What's it like? Do you like it? Is it that much different then a Flow? A lot better or superior? Why so much more expensive?

I do, and I love it! I have a 3 meter and flew it this past weekend. Fast, enjoyable and controlable. Excellent quality and looks good! I flew in high winds and it did pull me. To say the least, I was suprised!
As fars as compared to the flow, I havent flown one, and not sure why more expensive. It would seem to me that being a higher aspect kite would involve more labor, as far as it being longer and needing more bridals. Now this is only my opinion! I was in the same position as you less than a month ago. It is a more advanced kite and has more usable range in the window. I bought it because I pick things up quick and I didn't want to grow out of it. GO FOR IT!

I got a 5m Method. Haven't flown the Flow so can't comment but I can give you my thoughts on the Method.

Very well built...typical Ozone quality. Love the minimalist bridle. Kite is fast and very stable. Does produce a good amount of power in the down and up loop. Gotta say though, I was a little disappointed in the power at the edge of the window. It did not have the grunt I was expecting...granted I've only flew the kite about 3 times in relatively light wind so my opinion of it might change. However, when I flew my Reactor I 4.9m in the same winds, I actually felt the the Reactor had more power.

For what it's worth, my favorite intermediate FB kite at the moment are the Reactor II's...Love those kites!!!

I have both. And yes, there is not as much power at the edge of the window as other kites - Century/Vapor/Reactor. But it is more forgiving - gusts just seem to push the kite forward and not drag you sideways. ie: the 4m Method -imho, for buggying - needs about 14 knots to start to work. Even the 3m Flow would probably beat you off the line. But as your speed increased, you'll feel the lines on the 4m start to sing and your top speed will be higher.

The Method is a faster kite than the Flow and it needs to be moving faster than the Flow before it hits it's sweet spot. Static flying, the Method is lovely - quite quick, very smooth and a much wider window than the Flow.

So far, it hasn't proven to be a good kite in gusty inland conditions - you need room to build a bit of speed up.

You'll definitely be faster in the buggy with the Method against the Flow, but you won't be as fast as Yaks & Vapors etc. But you will have a much more forgiving and easy to fly kite. They really suit the way I fly - moderately fast beach cruising - so much so that I have all but the smallest one.

The Flow is a bit slower and produces power from lower speeds - think 4 stroke v 2 stroke. And being a little slower, is better if you have a small area to buggy or gusty winds.

More bridles = more expense ??? I don't think so, Tim. The Method does not have many bridles at all. They're probably expensive because of the R & D - now I'm guessing!!! Ozone stuff is generally pretty pricey.

I've also flown the Blade V 4m and Method 4m back to back and while they had similar flying/turning characteristics, the Method is maybe 25% less lifty/angry and a little less powerful but, again, much more forgiving.

Wind range on the 6.5m is 5/6 knots to 14 knots by which time I'm struggling to hold a straight line in the buggy with midi tyres. Haven't had the other sizes out enough to establish my wind range with them yet.

If you're after an intermediate kite that is really easy to handle - very stable and a smooth, forgiving top end then the Method might be just your ticket. If you're after top speed or maximum power, then probably not. I should also mention that like other Ozone kites that I've flown, they fly really well from the rear lines - meaning they're a perfect match for the Turbo Bar - if that's you're thing.

I've also found them a little similar to the Ozone Manta (although I only ever had a handful of session with it) - in that the Method does take a bit of working in the buggy to build a bit of speed before the apparent wind kicks in and it's park 'n ride time.

Come November/December when the sea breezes start again, I should have plenty of video and more details on the rest of the sizes..

Looks like the 2.3 Methods are all sold out till the 2012's show up:

http://www.ozonekitesusa.com/proddetail.asp?prod=2011_ozone_...

The kites with reduced bridling today have cross bracing built in to the canopy to spread out those loads. I think this extra material + sewing would make them more expensive?


Other kites I have flown that shoot ahead in the window when hit by gusts also fall back and crumble on lulls? I am NOT saying that this is the case with the Method. Is it ?

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Other kites I have flown that shoot ahead in the window when hit by gusts also fall back and crumble on lulls?

Yeah, that was sorta what I was experiencing when I was trying to fly in really gusty conditions. Mind you, even the Access XT was struggling a bit in those conditions.

They don't crumble too bad, I think the extra bracing and the fact there is only a handful of open cells cause them to hold a bit of air in and keep their shape. On a few occasions when I've mis-timed a turn and ended up with the method upwind of me and 'wafting' gently downwards, I've managed to get some tension in the lines and recover the kite. Bow ties are few and far between - but common when I was flying the Century 2.8m