it to be a light standard. I went to the field today with my Zephyr and moved the tow point above the low wind knot by 3/4". It flies great now, launches, without stalling in low winds, still has a nice amount of pull, and no problems with turning. It's like a different kite now. Flew it for 2 hours straight. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunset Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 Excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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