jadog - 11-6-2014 at 09:55 AM
I've flown with handles for nearly two years now and have loved every minute of it. So far, no injuries 
. But still having kite fever, I think I'm ready to bring a depower kite into my quiver. With hot weather
creeping in, I expect it to become more difficult to find windy days (since I live inland).
My initial thought was, why not just buy a Flysurfer Speed? Since it's touted as a single kite quiver, why would anybody buy 5 different kites when
they could pay the same price (or likely less) to buy just one? I just saw one the other day in the For Sale section for only $700. Undoubtedly, most
of the available depower kites will respond differently and it probably becomes personal preference. But I was wondering if anybody has any thoughts
on that. Too bad I can't fly them all before choosing!
Also, I have a friend who lives close who is looking to unload a few of his kites. He has a 2005 Ozone Frenzy 5m with a bar. Included with that is a
Flexifoil Blade II 4.9m. But no lines for the Blade! Should I go for this or would I be better off looking for newer stuff?
abkayak - 11-6-2014 at 10:08 AM
imo...no brainer blade and frenzy..frenzy to learn dp and be high wind kite...Blade to humble the soul
Bladerunner - 11-6-2014 at 03:47 PM
When I was pretty green at depower ( had a 10m Psycho II that beat my :moon: ) I bought a 7m Speed . Powerzone ( the Flysurfer dealer ) highly
suggested I go to a Pulse. Bought a Pulse and never looked back. Speed is not the kite I would suggest as a 1st depower.
That Blade / Frenzy deal is a very good one however the 5m is a high wind kite. You will struggle with it in low winds .
Not sure where you heard that Speed of any size is a one kite quiver but I have no hands on with newer ones.
jadog - 12-6-2014 at 04:42 AM
So what depower would have the best range? Is there something that can be flown in 5mph wind as well as 20mph? I'm certainly unaware of any FB kite
that can do that.
abkayak - 12-6-2014 at 04:52 AM
match the hatch...u get the kite/size that matches your conditions most often...for me a 9 works most often..no getting around the need for 2 kite
minimum..a 13m for a second..if i need a bigger foil ill be doing something else
BeamerBob - 12-6-2014 at 08:20 AM
All the depowers that I would fly in 20 mph won't pull in 5. Blade is right about that 5m Frenzy. It is a kite to fly in 20 plus and things happen
maybe faster than your experience could be ready for.
The 4.9 Blade has the nickname "widowmaker". It's a very lifty, high performance kite. It will punish you if you or the wind give it the chance, but
it is a well designed kite that is a thrill to fly.
jadog - 12-6-2014 at 08:28 AM
So it sounds like I should skip on the Frenzy. I already have a 5.6 Twister, but is the Blade that much more lifty?
I think I'll look towards a larger depower kite then. I was originally pointed towards the Montana or Frenzy without anybody specifying a size. But
would I do better with a closed cell kite, such as the Neo?
BeamerBob - 12-6-2014 at 08:36 AM
The Montana or a Frenzy are great kites. Just lean towards a 7 to 10m depending on your common winds. The 4.9 Blade will be very similar to your
Twister I imagine, and yes, it could be more lifty. Closed cell isn't important on an otherwise well designed kite. I haven't gotten my 8m Montana
VIII to luff or fold up even once.
If you pull the safety on each style kite, the open cell will go limp more readily than the closed cell. Closed cell kites have a niche they fill,
but open cell is just fine if you are flying on land.
Bladerunner - 12-6-2014 at 06:57 PM
Depower kites in general don't do too well in 5mph winds.
The closest thing I have to what you are looking for is my 15m Synergy. It will fly in a bit more than 5mph wind but doesn't exactly provide usable
power until more like 9mph. I can hold it to around 20mph but it is getting pretty overpowered for land and my small size at that point.
A local got by with only a 13m Pulse as a single kite quiver but he was willing to take it out in winds much stronger than I would have felt safe
with. Again, he struggled to get any power out of it at 5mph.
If your winds are truly usually low I would suggest something around 10m .
jadog - 13-6-2014 at 07:35 AM
Ok, so I'll probably pick up his Blade (for an extra thrill), but pass on the depower and look for something larger. Unless any of you guys think it's
worth the price just for the bar...
BeamerBob - 13-6-2014 at 08:15 AM
For the $250, I'd get it for later and try it out in low to mid teen winds just for fun.
abkayak - 13-6-2014 at 08:54 AM
take both for 250$ cant go wrong here...frenzy 5m will be great to figure out Dp by yourself..than get your goto Dp kite which will be like twice the
size
B-Roc - 13-6-2014 at 09:00 AM
The 8m yeti that came up for sale today would be a nice place to start. How much do you weigh?
jadog - 13-6-2014 at 09:01 AM
Around 125#.
B-Roc - 13-6-2014 at 09:11 AM
8m would be decent for you. I weigh 145 and fly Gin kites. I use my 10m in 10-18mph winds. Yetis are stable and you are 20#s lighter so you could
probably expect to use an 8m in similar winds to my 10 depending upon how hard you work it and how much power you can hold down on the high end.
jadog - 13-6-2014 at 09:56 AM
I really enjoy jumping. Is the Gin a 'lifty' kite or would that be better served with the Montana/Frenzy?
B-Roc - 13-6-2014 at 10:50 AM
The Yeti is not as lifty as Gin’s Eskimo series of kites but it does have lift. Gin originally had 2 depower foils in their lineup. The Eskimo was
their version of a Frenzy / Montana and the Inuit was their version of an Access / Apex. I think it was 2011 or 2012 when they decided to kill the
Eskimo and Inuit by making the Yeti which was touted as a cross between the two. So stable and decent gust absorption like the Inuit but good upwind
ability and lift like the Eskimo.
Of course, you can’t really have both (high lift performance and stable, good-for-beginners kite) but I will admit they did a really good job
combining the best of both kites into one. In my opinion it is not as lifty as the Eskimo but it is at least as stable and has great upwind ability.
Truth be told, my Yeti’s are small and my Eskimos big and there is a difference (at least to me) in redirecting a bigger slower kite and whipping a
small kite through the widow so I’m more tentative with my smaller Yetis than I am with my larger Eskimos but I jump with all of them. The Yeti has
very little bar pressure and its operates on a 1 pulley mixer (A/Bs combined at mixer like an Apex / Access). The Frenzy and Montana operate on a 2
pulley mixer and the Eskimo on a 3 pulley mixer very similar to some FS models. My guess is the 8m is probably a decent jumper given its larger size
yet similar characteristics to my 4.5 and 6m. Gin quality is top notch - as you’d expect from a Swiss company. Let me know if you have any other
questions.
I reviewed yeti’s on this forum some time ago and you can likely find that thread if you search “yeti” in the reviews forum or if you search “yeti”
in general and go back 2-3 years. It is not my Yeti for sale so I have no vested interest and I’m not trying to persuade you one way or the other.
Just trying to help you recognize a good deal. I paid $850 for my 6m and I think $700 for my 4.5. An 8m for $550 is a good deal. Not saying its the
right kite for you just that its a good deal.
abkayak - 13-6-2014 at 10:51 AM
if the winds blowing hard and you send it back overhead fast enough they all get lifty...you aren’t going dp just for jumping you do it to evolve all
your kiting...i have a 7.3 frenzy if you want to buy the 5 and swap w/ me i am game...jusayin