Toast - 12-10-2007 at 10:58 AM
Flying in 10-12mph gusting to 15mph.
I have to admit that I wasn't expecting all that much from such a small kite but I was proved largely wrong.
It was put together as well as my Blade with the usual attention to detail in packaging and instructions: anything less from Flexi would have been a
disappointment.
And, to be honest, for such a small kite in a relatively light wind I had a blast flying it. It was nice and stable and could be flown much closer to
the edge of the window than my beamer without it collapsing and, thanks to the low aspect ratio and small size, it felt nimble and precise in the
turns; particularly using the brake lines hard. It could be looped in its own width repeatedly, in alternate directions, from zenith to ground. The
rear of the sail just touching the ground and then whip straight back to the zenith with no fuss, luffing or bad behaviour.
It proved to be a great learning experience for me as the stability and low power gave me the confidence to start flying loops and then walking myself
through kiteloops for the first time.
A few caveats, however:
I gave up on the short handles included and flew it on my standard Flexi handles. This was far more comfortable on the hands and gave better feedback
on the brakes (as well as more leverage).
For people who fly a lot it may be a touch too friendly; my Big Buzz feels more exciting for roughly the same sail area. Probably something to do with
the BB having no brakes though and, of course, the upshot is the stability of the Sting.
In essence, it was a top, friendly kite and tremendously easy to have fun with. I came away with a big grin and can't wait to try one on a longboard
or similar.