Reviews written by Joel

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This is a test editor review.

Another beamer review

A really nice kite...

Not sure I like the harness...

I have had this kite with me for demo for approximately 1 month, in that time I have flown it for at least 30 hours and got to know the kite, so lets go with a review of it.

Introduction
HQ promote this kite as their intermediate fixed bridle kite, most likely promoted like this as they are due to have a race kite released in the near future. I gave the kite to a number of people who are flying intermediate kites such as the Flexifoil Blurr and Peter Lynn Reactor, it took them a bit of time to dial in to the kite as it is more of an intermediate-advanced then it is an intermediate kite. The kite itself has a few "race kite" like tendencies that have crept in to the design.

Backpack
The backpack is a rounded style small pack. It has a hood on the top of the bag, unclipping the hood you have a drawstring and a zip. There's also a few compartments on the bag to put other items in. It is quite a functional bag and a good size, keeping it all packed in together.

Accessories
The HQ Crossfire II comes with some extras included in the whole package. You receive a manual from HQ about setting up the kite etc, there's also a DVD included, a set of kite killers and a ground stake. Quite a good little pack of extras that are included in the package.

Handles
The handles a comfortable, over time I grew to like the handles more and more. They are clearly colour coded, so you know which is which when picking up the handles. And incase you aren't familiar with the Red and Blue, then they are clearly labeled L for left and R for right on the back of the handles. The handles also have adequate rope out the back of them to attach to your harness or back strap. Overall the handles are a good, comfortable, functioning design.

Lines
The lines from HQ have improved over what I had seen about a year ago. Perhaps a new supplier? A new source? However the lines now look just like your typical top of the shelf lines you buy from a kite retailer. They are sewn at each end, and are very very strong. On one of the afternoons flying the kite Cris was buggy jumping on them and there were no issues and no line stretch. The lines are all colour coded making it nice and easy to figure out which lines are which in case of a tangle.

Build Quality of the Kite
I can't fault it, simple as that. The kites are built as good as the leading brands, and in some cases better when you go and compare the kites on the market in the same price bracket. The canopy or sail itself is constructed very very well, and solid! Around all the leading edge vents there's reinforcement, it is like a really heavy duty woven style of Dacron. I'm sure sailmakers or retailers would know what it is, but it's damn durable and very very resilient to tearing! This means that the kite if you pull it on something leading edge down won't tear open, it also adds support to the cell opening shape. Going further in to the sail you have the cell walls, for the first few inches there is Mylar sewn on to the cell wall, this helps as in kites as one of the first areas of the kite to fatigue is along your A and B bridle rows. It adds extra support and also stops them ripping on impact. All the kite's tabs are reinforced, and reinforced very very well. The trailing edge of the kite is reinforced to reduce the likeliness of a blown cell on a hard impact, and the kite also offers dirt outs in each corner to help remove dirt and sand. The bridle is sleeved dyneema and once again looks heavy duty. Personally I like my kites with sleeved bridles like this one, it stops bridle damage when you get the bridle caught on something in a park, oval, beach or transporting the kite.

Flight Characteristics
This is where it gets very interesting, as I said earlier the kite is an intermediate-advanced kite. So if you're at an intermediate level it is going to take a bit more flying time to get used to it. The kite I would look at as a high-performance kite bordering on entering the race-kite level. I went the fastest I have ever gone on a kite with the 4.0m HQ Crossfire II.

The kite loves brakes, and you really need to ride them. In a good wind launching the kite is easy, in a lighter wind you need to get the kite on its side quickly after launching to inflate the cells and pressurize them. Once the kite's cells are up to pressure it just snaps the power on, there's not this gradual "build up" of power, it just throws it on at you from the word go. Flying the kite across the window you just keep generating more and more speed in a buggy, I had a good 25kg on Richard, he was on a 6.0m kite, I was on the 4.0m Crossfire II, slightly underpowered yet working it I was still able to overtake him on both upwind and downwind reaches.

Upwind the kite is a machine, which is surprising for the shape of the kite. The HQ Crossfire II still has a very high aspect, visually it isn't as apparent due to the graphics style and design of the canopy. However on paper, or laid out flat on grass it really becomes apparent just how high aspect it is. This aids in its upwind ability. Coming over a 600m stretch for the last 200m I was trying to point upwind to slow myself down, the kite points so well upwind that I ran out of ground upwind to stop.

Downwind the kite is more challenging, it does have a slight tendency to stall if there's not enough pressure in the cells. The trick is to keep it moving whilst applying enough brake tension to hold it back in the window. Very race kite like in the way it behaves down wind, yet it is much much easier then a race kite to fly. I would say the kite's biggest weakness would be downwind. Whilst the kite is still strong in this category, and much stronger then a number of other kites I have flown in that it keeps your pace well down wind, after feeling the power it drives on an upwind reach you feel like you want just a bit more of that power downwind.

The kite turns very very quickly, add a bit of brake in to it and it loops around fast. Turning the kite to go the other way from where you came you need to be on the brakes really really heavily, if not it will luff or bowtie. This is one thing I found when riding towards the kite it needed a very large amount of brake input to keep it steady.

Gusty winds the kite like any high performance kite is not favorable to them, however it is much more stable then a race kite. I flew it in gusty conditions the first few times and it really got me on my toes and learning quickly how to handle the kite. By the end of it the gusts weren't so much a problem, we adjusted the brakes on the bridle an extra two factory setting knots towards the kite and this took out the impact of the gusts making the kite luff by overflying.

Power per size the kite is very very powerful, it does like its upper wind range levels and performs best. The kite does have a good low end and a really good wind range, however the upper half of the kites wind range and it just comes alive like you're holding on to the back of a fighter jet. It just wants to go and wants to take you along with it for the ride the moment you send the kite through the power zone. It is by far one of the best kites I have flown powered up and it just leaves you with a smile wanting more.

Overall
I love the kite, and it's not even my kite! Using the brakes on the kite is like pushing a button that says "turbo" it just produces so much more power. Value for money, the build quality and the overall package are just superb. If the kite was priced up a few hundred dollars per size I would still be raving about it. The kite not only performs well for the dollar, but take away any monetary comparison and just have it kite beside kite and it still performs in my top 5 list in the way it handles itself. The only area I would consider is the kite for light light winds, it is a robust built kite, so there is going to be slightly more weight in the kite then some others. The flipside is it may need an extra knot or two at the very very bottom end of the scale to keep it going.

I can see is the audience it is marketed to, yes it is an intermediate kite of sorts, but I feel it is just a bit above that level. If you feel like you want to live a little, and be reminded things in life can spank you, or border on it ripping your arms off as it powers up giving you that bit of a buzz then go demo one of these kites, you will come away smiling. I handed it around for people to try, two weeks later I see HQ Crossfire II's appearing in other sizes around the place. I guess others like to live a bit as well.