Drewculous - 18-8-2009 at 11:38 AM
***DISCLAIMER***
First and formost, i want to thank anyone that ponies up a kite, or gear, to be passed. Its a great opportunity to further explore this sport. And
as far as im concerned we owe these 'passers' a lot!!! (Hint Hint: support them!) That being said, each kite has a target market, and its own niche
that it intends to dominate. Some people will love a kite, and some will hate it... I give you this review with the upmost respect to the sport,
those who fly PKD, and those who deal PKD!
When i got the Brooza and took it out to set it up, surprise... it already was! I dont know if thats factory, or what, but it was nice. The kite
looks really well built, really cool design, and all the gear looks good! Got it out to the field, and went to unwind the lines and man, the absolute
worst tangle of my life! Took about an hour just to sort the lines! But that can be expected, few people wind the lines exactly the same way.
The first day i had the kite there actually was some wind around here, but right after i got done untangling, it really picked up... a little too high
if you ask me... so i packed up and waited for the right winds. The next time out, winds seemed right! A little fast but nothing nasty... ran the
lines out and realized, there is no stake with the kite, and no loops on the brakes, like the twister, to anchor the kite. Well with the winds up,
and no easy way to stake, i anchored as best as i could with my stake, being solo and all, ran, opened the kite, and ran back.. ready to roll!
I launch the kite and it becomes very apparent, something is really wrong... the brake lines are so slack, i can jamb full brake pressure, and nada.
The killers have also slipped down and now rest at the base of the handles. So i have a kite, i cannot land like i normally would, no brake control,
and no way to anchor it as well as i would like to... after a few failed attemps, i get the kite to land softly on its nose on the outside of the
window... big sigh of relief! Well the day is done, i pack up and hope for a better run later.
First thing i did at home was put some knots on the brake line comming off the bridals. Now i got brakes! Woohoo!
I take the kite out daily, trying for good enough winds, but i can never keep this kite up.. in winds that i can fly my twister in (its a 5.6m) I
even got the board rolling on some packed sand with the twister on a few of the days i couldnt even keep the brooza up. Every time i took it out, i
got frustrated and ended up pulling out my twister, then having a blast...
Understand, i never had ideal wind for this kite, so my review is a little biased. But my time with the brooza was not fun... it was work just to
keep it up, it always seemed to fall out of the sky, and im used to a much longer strop, so my turning abilities were greatly affected... i was unable
to get going on my board at all with the brooza... any slack on the lines, and the kite instantly fell out of the sky... and once it stalled, there
was no saving it... If anything my time with the brooza made me appreciate my twister all the more! Every day i tried to fly the brooza, i ended up
getting almost angry at how it just wouldnt fly, and wouldnt generate any pull... so the twister came out every day...
This kite is aimed at the buggy crowd. From built in strops, to its near 0 pull at the zenieth. If you want to jump, not your kite. If you want to
board... not your kite... if you want to buggy, this may be your baby, but after flying the Core, its hard to give a good recomendation for the brooza
when that core was just so damn easy to fly and did everything it said it would pretty well, and with all the issues i had with the brooza... its just
a tough sell.
I recognize the potential of this kite in the right hands, but from my time with the brooza, its just not my cup of tea. Hopefully someone will chime
in and tell me im an idiot and this kite rocks! But right now, i just dont see this one every being in my quiver... its hard to kick the Lynn
addiction once you indulge a few times!
Ive re-wrote this review about a dozen times, trying to figure out how to convey my experience with this kite and not sound like a a$$ or offend
someone, its just tough to say something unpleasant about someone’s livelihood and their product of choice and not sound offensive, especially when
you hold a great deal of respect for the dealers and passers out there. Bottom line: This kite is what it is, and so am i. This kite is aimed at
the buggy crowd, and I am not a buggier. This kite is a well built wind engine, I just couldn’t get a good feel for its true potential. Im not
saying don’t buy it it sucks… im just saying if you are looking for a good buggy kite, try it out, and see for yourself! Heck, it may be the best
kite you have ever flown, or you may choose another direction… based on my experience, however, I would lean more to the twister, or the core.
