hey all i am new to here and i was looking to see if you guys could help me. i live in ny the wind sometimes isnt the best but can get up there at times at the beach. i currently have the HQ Symphony TR II 2.1 Dual Line Stunt Foil Kite its fun and was just getting into it when i was on vacation now that i am home i want something bigger and stronger(im a bigger guy 5'7 like 240 i want something thats going to pull me around a bit and get me up at times. the 2.1 is fun and has some little pull at times and feel i know what im doing for the past 2-3 months now and still enjoying this little kite. i want a new kite on a budget of about $500 i dont know anything about quadlines and but am very interested and can i learn quickly i think. i was thinking about getting the Prism tensor 5.0 or the HQ Toxic 5m. if anyone could help me out and decide what i should get and what not would be greatly appreciated. im starting to get very into this and its very addicting! i appreciate the time you took to read this!

welcome aboard...buy a 3m...if your near long beach u can come on out and try my stuff

hey that would be great thanks! im actually in levittown so not that far really. i go to jones beach field 6. how come going with a 3m? is it that big of a difference?

because you are going to stay w/ this because its awesome....everyone needs a 3m..best size kite made to learn on and throw up in high wind...problem solved

I'd recommend a 3m. Its the best place to start and learn good kite control. A 5m is a good SECOND step. There is much more power and much more control to be learned from a quad line kite than your symphony. The symphony series, as with most stunt foil kites, is measures in linear meters. So it is 2.1 meters from wing tip to wing tip. 4 line kites are measured in square meters so are much larger. a 2.1m Symphony is really more like a 1.5-1.8 SQUARE meter kite. So buying a 3m Kite you are essentially buying a kite twice the size of your symphony. Outside of that, stunt foils have a much gentler pull, so with the size being doubled and being more efficient, believe me, you will get A LOT out of a 3m kite. The idea is to learn how to control the kite, not SURVIVE the kite.

The most frequently recommended kites for guys in your shoes are:
3m HQ Beamer
3m Peter Lynn Hornet
3.3m PKD Buster Soulfly (Most affordable)
3m Ozone Octane (may be on sale as they are discontinuing production)
3m Flexifoil Rage or Sting

Don't let the nomenclature "trainer" or "starter" turn you off. you will get A LOT out of any of these kites

Here is an example of what soliver is talking about. It's a picture of my snapshot 2.5 stunt foil compared to my 3m beamer. Do you think the 3m might have more pull?

Hello and welcome to the forum. A 3m kite is almost always suggested as a first kite when jumping into this sport. The members here, some with way more experience than most can even dream of getting, have been through this and know the safety, learning aspects, and amount of pull for just about every kite out there. We suggest the 3m because it is the best size to figure things out with. If you, as we will also suggest, use a 3m kite in the correct winds, 5-10mph, you will be greatly rewarded with some smooth flying and a little bit of fun as well. 10 mph wind does not sound like a lot of kite, but it can and will hurt you in a split second if you are not careful. Our sport has made tremendous strides in becoming safe, but it can only be as safe as the person making the decisions on when to fly said kite.

Take this advice as a warm welcome, and appreciation of the sport and the care our members have for those trying to get into the sport. We care and we want you to stay in the sport and join us on the beach one day. Our motto is "live to fly another day" not saying you can't learn on a 5m, kite, but it is much safer to learn with the 3m kite.

Speaking of joining us. Come down to Wildwood next weekend and we will have a ton of kites, buggies, land boards, and the friendliest group of guys, including abkayak there to show you several kites and get you going the right way. I will personally take the time myself and show you several kites, and how to set up, break down, fly, and land a kite before you buy anything.

Either way, fly safe, wear a helmet, and prepare to have a blast.

i thought our motto was live to enjoy your beer...ok either way

Good point sir, well maybe at WW anyhow! See you soon bud!

i really appreciate all of you and your kind words of making sure im safe and protected without even knowing me. i really do enjoy it like i said even on the baby side of it with my 2.1 lol. i thank you for the invite next weekend but right now i play softball on the weekends and wouldnt be able to make it :-/ (we are pushing for the playoffs and i pitch lol) i wouldnt mind doing it another time if that would be ok.

I agree with the others on a 3m kite. Please do take a few minutes and read this post as it will give you a lot of background on how we respond typically to your type of question.

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=28759

WW is 2ce a yr spring and fall,,,im out every wkend and am thinking about Pt Lookout this wkend and trying that beach or field w/ a North wind...u2u me if ur interested

Welcome,

Be aware that you will ultimately need more than one kite.

The must have, 3m will be perfect for figuring things out on. It will always serve you as a high wind kite and you will be able to use it to introduce friends to the sport.

Jumping isn't something you want to do until you can fly the kite and correct it without looking at it. You are best off learning that with the 3m. The minimum sized kite that you can actually get some float out of jumping is 5m. Even at 5m there is enough canopy to send you skyward but not enough to float you down. It is actually better to jump with a larger kite.

If you have a strict budget I suggest you keep an eye on the for sale section on here. Pick up a quality used 3m. Hold on to the other $300 or so that you will have left out of the 5. Once you have flown the 3m a bit you will have a better feel for what will serve you best as a 2nd kite for jumping.

If new is important to you I think the 3.3m PKD Buster is a good deal.

thanks again all ive got some good info going to try my hardest to hold off on buying a kite until i meet up with abkayak hopefully very soon in the near future. unless i see an awesome deal on here. i missed out on a HQ beamer 3m and 5m combo im kind of sad about it and wish i had seen it earlier.

Angus at Coastal Windsports has some great info on his site to help you in just about every aspect of kiting:

http://www.coastalwindsports.com/TutorialMenu.Html

And there are a ton of how to vids on YouTube

abkayak - I'm a trip away from Pt. Lookout ...but planning ahead for after WW. Missed a good one down at Long Beach a few weeks ago with Cheezy. Let me know how you make out and what direction is best there. Probably S or SW...right?

i got my HQ beamer 3m from windy head and he could be the nicest person a pleasure to deal with and answering all of my questions. this kite came ultra fast and was in great condition. thanks to him i have my first quad line kite and the rush hasnt stopped since i received it. i since have bought the skydog sdt 5.5m but have yet to get it in the air since i need to perfect the 3m first. my friend took a picture of me flying it and came out pretty cool.

yea...jeets

and there is wind too

Congrats on the 3m! You are forever now enslaved to the term "broke kiter". The first of MANY more to come (like the skydog already lol). That Skydog will have LOADS of power. Get ready!!!!!

Let me know when you're ready for the 5M Toxic now..