cjay Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 Hq Symphony Pro vs. Prism Synapse. And1.3 or 140 vs 170 I did an uneducated impulse buy on a HQ Symphony Pro 1.3 to try out. I think it looks nice, and it is ok for beginners to mess around with, but I didn't care much for the way it flies. It is twitchy and cant cut a straight line for anything. Is there much difference between a Prism Synapse and an Hq Symphony Pro in the way they are built? And is there much difference between the way a 1.3 or 140 and a 170 handle while flying? Especially does a 170 turn slower than a 140 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frob Posted August 29, 2018 Report Share Posted August 29, 2018 First a preface that those are all reliable kites from established brands. They're all good in that regard. 8 hours ago, cjay said: Is there much difference between a Prism Synapse and an Hq Symphony Pro in the way they are built? ... It is twitchy and cant cut a straight line for anything. They're the same class of kites. All of the kites you mentioned are parafoil speed kites. "Para" with its roots the same as parachute, the kites have no spars. "Foil" referring to the airfoil shape, similar to an airplane wing with internal cells. There are several sub-classes of parafoil kites. Those are speed kites, the bridle lines on the kite put the kite at an angle to make the kites move quickly, even in relatively light wind. You are right that these kites feel twitchy, that's because they are speed kites. Among the other sub-classes of parafoils, one popular style is traction kite or power kites which can have enough pull for buggies or skiing, and another popular style is lift kites or show kites that are large and stable rather than being designed for agility. The twitchy feeling is part of the style. All the parafoil speed kites move quickly and are sensitive to input. They CAN fly in a straight line, but it requires experience and skill. They are not designed to move slowly like kites designed for slackline tricks, nor move like quad line kites. Fast and nimble are intentional. 8 hours ago, cjay said: And is there much difference between the way a 1.3 or 140 and a 170 handle while flying? Especially does a 170 turn slower than a 140 ? Some difference, but they're similar because they're all the same class of kites. The bigger kites have a bigger sail area and generate more pull. The 1.3 is 130 cm across, relatively small. It has bigger brothers at 180 cm and 220 cm that can generate more pull. The Synapse family has similar sizes at 140 cm, 170 cm, and 200 cm. All of those sizes are still in the speed kite category. Parafoils are not usually considered power kites or traction kites until they reach about 3 meters across. (Different people use the names differently, commonly power kites are 2 line, traction kites are often four lines, but that isn't universal terminology.) Turning speed is going to be a matter of several factors. The wind speed, the kite's bridle configuration, and the pilot's body movements will all make a difference. Bigger kites tend to have more drag (slow down) due to their size, but with some experience a pilot could make a small kite turn slowly and make a large kite turn rapidly. Even so, they're all parafoil speed kites so they're going to turn fast and fly fast. 8 hours ago, cjay said: I think it looks nice, and it is ok for beginners to mess around with, but I didn't care much for the way it flies. The kite is marketed as a beginner kite. Parafoils are very resilliant kites because they don't have spars (no parts to break) and this one is smaller making it more gentle than it's bigger brothers. Combined this kite is easier for beginners, but that doesn't mean experienced people can't or won't fly it. If you like the parafoil style consider keeping the smaller kite in your bag and picking up a larger model. When winds are strong a large kite can be damaged or be overpowered, the smaller model with less surface area can let you have a similar flying experience. Whatever you decide to do with it personal preference is important, fly what you enjoy flying. If you live somewhere near others who fly, such as on a beach or near a kite store, consider asking about flying a variety of kites. Many people have a collection of different kites and will help you experiment a bit to find kites you enjoy. Flying other people's kites is the cheapest way to go when starting out. You'll be addicted in no time. ;-) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmond Dragut Posted August 29, 2018 Report Share Posted August 29, 2018 wow, one of the most complete answer i ever see. Good job frob. i will add this, for the parafoil you have you need minimum 4-5 mph wind to fly and you will do that till around 30. with a 2.5-3 kite you will launch in 2-3 mph but because of pull be careful when the wind reach around 10-12. not all the time bigger is better and that depending of you weight and wind speed. at 200 Lbs i have for static fly i never go bigger than 5 on low winds dual or quad 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted August 29, 2018 Report Share Posted August 29, 2018 Flying twitchy and not in straight lines is a result of a combination of these: 1. The nature of the beast. 