Thanks for reading this exceedingly long review, hopefully at the very least ive encouraged you to at least try PKD, and hopefully I haven’t
disrespected anyone in the process, that is not my intent at all…
now go sign up for the 'pass the Brooza' and see for yourself!
…zippers… that is all…
krumly - 18-8-2009 at 02:51 PM
Bummer - wonder what was up with your setup? I've never flown the Brooza III 7.5, but I have Brooza I 2, 3, and 4ms and brooza III 5.5m. All are
awesome, gust-tolerant fixed bridle kites for buggy or snow for me. Macboy has a Brooza I 7.5, and from earlier posts he thinks it's a good kite.
I will say the v-cleat adjustable brake leaders on all the PKD handles are not my fave - they get dislodged easily, and then you have slack/no brakes.
I prefer knots.
What do mean never had ideal wind? Seems like if a 5.6m was fine, you shoulda been jamming with a 7.5m. Something ain't right with the kite setup...
krumly
bigkid - 18-8-2009 at 03:16 PM
Drewculous,
It's OK to say the kite SUCKS, that's what its all about. I will not hold it against you or anyone else. Sorry for the lack of ground stakes, my
mistake, I figured everyone has at leased 2 or 3 on hand. As for the brakes, they are adjustable on the cleat at the bottom of the handle, was the
instructions not clear? If I rewrite them would that help?
I have just started to use a board with the kite, 5.5 Brooza and I think its a good board kite but I'm not a good boarder yet. Thank you for the write
up on the kite.
kitejumper,
If there is a problem with the kite, let me know and you can send it back or u2u me and I'll call you.
I want to thank you all for the opertunity to pass the kite around, if you have any issues.... LET ME KNOW.
krumly - 18-8-2009 at 07:08 PM
Bigkid -
Not to hijack a thread, but what is your take on the PKD v-groove cleats for brakes? Also, on the Brooza 3 angle of attack adjuster, does the
larkshead gripping the line stay put for you or does it tend to slide (vs having fixed knots for fixed AOA intervals)? Wonder if this might be
affecting the trim of the kite in question...
Thanks,
krumly
bigkid - 18-8-2009 at 09:44 PM
I like the cleat brake system, I can get in the buggy and hook up the strop and all I have to do is apply a little brake to turn, not even pull one
side or the other. If there is little wind I dont want any brake at all - 2 line kite flying. If the wind comes up and I need all the brakes I can get
a hold of I can pull the brakes all the way, on the fly or let them off, on the fly.
As for the AOA adjustments and the larks head, how simple can you get? With the knots you are stuck with 3 settings. with the larks head you can set
it to 29 different settings, or how you want.
Yes this affects the performance of the kite. If you want a car that just drives down the street, buy one. This kite can do so much more than JUST
fly, it will take you a week to try out all the possibilities of the kite. I would compare it to the Crossfire but with more PERSONAL adjustments.
Want to static fly?, want to buggy?, want to jump? want it to slow down with lots of lift? want it to speed up with little lift? how about in the
middle somewhere?
I will be the last one to say this is the best or the worst kite out there. I personally like the kite because it fills a large area of use that my
other kites can't fill. Or I should say I only need a few Broozas to fill my quiver and not the 49 other kites I carry to the beach and not fly.
I compare size to size in most of my kites and the Brooza is a great kite for the $ and for the ability of the kite. Yes you get what you pay for and
you pay for what you get. In other words I have most all the kites you all have and they all have a place in my truck. But the ones I enjoy the most
in high winds are the 2m and 3m Brooza for kick a$$ speed of the kite and ease of use, and the ability to buggy in 5mph winds in the buggy to speeds
of 15mph or so with the 7.5m. Are they beginner kites, NO. are they expert kites, race kites, NO. They are a kite you have to learn to fly like all
the rest. You actually have to have some knowledge to understand the ability of the kite and to fly it to it's full potential.
