Power Kite Forum - Strong Kite for beginner

Strong Kite for beginner

jmsewe0 - 5-5-2008 at 08:47 AM

Ok guys, I am brand new to this! My family takes a trip every year to the Outer Banks and last year my bro bought a little two line kite for the beach. We had so much fun with it, so i have looked into some larger/stronger kites. There is so many things to look at i dont know where to begin. Let me start with this:

Affordable Price is most important
I want something that isnt going to break my face on the beach
i would however like to be able to lift my feet off the ground (if only for a few inches)
I am a big boy 6'4'' 215 lbs
It doesnt have to be super durable. We only hit the beach maybe once a year, and there isnt a whole lot of wind in my hometown of louisville

So, that all being said, i did read some things about that company called Pansh. I see their kites are very affordable, and I have seen some good reviews here. I just have no clue what size I would need, or anything else. Ok, so who has a suggestion?!

Thanks in advance for any help guys!

EDIT: Also, can someone explain to me what you guys mean by hooking in? Do you have harnesses for these kites? I dont know if i am looking to get any more than 3-5 feet off the ground so i am not sure what i would need in the way of safety equipment..

acampbell - 5-5-2008 at 09:12 AM

Pansh are affordable but often not recomended for first timers as there are no instructions, and there may be some adjustments required.

Probably the most often recommended kite for first time is the HQ Beamer, with the 3.0m being a good size to start with. Well made, and very complete. That size will lift you in a strong gust but drop you as fast, so don't expect much jumping. Something big enough for easy jumping is too big to start with- the would be jumper's paradox.
Very affordable for the class of kite.
Other choices: Peter Lynn Pepper, PDK Buster, Flexifoil Sting

B-Roc - 5-5-2008 at 09:24 AM

Eolo Radsail Pro series is another option to consider. Given your weight, a 4m might be a better start if you think you'll only ever have 1 kite :lol:

Bladerunner - 5-5-2008 at 09:25 AM

If you are all on your own and don't have a ton of time to figure things out the HQ beamer package may be best !

It comes with everything you need right down to an instructional video to get going. :thumbup:

With the Pansh kite you will not get instructions, Safety leashes, a ground peg or a kite that is ready to fly straight out of the top quality backpack.

You don't NEED a harness to fly !

A helmet is VERY IMPORTANT !

BeamerBob - 5-5-2008 at 09:40 AM

I also tout the Beamer. I'm heavier at 235 lbs, and consider myself athletic and get plenty from the Beamer III 3m when the wind picks up. There have been times when the wind picked up that a 4m would've been too much. And then when the inevitable second kite comes into play, what size do you get? too little gap between a 4 and 5. I recommend the 3m. Great fun to start, and still fun when the winds and your skills pick up.

f0rgiv3n - 5-5-2008 at 10:10 AM

Beamer's the way to go man!!! 3m is a great kite. I took everyone's advice a few months ago and I have been completely happy. If i truly had gone with what i had wanted (a BIG kite) i probably would have killed myself, or at least broken a few bones... and i'm serious! it'd be perfect kite ;D

BeamerBob - 5-5-2008 at 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by f0rgiv3n
Beamer's the way to go man!!! 3m is a great kite. I took everyone's advice a few months ago and I have been completely happy. If i truly had gone with what i had wanted (a BIG kite) i probably would have killed myself, or at least broken a few bones... and i'm serious! it'd be perfect kite ;D

We should make this very exchange a sticky. It happens over and over. Newbie comes in wanting a kite big enough to jump because they saw a video that looked like fun. Surely we know what they need to do that. Then they get the Beamer in 3m and say it was the perfect choice. I have heard of others choosing other appropriate beginner kites or much more advanced kites for their first and saying it worked out fine for them, but also, I've never heard of someone buying the Beamer III and not enjoying it.

kiteNH - 5-5-2008 at 11:06 AM

The Beamer is a great beginner kite (at least it was for me) and it certainly gets pimped heavily on this forum (probably because so many people have flown one), but there are other options. Even though I haven't flown any of them, I haven't read a bad thing about the alternatives that Angus suggested either (Peter Lynn Pepper, PDK Buster, Flexifoil Sting, Ozone Imp).

