Is the Ozone Frenzy a 4 line or 5 line kite?

I am not too farmilar with my kites yet, I am not sure what a 5 line looks like, I have only used 4 line kites so far.


I am thinking maybe my next kite will be a Ozone Frenzy after I learn the ropes on my HQ apex 4.

It's 4 line. Look at North kites for examples of a 5th line setup.

Looks like they added a 5th flag out to the Ozone Frenzy in 2012 (see second paragraph):

http://www.flyozone.com/snowkites/de/news/headlines/4931

The line layout can be found in the latest manual.

ATB,
Sam

Sorry for the bad info Chrisz. They sure enough did add one. I had a 2011 Frenzy and totally would have remembered had it had a 5th line.


2011:


2012:

5th line has nothing to do with flying, its a safety feature only. They fly exactly the same so you don't need to figure out anything about how the kite flies. If you know how to fly a kite on a bar you know how to fly a 2, 3, 4 or 5 line kite.

4 line kites usually have a top hat type safety that releases the pressure on the top lines. 5th line kite fold the kite in half from the center cells (kind of like a taco).

here is an example of how 5th line safeties work http://vimeo.com/16887446

My instructor did not seem to like 5 line kites because there's more lines to tangle and it would not reverse launch.

Anyone with any other opinions???

By the way that Yeti kite looks kool!

The 5th line has no impact on the ability to reverse launch a foil. He should not use that as an excuse for not being able to reverse launch the kite. Some don't like 5th lines because if you fly with a lot of twists in the lines and then need to release the safety the 5th line could bind and prevent 100% kill. I like 5th lines because I don't fly with multiple twists and I find top hat safeties (like on the Apex and earlier model Frenzies don't completly kill the kite like a 5th would. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

The Yeti is a nice looking kite but I'm partial to all the gin products . Can't wait for their new Eskimo series to be distributed in the States (crossing fingers for next year).

So many kites so little money! How do you choose?

No doubt the opions are nearly endless. There are so many kites to choose from and so many versions of each kite.

The choice is part need and part desire. Need is mostly dictated by one's skill level and application.

The Frenzy is a freestyle kite. It's designed to have a fast turn rate, generate fairly agressive lift (Folks refer to it as "pop") etc. Many traits that make for a fun freestyle kite like the Frenzy make it un-friendly do to an inherent trade off in stabilty for nimble handling.

Think F-16 fast and zippy (Frenzy, freestyle) vs. 747 slower and steady (Accesss, mellow cruiser). Both have thier advantages and disadvantages. The Frenzy might be too agressive for most beginners whereas the Access may be less than thrilling for huckers looking to do handle passes and huge airs.

As a beginner rider, your needs are probably geared more towards the Access or Apex. Both similar kites in design and both useful from beginner to expert rider. We refer to those kites as touring style as they offer good predictable handling, minimal lift and good gust handling which makes them ideal for long rides and for towing pulks as well for beginners.

Then you have to look at budget. Not all kites are created equal but there are very few "bad" kites out there. I you can afford a Flysurfer or Ozone then why not? They generally are more "refined" and build quality is top notch. But kites in a lower price point like HQ fly excellently but may not seem as polished as some of the big ticket brands.

You know what size you need, now it's a matter of deciding what you're willing to pay and what you want the kite to do.

Remember, kiting is about progression and your needs will change as your skills do. You can always sell kites when they no longer suit your needs, you aren't married to them forever.