I hope I have not stepped on any toes, My intentions are to let you guys and girls try out the kite and let me know how it works for you. These are
just kites and If you want to try one let me know if not, OK.
trancein1 - 19-8-2009 at 11:22 AM
I was able to keep the Brooza 5.5m up in 7mph, with no problem just have to keep it moving continiously, it loves brakes. Not sure what happen with
this orange one.:dunno:
krumly - 19-8-2009 at 01:23 PM
Bigkid -
Whoa - I'm the last one to bash Brooza's. Thought my props for them were clear in my earlier post. I own 4 of 'em and might add a 7.5! Just trying
to identify several adjustments that may have been causing issues for Drewculous. Maybe having brakelines way out of whack plus his AOA not optimized
for his conditons would be enough to make the kite suck. Or maybe it is something else - bridle out of adjustment, operator unfamiliarity - I don't
know...
I agree the v cleats make for quick adjustment, but they also make for quick release. And the 'hand' of the brake leader rope makes a big difference
in how well they stay put. Some of the PKD handles with my kites came with thin, slick leader line that won't stay put. The thicker, more tightly
sheathed black line beds into the V better. I've also had issues with the 'infinite AOA adjustment larkshead slipping a bit. I'm going to rework the
rig and make it a prussick (basically a doubled-up larkshead) - it grips much tighter under load.
krumly
bigkid - 19-8-2009 at 08:03 PM
I think I know what the problem was and it is so easy to fix, if Drewculous would like a 2nd shot at it I would encourage it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXiagADYXzc This is the same kite that was shipped out and the old man holding up the kite is the one who shipped
it out.
The way they have the larks head set up it is being pressed on by another larks head on the same line.
I sold another one today at the park and the kid thought it was cool that you could make the changes to the AOA with out moving the knots.
Krohn1999 - 19-8-2009 at 10:06 PM
Just for info: Brooza's need wind! If a 50 pound kid can hold onto a 7.5 there is not even close to being enough wind.
You can tell when a brooza has enough wind by bringing it up over your head and when it will park above your head without a problem then there is
enough. If it won't trim it down and try again. If it still won't stay above you plan on having to do some work to keep it up.
The brooza is an awsome kite that you need to get used to and understand how it flys, once you got it figured out you will love the kite.
I use the 2m and 3m as high wind kites (6+ Bft) and just love them. I have never felt uncomfortable with them.
The Brake cleat system is also very nice because you don't have to get out of the buggy to make an adjustment. Infact I have PKD handle on some other
kites also because of this adjustment ability. You do need to pull the line into the cleat pretty hard to get it not to slip (don't pull so hard that
the cleat brakes though)
I can only imagine that the kite was set up wrong or the wind was to low, and the 7.5 needs to be controlled over the brakes while turning. Thats why
it has such long handles with it. BTW if the wind gets up in the 4bft range you can go down to smaller handles and shorter lines (18m).
Hope this helps,
Chris
krumly - 6-9-2009 at 02:37 PM
Any more reviews on the Brooza 7.5m since it's being passed around?
I spent a week out on Long Beach Peninsula, flying kites in very steady winds on days ranging from 5 to 20 mph. And I mean really steady - when I say
5 mph, there was maybe a peak of 6 mph, and when it was 20 mph average, the peak was 23 mph. Not like in Minnesota when a an average windspeed of 20
mph usually means gusts of 30-35 mph.
In any case, I flew Brooza 1's at 3 and 4m , and my Brooza 5.5 m - all static and scudding (no buggy or board at hand). I'll review the 5.5m more
extensively in a new thread, but must comment I could get as much or more pull working the 4m Brooza 1 and scudding than with the 5.5m Brooza 3 in
10-11 mph. The 4m flies and turns that much faster to keep up apparent wind speed; and I'm one for flying my kites agressively as opposed to 'park
and ride' flying.
I will say the 'infinite' angle of attack adjusters suck, just as I expected. I wanted to flatten it out for more speed and higher zenith, and right
after launch I feel a little 'pop' as the larksheads on the AOA rigs slip back to max angle of attack- exactly what you don't want. I know a prussick
knot would grip fine, but there isn't enough loop there to make one. I ended up making an overhand stopper knot and picking it out with my teeth when
I wanted to adjust it - PITA. I'll be making new AOA rigs from scratch - the stock one on Brooza 3's is a failure in my book.
krumly
kitejumper - 6-9-2009 at 04:19 PM
i thought it was a good kite,given enough wind--i only got to fly it for half hour cause the winds have really sucked around here........my preference
is for lots of power and lift and i dont doubt that this kite has plenty of power in the right conditions