Power Kite Forum - entry level depower

entry level depower

mougl - 17-6-2009 at 10:34 AM

I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I like to plan things well in advance. I do eventually want to get into depower for landboarding and eventually buggy piloting. (Kite surfing in the VERY distant future) It seems to me that the vast majority prefers to ATB and buggy with depower. What would be a good entry level depower rig? I have heard the Apex II 7.5 is a nice jumping off point (no pun intended) but I'd like some input from the pros that know :D

Thanks!!

archkiter - 17-6-2009 at 11:02 AM

I have only flown a few depowers, but the Pulse gets my vote as a great entry level depower. I absolutely love it in the buggy. Tons of depower and really easy to fly.

I also looked at the Access and the Apex as they are both supposed to be great first time depower kites. I haven't flow either though, so I can't comment on how they compare to the Pulse.

I used to have a 9.5m Sabre and it was much more of a handful and had much less depower than my Pulse does.

Drewculous - 17-6-2009 at 11:29 AM

My vote goes to the Apex, i dont know enough about the ozone... having never flown one tho, it all heresay, i think HQ would be a good place to start, the low prices are very apealing!

DenisLaMenace - 17-6-2009 at 11:39 AM

there is currently a Flysurfer Pulse2 8m for sale on the forum

see powerzone sale thread.

why bother with an HQ when you can get the FS quality at discount

mougl - 17-6-2009 at 12:26 PM

I saw that pulse on the forum, but getting the viper this week and I have a funny feeling an MBS Comp 90 will find a place to stay so can't afford to spend more right now :P

Just trying to get an idea of what to save for next...it will be depower, the question is: which one?

snobdr - 17-6-2009 at 01:59 PM

Ozone or flysurfer

dgkid78 - 17-6-2009 at 05:51 PM

There's nothing wrong with HQ. everyone has there brand they love. Flysurfer rocks , they can afford it, Ozone same thing. HQ right up there with them, a little more affordable Apex is an awesome entry level kite. and compared to the Ozone Access it's hundreds of $$$ cheaper. and great quality. It all depends if you want new or used. Ya wanna go new go with the Apex. Used and pay the same price go with flysurfer or Ozone . Also the Apex is designed for low lift. if you want freestyle. again you would be saving tons of money by going for the HQ Montana .....comes down to your personal preference how much you wanna spend. I hope to one day own a flysurfer.:singing: But I need eat too

Hardrock - 17-6-2009 at 06:24 PM

I'll be looking back at this someday because I also got the depower wants.

I think once you start spending that kind of cash it would really help to demo a few to know for sure.

redtailin - 18-6-2009 at 08:56 AM

The first kite I flew was an Apex 5M. If you have any kiting experience the 7.5M should be just fine. I highly recommend the Apex. Look around and you may be able to find the Apex I series for fairly cheap.

snobdr - 18-6-2009 at 09:09 AM

You get what you pay for.

bigsteve - 18-6-2009 at 01:06 PM

My first depowers were a set of Pulse2's, 10 and 14. Awesome Set up. Learned how to mountain board on it. They Pulses are so simple and feel so safe to fly. If I did it over again, I'd buy the same kites in a heart beat. I still have the 10m, its a killer engine for more powerful days.

All I can say is I wish the price when I bought is the price they are going for now

kiteNH - 18-6-2009 at 01:10 PM

Can't go wrong with the Ozone Access XC for a first depower. Very stable and forgiving kite.

-mj- - 18-6-2009 at 01:34 PM

might be out on a limb here but did you consider a twinskin?
you say mtb, buggy and kitesurfing in the future, and except for the flysurfers none of the other kites mentioned will work on the water (well untill you crash)

might be a bit of an investment but you´ll have a kite that does it all, and most models will give you a smooth learning curve.
(there might be some second hand Synergies on the market soon ;-) )

mougl - 18-6-2009 at 01:48 PM

Good point mj! So far all I have launched has been PL, why stray away now? :D the only depower by PL I have really looked into was the syn. Very nice kite!

rudeboysaude - 18-6-2009 at 01:54 PM

I prefer landboarding with an ARC because of how stable they are in the air. If you head downwind on your board the ARC will just float in the sky with you. YOu can roll straight downwind and the kite won't fall out of the sky. Bridled foils, especially open cell kites, require you to keep forcing air into them to keep them from luffing, but closed cell kites will give you some recovery time while you're learning. You're got a nice PL quiver started there, no sense mixing it up now!

HQ-Powerkites - 18-6-2009 at 02:29 PM

mj ist almost correct in saying that Peter Lynns and Flysurfers are the only kites working on all three terrains.
There is a HQ NEO that does that too.

Cheers

Scudley - 18-6-2009 at 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by HQ-Powerkites
mj ist almost correct in saying that Peter Lynns and Flysurfers are the only kites working on all three terrains.
There is a HQ NEO that does that too.

