Power Kite Forum

Flexifoil Blade IV 6.5m (first impressions)

tridude - 20-9-2007 at 06:18 AM

Ive got about 7 hrs now on the B4 6.5 and thought a quick D&D, down and dirty, review is in order.

"The Bag"

Doesnt fly but very nice quality. If your into first impressions, and the bag being the first thing you see, it sets the tone for even better things to come! Padded, plenty of room for the sail, lines and handles. The two external flap pockets easily store kite killers, ground stake (screw driver), keys, wallet, cell, power bars, etc, etc..........

"The Sail"

Crispy, light, and great graphics on Chikara ripstop, very nice! Only Mac Para and skytex ripstop may be better quality that Ive seen (sorry Ozone and Flysurfer). Bridle was flawless, great attention to detail here. Not a stitch out of place, no loose ends, very neat and tidy. The 6.5 and 8.5 have cross over lines built in to increase turn speeds and maintain/change sail shape. There are 3 settings on the crossover lines that you can adjust to increase or decrease the projected area of the sail. Third knot in gives you more of an arc shape, less projection. The furthest knot out the kite is flatter, more projected sail area. The adjustable AOA is very easy to change, and is done safely while the kite is staked out on the ground. You can change projected area and AOA (four adjustments total) easily in less than a minute. The sail comes complete with "how to" cards and owners manual for AOA and crossover line adjustments. Flexi left no stone unturned. Lastly, the graphics are nicely done. Ive owned a Rasta and now the Petrol, same pattern, different color scheme. Finish off with the lines--Flexi extreme, Flexi handles, and kite killers-- a sweet package. Remember, this kite is sold without accessories unless you ask for them!

"Flying"

Kite set up and ready to go. AOA on normal/factory setting. crossover lines set on middle knot. Winds were 10 to 12 mph, inland and steady. Reinforced inlets seem to assist air flow in on the ground, sitting there, ready to go. Pulled back on the handles and she exploded to zenith, but not snatchy. Very fast but smooth power delivery. No delay, turn right or left, just straight up. Hmmmm, that was a nice surprise. Accelerates thru the window and turns fast for a kite that size. Sits at the edges, very stable. Likes to drive to the edge but a little break holds her where you want it. Brakes are very responsive and work well. Overhead at zenith the normal "blade" stance reaching to the heavens blah blah but she doesnt overfly. Hmm, another "thats nice". My series 3 8.5 overflew zenith until I got her tweeked. Now what youve all been waiting for? Lift? Float? Ive only flown in the normal AOA setting but the lift is sweet as is the float. Static jumps are silly easy in 12 mph winds. On the board, even better I feel. No problems with canopy collapse on the way down, very floaty. How high? Not sure but high enough with plenty of float.

"Summary"

Easy to set up, and fly. But dont be fooled, this kite should be respected. Its not a "watered" down Blade. You can tune her up or down for your current conditions or disciplne. With the adjustable AOA, you set it to lifty for static, normal for boarding, and no lift for buggy, extermely versatile. As with all sails, fly her within the manufacturers wind guidlines and you will be grinning from ear to ear and be back for more the following day! Thinking of buying one? Stop thinking! Fly hard, fly safe!

Tri

5m1FF - 20-9-2007 at 11:25 AM

I agree man, got one too - and it can kick your ass, but you have to let it do so!!!

Its awesome aint it!

I've got a review on here somewhere!

zloty - 21-9-2007 at 09:37 AM

Great review man I couldn't add more maybe only that changing AOA You are changing angle of attack, so kite can be set to fly fast in window with less pull or You can set it to go very good upwind.I love my blades and someone here named them universal soldier -it's so true.Great kite for any task.




Quote:
Originally posted by tridude
Ive got about 7 hrs now on the B4 6.5 and thought a quick D&D, down and dirty, review is in order.

"The Bag"

Doesnt fly but very nice quality. If your into first impressions, and the bag being the first thing you see, it sets the tone for even better things to come! Padded, plenty of room for the sail, lines and handles. The two external flap pockets easily store kite killers, ground stake (screw driver), keys, wallet, cell, power bars, etc, etc..........

