Kansas Flier Posted September 6, 2017 Report Share Posted September 6, 2017 6 hours ago, cjay said: I understand what you are saying though, if someone makes the offer then that is their prerogative. Between the four or five multi-line people that show up at our local kite festivals, if the kite is set up and no one is flying it, it's fair game. The trouble is, none of them own boutique trick kites. At least they don't break them out at kite festivals. ...or around me... I suspect we are all waiting for someone else to get one so we can all descend on it like vultures. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted September 6, 2017 Report Share Posted September 6, 2017 15 hours ago, Kansas Flier said: I wondered if there was a special word for accidentally doing a trick. Yes, it's called lying, as in "That's what I was trying to do". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjay Posted October 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 My Widow NG went back to premier on their request due to defects. I still want one, but won't buy one until I can inspect it in person first. It looks like I might be getting one of my old Prism E2 kites back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esinger Posted October 18, 2017 Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 When I called to purchase my Widowmaker Pro, they told me that it was the last one they had. I'm happy and sad at the same time. It's a wonderful kite and really hope they can produce them again in the future. I also hope that Steve Tapp recovers from his health issuesSent from my XT1575 using KiteLife mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjay Posted October 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esinger Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 So far, my experience has been positive with both Jon and Marieanne. I'm a week into owning the Pro and had one question and they responded in the same day. No problems or defects I can see. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwp Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 12 hours ago, esinger said: When I called to purchase my Widowmaker Pro, they told me that it was the last one they had. I'm happy and sad at the same time. It's a wonderful kite and really hope they can produce them again in the future. I also hope that Steve Tapp recovers from his health issues Sent from my XT1575 using KiteLife mobile app Yup and I happened to get the second to last, had a kite on order for 3 months and Marianne called one day and asked if I wanted white with black pin-stripping or a black/white sail as they were the last 2 sails they had. Still very thankful that I got one at all even though it has not been flown yet and is awaiting a very special occasion if it ever does get flown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjay Posted October 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esinger Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 MWP, I've definitely flown mine. Well Cjay, I'm sorry to hear about your Widowmaker NG problems and can't really comment on your conversation with Marieanne. I'm not sure how much involvement they have with the Premier version. I have a kite friend that just bought a NG as well and I'm hoping to get up with him in the near future so we can compare the two versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 I have to chalk this one up to bad timing or a simple conflict in personalities, Jon and Marieanne's reputations are among the best in the industry - unblemished after more than 25 years in business, a claim very few can make.Sent from my iPhone using KiteLife mobile app 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 And for the record, when you get right down to it, Jon did the design for Premier but everything after that is almost 100% out of his hands - totally relegated to Chinese manufacturing and Premier's position as a mass production company.Sent from my iPhone using KiteLife mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjay Posted October 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjkramos Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 Sorry if I missed the post, but what were the defects you found? I just bought a brand new Widow NG Special for $130 and was thinking I should go inspect it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 I understand your experience @cjay, no slight intended, just surprised and sad it worked out that way. For defects on the Widow NG, I've seen quite a few fabric stains, curious to hear what else folks have found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjay Posted October 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 On 10/19/2017 at 1:21 PM, cjkramos said: Sorry if I missed the post, but what were the defects you found? I just bought a brand new Widow NG Special for $130 and was thinking I should go inspect it. It was a combination of minor things that was difficult to show in pictures. Premier said it was within specs but wanted it back. It probably would have worked fine but I wanted Premier to advise me about it. The spine weight pocket on the bottom was sewn on crooked, and it looked to me like it pulled the sail off center a little. I think one wing was shorter than the other by maybe 1/2 inch. I didn't measure the wing lengths because it was already going back, but the leading edge bungee string knots were tied at different lengths and had the same tension. One side was tied 1/2" longer than where the red mark was for the knot. When I tied the knot on the mark to match the other one, that wing was excessively tight to assemble. I think someone tied it longer to compensate for over tension due to one side being shorter, if that makes sense. As far as stains go, I don't really care about minor stains cause it is going to get used and abused. But yes mine had a small faint stain also. Premier said all of them that they inspected had stains. Kites and Fun Things said that is normal for this kite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esinger Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 I hope everything works out and you have an enjoyable experience with your new kite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjay Posted March 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2018 I got my Prism E2 back. The spine and leading edge was broken so I took it to Prism and got the parts, and some spares. It turns out that the E2 has a P200 spine and the E3 has a stronger pultruded spine, so I got one of each. They gave me weights also. So I am ready to fly again now, just in time for spring. I am going to order another Widow NG soon also. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breezin Posted March 15, 2018 Report Share Posted March 15, 2018 This is one of the 1st post I read. The 1st time I put my Widow ng together the spine weight pocket twisted pretty severely to the left. I found everything measured out evenly and no stains. It concerned me a lot about the twist. Every time I set up the kite for launch I had to turn the pocket back to center. I have read that a sail needs to stretch and begin to breath before it aligns and it's true nature appears. For some reason I got it in my head this takes 20 or more hours of flying in different winds. The more the Widow has been flown the less Iv'e had to adjust the pocket. Now it seems it's from hard crashes more than sewn off center. Flew this morning for 1 1/2 hours. Started in 0 to 4. Last 1/2 hour some gusts hitting 15. No crashes [unbelievable huh]. Reset the kite quite a few times from failed tricks. Mostly wing tip wraps. Did not have to straighten out pocket once. Iv'e got more then 50 hours on it now and this is the 4th time out that the pocket stayed straight. Think the sail has broken in nicely. My Zephyr when new was even more dramatic looking due to the Mylar running down the whole spine. From the nose down it looked like the whole thing was sewn off center. With more than 25 hours in the air it's about 1/2 as bad. More flight time and I think it will straighten out the rest of the way. Maybe longer then the Widow due to the stiffness of the Mylar and flying in lower winds. I believe all my kites fly better now that they're broken in and the crispness is less. Being new I can't really tell how much because my skills still need a lot of honing. With close to 5 hours on the Hydra it should be the kite that I can really feel a difference. Maybe when it breaks in something will be off . Doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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