Also, IMO the biggest issue with the Pansh as a beginner kite isn't the lack of instructions but the lack of kite killers. I wouldn't say that the Beamer manual was all that helpful and I probably haven't looked at it since 5 minutes after the kite showed up at my door. Plus I suspect that one could download a manual from any standard 4-line fixed bridle kite from another mfr's website and it would apply for a Pansh Ace or Legend. I don't know why Pansh doesn't smarten up and package a little set-up manual with their kites. It would probably cost them pennies a kite.

I think that Screwy and Dlish might need to team up and get the Screwy Killers offered as an option with his Pansh's!

My Pansh experience is limited to the Ace however and I don't think that is a good beginner kite because it is a snatchy little beast and can behave poorly gusty winds. The Legend might be a decent beginner kite, but I've never flown one.

As far as the original post, I think that items #2 and #3 are in direct conflict with each other. Any kite that has the potential to lift you off the ground (even a few inches) will absolutely have the potential to "break your face on the beach". There are no two ways about it. If you have enough power to defy gravity, you have enough power to get hurt badly. I don't think that you can jump safely with any beginner caliber kite. If you really want to jump you will need a minimum of two kites (one to learn on and one to jump on) and I think you'll need to plan on flying more than once a year to develop your skills. Of course once you get the bug you'll be flying more than once a year! :lol:

And wear a helmet :thumbup:

tridude - 5-5-2008 at 11:24 AM

OMG that orange is awfull!!! Did that come with a free bowl of soup?

3 to 4 meters in the following:

Beamer
Samuari (used/no londer in production but out there)
PKD Buster/Buster II

Thanks for the replies

jmsewe0 - 5-5-2008 at 11:29 AM

Guys, I appreciate the info. What's really funny is that when i was in Nags Head last year, the lady there reccommended the same thing! I should have listened!

Anyway, i am super interested in picking one of these up. I am seeing them for around 240 on the web in various places. Anyone else have any good info on a source. Someone with good customer service?

And might i say, that you guys have been some of the nicest on any message board i have used. A lot of time, the old school guys tend to look down on the newbs and scream "SEARCH!". Anyway - thanks for not being tools...

EDIT: Or if anyone knows about someone selling a slightly used one, that would be cool too.

tridude - 5-5-2008 at 11:35 AM

If your talking HQ Beamer, Angus at coastalwindsports.com/PKF member. If you go elsewhere, bad on you! Good luck and welcome......................... But please no Phil Fulmer tshirts

DAKITEZ - 5-5-2008 at 11:53 AM

I feel ready to throw in my 2 cents on this subject. I have been flying the beamerIII 3m and blaze 3m exclusively lately so I could come up with a answer for this exact situation. What everyone has been saying is correct ... till now :P
The beamer is no doubt a great kite and most of all "complete" package. You can't go wrong with this kite no doubt. BUT .. Through my comparing I was able to dial in the blaze (it should come this way from pansh, but as we all know it doesn't). All that was needed to be done was add a couple extra bridle knots on the brakes. The beamer comes with the extra adjustment knots already. I have noted the lengths of the knots and every blaze I sell will come with the extra knots already in place. So .. once the blaze was tuned I was able to give a good compare. i flew each kite with the supplied equipment to keep it fair. The kites are very compareable with the blaze being a little faster, but the beamer alittle more stable. Very slight differences though, probably not noticeable if you didn't sit one down and pick up the other like I have been doing. A plus to the beamer is the handles over the pansh for sure. Also the kk, but I put those on the blaze also, because i don't fly without them.
So this brings us to my wrap up. Buy a beamer and get a complete setup and a great kite and pay approx $225. Buy a pansh from pansh and get a potentially good kite with no acc. for $110. This has been the situation till now. What I have done to add to this equation is fix the brake bridle situation and I supply instructions with all pansh kites I sell. They are basic instructions (thanks pansh_uk), but should be enough to get a beginner up and flying. Also I can provide kk and a groundstake for under $20. I can even provide upgraded handles if needed. I'm in no way trying to promote myself or make any sells from this. I sell both kites so it makes no difference to me which kite a person buys. I just wanted to point out that this is what I'm doing to try and help this sport progress. I say that because I can offer a good kite with the items it SHOULD come with to a beginner and get them hooked on the sport at a low cost. Then as they progress they can have a better idea of the next size, brand they will want. Instead of them wanting to get in the sport and jump with only buying one kite, but never flew a power kite before and get a 5m+ and end up hurt, because they don't know how to fly correctly. All the talk on the beamer vs. pansh and the main thing I keep seeing is no instructions and adjustments needed. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say pansh was a bad kite. I resolved those issues so lets compare it kite for kite not package for package. Unfortunately I can't say compare them cost for cost, but if I could I wouldn't have done any of this and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Bladerunner - 5-5-2008 at 12:05 PM

