Does anyone even bother with them?

i've thought about it, but then i think about how i have a way expensive kite that is really good at telling me if there is a lot of wind or not.. i dunno, i think they are cool, but just one more expense right now.

I have one but most of the time I leave it a home. They are nice to have. They do take the guess work out of figuring how much the wind is blowing.

Susan

I really used mine a lot in order to find out how much wind I can hold a particular kite in.

For instance, if it's above 12mph or so, the 10.5 stays in the bag and then I go to my Bego 600.

If the winds are above 15mph, I get out the 4m Bego first.

At 25mph +, the little 1.5 Bullet comes out!

So yeah, I like to use a meter.

I am a man, men and gadgets go together, we are synonymous, wind meters are gadgets, I have one.

Quote:

Originally posted by Tigger I am a man, men and gadgets go together, we are synonymous, wind meters are gadgets, I have one.

lol... hysterical and true...

ok then... I was looking at the skymate SM-18...

good? or other suggestions?

I ordered one of these off of ebay last week for a gift.

ebay link

Seemed like a good deal...

The Skymate looks good also.

I've had good luck with the Kestrel, but I really don't use all the functions. Just current wind speed and maximum.

We as men may not need all the stuff we got, but what else you gonna do when the wind isn't blowing; or it is and the wife makes you go to the inlaws instead.

I have the Skymaster / SM-28, got it on sale, it was over a $100.00 US dollars somewhere on the web months ago.

It is way more technical and has many more functions than I know what to do with, but I managed to sell the wife on the fact that I needed it one day on the way to a family outing at my inlaws.

We worked out a deal, I would behave and talk to her father in a civil manner and when we got home I could order the wind thing.

Wind Meters:

It's not so much the meter but how it is used.

If you set it up and stare at it all afternoon, the major value is as a distraction.

I look around at everything that moves in the wind and make a guess.
THEN I pull out my meter to help calibrate my eyes.
My "guesses" get real close real fast, using it in this manner.

Over the years I've taugh myself to "see" winds accurately between 1-30 mph.
Usually within one mile-per-hour.

(Wish I could "see" rain as well)

BTW... A new book - "Defining the Wind" by Scott Huler, is a biography of Sir Francis Beaufort, who was instrumental in developing the wind scale that bears his name. Sounds dry but it is truly fascinating story set in a time when invention and discovery seemed to be around every corner.
The coreylama recommends it highly to readers.

Back to the subject... Using a meter to tell the wind has limited value.
It creates a dependence on the meter.
Using it to help calibrate your eyes and train yourself to see wind speeds accurately seems like much more value for the money.

But what do I know?


Safen Up! Buggy On!

"Often wrong... Never in doubt"

the coreylama

I just bought one off ebay ( here is the link )
Click here

I have this one. Its great. Reads current, minimum and max. Bft is always on the screen, and at the touch of a button, you can go between knots, mph and kph. And its not directional


Scoop

Click here

i have one i got the Xplorer 2 wind meter have not used it yet but i think i will use regulaly