JaseRicco Posted August 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 6 hours ago, kitedad said: Seriously though his zephyr is what I would call a ul kite. I believe the lowest wind range hes gotten it to fly is right about 3mph maybe a little less with the lulls. We bought it about two seasons ago, but he's bored with it now. He likes the lam hoac atm a lot better because of its trick ability, and has the new widomaker to fly at a much lower wind. I am going to try to sell the zephyr along with a widow ng he doesn't use much(likes the flying wings better). We also bought a flying wings zero kite which flys in very light wind, but it's not a full size kite. The widowmaker sul wasn't available when we bought the zero last year, it was only about 100$ so we will probably keep the zero for a while longer. Someday I'd like to get Lam to build him one of his newer kites like the transformer or something. He's got to get better with the tricks before that happens. I bought the zephyr used for $100. 3-7 mph is about right. We thought about the pro dancer too but decided to go with the widow, if the wind is sub 1mph he's going to sit it out. He wanted a kite with more trickability than the prodancer. Sub 1 mph is basically indoor flying, he's not into that right now. I guess I'd take 100 or so for the zephyr and about 60 for the ng. the zephyr is red btw, inferno? 3-7 mph is exactly what I am looking for. I am not into no wind or indoor flying. So anything less, like your boy, I'm sitting out. But when I head to the beach, put up my Quantum, and it flutters to the ground, I'd like to have a kite with me that I can put up and keep the fun going...if that makes any sense. That's about as serious as I am going to get with low wind for right now. I am surprised though to hear that your boy is bored with the Zephyr, and needed to look else where for a trickable kite. Everything I read states that the Zephyr is the epitome of trick ability...yo yo stoppers, adjustable no snag leech line, adjustable bridle, spine weights. Something he doesn't like about the Zephyr? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseRicco Posted August 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 9 minutes ago, SparkieRob said: There's more on FB about the AC than Lams website. An 8 footer will be "slower" than the same kite as a seven footer. There's more on FB about the AC than Lams website. - I don't have a FB, stopped using that many years ago lol An 8 footer will be "slower" than the same kite as a seven footer. - Understood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseRicco Posted August 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 7 hours ago, kitedad said: I guess I'd take $100 or so for the Zephyr and about $60 for the NG. The zephyr is red btw, inferno? PM Sent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyB Posted August 8, 2017 Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 1 hour ago, JaseRicco said: Thanks man, I really appreciate the info! Wonder what "soon" means. In my mind that can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. I saw that the kite was also an SUL not a UL, which is what the Acrobatx & Silver Fox's are. From what I see, often times when you go from UL to SUL you give up some mass in the kite, which is why I am looking for a UL. Something that is light enough for low winds but still gives you some feedback...wingspan of about 7 or 8 feet would do. I looked on Lams sight and didn't see anything called the AC? Lam's stunt kite designs tend to all share some similar attributes which are: medium speed (not fast, not slow), medium feedback (you can feel the tension on the lines even when flying his SUL kites in low winds yet you don't have to struggle in higher winds due to the kite pulling too hard), excellent precision (not too squirrely yet also doesn't require exaggerated inputs to get the desired reaction), excellent trickability with little effort (the kites feel like they're working with you rather than against you - they seem eager and willing to do what you want). In short: they are very well balanced concerning all aspects of flight. Most of Lam's SUL kites fly well in anything from 2-15 MPH winds and you can buy separate spreaders from him with different stiffness to further tweak the kite for varying wind conditions (more stiff for heavier winds and less stiff for lighter winds). I recently purchased the ABS MC SUL (quad line) and the AC UL (dual line) from Lam and for both I had him include two sets of spreaders: the DT 8 and the DT 10. If you'd like more videos about his AC stunt kite (his most recent design) they are available on his vimeo page here (click his account name to see several other AC kite vids): Here is a photo of the AC UL he made for me: 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseRicco Posted August 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 5 minutes ago, TonyB said: Lam's stunt kite designs tend to all share some similar attributes which are: medium speed (not fast, not slow), medium feedback (you can feel the tension on the lines even when flying his SUL kites in low winds yet you don't have to struggle in higher winds due to the kite pulling too hard), excellent precision (not too squirrely yet also doesn't require exaggerated inputs to get the desired reaction), excellent trickability with little effort (the kites feel like they're working with you rather than against you - they seem eager and willing to do what you want). Most of Lam's SUL kites fly well in anything from 2-15 MPH winds and you can buy separate spreaders from him with different stiffness to further tweak the kite for varying wind conditions (more stiff for heavier winds and less stiff for lighter winds). I recently purchased the ABS MC SUL (quad line) and the AC UL (dual line) from Lam and for both I had him include two sets of spreaders: the DT 8 and the DT 10. Everyone really seems to love his kites. Out of all the kites out there, I feel like his are the ones that get the most attention. Certainly wish I had the money to get in on one instead of settling on a kite I can afford. By the time I have $400-$500 to spend it'll be next year lol. Christmas will be here soon enough though 5 minutes ago, TonyB said: Here is a photo of the AC he made for me: Gorgeous kite man. One of my favorite color combinations...Yellow, Black & Red, Red being my favorite color in general. What's with the face in most of his kites? Is that his thing, I guess? