Power Kite Forum - Pansh Kites look quite cheap but it seems so many people have them...why are they so cheap, are they made of a bad quality ?

Pansh Kites look quite cheap but it seems so many people have them...why are they so cheap, are they made of a bad quality ?

OllieN - 20-7-2009 at 10:57 AM

As the title asks it seems on their website they have awesome deals and everything like a 4.5m ace for $189 which is awesome price for the size of kite and it seems everyone on this forum has one or has atleast used one and i haven't heard any negative talk about them only possitve thought so the price can only ring one thing in my mind....there made very badley or the lines are terable or the handles are bad or something. i dont know im a complete noob still looking to get his 2nd power kite. could someone please inform me on their views of pansh kites.

thanks everyone :singing:

is THEIR actuall kite company and online shop www.panshkite.com or is that some kind of 2nd hand shop cause it seems cheap

f0rgiv3n - 20-7-2009 at 11:17 AM

The pansh discussion has definitely been beat to death online... From what I have gathered (i own a pansh ace 5m and love it) they are great kites for the price but definitely don't necessarily compare in quality. The handles/lines are just fine now, they had issues at the beginning but the lines are no problem. I jump with my ace and i've had it for a year, no issues. They don't necessarily come ready to go all the time. Sometimes you have to adjust the brakes. Also, they dont' come with instructions.

Anyways, that's my 2 cents.

Drewculous - 20-7-2009 at 11:19 AM

This is a long running debate on these boards, i actually asked the same question about a month back... But the consensus is you get what you pay for...

If you can swing a name brand kite, buy it, you'll have more fun with it. But if you dont have the cash and this is your only option, well then its your only option.

People have said they are ok, but not great.

Optimus1120 - 20-7-2009 at 11:30 AM

I own a pansh ace 6m and a legend 4.5m kite and both are excellent kites, they are inexpensive yes, and they do not compare to some of the higher price3d kites, but they are very much worth what you pay. in short, an awesome beater kite.

BeamerBob - 20-7-2009 at 11:33 AM

Just search this or any other kite forum and you will find thousands of posts about Pansh, kite quality, lines, handles, etc. They are a bargain company that many enjoy as their first or subsequent addition to their quiver. Many continue to enjoy and appreciate Pansh kites and others tastes change and they move on to other brands.

revpaul - 20-7-2009 at 11:56 AM

some of the Panshes (Legends in particular) perform well enough vs high end stuff. from what we've seen and done, i can say they take a good beating too. how many beatings or how long they will continue to perform well is anyone's guess. i've heard that some less expensive (and not so less expensive) kites have problems with bridle lines stretching. i haven't heard this about Pansh stuff.
we have 3 or 4 Aces and a couple Legends that do just fine in right conditions.
if your going serious hard kiting you'd better get some high end stuff. if your just want to learn what kiting is about they'll do fine.

FloRider - 20-7-2009 at 11:59 AM

My complaint with the pansh kites is the tendancy to bowtie. I get great lift with the Ace I own, and it has held up beautifully in n 25+ winds. Never had a problem with the quality, except the handles could be better. They would be the first thing I replace.

stetson05 - 20-7-2009 at 12:02 PM

I would stick with the legend or the blaze. My ace falls out of the sky easly and if it powers up in the wrong part of the window it will spank you hard. It has tons of power but even the adjustments I have made didn't really help. My blaze is gentle stabe and relialble and my legend 3m has more lift and less stable than the blaze. The problem is no 2 kites of the same type are the same and often people will say the legend is more gentle and the blaze more lifty. I have my three but I won't buy any more.

f0rgiv3n - 20-7-2009 at 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by live2hover
it has held up beautifully in n 25+ winds.

8m ace in 25+ winds= DAMN! :shocked2:

DAKITEZ - 20-7-2009 at 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by f0rgiv3n

Quote:

Originally posted by live2hover
it has held up beautifully in n 25+ winds.

8m ace in 25+ winds= DAMN! :shocked2:

YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN !!!

