Hey All,

Thanks for the posts and inspiration. Great forum!

I grew up sailing and developed an interest in flying kites while ground handling a paraglider aka "kiting," then suffered a nasty shoulder injury from a failed launch on the bunny hill. Not exactly a heroic story but anyway...

While building my shoulder back up, I bought a Prism Tensor 4.2m and started playing around. So unbelievably fun... been having a blast getting dragged all over the beach.

I've read a lot of safety guidelines, guides, warnings and seen the videos of kids getting destroyed while jumping small kites. I've read on these forums about using a big kite in light winds if you want to swing around, avoiding jumping but focusing on propulsion first and wearing safety gear (helmet saved my life on the shoulder injury so I'm game).

I'm interested in snowkiting, kite landboarding, buggying, kitesurfing (not much of a water guy but I'll do it for the kite) and eventually paragliding with speed riding/flying from mountains the ultimate goal. That is a life dream and I am in no rush. At the moment I'm so inspired to kite I don't really care how long I'm in the air.

Skill and good judgement first.

Now the good part. I just picked up a Flexifoil Blade IV 6.5m and Flexifoil Blade II 9m on eBay and I am reluctantly excited to try them in light steady wind on a wide open beach.

I've scoured the web for forum posts, information and videos on those two specific kites and I know people here fly them. There is more info on the Flexifoil Blade IV 6.5m and less on the II 9m. I'm very interested in anything anyone can tell me about those two kites.

How do they handle? Personal experiences? Ideal conditions? Details?

Just anything really. I'd be grateful to hear some informed descriptions, stories, opinions, beer inflated nonsensical splatterings about things that don't even relate... whatever you've got!

Thanks!
Max

(Oh, and why has Flexifoil stopped producing blades?)

you are one of us...
imo 8-10mph clean winds tops...big open area...launch them to the side and you will be fine
go slow and dont send it overhead till you know you are ready to go up
keep the 9 in the car unless the 6.5 wont fly...plan on having to dial in the brake lines
and buy a nice 3m for yourself...helmet up..be careful and have fun!
they still make blade vips dont they??

Yeah I was on the Flexifoil site the other day and they still sell the 8.5 VIP on the official site, which means to me that they probably still produce them.

Good advice. I'll take it! (especially about leaving the 9m in the car unless the 6.5m won't fly) I'll look into a 3m.

I see the Blades listed on the Flexifoil site but if you actually click buy online on any of them, including the VIP, it is "Currently unavailable." I also couldn't find them in stock anywhere... and read something somewhere about Flexifoil stopping production.

Thanks!

mad...i want to own them all too but u dont need it
get a 3m and everything will be ok...i promise:D

I just flew my 9m Blade II the other weekend after letting it sit for a few years. It is a gentle giant in low clean wind. A bit of a brute in gusty wind because it has so little range. It will work as a low wind engine from about 4 - 10mph. I get overpowered with it very early but am a lightweight. It is a slow turner and really likes added brake input to speed them up. It is more of a park and ride kite than the newer / smaller Blades that turn faster.

Mine was soft and leaky having been used so much. I gave it the kite refit coating and it really helped bring it back. I have no regrets in having a 9m Blade in my quiver and although I have depower kites I use in low winds now it is one kite that will always be there as a loyal back up / loaner / muddy day kite.

Both those kites are sort of low wind kites. You will have to accept the fact and be ready to pack up just as the wind gets strong. Abkayak is correct in telling you to get a 3m so you don't have to go home right when the wind is getting strong. Don't be fooled. A 3m produces LOTS of power when the winds hit the high 'teens.

I suggest you consider looking at depower kites if landboarding, snowkiting and water are your ultimate goal. Handles are good for flying static and buggy but for switching it up depower ends up most peoples end choice. If you find those 2 kites are too much you may want to consider something around the 5 - 7m range in depower instead of a 3m fixed bridle?

Quote:

abkayak mad...i want to own them all too but u dont need it get a 3m and everything will be ok...i promise:D

...says the man with 12+ kites

Thanks Bladerunner, the 3m and the depower are both on the horizon. I'll look into that kite refit coating... probably going to need it.