Sport & Stunt Kites

Hi everyone,

Just as an update to my previous post (Freilein - Windrider), I ended up purchasing a different quad kite to the Windrider.
It turned out to be a 2.1m Albatross Branded kite.

After some excitement & watchin some more online videos, I decided to give it a crack..

I was down the beach and possibly should have gone for a walk instead of doing a maiden.. I managed to get the kite in the air a couple of times, but there is definately a skill to keeping quad from NOT spinning.. I think the slightly strong winds didnt help.. LOL

Anyway, after some more teasing on the lines, I managed to bring it down on the side and cracked one of the leading edge spars. Luckly it came with a spare.

I have not yet had time to give it another go, but I have been doing some more Googling and have come across the REV SLE 1.5 with the larger (and hopefully stronger) leading edge spar.

Now to my questions...

1. Would the SLE be a better quad to learn on (due to the larger spar)? Does the larger spar make the kite perform / respond differently (slower)?

and

2. Would it be better to go for a vented or standard sail? (I have seen a couple of reasonable good deals online for both options atm).

Thanks

Adrian

Now to my questions...

1. Would the SLE be a better quad to learn on (due to the larger spar)? Does the larger spar make the kite perform / respond differently (slower)?

Not sure what rods came with your kite but seeing as it's is essentially a Chines knock off I would say yes.

2. Would it be better to go for a vented or standard sail? (I have seen a couple of reasonable good deals online for both options atm).

This will depend on the wind you want to fly it in

The 1.5 SLE Vented model has been designed for high wind conditions (12-25 mph).

Thanks Jason for the replies..
Since the ventd is designed for higher winds, does that mean it would be easier to fly in lighters winds? Or should it be worse as you wouldn't get as much lift from a vented sail?

The cheap one I got came with 1/4 inch rods.

Adrian

I would go the non vented personally unless your intending on flying it in 25+ knots, and get a set of thinner 2 or 3 wrap rods for when the wind is light. This will cover you from light wind up to around 20 knots.

Combination works well for me.

You will have to crash a genuine Rev pretty hard to break a rod I was very surprised at how much of a whack they can take.

Another kite to consider would be the rev exp. A little cheaper then the sle. I own one of theses and I've had it out in about 18knotes with no dramas. They will also fly nicely in about 5knots.

I did briefly look at the EXP.. I've also read that people want to "upgrade" from the EXP soon after.. I'm not sure what the upgrade means.. Maybe the quality and/or strength of the rods etc

Have you had any issues / breakages of the EXP rods etc?

Thanks
A

no I haven't had a problem, and I have smashed that kite into the ground pretty hard.... repeatedly.... alot
From what I understand, the spars are all the same quality just that some have more layers (so heavier, but stronger) then others.

You may want to upgrade later, I don't know. Stunt kites are not my main thing, so I don't know if I'll "out grow" it. It's just a kite that I keep in the car that I can stop and have a fly on the way home from work, but it's still heaps of fun.
I don't think that you can go wrong with either an SLE or EXP.

As for the vented thing, I wouldn't get a vented kite first up. Yes, they will fly in higher winds without as much strain on the lines, but they won't fly at all in lighter winds. Get a non vented kite that will fly in the lighter stuff and then just hold on when it really starts to blow

Difference between the SLE and the Exp is in the fabric as far as I'm aware, the SLE has a better quality fabric and larger diameter leading edge and it looks nicer as well.