rtz gave us a great review of his full set f Octanes, but I wanted to take a minute and give y'all my impressions of the 3m which I was fortunate to pick up.

Let me start by sharing that I recently picked up a 3m HQ Toxic which I thought would be a good high wind engine for me. I could tell that the Toxic was a great kite and could pull like a freight train, but unfortunately it's mid high Aspect Ratio (AR of 4.5) made it perform very poorly in the shifty, gusty and generally goofy wind conditions here in the metro Atlanta area. Interested in comparing the two, I brought out the Toxic and flew it along side my 2.6m PL Viper S. The Viper (AR of 3.85 ish) withstood the gusts and shifts far greater than the Toxic. This lead me to the decision that while I knew Toxic was great, it was just not suited to my wind conditions.

I wanted a 3m kite for something just a little bigger than the Viper that I would feel comfortable handing over to a newb, but would also be stable in the janky wind conditions and still have good upwind ability. rtz wrote a great review of the Octane so I decided to pick one up with the money from selling the Toxic.

Big Mike was rather hesitant to sell me the kite telling me it was very "tame" and he made me a couple of offers on other kites that were hard to turn down, but in the end I reminded myself that I really need stability, which was why I wanted the Octane in the first place. I think perhaps the Texas wind must be more stable than here in ATL, because otherwise, he may not have made some of the suggestions he did. In the end I won out and am very pleased with my purchase.





There have been a few criticisms of this kite thus far 1: graphics aren't great "it'll have to grow on me" 2: the bag, and 3: it's kinda tame... So I'll address these as I do my write up.

First Impressions:
If you remember my review (as well as a few others') of the Toxic you'll remember the discussion of how HQ must use some agent from the Doritos factory in their kites to make them uber super potato chip bag crazy crispy... Not the case with Ozone. Someone told me "Ozone quality is second to none" ... While the kite wasn't crispy, the soft, ultra light weight fabric seemed so well put together that it practically oozed quality. To address # 1 above, the graphics look weird in all the advertising shots it's true; there's something very strange about this year's Ozone line in the graphics, ...but in person, it looks SOOOO much better... It's actually really nice looking. When you see it first hand, you don't have that "it will have to grow on me" feeling. In keeping with the theme of good quality, the ozone handles and lines are really nice as well.

To address # 2 above, what they say is true, the bag is not so great. It's shape, I think, was intended to suite the use of a bar (fixed bridle or the turbo bar), but the drawstring opening is very small and frankly a little awkward. I had to make a lot of adjustments to my packing method to get it to work for me. But you don't buy a kite for the bag, you buy a kite for the kite, so...

Set Up:
Set up was pretty typical to any FB kite, however Ozone wraps all 4 lines around 1 winder and this ended up becoming a little bit of a tangle while trying to set the kite up... If you buy this kite, be sure to take time to unwind and properly separate the lines or it will become a mess. Part of it was my excitement to get flying, but I ended up loosing about 10 minutes untangling the mess I made.

In Flight:
One word describes this kites flight characteristic: smooth. In spite of the shift and gust, this kite didn't skip a beat and it flew smoothly from take off. What I could tell from the 2 static flights that I had is that while it's not super fast, it is super amazingly stable. With the Toxic and even the Viper, I could feel the shimmy in the unstable wind and while I could tell it was there with Octane, I could only barely feel it. To emphasize its stability, I think the kite only luffed once in 2 sessions (that I can remember).

It is a little slow on the turns, and I had to pull the brakes all the way back on the adjustment to get them where I liked (I might even fine time them back a little more), but it is amazingly well behaved... One of those kinds of kites that you don't have to think about much. But I did notice when the wind picked up, it turned much faster. Just for a point of reference I was flying it first in 8-12mph wind, then in 10-14mph wind over 2 static (lunch break) sessions.

In the second session, as the wind was starting to crank up, it really started performing impeccably. Which will address # 3 above... Compared to a Toxic or RII in smooth wind, yes it is tame, but in unstable winds getting into low teens and up, the superior stability and ease of the kite make it a winner in my book. It can really pull like a truck in the teens, and I could tell how well it's going to perform in the buggy. I did a few jogs back and forth across the field doing the sine wave as I ran, and it really seems like it's going to be a champ.

One strange thing I noticed is its shape,... I'm used to my other kites I suppose, but Octane kinda looks like a flying box in the air... Maybe it's just me?

Once I get a buggy session in with him, I'll share some more comments.

Thanks for reading.

This kite is an absolute BEAST in higher winds. So be careful with it. It really comes alive.