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyB Posted August 8, 2017 Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 5 minutes ago, JaseRicco said: Gorgeous kite man. One of my favorite color combinations...Yellow, Black & Red, Red being my favorite color in general. What's with the face in most of his kites? Is that his thing, I guess? Yes, he tends to have a face on many of his designs although you can request to have him make one without the eyes (he actually has a few vids of flying the AC without the eyes on his vimeo account). The previous stunt kite he designed, the Mind Trick, also did not have a face. And yeah, I saw his video flying the yellow kite and I fell in love. The colors look so amazing in flight or when stunting and they make it really pop vs a blue sky or white clouds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitedad Posted August 9, 2017 Report Share Posted August 9, 2017 11 hours ago, JaseRicco said: Something he doesn't like about the Zephyr perhaps back in the day it was considered a great trickster but hands down its a Lam kite that takes that prize nowdays. it's not that there's something about the zephyr he doesn't like, it's more that he likes the atm and now his widowmaker more,--- like what Tony B has said just about says it all. A little hard for me to explain The atm has the same wind range and since he is in the learning stages of doing tricks it is more friendly for that than his zephyr. I know it's out of your price range but I can't say enough good about his new widomaker pro sul. It's speeding up his learning process for doing tricks because it will float in the air longer because of its light weight allowing him more time to figure out what is happening and what to do next. The kite Loves to go into a turtle and recovers very nicely from nearly any attitude. Its' a fragile little beauty so if you haven't mastered your ground game, you'll likely break something sooner than later. On the other hand the zephyr is a tougher kite that either the atm or the widow. A great place to start, I'll put it that way. And the skyshark spars are easier to get it you break something. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseRicco Posted August 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 On 8/7/2017 at 6:46 PM, SHBKF said: The weight of two Zephyrs now in the Kite Dungeon... Completely stock kite with Inferno color scheme... Both kites have vinyl end caps on the leading edge tips, 2 1/2 grams for the pair of them Kite without tail weight 298 grams or 10 1/2 ounces You were right on with weight. Just heard back from Keegan at Prism... Zephyr weighs in at roughly 10.4oz or 295gr without tail weight or yo yo stoppers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseRicco Posted August 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 On 8/7/2017 at 6:38 PM, TonyB said: On 8/7/2017 at 6:38 PM, TonyB said: This may also be a new revision Lam was testing since he also posted "coming out in the near future" in the description: I dug a little and found some information regarding these Silver Fox kites designed by Lam Hoac. I posted in a new thread titled "Silver Fox Series by Flying Wings designed by LAM HOAC!!" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseRicco Posted August 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 Had to send the Zephyr back, and wound up going with the Flying Wings Silver Fox 2.3 UL. Really bummed but had no choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted August 17, 2017 Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 Bummer. What was the issue with the Zephyr? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseRicco Posted August 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2017 I ordered two because I couldn't decide on the color. Each kite came from a different retailer. When I opened up the first kite there was a significant amount of black staining all over the sail. I thought maybe just a fluke, so I opened the second, same exact thing, except it had some red staining as well. Since I ordered two different colors, from two different retailers, and the staining looked more like a defect rather than use, I contacted Prism directly. Rep was very apologetic and suggested a kite swap which I happily accepted. When I didn't hear back I sent an email stating that I would need to know asap so that I can return my kites in time for a refund. This was the response... "Hi again Jason, Sorry for not getting back to you yesterday – we spent a good amount of time going through our stock of Zephyrs here at the shop trying to find a replacement for you, but we were surprised to find that all our current stock has this issue. I assumed we had product here at the shop that I could send to you, but it turns out that all of our remaining Zephyrs have sail stains. We’ll be coordinating with stores to let them know about this (you were the first to let us know, by the way) and will be making plans to get new, clean Zephyrs back in stock. Unfortunately, this means your best bet is probably going to be a return right now. If you have any trouble from the stores you purchased from, please let me know – we have really excellent relationships with all of our vendors, so I’m sure we can help you out if for any reason they have an issue with you returning this kite. I’m so sorry about this whole ordeal, this is definitely not the kind of experience that we are looking to provide our customers. If there’s anything we can do for you at this point, please let us know. Thank you," I replied that I was sorry to hear that and am really bummed, but that it is not their fault, and thanked the rep for his candor and for doing what he could to correct my situation. Hence, the decision to go with my second choice...Silver Fox 2.3 UL. All in all, great customer service from Prism. Wish more companies took this approach when it comes to satisfying their customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted August 18, 2017 Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 You could inquire about a substantial discount, especially from Prism directly, since they have a few "throw-away" Zephyrs on hand now. You might be able to work out a really, really sweet deal. From 80 feet or more most kite stains aren't very noticeable. For a beater to learn on I would offer $50 and see if anyone bites. You could get lucky and get three for the price of one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseRicco Posted August 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 10 hours ago, makatakam said: You could inquire about a substantial discount, especially from Prism directly, since they have a few "throw-away" Zephyrs on hand now. You might be able to work out a really, really sweet deal. From 80 feet or more most kite stains aren't very noticeable. For a beater to learn on I would offer $50 and see if anyone bites. You could get lucky and get three for the price of one. Very good idea, didn't think of that. I already ordered the Silver Fox, but just might try your suggestion anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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