Cheers

Sky Country's wave will also do land/snow/water. For a land/snow depower, I do not think anyone can beat the price or quality of the Alasca. Check out the video
S

DAKITEZ - 18-6-2009 at 05:17 PM

Good one mougl you have all the reps coming out to represent :singing:

Hey Scudley nice video ... that just makes me what to come visit you crazy neighbors to the north :lol:

You all always have a good time :thumbup:

where can i buy one of those fancy helmets you were wearing :lol:

Scudley - 18-6-2009 at 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DAKITEZ
Good one mougl you have all the reps coming out to represent :singing:

Hey Scudley nice video ... that just makes me what to come visit you crazy neighbors to the north :lol:

You all always have a good time :thumbup:

where can i buy one of those fancy helmets you were wearing :lol:

Thanks, glad you liked it. The newby was Tonya's aunt over from Moscow for a visit.
It would probably be better if we met in Seaside. The wind in Vancouver is unreliable: usualy sucking rather than blowing.
The hat comes from Lee Valley Tools. I am far more likely to suffer a sunburn than an injury to whats left of my brain. Seriously when things start to get exciting I wear my helmet. For low speed reaches like the ones in the film I did not think I needed one.

S

AD72 - 18-6-2009 at 10:17 PM

The Apex II 7.5M is a great depower kite. I am completely comfortable with it right out of the bag. It is a dependable buggy engine for me.

ripsessionkites - 18-6-2009 at 10:30 PM

decide what you want to do or progress to?

what type of winds you get?

are you ever going into the water?

any features you would like to have?

you cant go wrong with the PL / HQ / FS / Ozone and Flexi make land based depower foils. these are top brands that have put a lot of R&D into their kites. they have proved themselves not by just the pros but the average rider too. there is no hype behind these brands, they do what they say. if you're on a budget you're better off buying "used" than some cheaper brand.

I perfer the PL Arcs because of that one sweet feature. when you're learning to do tricks on the mtn board, the last thing im looking at is the kite and more my feet placement. so the Auto Zenith comes in very handy.

mougl - 19-6-2009 at 06:52 AM

Rip:

What I'd like to progress to is freestyle ATB, some buggy fun, and eventually kitesurfing. I live on the water so I get a lot of sweet costal winds. Summertime is Hurricane season so the wind is unpredictable. As for features I'd like a depower that doesn't have an immense learning curve, good lift, and nice float (if such a kite exists)
I know that in order to get such a kite its going to be a bit spendy so the saving begins

Thanks for all the info so far everyone!

snobdr - 19-6-2009 at 08:14 AM

Remember too you need much more kite on the water. Your low wind kite on land much be a high wind kite on water.
I would look more for a kite that will serve you well on land, Worry about a water kite when the times comes. Aside from the PLs, foil kites can be tuff to learn on water with especially when crashing alot.

csa_deadon - 22-6-2009 at 01:45 PM

Thing to keep in mind about water and the neo is 8m neo is equal to approx (Tim correct me if I'm wrong here) 10m-11m LEI kite. Also the Neo is very easy to relaunch from any surface. Closed cell foils won't bow tie as easily as an ARC, as I'm finding out with my PL Scorp. Like the others have said before it's all down to personal preference.
I can tell you that just because HQ is cheaper in the wallet, it's not cheaper in build quality. I've owned enough of them to recommend them to anyone.

ripsessionkites - 22-6-2009 at 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mougl
Rip:

What I'd like to progress to is freestyle ATB, some buggy fun, and eventually kitesurfing. I live on the water so I get a lot of sweet costal winds. Summertime is Hurricane season so the wind is unpredictable. As for features I'd like a depower that doesn't have an immense learning curve, good lift, and nice float (if such a kite exists)
I know that in order to get such a kite its going to be a bit spendy so the saving begins

Thanks for all the info so far everyone!

id go Syn or Scorpion in the Arc department or HQ Neo.

i see you want list, we got it all for ya. =)

Bladerunner - 22-6-2009 at 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by csa_deadon
I can tell you that just because HQ is cheaper in the wallet, it's not cheaper in build quality. I've owned enough of them to recommend them to anyone.

HQ and SkyCountry aren't lacking in build quality but they aren't exactly the same as Flysurfer ? Flysurfer goes over and above. They include things like , Jet flaps, Blow-outs and break away tabs that others don't include. These extras make a small diference but at a pretty good cost.

Keep an eye on the Forums. Quality older Depower kites are starting to sell very cheap!

A depower that doesn't get enough respect and makes a GREAT starter is the 7.7m JoJo Session.

mougl - 22-6-2009 at 05:17 PM

Oh, I keep a VERY vigilant eye on the For Sale forum here, but the problem is:
Funds running low as I build my quiver so I'm in savings mode right now for that one deal I just cant pass up

Lots of GREAT info here! Thanks a lot everyone

BretO - 24-6-2009 at 01:52 PM

Just stumbled across this thread.....

I was going to ask the question what would be a good depower size kite to get next.

I have been flying a Beemer III 2m and just got a Scout 5m and a AK 103 landboard.
I'm going to practiced for a while with these kites on the board but I was trying to figure out what size depower would be good for when I get to the point I want to do some freestyle.

I have been looking at the Apex, Montana, and to a little bit the Neo. (I have a friend that sells HQ kites so it's pretty easy to get a hold of them.)

I weight about 175 and around here the winds are usually 5 to 15 mph.
I don't know if a 7m would be plenty or if I need something bigger like a 12m or 14m
I live in the Dallas, Tx area so if anyone doesn't mind showing me some pointers......

BretO

DAKITEZ - 24-6-2009 at 02:05 PM

BretO since your friend sells them take them all out and fly them. That is the only true way to find what kite is best for you. :thumbup:

BretO - 24-6-2009 at 03:08 PM

He doesn't have any of them in stock where I can do that unfortunately.