"The Sail"

Crispy, light, and great graphics on Chikara ripstop, very nice! Only Mac Para and skytex ripstop may be better quality that Ive seen (sorry Ozone and Flysurfer). Bridle was flawless, great attention to detail here. Not a stitch out of place, no loose ends, very neat and tidy. The 6.5 and 8.5 have cross over lines built in to increase turn speeds and maintain/change sail shape. There are 3 settings on the crossover lines that you can adjust to increase or decrease the projected area of the sail. Third knot in gives you more of an arc shape, less projection. The furthest knot out the kite is flatter, more projected sail area. The adjustable AOA is very easy to change, and is done safely while the kite is staked out on the ground. You can change projected area and AOA (four adjustments total) easily in less than a minute. The sail comes complete with "how to" cards and owners manual for AOA and crossover line adjustments. Flexi left no stone unturned. Lastly, the graphics are nicely done. Ive owned a Rasta and now the Petrol, same pattern, different color scheme. Finish off with the lines--Flexi extreme, Flexi handles, and kite killers-- a sweet package. Remember, this kite is sold without accessories unless you ask for them!

"Flying"

Kite set up and ready to go. AOA on normal/factory setting. crossover lines set on middle knot. Winds were 10 to 12 mph, inland and steady. Reinforced inlets seem to assist air flow in on the ground, sitting there, ready to go. Pulled back on the handles and she exploded to zenith, but not snatchy. Very fast but smooth power delivery. No delay, turn right or left, just straight up. Hmmmm, that was a nice surprise. Accelerates thru the window and turns fast for a kite that size. Sits at the edges, very stable. Likes to drive to the edge but a little break holds her where you want it. Brakes are very responsive and work well. Overhead at zenith the normal "blade" stance reaching to the heavens blah blah but she doesnt overfly. Hmm, another "thats nice". My series 3 8.5 overflew zenith until I got her tweeked. Now what youve all been waiting for? Lift? Float? Ive only flown in the normal AOA setting but the lift is sweet as is the float. Static jumps are silly easy in 12 mph winds. On the board, even better I feel. No problems with canopy collapse on the way down, very floaty. How high? Not sure but high enough with plenty of float.

"Summary"

Easy to set up, and fly. But dont be fooled, this kite should be respected. Its not a "watered" down Blade. You can tune her up or down for your current conditions or disciplne. With the adjustable AOA, you set it to lifty for static, normal for boarding, and no lift for buggy, extermely versatile. As with all sails, fly her within the manufacturers wind guidlines and you will be grinning from ear to ear and be back for more the following day! Thinking of buying one? Stop thinking! Fly hard, fly safe!

Tri

Pablo - 21-9-2007 at 12:23 PM

Hey Slawek, Still have to put you, a Blade IV, a GPS and one of Jon's buggies, I think we'd all be surprised at the speed you could wring out of it.

zloty - 21-9-2007 at 12:42 PM

Yeah, it looked like that day in delta I was zooming passing even larger jojos going backwards on my blades in upwind settings .I will jump next week in PL full race NABX buggy to find out.Big foots are so much fun...No fear for me in those beauty. I can go as fast as it will go.Would love to find it's limits.

Pablo - 21-9-2007 at 01:13 PM

Just make sure if you try and 2 wheel it there's someone around to help you flip back over if you're belted in. LOL

I'm still finding sand in my gear.

tridude - 23-9-2007 at 08:32 AM

Thanx Zloty but give the kite credit. I only stated the facts as presented by the kite. Ive seen your vids--you are def an accomplished bug pilot. I can see you going backwards at what, 35 mph, redirecting for a 10 foot jump--amazing!:thumbup:

ExLax - 4-10-2007 at 06:18 PM

To restate a very important aspect of this kite... IT CAN KICK YOUR BUTT. Trust me, i have had it happen many times :smilegrin: maybe it wasn't such a good idea to strap in the first time with a bar??? something about being 15-20ft up and not able to let go gives me the chills haha... I was flailing all over the place being pulled by my groin area at a very fast rate with no hands and no feet. I got it in the spring and im still warming up to its butt kicking abilities. I would reccommend only advanced pilots ;-) this kite has been named the butt kicking kite by everyone that uses this field.

tridude - 4-10-2007 at 07:43 PM

Good point Ex! This kite has loads of power/lift and in the hands of someone with little experience could prove costly. Im not a fan of FB on bars. Im a brake input flyer so I perfer handles. I had a Flexi bar at one time, used it once......................I recently started using a strop and what a difference that makes.