Hi All, Newbie here. I was hoping for some feedback from the good experienced folks here.

I am about to buy my first trainer kite with a view to end up on the water kite surfing in the future. I might do some land boarding but no buggying, will mostly be doing recreational at the start.

Which of the above kites will serve me best all round for training and fun.

I weigh usually between 150-165lbs, 5' 6" Female.

Is one better than the other? I just want the best kite that will set me up for the future but also a good kite for the days when you only have time for a quick fly.

I also considered the HQ Beamer IV 3.0m but it seems to lean heavily towards buggying.

Thanks in advance.

Out of the 3, I would still go with a Beamer. It really depends on your winds where you are at which size. A 2m Beamer is a great kite and you will have alot of fun with it. The Hydra has the advantage of getting you in some wet stuff. The Rush I wouldn't mess with myself.

The Hornet is a good kite as well.

If your main goal is to end up on the water or mountain board, then I would suggest against the Beamer or the Hornet unless you wanted to pay extra to have it converted over to a control bar. Both the Beamer and Hornet come with handles.

Out of your list, I would suggest the Hydra. The Hydra will give you much more ability to learn kite surfing on the water than the others. The Hydra is the only one out of all the ones you are considering that is water relaunchable, which means that you can take it out onto the water and practice body dragging both downwind and upwind as well as relaunching the kite off of the water after a crash or even landing it on the water. They Hydra comes on a control bar so you can even hook it into a harness should you decide to do so. Not only can you use it in the water, the Hydra can also be flown on land and is very fun to fly. In the stronger winds with a big board, you could even use the Hydra to kite surf with - not recommended to even try with the other models.

As with any power kite, be careful when you are first learning as all of these kites have the power to rip you off the ground if you try to fly them in winds that are too strong for the kite.

Second choice would be the Rush Pro - as it too comes on a control bar and will be better to learn on for kite surfing.

This opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Hope that helps.

I have the Hydra 300 and I like it. In low winds it does take a little to inflate it, more than a an open cell kite, but if you want to go to water then get a water capable kite.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input.

I would be using the kite in Cornwall, England on beaches mainly with the tide out but with the Hydra I wouldn't be so rushed with a tide coming in as it won't matter if it hit the water. I already have a wetsuit which can be used year round here so getting into the water wouldn't be a problem.

I understand learning with the bars would be a good option as that is what I would be using on the water, a bar can be purchased for both the Hornet and the Beamer. I have already used a Beamer, I enjoyed it a lot but the Dyneema control lines were always rubbing on my middle finger which hurt a lot at times, (yes I was wearing gloves). Would the same happen with the Hornet? I have also been told that the Peter Lynn Bar is better than the one you can buy for the Beamer. Looking at the stats again I feel the Beamer is too focused on Buggying which I don't intend to do. At a push I may use a landboard but it isn't a priority.

If I add a bar to the Hornet how is it compared to the Rush being that one has 4 lines and one has 3. Would the hornet be more versatile for recreational use (not going near water) because you can use both the handles and the bar. I am leaning towards buying the Hydra for myself (I intend to end up on water kitesurfing) and also buying a kite eventually for my husband who doesn't care if he goes into/onto the water. He may just want to do recreational flying with maybe going on a landboard.

So if I had to pick two, currently I am leaning towards the Hornet and Hydra, would they be good choices?

Hubby is 5'7" and 155lbs so we are both around the same weight and height and using the kites in identical conditions.

Thanks All.

Here's a bit of vid of me flying the Hornet a few months ago. I actually liked it more than the 3m Flow and Beamer. A little slower, bit more grunty and very stable.

http://www.vimeo.com/7110282

You can use an Ozone Turbo bar on any of these 4 line foils. I do nearly all my buggying with a turbo bar, I find it more comfortable to use than handles/strop.

Get a little bit of neoprene tubing to fit over the power lines where they rub on your fingers. Ozone handles have these already but I don't think either PL or HQ handles do.

There's also some vid of me flying a Beamer 2m and a Flow 3m on a turbo bar here: http://www.vimeo.com/8937721

All excellent kites on the land but they would all be big sea anchors if you dunked 'em!!

