I've always wondered what people think is the best kite for static jumping. I hear a lot about the blade, twister and ace but not so much about the crossfire, although some stories indicate that its right up there with the blade and twister. If there are anymore kites that you want me to add to the poll just post.

Mac Bego. Flies like a race kite but lifts like a blade.

Who is that made by?

I can't edit the poll anymore do you know how to do that?

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Originally posted by power Who is that made by?

The company is Mac Para from the Czech Republic. The kite is Bego (200, 400, 600 or 2, 4, 6 meter)

I'd like to add it in but I can't figure out how to.

i chose twister before i read the part about static jumping... the blade would get my vote for better jumping, but the twister would get my vote for the kite i would buy... a good bit less expensive, quality seemed just as good... but the lift wasnt as high as the blade...

avoid the crossfire and the ace for jumping... they both have a tendency to collapse... so does the bego from what i have heard... last thing you want when you are ten feet off the ground is for the kite to collapse... then it tends to spring back open in the powerzone and you can be in real trouble...

when i jump, i use my arcs... WAY better for jumping than any fixed bridle, IMO

the blade seems more stable than the ace for sure. the ace is much cheaper and can help you have fun, but can get into trouble quick. I'm trying to get my buddy to post his video where his 5m ace lifted him 20-25 feet up and the slammed him on his side on the way down. the bigger sizes of the blade turn much quicker and sharper than the bigger sizes of ace. I'd prefer the blade, but for safe high jumps I would jump on a de-power arc any day

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Originally posted by dylanj423 they both have a tendency to collapse... so does the bego from what i have heard...

IMO (and I own both the 400 and 600) that is a greatly over exaggerated claim of the Bego. They aren't even as difficult to set up as many say. Take maybe 10 minutes to add power rings that are between 2 and 5 inches long almost anywhere on the power leader and tune the brakes so they are taught but not tight and the kite flies like a dream and turns much faster than many / most kites of the same size.

Not looking to start a debate and I wouldn't say its the best kite out there for everyone but as far as being one of the absolute best kites to static fly, feel connected with and static jump - you'd be hard pressed to find one better in smooth winds. Bumpy winds... it can be an outright nightmare but in smooth winds its fantastic.

I gave a nod to the Twister. The Blade is a liftier kite but therefore so much more aggressive, and that is not my style. Flying the Blade in lumpy winds is like having your handles tied to the back of a truck with the driver gunning the gas and popping the clutch all the time. You can tame it with an AAA kite but that kills the lift and that is the topic here. In super smooth coastal winds like we get much of the year it can be a dream though and it is still the king of lift.

Twister II is still plenty lifty and very stable like the Blade, but so much smoother and predictable in a variety of winds. Maybe this is at the cost of some grunt but it is a happier trade-off for me. Price is easier, too. You cannot put an AAA kit on this bridle, but the kite is so smooth it is not as much as an issue.

Crossfire II is a nice and versatile kite with the ground adjustable bridle for AoA. It got a bad rap somewhat due to a bridle issue on the first few that got out, but there was a published fix for that. In the high lift (normal) setting I have not seen any stability issues in a variety of winds. In the low lift "buggy" setting, it does command some attention on the brakes to keep it from luffing.

If the question was versatility in a high lift kite at a good price point, the CFII would get the nod. If the query was for a versatile high lift kite at any price, I might consider the Blade with a $30 AAA kit, with the warning about its aggressiveness.

[EDIT] Forgot that the Blade V includes the AAA kit. It was an aftermarket option on the previous ones. Thanks Dino. I never bother posting the Blade V on my site so I forgot.

What criteria power? Lift, stability, cost, buggy, KGB, snow, ease of flying, and yeah you need to include the Begos in the poll...........................

Never flown a blade, but i didn't want to skew the results because i've only ever flown a twister and Ace. I know that i've seen the overall consensus on other sites that the blade is known as THE jumping kite. I did love the twister for the stability and predictability that Angus was talking about but It's not necessarily as fast as what i've seen in youtube vids of the blades :D

my vote went to the twister as a kite I would buy. The blade is a awesome kite, but you could have 2 twisters to one blade for the cost. The blade is not that much better IMHO. The AAA is nice on the blade and is about the only thing that makes it much better than the twister. If PL put a AAA in the twister it would be a solid fight for the throne.

BTW, since it came up, I have a used Twister II 5.6 on sale - on either handles or bar.
$275 on handles
$295 on Bar

Excellent shape, still crispy with low time and no damage.

Orange & Blue
http://www.coastalwindsports.com/servlet/the-598/Quad-4-dsh-...

I voted Blade but the Begos are right there............................the 6.5m BIV was amazing......speed, turninig, stability, and lift off the chart. Bego 600 almost as good once you got her dialed in........................

