Just starting out and looking around to get the best kite..... been told to start with a 3m but any ideas which to get?! I've looked at a Radsail 3m and an Ozone Flow 3m...... any advice?! cheers!

If your looking for the best, Ozone is one of the best brands on the market. I would recommend the Flow.

in no order, and it bascially comes down to colour / pattern as these all perform pretty much the same ... its a beginner foil.

peter lynn hornet
ozone flow
hq beamer

in the end, should you not want to upgrade this will in turn become your HIGH WIND engine.

never mind the radsails... I'd rather fly a pansh.

'rip has two good 3m for sale: the beamer 3m and the hornet 3m.

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=14377

you won't go wrong with either one.

Quote:

Originally posted by ripsessionkites in no order, and it bascially comes down to colour / pattern as these all perform pretty much the same ... its a beginner foil. peter lynn hornet ozone flow hq beamer in the end, should you not want to upgrade this will in turn become your HIGH WIND engine.

Also wanted to add the Peter Lynn viper and Prism tensor to that list

the viper is a little more advanced but will grow with you too.

Rip:

Could you elaborate on that? Just wondering as I was noticing the bridle and rib tweaks Ozone had done on the Flow when I had it out last weekend.

ATB,
Sam

Quote:

Originally posted by indigo_wolf Rip: Could you elaborate on that? Just wondering as I was noticing the bridle and rib tweaks Ozone had done on the Flow when I had it out last weekend. ATB, Sam

from the one ive flown it had no more / less than other two foils.

if there is a newer version available than maybe it performs better than the one i flew.

how can you tell if you have a older or newer version?

As far as I know there has been no changes to the Ozone Flow between it's introduction in 2009 and this year.

Things that fall under the "one of these things is not like the other" category (break out the Kermit puppet).

This is one of the better pictures I could find of the Viper showing the bridle.



Attached is the schematic for the Flow.

Suppossedly the use of diagonal ribs reduces the bridle count. In additional the bridles on the flow are unsleeved to reduce drag.

If you look at the inlets on the Flow the are actually placed a bit back from the leading edge and towards the bottom of the canopy. Also the cells where the white (or orange) accent color intersects the leading edge are closed.

There is a sand channel along the trailing edge so that sand has an unobstructed path to the dirt-outs at the wingtips.

Maybe not earth shattering but nice featurelets that are worth a mention.

ATB,
Sam

Go with the Flow...

I also concur, there have been no sail/design changes in the Flow since it was originally released. The Flow is an excellent performer and even though it is marketed for the beginner to intermediate pilot, will impress even the most advanced pilots. Ricardo, if you had one that performed or looked differently then it must have been modified by the owner.

I would bet hard earned money that it was not a fluke in the kite. Being an authorized retailer for Ozone for over 8 years now and one of the largest dealers for Ozone power kites in the U.S., we have never had an Ozone kite returned because of a factory defect or manufacturing issue of any kind. The only issue we ever had with Ozone products over the last 8 years was with the Ozone Bar recall. This recall was initiated by Ozone who gave free exchanges on all the bars that were within the time frame of the recall regardless if you had one of the actual defective bars or not. Ozone has the highest level of quality control of any kite manufacturer we have ever dealt with.

As the original poster requested the best of the two listed, Ozone definitely falls into that category and the Ozone Flow is an excellent kite.

We also carry HQ, Peter Lynn and Prism for our power kite lines. All of which make some excellent products but Ozone is arguably the best kite manufacturer on the market, unfortunately it is also one of the most expensive.

Rip, if you do actually have an Ozone Flow that is defective then you should return it to the dealer you purchased it from and they will take care of it for you. I only assume that you purchased it from somewhere else as you are not an authorized Ozone dealer. If your local dealer is giving you any issues, let me know and I will be more than happy to exchange it for you.

Quote:

Originally posted by awindofchange Rip, if you do actually have an Ozone Flow that is defective then you should return it to the dealer you purchased it from and they will take care of it for you. I only assume that you purchased it from somewhere else as you are not an authorized Ozone dealer. If your local dealer is giving you any issues, let me know and I will be more than happy to exchange it for you.

nope it was factory, and has no mods. im also not the owner of it either but got in a few hours to play with it.

i can carry ozone in canada, but i choose not to since the other shop does why carry the same items.

in no way was I knockin the Flow ... just stating that if you wanted to buy a beginner foil the three listed brands were better than Radsail and you had other options as well.

every kite model has different design, but I highly doubt a new rider entering the sport cares if the kite has reduced bridles / d-ribs / dirt-outs / spectra-dyneema (thin) bridles / ppn / etc.

most are looking for the kite that fits their wallet size.

Quote:

Originally posted by ripsessionkites most are looking for the kite that fits their wallet size.

A wallet-sized kite?!?! Dang.... I thought Dakitez and the others were just kidding about you being small.

I really need a kite that's a bit bigger than that. :shocked2:

ATB,
Sam

Here's my vote for the flow:Beamer 2m & Flow 3m

I have the 3m Hornet too which I think is a little slower but a bit gruntier and a tad more stable. I've got a 2 & 4 Beamer too. Don't think you could go wrong with any of them. All excellent kites. The Flow and Beamers run very well on the turbo bar. The Hornet prefers a bit more front line input than the turbo bar provides but is still ok.

Definitely go with the Flow. You won't be disappointed.

lets put this in a nut shell.
There are lots of good starter kites out there

BUT RADSAILS DOES NOT BELONG ON THE LIST!!

buy one of the above mentioned kite and enjoy