Thanks for all the input.......it is very much appreciated.

After talking to some kiting friends that I will be going out with I have decided against the Hydra as initially I am looking for a fun 4 line kite as they have all the gear needed to get me onto the water later on.

So now I am trying to decide between the Beamer IV 3.0, Ozone Flow 3.0, Ozone IMP III Quattro 09 3.0 and the PL Hornet 3.0.

All are priced around the same, but which is going to be the most fun for just recreational flying with maybe some landboarding (NO BUGGYING). I like the handles of the Ozones. I like the fact that the Beamer does well in low winds. I like that the Hornet handles gusts better. You can see my dilemma. Which is the best all-rounder?

I have searched back 15 pages and read, read and read some more and am no closer to deciding which one is best.

Location is:- West Cornwall, UK (Gwithian, Penzance, Sennen, Holywell Bay, Perranporth etc.)

I'm almost at the point of sticking all 4 in a hat but was hoping for a tad more feedback from you guys. Maybe I should post a poll to make it easier, what do you think? How do you even do a poll, couldn't work it out.

Thanks in advance.

From the kites you have listed, there's not really much chance of you making a bad choice. I have been very happy with the Flow 3.0.

If you were in the States and even though it is a tad smaller, I would throw the Flexifoil Sting II 2.4 into the mix just because the clearance price on it is such a screaming deal ($135 USD).

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How do you even do a poll, couldn't work it out.

Go here (PKF - Kites and Accessories section). In the upper left hand corner, there should be two buttons: "New Post" and "New Poll".

If you are already viewing a thread, there should be 3 buttons "New Topic", "New Poll" and "Post Reply"

ATB,
Sam

That Ozone Imp III will be a 2.5m or a 3.5m, there is no 3m. I've tried a lot of kites and my opinion (as evidenced by my sig) is that Ozone is the way to go. The Beamer is a fairly good kite, but unexciting. The Flow is much more fun to fly. I'll admit to not having flown a Hornet. The Ozone kites are very, very well made and fly very, very well. The Ozone handles are very comfortable too. I like the Ozone lines and the Peter Lynn lines a lot more than the HQ lines. The coating on the HQ lines comes off on your hands.

Thanks..............I was leaning towards Ozone because of the handles, found the Beamers quite painful (with gloves on) at times.

I have heard really good stuff about Ozone, someone described Ozone as the Audi/BMW and the HQ/Peter Lynnn as the Ford. Funny because I own a ford, would never own a BMW and would love to own an Audi.........so there you have it.

I do have a US Bank Account that gets paid into every month and family that could ship something over but right now it just seems like too much hassle, so the Flexifoil deal is too much trouble even though it is a great deal.

Just to confuse you even more!!! I own a 3m Flow and a 2.5m imp. And a 2m & 4m Beamer. And have quite a few hours on the 3m Hornet.

The Flow is faster but I find it tends to luff quite a bit. It holds it's shape well when it does luff so I can normally recover.

The Hornet is more grunty and solid feeling. A lot more stable but not quite as fast.

The Beamer treads the middle ground.

You would most likely be happy with any of them. I would pick them all above the 2.5m quattro which is slow and luffy - by comparison. Mind you, the quattro was my first kite - it taught me heaps, has been great fun to fly and has handled all the abuse that I and others have thrown at it. (quite a bit) It's only when you compare them side by side that the differences become apparent. They will all put a smile on your dial!!

Ozone is regarded as having the best lines & handles.

Don't worry too much about which one, you're more than likely going to end up owning several !!

John, what model Imp do you have? Is it the newer Imp III that looks kinda like the Flow or the older model? And is it on a bar or handles? My Imp is fantastic to fly.

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John, what model Imp do you have? Is it the newer Imp III that looks kinda like the Flow or the older model? And is it on a bar or handles? My Imp is fantastic to fly.

My 2.5 Quattro is the Imp II without the mesh. I have very gusty winds at home and it's only when I flew the Hornet & Beamer that I realised the Ozone's tend to luff a bit more. On handles usually. On the beach they are all great kites. And all really good quality too. My Quattro has been repeatedly crash tested!!