I'll add the bego but how do you edit the poll I can only edit the post itself?

You don't need to add the bego. They are hard to come by and not nearly as available as the others. Keep the poll as is for the common flier looking for commonly available kites. The bego can be footnote in the above posts.

My personal fav' for static jumping is my 15m Synergy !
I'm not a fan of static jumping but I get WAY higher and float way WAY farther with it than I ever have on my 9m Blade ?
That Scorpian will be your answer !!!!

im very suprised the ace hasnt taken the lead. very suprised

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Originally posted by Houston AirHead im very suprised the ace hasnt taken the lead. very suprised

seriously or just kidding?

you know, i thought the title was best kite for jumping sorry, ive been taking delsym for a bad cough, im seeing things

i thought the poll was for what kite had best jumps.

in that case it would be blade or ace,

delsym

From what ive heard blades would be the lifty kites, but ive had some fun with my Quadrifoil comp. XL

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Originally posted by Houston AirHead im very suprised the ace hasnt taken the lead. very suprised

it's a Pansh. The question was what to jump with not what to blow your nose with.

[edit] sorry that was harsh. I have to like Pansh for all the handles and line sets I have sold thanks to them.

i put down a vote for aces, just to keep things balanced...

for jumping on a budget still ain't nothing to beat them.

but they have screwed their dealers and refused to upgrade their gear to decent standards, consequently they have lost their moment.

fwiw, the collapse problem is a skill problem.

that said, the aces collapse at the edge much more easily than the blade or the crossfire (only one each so far). The 5 is fast enough in the turns to deal with pretty gusty winds, but my 8 is much less manageable. Lots of collapses, just because it is often too slow to redirect adequately while jumping. But I'm getting better at it, and it seems much easier now that I have the 12 to deal with! I like the 12, very floaty, but its turning speed is truly abysmal, incredibly slow. The aces are made the same across the whole range, so the bigger ones haven't been sped up at all and the small ones are far too fast for their size. the sweet spot for me I reckon would be 6-7 m @ 160 pounds.

My blade redirects clean and fast, so far fewer collapses. But when it collapses, it is more dangerous than the aces because it inflates very quickly on recovery, however the better control helps when dealing with the kite powering up after a collapse and recovery deep in the power. I love flying it when it's powered up, far more controllable and safe than the aces, but it sucks in low winds (where the aces excel)

my crossfire is definitely jumpable and i'd love to jump on a bigger one, but at 3.2 m i've only jumped on mine a few times, and it's nervy stuff. I don't get winds like that often, but I'm slowly getting into flying my arcs in those winds, so I likely won't mess with the cf 3.2 for jumping again, it's just a bit too quick for my reflexes when it's powered up. also it sucks way worse than my blade in low winds, but i've not flown any of the big ones.

I've flown a 3m hornet recently, and it was nice! the twister is a kite i'd love to fly, esp. judging by how good the hornet was as a beginner kite, easy and stable.

I've always been intrigued by the begos, but haven't yet bought one, yep i may have lost my chance....

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Originally posted by furbowski i put down a vote for aces, just to keep things balanced... for jumping on a budget still ain't nothing to beat them. fwiw, the collapse problem is a skill problem. that said, the aces collapse at the edge much more easily than the blade or the crossfire (only one each so far).

At my skill level and I am still a beginner the ace luffs where the twister II5.6 did not. In terms of raw power the ace beat the twister but I never seemed to redirect right for the ace and I land hard. The twister II that I tried redirected fine every time and I had soft landings. If someone wants my ace 5m I would sell it. Then maybe my wife will let me buy a twister :smug:

I vote twister but have never flown a blade or a crossfire.

stetson ... the blade has more of the raw power like the ace (especially the III series and earlier) but the stability of the twister. The blade IV and V are basically the same. The power is not as aggressive as the earlier models, but its still there. I think the less aggressiveness of the IV and V helped us inlanders that have to deal with the gusts.

The crossfire has good lift, somewhere between the blade and twister i would say, but it has the collapse issues if not redirected just right like the ace. Just my Opinion! I know others have and fly all the above kites and each love them for different reasons

I'll throw in what I know. I've flown both the Twister and Twister II and the Crossfire. They are right about the crossfire luffing. It has great pull, but you can't count on it at the edge of the window. Not something you want to worry about when you are in the air. The twister is very stable and pulls like a truck. I don't think you could go wrong with the Twister. I can't comment on the other two kites, but everyone here has sound judgement and I would take their consensus.

whats the felt difference between twister and twister II ?
any noticable difference?

i wish i had a twister for some fast, easy fun in lower winds... sadly my scorpion 16m today did not took off. failed its maiden flight.. wind was to low, pigtails too short.. (and the spot was to narrow, only 35meter -- not enough for that a laarge towel ;-)