BeamerBob - 20-7-2009 at 12:37 PM

For a fixed bridle kite, I'd be trying to decide between 2 and 3m kites in those winds. But I'm only 225 lbs. :smug:

kiteNH - 20-7-2009 at 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by f0rgiv3n

Quote:

Originally posted by live2hover
it has held up beautifully in n 25+ winds.

8m ace in 25+ winds= DAMN! :shocked2:

When I read things like this I automatically assume that the wind speed is an estimate based on the weather report and not a wind meter held up at the flying site. Even flying an 8m Ace in an area where 25+ gusts were occurring is pretty damn crazy.

As for Pansh debate.....beaten too death. Search for old threads and read your heart out.

FloRider - 20-7-2009 at 01:47 PM

I'm not just throwing 25+ out there as an estimate. After a while it got worse and we toned it down to a 6m ace. McDuck got a video of one of our crew who had his shoes ripped off on this trip......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIIO1RzzDyA

Everyone askes......Yes he was ok.

This was a rookie mistake as we hadn't flown in such strong winds before and were more excited about the possibility of massive jumps then our personal safety. Since then I've learned a lesson or two about restraint. lol

USA_Eli_A - 20-7-2009 at 01:53 PM

:moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::moon: :thumbdown:

awindofchange - 20-7-2009 at 02:03 PM

I know that taking my 6m Yakuza out in 25+ mph winds would be very stupid and end up in injury or even death. I am 240 and I wouldn't be able to hold down that much power. Perhaps the Ace you are flying just doesn't produce the same power as other 8 meter kites? Not sure??......but know that I surely wouldn't advise it at all and would be very nervous about anyone trying to launch an 8 meter fixed bridled foil in those wind conditions.

That's a lot of power, be careful and make sure you are wearing plenty of safety gear (helmet and lots of body armor).

kitejumper - 20-7-2009 at 02:29 PM

WOW!!!! im glad you came to your senses!! you very easily could have died!!and i thought I was crazy....... about the pansh quality....... try flying a 5m pansh next to a good solid kite,say an ozone flow 5m and tell us how they compare--nevermind,i'll tell you.....it would be an absolute joke!!!NO COMPARISON!!! and the prices???? pansh 5m--about 175--ozone flow--about 450--proving,yet again that YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. BTW-that was a lovely superman impression in the vid--he's actually lucky--it could have been much worse

Hardrock - 20-7-2009 at 03:13 PM

Yea, that was some serious wind. Gots to be other use's for these like launching jets off aircraft carriers or something.

I'll have to go back and look but this video looks like pansh handels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzoIeOVDINg&feature=fvw

It was there when i watched the above. Nutts!!!!

Anyway, We now have a 5m and 7m Ace. I've learned so much more by having these kites. The tweaks, understanding AR and AOA, power rings, low wind flying etc.

At some point you have to step up with something different to get a better understanding of all the things you read about. Just take it easy and learn your limits.

For just over 200 dollars I have two kites to learn from and compare others to. I also like to fly them because you have to do just that.

heliboy50 - 21-7-2009 at 02:57 AM

Pansh has got a lot of people into this sport and should get props for that. Personally, I didn't go that route because I knew this was something that I would be doing for a long time. If you know that this sport is something you will enjoy and want to stick with, then go for something a little higher in the food chain. Ozone Imp quattro, Beamer IV, PL hornet, PKD Brooza III, the list goes on.

furbowski - 21-7-2009 at 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by live2hover
My complaint with the pansh kites is the tendancy to bowtie. I get great lift with the Ace I own, and it has held up beautifully in n 25+ winds. Never had a problem with the quality, except the handles could be better. They would be the first thing I replace.

one can cut down on the bowties by putting a linkline between the power bridles, right across between the spots where the kite end of your powerlines are larS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s headed to the bridles. It causes a little drag. you want the link line to be a little shorter than the natural gap between the bridles in flight. doesn't stop the collapse that leads to the bowtie, just keeps it from doing a complete twist so you're more likely to be able to relaunch.

