Give me a recommendation

[Madoldlad]

Good Evening to everyone,

I Want to buy my first stunt kite , since my original Peter Powell!!!

I want to eventually get into tricks as well so I have a couple of ideas give me your feedback, want to spend around£100.

Skydog. Jammin. Or dream on........

Prism Quantum......hypnotist

Hq.....maestro 2

I would like to fly in as wide a range of wind conditions as possible

So what do you think.......can't wait to get out there.

[sunset]

I would choose the Prism Hypnotist over the Quantum. I would choose the HQ Maestro 3 (the latest model) over the Maestro 2. I am not familiar with Skydog kites. You might also consider the Premier Widow NG or Wolf NG.

[RobB]

The Prism Hypnotist would be my choice if you have winds 7-25 mph. It is an amazingly durable kite, and capable, too. I couldn't say that the other kites mentioned could fly in any lower winds, and I doubt that they would be more durable. I have a NewTech New Jam which is similar to the Jammin' kite, and an original Maestro (1?). Neither was very durable, and I wasn't a big fan of the way the Maestro flew.

Good luck with your choice !

[Hadge]

Hi there, Welcome to the forum from fellow Brit flier!

You have mentioned most of the decent trick kite available in the UK in £100 ish range. Here are my thoughts.

Quantum and Hypnotist - decent kites but they are designed to be tough for beginners ( especially the Quantum) which makes them a bit on the heavy side so they may not be as easy to fly in low winds.

Skydog Jammin' and Dream on - Designed by Dodd Gross who makes a nice kite that doesn't cost a fortune. The Dream On is more of a Team kite - made for precision more than tricks. The Jammin' has had some good write up's from people who have bought it and it seems to be very tricky. It also has the advantage that it made from ordinary 6mm carbon tube which is cheap and easy to fix when you break bits ( You WILL break bits - everyone does!). it's a kite I'd like to try myself.

HQ Maestro 2 (3?) I have had a Maestro 2 for a couple of years now and really like it. It's HQ so the quality is good and it's a pretty tough, all round kite with a good wind range. It will also do pretty much any trick.

Now the standard Maestro 2 straight out of the bag is a pretty good kite. A couple of years ago one of the well known German pilots posted a series of modifications to 'tune' the standard kite - small frame and bridle mods you can do very easily. This made the standard kite even better - I have a modded version and it's a great kite. At the time at least one person from HQ flew the modded kite and hey presto they have now produced the Maestro 3 which is slightly smaller than the '2' ( but the same size as the modded version) and has a 3 point bridle instead of the turbo bridle on the '2' ( the modded version also has a 3 point!).

I suspect that the Maestro 3 may be their take on the modded Maestro 2 though I have nothing to confirm this - it isn't even on their current website or catalogue but probably will be in the 2015 one - not much on the web either. The Maestro 2 is available from the 2 big UK kite shops at around £100 the Maestro 3 is available from a couple of the German kite shops on Ebay for £106 with free postage.

Which to get? personnally I'd have either a Jammin' or a Maestro. Which Maestro? the 2 is good but I would be very tempted to try the new version.

If you want any more info or addresses for the kite shops PM me.

Oh - You want to get a copy of Dodd Gross's ' Flight School' video too - the best I've found for new fliers or anyone wanting to get into trick flying - it is available on Youtube as Dodd has recently posted it up.

[Madoldlad]

Well having talked to a few and had a few forum queries I have bought a jive 2 should be here in the next couple of days,thanks for everyone's input, .

have you cant be far from me I'm in Hull near the bridge .......

[mywindstuff]

I have to agree with (Sunset), the Premier wolf ng is closer to your budget , the Premier widow ng is very similar but bigger, I own and fly them both , the wolf ng is my favorite between the two , I can easily fly it in 3mph breezes and it has a turbo bridle. If you can find one , I really like the Dodd Gross Big Bang , slow , quite and trick capable. There's a lot of great kites out there , all with different personalities. Happy Kiting!

[Hadge]

I have to agree with (Sunset), the Premier wolf ng is closer to your budget , the Premier widow ng is very similar but bigger, I own and fly them both , the wolf ng is my favorite between the two , I can easily fly it in 3mph breezes and it has a turbo bridle. If you can find one , I really like the Dodd Gross Big Bang , slow , quite and trick capable. There's a lot of great kites out there , all with different personalities. Happy Kiting!

While I agree it's a great kite, the problem is it's not sold in the UK. That means you can only get hold of it ( and many other nice kites you guys have over there) by importing it and that means UK customs & Import charges for anything worth over £40 ($60). The Widow NG is around $180 (£112) over there, but by the time you have paid shipping, UK Import duty, Tax and handling charges it will cost around £180 by the time it arrives on a doorstep over here! The range of kites available over here is quite limited.