Any detailed information on the HQ Evo Chicken Loop?

Like some of their other products, this seems to have been released with a minimum of fanfare.

It really seems enough of a departure from earlier incarnations that in a perfect world, a video review and/or (preferably "and") and exploded diagram would have been posted. Alas, no joy in turning anything of that nature up.

ATB,
Sam

Is this the one on the new ApexIII's...? If so I can post some pics.

Believe it is the chicken loop that is used on the Apex III, Montana 6, Neo 2, and Matrixx.

A little hard to tell sometimes, because on some websites they have the new kites listed, but the pictures used on the product pages is for last years kites/gear...pet peeve.

Any thought you have on the CL, especially if you used a CH from previous HQ offerings would be greatly appreciated.

ATB,
Sam

It is the new one on all of the new kites. I can try and do a video overview of it. Might be a big since I have to fly off to Puerto Rico for the weekend

@cheezycheese & Flash
Anything from your or cheezy would be appreciated. Go to PR and enjoy yourself, video can wait till you get back.

It's just that time of year when new gear is out but not fully propogated, so there's a bit of an information gap.

Kind of find it odd that no one has asked for more info on this. Guess I am just weird. :sniff:

ATB,
Sam

Very similar to the "push away " safety releases found on most modern LEI kites. I've been using this on a Apex III 7.5m and I've noticed that it can get sticky if it gets sand in it unlike most of the inflatable control safeties that I've used so be sure to blow some compressed air in through it after a beach session and work it back and forth so it has "free" motion.

Also I've noted that the Apex III has @ 3.5" longer throw than the Apex II, so I've moved the stop down @ 3" to compensate for this as the brake line and "top hat" safeties were a bit far away for my short arms, at the same time the steering line leaders were 1.5" longer than the II so I put an extra knot at the bar end of the lines (which are glued in) this took up around .75" of this which improved the turning speed of the kite quite noticeably.

Lastly the way they finished the splice in the trim line (which was poorly) made it stick at the bar insert when I wanted (or needed) to pull in the bar to apply power, so I whipped this part with waxed sail twine and it seems to work fine now.

Also the lack of finishing of the flying lines at the kite end that HQ has always used, in my experience has been a problem for me creating little "hooks" at the that end, so if they wrap around each other it makes it a real chore to untangle them, again by whipping these with sail twine eliminates this problem altogether.

Hope this helps, probably a little more than what was asked by the OP, but I felt it was a good opportunity to give a brief review of the control bar associated with this chicken loop.

There is no hole thru the center for a 5th line - correct?

there is a through hole for the 5th line. havnt used it all that much but so far every time ive used it it has done its job, i like that it rotates at the metal base of the loop to the lines. so twisting up does not happen so much. ifi was to find a fault in it so far id say its how the clip cuts/ frays the line as you put the loop back together.
took some pics for you sam.


hmmm apparently im not so good at embedding pics
link to my photo page instead
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dangm/

Many, many thanks for the pics (all pics are clickable hyperlinks) . There are a couple of things I find worrisome. Must give this a good thunk.


IMG_3866 by Dan G M, on Flickr


IMG_3864 by Dan G M, on Flickr


IMG_3863 by Dan G M, on Flickr

ATB,
Sam

thats the one i have.
i can really say mine cuts/frays on reload like in the pic, but i do have a little trouble with the 5th line getting twisted with the other lines through the bar hole.

i also am concerned about the integrity of the little finger that holds the loop. it's not too beefy. I'm not exactly sure what the load on this piece is, but it's really skinny... :dunno:

hopefully its designed in a way where most of the force is pulling down on the bottom of the U shape, rather than bending the U.
it only needs a tiny bit of "sideways" force to slip the loop of once released

also, i dont think any "sideways" force is on the little finger, but rather on the big finger, pulling it into the red plastic (but like i said, this force should be small)

actually, just had a look, and there does seem to be quite a bit of force that could bend the U
but it seems quite sturdy material

but anyway, better a quick-release breaks, than siezes up