I used mine for a few months, then dismounted it as my skills had progressed to the point where I hardly ever had the kite start getting all collapsey on me.

and yeah my panshs have been fabulous value, but now my goto kite is a 6.5 blade. my 5m is in the UK with a friend, and my 8m gets out once in a while when the 6.5 won't let me get my feet off the ground.:wee:

edit: you should get a wind meter.... I'd be pretty surprised to hear you have had one, from your windspeed quotes, tbh.

Drewculous - 21-7-2009 at 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by live2hover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIIO1RzzDyA

LMAO!!!
I about died when i saw that... that was a sick roll, hahaha

Bladerunner - 21-7-2009 at 09:37 AM

Ha Ha,

Scudley had a very similar Superman the other day. He is a bit more :crazy:

....... skilled :duh: ........ and flew his way out of it !

I can agree that we can thank Pansh for allowing many people to start kiting.

UNFORTUNATELY the way they go about it . Sell any size to anybody with no manual . They are also bringing in cheap stupid thrill seakers ! :alien:

FloRider - 22-7-2009 at 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner
They are also bringing in cheap stupid thrill seakers ! :alien:

Awe C'mon Bladerunner.

Cheap and Stupid?

I don't think any of us could deny being a thrill seeker. Fixed bridal, De-power, large or small, board or buggy we are all seeking thrills and kiting is the modality in which we are able to satisfy ourselves.

I think Pansh has done some good in exposing people to the sport. I started out with a Pansh kite, and I was seeking thrills. But as I got more experienced, I realized that I could have more fun for longer periods of time if I flew smarter and a little less daring. I've since bought 3 additional kites 2 LEI's and PL synergy. I feel like I've moved on from Pansh but I am thankful that they were cheap enough to take the plunge.

Bladerunner - 22-7-2009 at 09:23 AM

That was a bit harsh but around here the kite crowd started out being somewhat older and a lot more safety oriented. Even then we had to battle for every beach. When gear was very expensive and hard to get there was a different attitude and a different crowd.

Someone who is going to buy a large kite that comes without even instructions because it is cheap and I don't want to waste time with a kite I'll grow out of ! You tell me what to call someone like that ?
What do you think of a company that feeds that mentality ?
Are they always doing us a favour bringing people who think that way into our sport ?

FloRider - 22-7-2009 at 09:54 AM

I'm just glad there was a $180 dollar kite I could buy to try out something that looked intensely fun. Because I sure wasn't going to spend $400+ on something I had only tried for half an hour.

I agree that they appeal to a different demographic, and this is not always a good thing. I admit that kiting near douchbags really sucks. Sorry you have to fight with those guys for good kiting spots. It's not something I've had to deal with here in AZ.

USA_Eli_A - 22-7-2009 at 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by live2hover

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner
They are also bringing in cheap stupid thrill seakers ! :alien:

well said blade runner!

Kiting is FUN. and that is 100% true. So if that is your logic as well, spend 400+ and you love your kite, at 180 you'll feel stupid once you see it disintegrate. IMHO

Bladerunner - 22-7-2009 at 11:09 AM

Our battle wasn't with each other it was with the City + Gov.
Banning us because of the perception we are dangerous.
A large kite in a newbies uninstructed hands IS DANGEROUS . Pansh supplies this.

It is a small world. A bad mistake in Arizona can be world wide news and used to ban us in othe locations !

USA_Eli_A - 22-7-2009 at 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner
Our battle wasn't with each other it was with the City + Gov.
Banning us because of the perception we are dangerous.
A large kite in a newbies uninstructed hands IS DANGEROUS . Pansh supplies this.

It is a small world. A bad mistake in Arizona can be world wide news and used to ban us in othe locations !

FOR THOSE NEWBS COMING INTO THE SPORT. YOU NEED TO THROW SOME RESPECT TOWARDS THOSE WHO'VE PRESERVED THE SPORT....BY RESPECTING OTHERS THAT USE THE SAME LOCATIONS IN DIFFERENT WAYS!!!

Drewculous - 22-7-2009 at 02:26 PM

wow!... good points all around

This may be off topic, but i got into this sport on a 400 dollar kite... seemed worth it to me, and i, at the time, had only flown sport kites... course i got into car stereos with a 2500 dollar system, and drums with a 1000 dollar setup, and home theaters with a 4000 dollar setup.... i think back to carl's sig... go big or go home!

