Out of all 4, which works the best as a crossover? I know they're all technically crossovers (well, maybe not LEIs but they still work like one) and supposed to work equally well on water and land, but which one actually works the best on all surfaces? It seems like arcs are real popular on this forum but not anywhere else, flysurfers seem the best but then again they cost twice as much as all the other ones, don't know much about neos but they seem like good kites, and LEIs obviously seem best on water but seem to be coming along for land use as well. Please factor in price when deciding which one is best, eg., are flysurfers really that much better that its worth it to pay three times as much as an LEI?

I have flown both a 15m Syn and now a brand new 11m Neo II. Both are great kites in my opinion, but the Arcs have a special place in my gusty winds heart

The Neo is great, and has a much better lower wind capability than my Syn, and also the control bar setup is pretty sexy too.
What really suprised me was the lack of bar pressure when flying! I usuall feel when the kites pulling real good on my Syn, but the neo pulled directly from the powerlines and harness, which is how it should be I assume.

Syn, the reason I went with the PL is the gusty winds ability and auto zenith. Even though the local buggiers give me a lotta crap about flying a kite with no bridals(damn Ozone kites )

Launch is easy on the Neo, while arcs are a bit tricky to get used too. I hear that the new Neos are getting pretty close in quality to a comparable Flysurfer, but ive never flown one.

Brian

Who said neos and why?

There is a reason LEI are so cheap. They don't last (unless not used). If they have been used as cross-over kite (water, and snow, and ground) they last even less. Saltwater, even less. If left in the sun, even less. The other reason is the tech is "out of date" every 6 months. Guys turn them over at a loss for a quick sell while they still can. Otherwise it will auto destroy itself in their posession or take up space in the basement /garage with the rest of the obsolete kite gear

Saying LEI's tech is out of date every 6 months is hyperbole. They may have the biggest market share more marketing hype is attached to 'latest and greatest' as manufacturers strive to differentiate themselves. But that hardly means the technology is defacto more out of date on an LEI as compared to a bridled foil or twinskin after 6 months.

My 06 Cabrinhas fly fine. Sure the new ones are better, but my xbows and switchblades have tremndous depower range and perform well. They are well made, materials of equal quality to my Peter Lynn's or PKD's. No kite benefits being left in sun or salt. Lest anyone think I'm promoting LEI's, check my sig.

krumly

power, i think you're too finicky. As you know this question will definitely be a weighted towards arcs because, like you said, we <3 arcs. If I can speak for all other arcfanatics out there... BUY ONE, YOU WON'T REGRET IT.(period)

Quote:

Originally posted by f0rgiv3n power, i think you're too finicky.

I kind of agree.... At the end of the day, it's whatever kite gives you a fun time! I still smile remembering two months getting to know my prism snapshot 1.4 two years ago...

:wee:

edit... no that was summer 2007, 2 1/2 years now...

pl for ease of use and cost... confidence inspiring kites

flysurfers are good and all, but dont have the same range and are a bit too grunty on land, if you ask me

Quote:

Originally posted by dylanj423 pl for ease of use and cost... confidence inspiring kites

Ease of use, sure.
Ease of launch?

ease of launch !!! it does require know how and a little practice but when you have the hang of it it's a breez.

only time i have an issue is if a line gets nabed by ice or low winds !! then again tell me witch kite doesn't in these situations...

arc all the way :roll:

Flysurfer Pulse or Pulse 2..........................works well inland, in gusts, easy launch and relaunch...........................

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Originally posted by power Who said neos and why?

I gave a nod to the Neo but fly Arcs just as much. They both pass the all important "Can you have a beer while driving with it in the buggy?" test. Both have hands-free park and ride stability.

Arc's have the Autozenith but the Neo will stay overhead with just an occasional poke and nod. You just cannot tie it off to a fence post while you have lunch like you can with an ARC. That said, the Neo lands and relaunches like any foil so it is easy to put down for a break and relaunch solo.

If anyone says the ARC is harder to launch they are just not familiar with it I would guess. The Neo is just more familiar that way since it launches like any foil and does not require the near complete pre-inflation that the Arcs do.

Neo is much easier to set-up for the same reasons. Pack down is similar to the Arc but without the sticks it is easy to pack all the way down into the regular sack.

Just about everyone familiar with Flysurfers who sees the Neo will comment on the simplified bridle that is less likely to foul. I've rolled a Neo end over end when the wind went to crap and relaunched with no snags.

The Neo probably gets the nod for low winds, but watching Toby fly his Venom II 13m in <10 crap winds the other day and doing well on a land board reminded me that it is as much the pilot. But the Neo will not do the wonky things that an Arc might do on low winds like flip inside-out or bow-tie so easy.

I'm glad that they fixed the bar and the safety system on the Neo II. Makes it easy to recommend without a "but...".

the PL V13 that came up was your ticket , a bargain @ 300.

FLY some used junk, across the board, you'll find out personally what you like

I'll play devil's advocate here and say that the Flysurfers are doggone amazing. Worth the cost, in my opinion. Sure they have a lot of grunt on land, but that is what I was looking for when I got them.

I dont have much time on Arcs, so I cannot really comment on them.

I have an LEI, and its an 07 and still in pretty good condition. Not perfect, but it still flies well. If you take care of it, they will last just fine. So comments about them "falling apart" are really dependant upon the kind of treatment they take. If beat the heck out of your ARC, it will "fall apart" as well. Treat anything badly, and its going to show it. I will say that when an LEI fails its no fun, but thats true of just about any kite out there. However, as a starter kite, you cannot really beat the price. Sure, you are going to trash it, but would you rather trash something cheap, or expensive?

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Originally posted by PHREERIDER the PL V13 that came up was your ticket , a bargain @ 300. FLY some used junk, across the board, you'll find out personally what you like

That's right on the money!

I know. Thanks for the help guys, like phree and blade said, it really comes down to needing to fly some KITES!

Yeah definately - fly as many different kites as possible! You are gonna end up with a whole bunch of them eventually anyway but that choice of what to get first is a hard one.

I think LEI's crossover best. They are truly the best thing to use on the water and as soon as you are jumping regularly I think they become the best thing to use on land aswell - they just float better than anything else! (excuse the pun)

If you are a beginner on land and water then Arcs are good - the trouble being that you need a monster one to get enough power on the water - or lots of wind. my 13m Venom wont really work on water till it hits 25mph. They dont crash easy and can take the impacts on the land. I use the Venom a lot landboarding these days.

LEI technology does move fast admittedly but as you can see from my kit list - I still have X3's on the go and thats not a new kite. ok both have had repairs but both have seen a lot of action - particularly the 6 cos it only gets used in mental winds and I use it landboarding a fair bit too. Its been hammered into the ground more times than I can count and its still OK. The 14 is getting a bit battered now but still flies great.

Once its in the air an old kite pulls just as well as a new kite. Its really launch, relaunch, landing, depower and control systems that keep advancing.

Arcs launch different but I would say they are MUCH easier than an LEI and its an easy thing to get used to.