Hello All,

I've been lurking for a few weeks and am very eager to get into traction kiting. I've read a lot of posts here in the PKF and spent quite a bit of time reading other reviews and think I've got a pretty good idea of what I should be looking for in a 1st kite.

I live in NH near what little coastline we have in this state and imagine that to find open space and decent wind I'll be using it down on the beach. I'd imagine that the wind speed varies quite a bit down there depending on the day. My guess would be that 10 mph would be an average day. And I weigh about 150 lb.

My goal for the kite is something that I can learn to fly with with the hope to get into a bit of snow kiting this winter and some scudding and jumping down the road.

Right now I'm strongly considering the Beamer TSR 3.6 or Beamer III 3.0 or 4.0. That seems to be a popular starter kite and is readily available online. I'm also considering the Buster series and Ozone Imps but leading towards the Beamer at this point for no particular reason other than that they seem very popular.

So, finally......as the subject indicates......what do I need to consider when trying to decide between a bar (Beamer TSR) or handles (Beamer III). I haven't found any discussions that weigh the advantages and disadvantages of those two control options.

Also, are the two options easily interchangeable?

Any other suggestions or opinions about the kites I'm considering would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

The big decision is where you want to go with kiting, If it's kitesurfing, then bar for sure, if it's more land based, buggies/atb, then handles will give you more options.

Bar is good if you're going to be flying depowerable kites like some of the foils or pretty much any surf kite. Handles will give you way more control on a fixed bridal foil.

Some people preffer a bar on an ATB simply for the fact that you have one free hand for board grabs, but this is not really a factor until you're catching some serious air.


What's your weight, Any of the kites you've mentioned would be a great starter kite, If you're light, something closer to 3m, If you're a little heavier then the 4m range.

You've got to sort of plan out your kite quiver before you get started buying stuff. Usually people end up with a 3 kite quiver. One for normal winds, one for light wind and one for high winds.

So you would do something like buy a 3m now to learn on, it'd become your high wind kite later on. Beginner kites usually make good high wind kites because they're stable and you want that in really high winds. Then you'd get a 5m or so for your daily use, and a 7-9m for light winds. Both the 5m and 7m could be pretty high lift agressive kites, by the time you get them you'll want the lift/performance anyhoo, if it gets sketchy, you can always pull out the 3m.

Another common setup is the 4m/7m setup, start with a 4 and add a 7, Problem with this is it's a pretty big gap between a 4m and a 7m, you'll find yourself from time to time not having quite the right kite to really enjoy the day. A fair bit cheaper though.

First are you a good stunt kite flyer? If not then start there before you spend lots of money on a powerkite. After you have learned to fly the stunt kite upside down backwards and also with your eyes closed get a powerkite.:puzzled: If you get started with a low power stunt kite then you can jump into a nice powerkite and not worry about tearing it up due to crashes.

But if you want to start with a power take a look at the Flexifoil kites. More expensive but very nice. I'm hooked on them now. Even though I hate the mesh.

Scott

if your goal is snowkiting, go with depower. it will give you more wind range with fewer kites.

depower kites can bu used on land for scudding, jumping but like Pablo said, you get less control.

and living by the sea, if you get addicted to kiting, quite sure you may get into kitesurfing when next summer shows up

find us some nice kitesurfing spots there. New Hamsphire is a nice vacation spot for Canadians....

welcome to the forum, one of the best forum where you get valuable kiting info, tips, etc.

Every time I get my Beamer back out, I am amazed at how much fun it is to fly. With the 65' lines, it is quick through the sky, and will easily spin in it's tracks. It is SO stable too. If you luff it, which is seldom, it usually sorts itself out in the air. If the wind is blowing too hard for my 5m kites, I am grateful to have the 3m in the car. You might have to go home if your small kite is a 4m. I would get this first kite with handles and you can get a larger kite later with a bar if that's the direction you want to go. If you are going to mainly static fly, you will enjoy the handles more than a bar. It seems that the bar becomes more handy when you start riding landboards and kite boards. You probably shouldn't start out on a kite appropriate for those activities though.

The Beamer III (comes with handles) will fly just as well on a bar, if you ever want to switch. The Beamer TSR, might fly on handles but is really purpose built for a bar. So if you are not sure, the B III will give you more versatility.

De-power is a whole different critter than a standard control bar and is indeed a good choice for snow. But not for your first kite.

As Bobby and other have said, your first kite will always serve you well, even if in some other capacity

Thank you all for the responses. All really great information. I'm really glad that I posted as I was leaning towards the bar, but based on the feedback I think that handles are going to be much better for me to start out with. Plus the handles are less expensive than the bar which is a plus. Depower is definitely more than I'd want to bite off in a first kite, but hopefully I'll get there someday.

I weigh about 150lb so the 3 meter kite sounds like the way to go. I don't want to get out there with no experience and too much kite and be overwhelmed. I think the 3.0/5.0/7.0 thing makes a lot of sense.

I am not a stunt kite expert by any means, but I did buy a "Beetle" stunt kite about a month ago since I didn't even have any experience with a 2 line kite. I don't know any tricks but I feel very comfortable controlling it. After a few weeks with that I'm dying to try a power kite.