Good going Dlish !

I agree that with a set of kite killers, a ground stake and some instructions Pansh becomes competitive. Nice to see you putting it together for folks :thumbup:

I'll be sure to mention it to folks !

The nice back pack that comes with the Beamer isn't needed for flying and is one thing a person can give up to save $$$ .

DAKITEZ - 5-5-2008 at 12:08 PM

kiteNH
I know Screwy wants to fly not spend his time making kS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s all day. Can you blame him :rolleyes:

I can't

But I can supply HQ's. Or if screwy wants to keep himself busier you will see his kk for sure instead of the HQ. I might be able to intice him with more kites :D

tridude - 5-5-2008 at 12:16 PM

I forgot to mention the Profoil at kiteinnovations.com. Sweet kites indeed, a couple of 3.5ms are still available Im thinking. I put 43 inches cummulative of seam rip in mine getting it out of a tree, repaired it, and flies great. The kite does require lines and KKs..................

speleopower - 5-5-2008 at 12:58 PM

I would suggest the HQ Beamer. I've flown lots and lots and lots of kites over the years and found the Pansh 5m from the (Pass the Pansh thread) less than a good flyer. I didn't get a lot of flying time on it but I still didn't like it. I don't know if this is the case with all the Pansh kites but I wasn't impressed.

Spend the little extra money on the Beamer.

Good luck-Scott

KiteProject - 5-5-2008 at 11:40 PM

Profoils are great kites and I highly recommend them for a beginner. This is the kite that you'll grow with and still fly it on days when you just want smooth, relaxing kiting experience with a power kite. They are on 50% discount and for the price, these kites are a steal! Here is the link:

http://www.kiteinnovations.com/Profoil.htm

These kites come with handles and a bag. You'll need flying lines which you can get from ebay (search for "Flexifoil" and you'll find line sets).

With power kiting, no matter how experienced you become, you still need to respect the kite and nature i.e. wind. Albeit smooth, these kites are very powerful. I recently took out a larger Profoil in high winds and got spanked.

BeamerBob - 6-5-2008 at 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tridude
OMG that orange is awfull!!! Did that come with a free bowl of soup?

Oh but tridude, the colors must not have come through with the small pic for the avatar! It looks better with the big Tennessee insignia on the front. Maybe we should do a "Pass the Tennessee Orange Shirt". Then you could truly appreciate the colors. :D

Bladerunner - 6-5-2008 at 08:23 AM

I think that the handles with the profoil are sort of throw away ? The kite is great and the price is right but I would budget in a set of handles , lines, killers and a stake. It is still a good deal !

Quote:

Originally posted by KiteProject
Profoils are great kites and I highly recommend them for a beginner. This is the kite that you'll grow with and still fly it on days when you just want smooth, relaxing kiting experience with a power kite. They are on 50% discount and for the price, these kites are a steal! Here is the link:

http://www.kiteinnovations.com/Profoil.htm

These kites come with handles and a bag. You'll need flying lines which you can get from ebay (search for "Flexifoil" and you'll find line sets).

With power kiting, no matter how experienced you become, you still need to respect the kite and nature i.e. wind. Albeit smooth, these kites are very powerful. I recently took out a larger Profoil in high winds and got spanked.

KiteProject - 6-5-2008 at 05:57 PM

Well, I never used the handles and they are sitting in my car as a backup set. I use Flexi hanldes so never had a need to use the Profoil handles.

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner
I think that the handles with the profoil are sort of throw away ? The kite is great and the price is right but I would budget in a set of handles , lines, killers and a stake. It is still a good deal !

Quote: