I finally had the chance to fly two similar kites of the same size for a comparison between manufacturers. I had a 3.0m HQ Beamer IV that I use for demonstration and I recently had a 3.0m Peter Lynn Hornet come in. I decided it was time to do a direct compare between the two.

First off, the bags each comes with are top notch bags.
Each kite comes with Kite, Bag, Ground stake, Lines, Handles, and Kite Killers. Everything is good quality. The differences are in the ground stake and Peter Lynn gives you two winders for the lines where HQ gives you a double winder. I must admit after messing with the Double winder for quite awhile now on HQ kites, that thing has got to go! The stretchy things that hold onto the line ALWAYS are in the way. This is a minor mark on HQ, but I can't stand the double winder.

Thats not to say that the Peter Lynn kite doesn't have any flaws. The HQ kite stake is a pretty nice Steel stake that will poke into any ground.

Peter Lynn has obviously not been to TEXAS as I couldn't get the giant heavy plastic stake into the gound here at all! It is too wide for our brick hard clay. One thing i will say, even though it isn't down very far, no kite wanted to move it. It Probably is VERY GOOD with Sand or soft soil.

I like the bag the Peter Lynn stake comes with as it can wrap aound a Peter Lynn buggy chassis. The HQ stake bag has a belt loop hook which could also come in handy. Both serve their purpose. I will have to give HQ the check mark here.

Both kites lay out nicely. Lines are top quality for both. HQ uses a Red line for left, Blue for Right and black much thinner lines for brakes with either red or black ends. Peter Lynn uses Red for Power and Blue for brakes. ALL LINES are numbered for both kites. The Beamer has adjustable brakes. Meaning there are multiple knots on the brake bridle to change positions should you need more brakes or less.
I like both kites designs, they each have something distinct about them that make them stand apart. The Beamer appears minimally larger, though I did not do any exact measurements, so I won't question anything. The Beamer did sit higher in the saddle when staked than the Hornet.

Flying: This is where it counts. This is the first Beamer I have flown (and I've flown alot) that the brakes absolutely did not work on the last brake knot. I had nothing. Thats where the additional adjustment comes in handy. If I got another Beamer 3.0, I'm sure it may be different. After the adjustment, both kites respond to brake inputs well.

In the same wind, the Beamer is quicker than the Hornet, more agile, easier to get up, and has plenty of power and zip. You know it when a gust hits the kite because it hits you too. You can't miss the yellow kite in the sky. The colors are vibrant indeed.

This is my first stab at the Hornet. It is slower which is better for beginners, but it just isn't as maneuverable as the Beamer (the slower speed = less maneuverable). The one advantage I can give this kite is that it will absorb the gusts much better than the Beamer. Where the Beamer turns it on with a WHAM, the Hornet will grumble slowly with more power. I don't know how to put that any different, you know there is an increase, but it is gradual and not a surprise. I really like the color scheme of the Hornet.

Synopsis: If you are on a budget, I will point you to the Hornet as it is a good kite and it is about $40 less than the same size Beamer. But if you were asking me about which kite to pick between the two, I would say you would be happier with the Beamer.

Good review... Thanks for sharing!

so the hornet is MORE forgiving than the beamer??? But the beamer is a better early starter in low winds...?

good to know...

the HQ winder: a lot of my winders are like that, and I tend to fold my lines inside my kites rather than use winders, but when I do use the winders I find that I can hold the bungee line-keeper bit inside the hand the holds the winder, so it is out of the way while I use the other hand to feed the lines onto the winder...

Hope you continue to do well with your business as you move into winter... You're going to have a huge ball with the winter winds this year:D

Huh interesting!! thanks for sharing, that's definitely good stuff to know

Good Job Akulakat. The aspect ratio of the Beamer is 3.5 where the Hornet is 3.0, which goes a long way to explaining why the Beamer will power up a bit faster and the Hornet will eat gusts a bit better. They are so close that I often have customers choose between the two on color or brand preference.

About the winders; I don't know anyone that uses them once the lines come off the first time (well, except Revolution and stunt flyers). You might have better luck winding on the handles

I use the winders on all of my kites except for the depowers. But I started out with stunt kites.

Good review

So the Hornet isnt as lifty as the beamer?

I was under the impression that a hornet is more Traction than lift and that the beamer was quite lifty? Correct me if im wrong

Neither one is lifty :frog:

Neither is lifty. But they are fun to fly. Pictures for the review can be found on my site, www.bigmikeskites.com in the review section.

Good review- thanks for posting. Haven't tried the Hornet yet but this give me an idea of how it flies.

By any chance have you flown the sting?

I am currently looking for a kite for my wife and 9yr old son to fly. Wanted to start small and get something in the 1.2-1.7 range for them, and for me to steal in high wind conditions.

Currently looking at Sting 1.2, Beamer IV 1.4 or the Hornet 1.5. Looking for a good all around kite, and seeing as its for the wife needs to be somewhat "pretty";-)

Personally, i bought the hornet 2m for my wife and she LOVES it. It's been the perfect "fun" kite

Quote:

Originally posted by Gojira By any chance have you flown the sting? I am currently looking for a kite for my wife and 9yr old son to fly. Wanted to start small and get something in the 1.2-1.7 range for them, and for me to steal in high wind conditions. Currently looking at Sting 1.2, Beamer IV 1.4 or the Hornet 1.5. Looking for a good all around kite, and seeing as its for the wife needs to be somewhat "pretty";-)

Sting is a great little kite and a good high wind kite.
At that size, all those 3 kites are going to be very similar in performance. All good build quality. So you might as well go for the "prettiest".

what he said ^^^

but I will add if you want to use the sting for high winds you should look into upgrading the lines and possibly handles also.

i got the beamerIV 1.4 from csa. absolutely love it, my son has been flying it alot as you can see in the 'flying w/your kids' thread. cant wait for the winds to really start howlin so i can let her rip.