My 10m Venom committed suicide over the holiday weekend and I'm looking to replace her with a used, small flysurfer. I think the sweet spot would be
the pulse 2, but I was wondering if any flysurfer fanboi could steer me in the right direction.
I landboard, buggy and snow kite. I haven't yet been on the water. I'm about 79 kg. and usually fly in gusty, direction-changey winds, so I
typically try to remain powered to underpowered. The hole in my quiver is for anything over 20 mph (see siggy, the 13m scares me at 25).
I don't really leave the ground unless I've made a grave error, but I'm easing into more air time.
My questions are thus: Is the outlaw worth looking at if I've never been on the water (and probably won't be for some time?) What about the Viron?
Are the gen 1 psycho's worth the $400 or so, or is the tech just too old? Should I be focusing my efforts on finding a Pulse/ Pulse 2 / unity? I
assume the noob kite would be a bad investment?
Thanks.Flyfish - 7-7-2013 at 08:38 AM
I have a full quiver of Pulse 2 I ride on the water. They're super stable, but my wind is pretty good most of the time. My venom quiver does handle
the gusts better though. I would think an 8 meter pulse 2 would replace your 10 venom pretty well. I just rode a 10 unity a day ago and like it. It's
super stable, even more so than the pulses. The Psycho 4's that I've tried are super sick kites, but they do have more "tip tuck" which might get
exacerbated with gusty switchy winds. Personally, I'd go psycho 3 or 4, but that's not from first hand knowledge. Bladerunner - 7-7-2013 at 09:32 AM
Didn't like my Psycho II . LOVED my Psycho III .
I'm still happy with my 7m Pulse and seem to go to it rather than the 10m Synergy . Mostly to avoid the " arc agro " that is bothering you these days.
We typically have smooth winds. I think the arc handles gust different / better . I can handle gusts with the 7 but they hit like a whip !
Unless you are after an aggressive small kite go Pulse over Psycho. For me , I liked 13m Psycho over Pulse and 7m Pulse over 8m Psycho. Taming it down
for the stronger winds.B-Roc - 7-7-2013 at 11:38 AM
If you think your are going to be flying the Pulse 2 at the top of its wind range than I'd look more strongly at the Outlaw. The Pulse 2 holds a lot
of power when staked out on the ground whereas the Outlaw will collapse like a typical open cell foil. I owned a 6m Pulse 2 and flew a 10m Outlaw on
occassion. Though they were flown in different conditions I found their styles to be similar, their safety system and bridle to be identical but the
outlaw will behave much better on the ground and will bpack up much easier (especially when flown in its upper limits) nd not require some
preinflation at the bottom end of its range.
I sold my Pulse 2 as I found its power delivery to be too on/off. They may have been nicer in the larger sizes but I found the 6 to have such a small
sweet spot it wasn't to my liking.Proletariat - 12-7-2013 at 08:19 PM
Ended up going with an 8m Psycho 3. I think in winds above 15mph, this will be my go to kite. Thanks for all the tips!loftywinds - 14-8-2013 at 05:13 AM
Hi Prolet. I just got a Psycho III 8mtr 2008 model and I have yet to fly her.
What winds and conditions would you recommend flying your P3? I read elsewhere you found it weak in under 5knots. I plan to ride mine in 5 to 12
knots. I weigh 80kgs and have been water kiting for 2 years now with good abilities, etc. But I got mine to start on land kiting. The Ozone Octane I
am trying to sell. No good for me. Too small.
So yeah, what conditions do you find your Psycho being a 'Psycho'!? ThanksSier_Pinski - 14-8-2013 at 11:58 AM
All the signs were there, but I guess we were just too busy setting up floppy kites to notice
Anywhoo, did you get a Flysurfer yet, Snake? Sorry if I stole that Pulse 2 out from under you, but I deserved some pay back from all those arcs you
got to first.
They are amazing. The old bars are kinda meh, but the tech and the quality are fantastic. I think I'm only going to keep the phantom and sell the
rest of the arcs. Between the 12m Pulse and the 8m psycho, I have a LOT of wind range coverage.macboy - 18-8-2013 at 07:50 PM
You should hang onto the 13m Venom too......that's almost as special as the 15m Phantom.....though perhaps redundant. Special nonetheless.Proletariat - 18-8-2013 at 11:24 PM
Yeah, that 13 venom is really sweet for a giant window. Proletariat - 8-9-2013 at 11:09 AM
So, quick update. I took the psycho out in 20ish mph while I was in Oregon. I put it away when it started consistently being around 20 (with bigger
gusts) because I was, honestly, afraid. It was great and incredibly depowered at the top of the window but my turning options became a little tight
for my tastes. Keep in mind that I was on the buggy, so I think in water, this is the kite's sweet spot. Maybe even landboarding, since you don't
roll as easily. Since I wasn't on my equipment, I erred on the side of caution, but I think 20mph is the top of my window for the 8m in gusty winds
regardless.
When those gusts come up and you're sheeted, the amount of pull is incredibly exciting and a little disconcerting for the intermediate power kiter.
I can't imagine how psycho a bigger psycho would be...Bladerunner - 8-9-2013 at 11:52 AM
Sorry we missed each other.
I think you are pretty much right on with your call. My 7m Pulse is sweet at about 20mph but gusts get scary at that point. I have had it out into the
low upper 20's with clean winds and perfect locations on land. 20 is about when it's performing on water.
I had the 13m P3 and it was a sweet kite ! Gentle giant that served up great float when asked. Pretty decent wind range but it needed a good 5mph to
start powering you. Just a bit slow turning for my lack of skill level at the time. One kite I regret selling !
