I've had the Flow 3m for a couple of months now and had the chance to fly it in smooth sea breezes and lumpy inland crud!! Mostly in the buggy and
mostly with a turbo bar.
First up - nicely styled daypack, reasonably sturdy with plenty of room. Awkward with a turbo bar though - the bar sticks up out of the top and the
zips tend to open when it's like this. with handles, no problems.
Sail is the usual Ozone quality - very nicely made, mesh covering the vents and some extra diagonal bracing.
For a low-moderate aspect ratio kite, it's fast. It fairly leaps off the ground and turns quickly (real quickly with the turbo bar). Stability is
reasonable. It's faster than the Hornet and I think just pips a Beamer. But there seems to be a cost with this speed - it can luff quite easily in
moderately gusty conditions. Even at the beginning of the video, when I'm just cruising along, the flow luffs. But, that extra diagonal bracing
seems to help it hold it's shape and nine times out of ten it will recover before it hits the ground. I don't think I can recall it luffing when in
an on-shore sea breeze (where it's definitely at it's best - although when the wind picks up you have to keep your eye on it because it can suddenly
be where you don't want it!!) in inland conditions though I feel it luffs more than it should.
It responds to brake input when moving at speed too, add some brake and it backs up in the window and produces a bit more power. Because it's
reasonably quick you can move it around quickly and generate some reasonable pull for the size.
It's fairly good at absorbing gusts too. For me, I think it's a good kite, though not a great kite - it's a bit too skittish for my taste but I know
the flow has got more than a few fans.
There's some video of me taking it for a spin in the buggy - with the occasional luff. I tend to work it up and down to get up to speed then it can
just sit there and park and ride.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mJvNe_QQIU
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