Hey guys I'm looking to get into kiting and was looking around for a cheaper starter kite. I stumbled across a (rather) cheap kite on Ebay and I was wondering if it was worth it. This would be my first kite.

here is the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/BN-3-meters-4-lines-control-power-kite-set-Free-Post_W0QQitemZ350235959421QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item518bb0a07 d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Oh yeah.. for that kite/starting out, would soccer fields be large enough area? that seems to be the only open place around here as i live in a city. Thanks!

It is cheep...I would think twice about something that was listed,

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Spend a little more money and get a real kite, you will have something to sell if you don't like the sport and if you like it you will more than likely keep it for a while.

Yes, soccer fields have always been good spots to fly, if not being used for other things like soccer.

Is there anything you could recommend to start out with?

To many questions to ask.....
What do you want to do, jump, buggy, ATB, on land, water. Are you old or young? Got Balls or ? A million more to be asked.

A 2m or 3m, Beamer, or maybe as small as a 1m. Or a 2 line trainer. It goes on and on.

best thing really is to search all the threads having to do with folks wanting to buy their first real power kite, the ones from the past few weeks should be enough.

3m beamer iv is considered a solid first kite, i've not flown one but they get a majority vote on this forum and a VERY high approval rating from those who have bought them.

telling us your weight, age, and general fitness level is somewhat useful as well, but unless you're way outside the norms 3m and stable / traction rather than fast/lifty is the way to go.

by far the best thing you could do is post your general location and meet up with a kiter, most of us are very willing to trade an hour's drive for a chance to get someone started!

welcome to the forum, btw...

Thanks for all the responses guys

I'm 5'11 and 140 lbs.
I'm 17 years old and i want to (eventually, of course) get in to kite jumping.
Live in Charlotte, NC

I'll search through forum entries and check out that beamer.

Thanks for all the advice!

good to hear you're planning to do some research.

you need the wind skills before you can jump at all safely.

the main thing is you learn on one kite and jump on another, well hopefully many others :evil:

and learning the basics on a kite powered up enough to jump is frustrating at best and dangerous at worst.

not even the kite surf schools do it.

are you leaning towards water or land? buggy or board?

it doesn't affect your decision, i don't think, but i'm a static jumper myself and getting on something that can hold an edge across land is a whole different ball game. where it's at, really, by all accounts...

other who have done different learning curves may have different advice for you in terms of first kite.

post the fruits of your research and you'll get tons of opinions, the more detail, the more feedback.

fly safe!

(edit, btw nc is pretty good for locals, think there's even a couple your age about, give it a couple days and I'm sure you'll get in touch with somebody!)

You get what you pay for when buying new in this sport.

The best thing to do on a budget is to spend some time searching for a used kite from a reputable company with a good history.

You can buy and sell these kites pretty easy at a minimal loss.

I would suggest you search for a used 3m Beamer or similar reputable kite to get started. Use that time to figure out what you want out of the sport. By the time you have your skills down on the 3m you will hopefully have enough saved for your next kite. If not selling a good trainer should be pretty easy and you can fund the move up.

Trust us when we ALL tell you that the best way of learning this sport is starting with the right kite. Too big a kite causes all sorts of problems at 1st. Too cheap a kite and it will just be frustrating.