Unless someone has a ringing endorsement for a Buster or other comparable model I think I'll purchase the Beamer III 3.0 when I get home from work. It seems like a good choice and they wouldn't be so popular if they weren't doing something right. Plus the prices look very reasonable. The only thing I don't care for is the color of the 3.0 (red), but it might grow on me.

I will say that as a novice it is very difficult to compare the different features of kites when you don't really know what you're looking at. I know that Beamer has "kite killer" handles which is something I want to have.

The red is really quite striking against the sky. It definitely stands out.



These are some kiting pics. Two are of the Beamer flying.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16887817@N02/

KiteNH,

If you aren't aware, there actually are a number of power kiters in the area. I'm in Dracut, MA and www.powerlinesports.com used to be in Seabrook, NH by the inlet but I think Andrew closed the store to sell out of his basement again when he sold the franchise to a partner in NJ. So if you are on the coast, swing by there and see if you can hook up with the locals and have a go on one of Andrew's trainers (IMPs).

Jim is the owner of www.funwithwind.com in Lawrence, MA and he goes to Nahant on Wednesdays for demos during the day. He is a buggy guy but also surfs down south. You may want to contact him and see if you can have a go on some of his gear if you want to try before you buy (not all on the website is in stock at either location - I know this from experience in visiting / buying from both).

For ATB and buggy, Nahant has always been the popular spot and for kite skiing, Dracut has actually been the local hub for the past two years on Lake Mascuppic - so feel free to join us (as well as Long Lake, ME and N. Conway). The beach in Ogunquit is also nice for buggy's and boards.

I figured there must be a few kiters in the area. I had actually found the powerline sports web site and tried calling the phone number for the Seabrook shop several times but no one ever picked up so I gave up on it. Plus I though that it looked more like a kite surfing store. If he's just moved it back to his basement maybe I'll see if I can get in touch with him to borrow a trainer for a demo.

Still, I'm anxious to get flying so I tried to order a Beamer III 3.0 last night but they were backordered from kitesonline.com where I ordered.

I was just reading another thread about the Pansh kites and ventured over to their website. The prices look pretty incredible compared to other brands and they have a few different models in the 2.5 meter to 3.5 meter size that I'd be looking for.....all for less than $150. Would any of these models (Ace, Blaze, Legend) be a good choice for a beginner?

Thanks again for all of the info.

My Blaze is pretty tame and I imagine it would be ok for a beginner to fly in a 3m size (if available). The bad thing about a beginner using a Pansh is no instructions, possibly changing bridle lengths with use, sorry handles and lines. also, no kite killers included. You are cashing in ease of use and durability when you bite on the low price. It would be ok after you have some flight time in, but bad for your first kite. My 12 year old can unpack and fly my Beamer, and it still flies the same as when I bought it last spring. Try
Angus at http://www.coastalwindsports.com

He is top notch and will take care of you. He is prompt as well.

I figured there would be a catch to the Pansh kites at that price. Ease of use and durability are definitely not something that I should be sacrificing at this stage of the game.

Thanks for the tip on Coastal Wind Sports as well. I may give them a try.

If I am right it is easy to fit a Beamer 3 up to a bar or handles but the TSR is set-up for bar only ??? If you are thinking you want handles you may want to avoid the TSR.

It's too bad that Pansh kites don't come with instructions and lines set up ready to fly without adjustment. That makes them less than a good choice for beginers.

I got my Beamer III last week (Thanks Angus!) and waited patiently for the weekend to come. It finally did and I got out for a few hours with the Beamer in some nearby athletic fields on Saturday. The wind was pretty gentle (5-10 mph?), but I got to spend a few hours getting accustomed to take-offs and landings and controlling the kite it a light wind. I think the time I spent with the stunt kite prior to getting the Beamer was helpful, mainly for getting a feel for the wind. It was every bit as fun as I thought it would be. Consider me hooked.

Thanks to everyone who helped steer me towards this kite. I was left with two main thoughts after finally flying on Saturday: 1) Why couldn't I have discovered power kites sooner? and 2) I wonder what kite I should buy next?

I went down to Hampton Beach late Sunday afternoon. This is probably the only time of year you can kite there since it's jam packed with people during the summer. I didn't see any signs discouraging kiting and there weren't many people out so I went for it. What an absolutely perfect way to end a weekend. Waves crashing on the shore, sun setting down the beach, nice steady breeze......just a beautiful place to be.

A graphic artist stopped by to take a few pictures when he saw the kite. He posted one on his website.....see the link below (also my new avatar). (I actually live in Exeter, NH not MA though.)

http://digitalicecream.pixyblog.com/

Wonderful photo! Glad you are having fun. The next kite selection will have much to do with what you want to do with it. You mentioned snow. Maybe a Crossfire, as it is lifty if you want to go for freestyle stuff.

The new Crossfire coming out in this winter will have a ground-adjustable bridle to change the angle of attack and the riding style (lift vs. speed).

Hey there,

Just to let you guys know. The TSR Beamer will fly very well on handles.
Thus, the Beamer III comes with handles and flies on a bar as well and the Beamer TSR comes with a bar and also flies on handles.
The new Scout (successor of Beamer TSR) will come out ion January 2008. It comes with a X-over bar and turns on the spot (on a bar). But it will also fly on handles.

Later
Tim