Good review, my conditions sound similar to yours. Also, I like the colors and graphics on that one. As far as the bag goes, I'm wanting to get one large bag and put all of my fb kites in. Or I could just buy an 8 meter toxic for the bag. Have you seen the size of those things?? I saw Demoknight's in person and I couldn't believe how big it was.

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

Good review, my conditions sound similar to yours. Also, I like the colors and graphics on that one. As far as the bag goes, I'm wanting to get one large bag and put all of my fb kites in. Or I could just buy an 8 meter toxic for the bag. Have you seen the size of those things?? I saw Demoknight's in person and I couldn't believe how big it was.

If you have similar winds, you'd fare better with an 8.6m Reactor II or 2013... Toxic didn't like these winds, but my larger Reactors do ok.... They may be a little more stable than Toxics.

Quote: Originally posted by rtz

This kite is an absolute BEAST in higher winds. So be careful with it. It really comes alive.

Yeah, I did notice the power it could generate as the winds picked up. I'm excited to see what it can do.

Bro, that is a great review! Would love to fly one of those one day. I can tell you I love my Flows. RTZ can vouch for them too. Yes, the Flow and Octane do have a boxy look to them. The Flow even more so. That is what makes them so dang easy to fly. I will be 100% honest here. Some days I just want to really enjoy the buggy, and not worry so much about kite flight physics. Those days where you are so concentrated/semi-frustrated trying to gain motion. It is a bit refreshing to throw a Flow/Octane up in the air and just roll all over the field. Not setting any PB's or such, but just good ole rollin' around. Sure I like to work the piss out of a kite too. However, those days you are so engrossed with flying the kite, you can't really take in the joy of your friends or the buggy. I digress...

As far as Ozone kite construction, I have always been impressed with their simplistic quality. No stray stitches. No strands of this or that sticking out, etc. They do have a rather unique subtle crunch huh? A crunch that is consistent through many sessions. My 3m Flow has easily seen 50-60 flights and still feels like the day I bought it. A lot of other manufacture's kite crisp depletes rather quickly through wear and tear IMHO. Not Ozone. I'm not sure if it's the "magic" coating other companies apply or what, but Ozone's Oztex 40D ripstop has a feel all it's own, and stands the test of time.

I can see where some people might suggest a more aggressive kite in today's market, but sometimes less is more!!! I think your normal inland conditions mirror mine. Especially in janky inland winds. I think the Octane will fill that niche you've been looking for Soliver. Many days my Flow has been the only kite that consistently kept me rolling without lufting or having seizures on the edge of the window. I will not be the fastest, or have tons of lift (in normal conditions), but it will bring a refreshing smile to your face I do believe. Like RTZ touched on, get them in their mid/upper limits, and hang on!!!! :wee: Sure some will say "my grandma could fly that thing" but at times, that is the kite needed to achieve our goals in the less than stellar conditions you and I ride in. Not all are fortunate to have 24 hr access to frozen lakes, 500 acre fields, or miles of oceanfront to ride on. So we must use what works. A plain, simple, boxy, lower AR kite. My guts tell me this will not be the last Octane you buy my friend!

Again, I've never flown an Octane, but rather fly them vicariously through people like you and RTZ. Since it was in essence the Flows replacement, It must be a great kite!!

Wise choice in my opinion. Can't wait to read your buggy review .

I just brought the 8m toxic up because of the huge bag. My overall plan is the same as yours, that's why I bought the 3m beamer even though I know it's probably not at the same performance of an octane, but following the same easy going principal. At some point I would like to get an easy flying 5m like an octane as well. Sounds like a great kite. Keep us posted in the buggy.

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

I just brought the 8m toxic up because of the huge bag. My overall plan is the same as yours, that's why I bought the 3m beamer even though I know it's probably not at the same performance of an octane, but following the same easy going principal. At some point I would like to get an easy flying 5m like an octane as well. Sounds like a great kite. Keep us posted in the buggy.

Yes on the HUGE Toxic 8m bag. I can now easily carry my daughter off the beach when she gets tired of walking LOL. Sorry OT...

Quote: Originally posted by rtz

This kite is an absolute BEAST in higher winds. So be careful with it. It really comes alive.

INDEED!!!



So this was today's forecast, gusts were up to 40mph today, and I can tell you this kind of forecast is an extreme rarity in the Atlanta area. So what better day to test the high end of the Octane, eh?... Welllllllll, there were moments where that little voice was telling me to put it away and live to kite another day. However, after fighting through a little bit of misbehavior, I was able to fly the kite through the lighter wind and turbulence, and lived to tell the tale.

In spite of the very turbulent wind, the stability withheld and it flew very well. It pulled like a freight train, and even superman'd me once. I was able to keep my head strait and put my feet back under me to recover.

I can't say enough about this kite's stability, and I still can't wait to see how it performs in the bug.