I'm looking at picking up the tensor 5m, I was just wondering what people feedback was on it and if anyone has flown one

The Tensor is still pretty new on the market. We have been selling quite a few of them and have not had any bad feedback from any of our customers about them at all.

The Tensor is made from Prism Kites - relatively new to the power kiting market but not to kites. Prism has been one of the leading manufacturers of kites and kite products for a very long time and makes some of the best top line stunt kites in the world. Their Quantum Pro series has won many national championships over the years and their construction and attention to detail is absolutely awesome. They use very high quality materials in all of their products and their kites are arguably some of the best looking ones on the market.

The Tensor is a really neat package as it comes with the ability to fly it on either control handles or a control bar - all from the same package. The control bar comes already hooked up to the kite and ready to fly right out of the bag. Just set it up, attach the safety leash and launch. If you want to convert it from the control bar to quad handles, just undo a couple of screws in the center of the bar and remove the center connector, screw in the molded aluminum handle ends and wala - you now have a quad line handle setup.

The kite looks great, the graphics are awesome. The bar is very easy to use and very comfortable. The package comes with three kite killers, two for the handles and one for use with the control bar as a center line leash. All bridle lines are stitched together to reduce the potential of tangles and are color coded for easy of identification. The bar and handles are also color coded for easy identification (right or left).

The Tensor pulls very hard and has great amounts of power in the center of the window. I would rate it as a low to mid aspect ratio sail which makes it perfect for someone just starting out in power kiting. The 5.0 meter is a tank and has tons of power so you will want to be careful when you take it out, especially if the winds are a little on the stronger side. The Tensor is a very stable kite that is easy to fly and nearly impossible to luff or collapse. In super gusty and unpredictable winds it could fold up a little but it pops back open very easily and I don't think it could ever bow tie unless under the most craziest and crappiest of wind conditions. But then any kite would do the same.

If this is your first kite, the Tensor would be a great choice. I usually recommend something in the 2 or 3 meter sizes for your first kite though, the 5m may be a little on the large size and could do some damage if you are not already experienced in kiting.

Hope this helps.

Haven't flown the 5m yet. I have a few here but have only flown the 4m at this point. Excellent kites and packages. It reminds me of aflexifoil bullet with an aoa adjuster.

I have a 2.5m from them, I love their kites and I have about a lot of time with it. I'm looking at the 5m for lower and mid range wind. Will it be able to pick me up?

I wouldn't classify the Tensor as being a real lifty kite. If you are serious about getting some air time then you may be better served looking into something like the Crossfire II from HQ or the Twister II from Peter Lynn. Of course there is also the Blades which also have a ton of lift.

The Tensor has awesome pull and a very controllable power curve. The kite is really fun to fly and will work ok in the buggy but I would probably recommend one of the others mentioned above for riders looking for a lot of lift and air time.

Pl 830 arc? What about that? With a good bar

It would have to be an 840 Arc. This is the first generation twin skin kites produced by Peter Lynn. They were great kites in their time but not anything close to the technology and performance of today's twinskins.

The Arc's are depowerable kites, so you will need a harness to fly it. They were produced from 1999 to 2002 (over a 10 year old design) so double check the condition and make sure it flies properly before purchasing. If it is in great condition and priced right, it could make a good starter depower surf kite for someone but I would probably recommend something newer if you could afford it.