2. Wind quality and speed. 3. Pilot's experience level. 4. Size of the kite. To tame it down use longer lines or fly a bigger kite and fly in smoother wind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted August 29, 2018 Report Share Posted August 29, 2018 One minor note. Classifications for these foils is very specific and the foils you've mentioned are all known as sport foils. Speed foils often fall into this category but not always.. The Sport foils are numbered roughly to denote wingspan.. Traction foils a.k.a. Power Kites are measured in square meters. A 2M Traction foil is significantly larger than and more powerful than a 2.2 Sport foil.. Here is a 2.2 Sport foil (Symphony) on top of a 2M Powerfoil (HQ Crossfire). All that being said, the Sport foils fly pretty much the same all other things being equal. I prefer the Symphony Pro kites by far as the bridling is superior. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjay Posted August 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 Thanks for all of the replies, much appreciated. I get the picture now. Sounds like the Symphony Pro was a good choice for these type of kites. I just wasn't sure what size to get. I wanted to get the 1.8 but was concerned about too much pull for smaller people, and in higher winds, so I ended up getting the 1.3. I don't need to get the 1.8 since it is the same sort of deal and doesn't handle much differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmond Dragut Posted August 30, 2018 Report Share Posted August 30, 2018 go at 2.5-3 you will feel the difference in fly quality and wind range Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladders Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 Ive had a symphony 1.4 for years. It is apparently indestructible. On a beach it can be a real handful - I'm 6" and 80 kg and it pulls me around. It's also capable of quite neat, elegant flying. I find the level of feedback I get from it makes it easy to tease through the sky. Love it. I think the reason I love it is because I'm so used to it. Maybe invest a bit more time in it? And buy another kite too, obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjay Posted October 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2018 Sounds like the 1.3 size I got is probably better for beginners with less pull than the 1.8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frob Posted October 16, 2018 Report Share Posted October 16, 2018 Gentler, certainly, but that's not a bad thing. Kites can have high pull and fast speeds that are beyond beginner's skill, that doesn't mean people with intermediate and expert skills will ONLY fly those kites. Not every kite day needs to be an upper-body workout. A lazy day flying kites means flying gentler kites. A kite can be beginner-friendly can can also be fun to fly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted October 17, 2018 Report Share Posted October 17, 2018 On 10/8/2018 at 1:49 PM, Gladders said: On a beach it can be a real handful - I'm 6" and 80 kg and it pulls me around. Six inches and 175 pounds? That's like a 12-foot deep dish pizza, more or less. 😂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladders Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 10 hours ago, makatakam said: Six inches and 175 pounds? That's like a 12-foot deep dish pizza, more or less. 😂 Thats me. Short and very, very wide. 🙃 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breezin Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 Hmm must look up short and very, very wide kites. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladders Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 Pizza kite 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 Kite Yoga - the unification of body, mind and breeze Kite Yoga is striving to achieve that goal. Once achieved, it's called Zen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breezin Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 20 hours ago, makatakam said: Kite Yoga - the unification of body, mind and breeze Kite Yoga is striving to achieve that goal. Once achieved, it's called Zen. Wow got to rethink things again. All this time I thought I've been achieving Zen keeping the kites in the air 😲. Maybe that's why I keep falling over 🤔. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 Poses to use... Downward Facing SkyDog Fly the Triangle Half Moon pose for Night Flys Dolphin inflatable Kite Avoid the Tree Pose and Intense Side stretch as that can damage your kite 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladders Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 5 hours ago, riffclown said: Poses to use... Downward Facing SkyDog Fly the Triangle Half Moon pose for Night Flys Dolphin inflatable Kite Avoid the Tree Pose and Intense Side stretch as that can damage your kite Brilliant. Om. 😌 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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