400 bones for a quality kite isnt a lot of money, even if you are flat a$$ broke from the rest of your hobbies

FloRider - 22-7-2009 at 02:51 PM

My point still remains, "Pansh kiter" doesn't inherantly mean "stupid kiter."

You can easily say that Pansh is more concerned about profits than the welfare of kiters because they don't provide manuals, instructions, or anything that would promote common sense.

FloRider - 22-7-2009 at 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by USA_Eli_A

FOR THOSE NEWBS COMING INTO THE SPORT. YOU NEED TO THROW SOME RESPECT TOWARDS THOSE WHO'VE PRESERVED THE SPORT....BY RESPECTING OTHERS THAT USE THE SAME LOCATIONS IN DIFFERENT WAYS!!!

Agreed

Bladerunner - 22-7-2009 at 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by live2hover
My point still remains, "Pansh kiter" doesn't inherantly mean "stupid kiter."

I hope I didn't call all people who fly Pansh Stupid. That isn't the case and Pansh isn't the only source of cheap kites.

I do find it frustrating that people can buy dangerous gear unchecked and then we all get hurt when they make the news.

Hardrock - 22-7-2009 at 05:25 PM

Na, didn't think you was saying that.

But I have never seen a Pansh kite make the news. The only national or world news I have seen where someone got hurt was kite surfing kites and a couple fixed bridal kites that looked like higher end products.

Pansh can make you or break you. If they make you, you will move on to better kites. If they break you, well the whole kiting world will end as we know it.

Insurance company's that don't sell to kiters now will not sell to kiters then.

All the plover beaches that are ban now will still be banned.

The public beaches that don't want 50mpg bugs running down the little kids, will still not let us bug.
and the list goes on.

Whats interesting to me is, of all this Pansh fuss, I bet not one ban, restriction or prohibited area was ever the result of a noob with a Pansh.

I'd bet hard earned money that all the bans we see today was from the PRO’s ripping up the beaches, getting big air in the local parks, scaring the precious little Plover with the big PL riding the surf, bigfoot bugs destroying the dunes or maybe it was the insane snow kiter blasting by the great white Owl.

Yea, I think we can say several thousands of dollars in top of the line gear cause a bit more problems than a noob with a Pansh.

But hey, one day I hope I can get in that list above, until then I’ll have to fly a Pansh from time to time.

IMHO. :smilegrin:

FloRider - 22-7-2009 at 06:28 PM

Good synopsis hardrock. That was kinda what i was getting at. What do you you ride/own?

WELDNGOD - 22-7-2009 at 06:57 PM

I gotta say, my first was a flexi and I have other flexis. But I also got some panshes that I fly, regularly. I love them all and have cussed them all at one time or another too. But that moron in Fla. that tried to fly the day a hurricane was forecast to come ashore,did more damage than any noob ever could.
And he was not flying a pansh

"Money AND brains seldom come in the same package"
- WG -

Hardrock - 22-7-2009 at 07:17 PM

I have a couple of HQ's and 5m/ 7m ace. I learn more from the Ace's when the wind is right. The HQ kites just fly too good and causing me to be a noob forever. Got to mix it up some. Don't know what or where I'll go from here.

Might get to see some Arc's this weekend. Might change everything.

Scudley - 23-7-2009 at 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner
I hope I didn't call all people who fly Pansh Stupid. That isn't the case and Pansh isn't the only source of cheap kites.

I do find it frustrating that people can buy dangerous gear unchecked and then we all get hurt when they make the news.

