Which one would be the best choice for my first depower?

Venom 2 16m - I know this is a good choice for for my first depower, but is it the best? The auto zenith and gust munching are good features but the preinflateing and launching seem like a hassle. Not to mention the huge size of the kite.

Eskimo 2 8.5m - Recomended by Bladerunner, this kite seem to be a good choice too. No preinflateing would make setup faster and easier. My only concern is will the kite be to small. It may be better to get this kite as the smaller size may make learning easier.

Voodoo 10m - An old flysurfer from 2004. Is this kite any good? I normaly wouldn't consider this old of a flysurfer but I read a really good (almost too good) review on Racekites.com.
http://www.racekites.com/2004/07/173/
According to the reveiw the kite auto zeniths. Right now this kite is on ebay for $300+$50 shipping and is RTF. I don't think it's very good by todays standards, but I may be surprised.

I'm with Bladerunner. Go with the 8.5 Eskimo II.
First depower here was a 6m Eskimo and it was a great choice.
I'd stay away from the old FS.

For a first depower I too would avoid an old FS and unless you have someone to help you launch and land at first, I would also avoid an arc. So by default, if those are your three kites then the 8.5 is the obvious choice.

As far as it not being powerful enough, just watch this video as they are also on 8.5s



Put me down as a fan of Gin.

Out of the 3, the GIN is the best bet for you. NO flysurfer auto-zeniths, the kites just aren't designed to do it, and kites don't do it by accident. (I have no idea why that is mentioned in the review. There is a difference between "let go of the bar when kite is at 11,12,1 in the wind window and the kite stays there" and "release the bar at any time and kite will return to 12 from any point in the wind window" which is *true* autozenith, and only PeterLynn ARC's really do it. )

Honestly, Owning a flysurfer that's about that old, like I do(Rookie2 circa 2005-2006), I want to steer people towards newer stuff. Old FS is just not worth the price.

So much better to have a wing that is a little smaller than one that is too big for you that leads to injury.

ditto on the comments........never go older than the FS Pulse or Speeds........the Gin is an awesome kite and I've almost pulled the trigger a few times (buggy kite).........

No to the Voodoo


ENTER the 10m PULSE ! If you have Flysurfer money !That is an awsome deal !!!!! Just a tad large for a young beginer.

Still I feel the 8.5 is an ideal intro for your 10 - 17 kt. winds and learning.

I thought the Voodoo was too old but I didn't know which model flysurfers started getting good.

So now the line up is gin eskimo 2 8.5m vs. flysurfer pulse 10m. Both are amazing kites. Is there any advantage to open vs. closed cell for land use? I will probably never go on the water becuse the lakes in my area are disgusting and I am severely allergic to the water.

I've owned a FS Pulse II and sold it to buy my 6m Yeti. For strictly land use you don't need the benefit of a semi-closed cell kite. Plus, and this is one of the reasons I sold my pulse, they are wicked to land and secure when flying them at the top of their range and when they are on the ground, because they are inflated, they can still have a good deal of pull. This can make self landing and securing the kite a bit of an issue when flying at the upper wind limit.

You don't have that problem as often with an open celled foil. How much do you weigh, what kind of riding are you doing and how clean is the wind where you fly?

Quote:

Originally posted by B-Roc How much do you weigh, what kind of riding are you doing and how clean is the wind where you fly?

I weigh 120 pounds, I will ride atb (don't have a board yet), and the wind is kind of lumpy.

if I recall, you have some experience with a ~4m fixed bridle,

you could probably handle the 10m, but considering you're weight, go for the 8.5m for sure cause its gonna act like a 12m, or maybe even 12+ for somebody 170lbs.

Kitedelight-I think you misread, Snake is 50lbs less than that.

I weigh 150 and my 10m is my goto kite. Being 30#s less than I, I would think the 8.5 is an excellent size for you as it is equivalent to 5 - 3.5 FB kite depending u0on how its trimmed.

I find eskimos to be rather stable (but I fly at the beach) though depowers are slower to react than FBs and can be a bit tricky in realy lumpy winds.

Having a smaller kite will be a huge advantage in lumpy wind.

ALWAYS SIZE FOR GUSTS !!!!!!!!

With the extra speed you can work it through low bumps. If you do lose it and it goes hot ( opens in the power zone ) on you the 8.5 won't hit as hard ! The low aspect old school ovalish shape is very stable. The open cells right to the tips may not suit lumpy winds??? Mine is the opposite size and I fly clean wind so ????

You could handle the 10m Pulse but if you have no water aspirations and fly solo the Gin is the choice I'd make.................choices are good but can drive you nuts..........

maybe my post was a bit confusing, best to clarify (don't want people thinking I would recommend a 12 for snake! hehe)

Snake was wondering if the 8.5m would be lacking juice...but I wanted to try and put things into perspective,
I was thinking the 8.5m for somebody 120-130lbs would be relatively similar to a 12 or 12+ for somebody 170lb (the rough weight assumed in a wind range chart).

the 10m would produce a bit more power and on the snow, you would just loose upper end and not gain much lower end.

Ok, cool, I understand now!

Looks like I am too late ...... not sure do I get to vote anyhow ...... lol ....
.... truly ... I think Eskimo will be best option for you from those 3 choices ....