BladeRunner
I wish I could say Pansh were the only the only company selling advanced gear to beginners. Ricki thinks there is no way I should have sold Carl a 3m Reflex; I think he is safer with it than the 5m Cult that he got elsewhere. I saw a girl at Clover Pt with her first kite, a Blade 4.9. It was blowing hard and she was was being tossed around like a rag doll.
That said, I am inclined to agree with the guy who says it is the pros who are going to get us banned. One of TDM's recent videos shows Ricki just about braining Diane with his board after a jump. Phontaine's amazing jumps just before NABX had the fire trucks and ambulance out. Need I remind you of our first meeting where you did those two amazing scuds and then put your kite away. Never mind when I nearly took the head off that stunt kiter from Surrey; it was only that the Rev flyers saw him create the incident that he did not complain to the authorities.
S

Bladerunner - 23-7-2009 at 08:08 AM

I think it is TRUE that Pansh kites haven't caused us our troubles.
We had issues right from the begining with people getting blown downwind and crashing their expensive kites in to the bath house or tourists. While no one got injured it helped get us banned from English bay and Centenial park even before Pansh existed. We are risk taker by nature. I only hope that people understand their actions can potentialy effect us all.

I am sorry that I singled out Pansh here.

I think you did Carl a good deed when you sold him a 3m. Fortunately he has not been around lately.

On Canada Day I chose to NOT fly my Syn. the conditions and my lack of experience with the kite made me stop. After a high wind session with Rip' I see I could have handled it but the LAST thing I want is to lose Vanier park .

piku303 - 30-7-2009 at 06:47 AM

i live in alabama and ive never met another powerkiter. i was exposed to power kiting through youtube...ive always loved flight and when i saw a man being flown by a kite i knew i had to buy one.

100 bucks shipped for a used 5 times pansh ace 4m. had i not been able to find such a cost accesible kite, i might not have not been able to spend more money on something id never experienced. launching my newly bought kite was the first time i flew. since then ive outgrown the 4m for lower winds and gotten a 6.5 blade IV...i do not think that the ace 4m is any more or less fun than the blade. i enjoy both kites just as much. i have much love and affection for my ace.

although the quality differences between the two are obvious who ever said that quality always means fun? there are some days that i enjoy the feel of the ace more than the blade. you actually have to fly it.

you can have just as much fun hauling ass in a mustang as you can in a porsche...its all about how hard your pushing the machine and yourself. refinement doesnt always equal fun.

anybody who says that pansh sucks is either too old or too rich too appreciate the value of a pansh. good kite...AMAZING price.

for a first kite i could not recomend more the pansh ace 4m...it will get you going, if you have patience...and can beat the mess out of you if you so desire. at 115lbs the pansh ace 4m become to much for me at more than 20moh. for beginning keep it around 12mph and youll have a blast. oh yeah...theyre tough as nails too. ive had neophyte friends slam a pansh in to the ground so hard i felt it in my chest and there where no issues with the kite.

flame on naysayers.

Mr1ncr3d1bl3 - 31-7-2009 at 04:34 AM

Just to mix in with my first discussion...

Cheap (second-hand) materials make it possible for people with smaller budgets to enter kiting activities. 3 weeks ago I had my first kitesurf lesson, first part was all about equipment and safety.

After playing with a trainerkite (Like the Evo 2m trainer) we had lunch and just before entering the water with our Cabrinha 9m we noticed a guy who had obviously purchased a 14m C-kite at our local Ebay (weird dutchies

)
Somehow ignoring all experienced kiters at the surf spot (for which they are lobbying really hard to make it an official KITE-surf spot) he launched his kite ON HIS OWN, got dragged along the shore and crashed the kite right in the crowd watching, luckily nobody got hurt. People there warned him, because they are fed up with people buying a set without knowing how to handle it and making authorities prohibit kite-surfing at that location.
Biggest example on how safety works and glad we had extra information on how to launch kites with this much power.

After playing around in the water, bodydragging I had some go's on a board, managing to stay upright for 5 meters and being pulled off my board, crashing serveral meters upwind. At the end of the day the instructor signed of my IKO lvl 1 and 2.

Now I bought an EVO trainer with bar just to have some fun and playing with a kite and learn about the wind. To step it up a bit, too practice some more on dry land, I'm looing into buying a de-power kite. Panch Blaze II 7m seems fairly priced to practice on land (and have some snowboarding fun in winter).

Would it be possible to fly it with any kiteboard brand (North f.i.) de-power bar ? Thats what I need to buy anyway... not yet the money or skills to buy a inflatable bowkite.

Sorry for the topic hijack... at least to end it ontopic:

Safety starts with common sense