I know this has been knocked around a bit but searching just gets me more confused, and the list just keeps getting longer. I'm looking for a wing that will fly my buggy and I in the days when the winds are around 2- 10 mph.
I love my Pansh Ace 5 m for the 7-12 mph days. I have a PL Rebble 6.5 but even though it is a nice kite and very mellow it does require a bit more wind then the Ace 5m. So something that will fill the low end gap.

So, any thoughts? Any and all help appreciated. So far I am bouncing around
Pansh Blaze?
PL Reactor 8.3?
Libre Vampir?
PDK?

Any others? Again I am also trying not to break the bank. Since I have a new Libre buggy on order. The price point on the PL and the Pansh are nice. Don't have cost on others.

Thanks


2.0 Ace
3.0 Fury
4.9 NPW
5.0 Ace
6.5 Rebble
Kite Trike
Libre V Max w/bigfoot lights on Order

Quote:

Originally posted by fletcht I know this has been knocked around a bit but searching just gets me more confused, and the list just keeps getting longer. I'm looking for a wing that will fly my buggy and I in the days when the winds are around 2- 10 mph. I love my Pansh Ace 5 m for the 7-12 mph days. I have a PL Rebble 6.5 but even though it is a nice kite and very mellow it does require a bit more wind then the Ace 5m. So something that will fill the low end gap. So, any thoughts? Any and all help appreciated. So far I am bouncing around Pansh Blaze? PL Reactor 8.3? Libre Vampir? PDK? Any others? Again I am also trying not to break the bank. Since I have a new Libre buggy on order. The price point on the PL and the Pansh are nice. Don't have cost on others. Thanks 2.0 Ace 3.0 Fury 4.9 NPW 5.0 Ace 6.5 Rebble Kite Trike Libre V Max w/bigfoot lights on Order

If you've flown other Panshes, you know you'd probably want to pick up different lines and handles.Probably using your Fury lines would work. Of course the 12m Ace is any option! But really, talk to NPWdork, he can fill you in on the 8m Ace. I fly a 5m Blaze, but I'm only powered in the 10mph +, so you'd be looking at a really big Blaze.

2-10mph is pretty much down time for me though, and I like it that way...

DORK!!!! :P I have an 8 meter Ace and in the bug as long as I can get it to launch (about 5mph) When I kick in some apparent wind I can get going a good 12ish. Not much but better than nothing :P

used blade III 8.5 or a mac bego 600 might be worth considering - though both may have more lift than you want in a buggy??

The 12m Blaze seemed to be doing the job at Seaside this past fall ! Even when my 9m Flexi' Blade was under powered.

Quote:

Originally posted by snowbird The 12m Blaze seemed to be doing the job at Seaside this past fall ! Even when my 9m Flexi' Blade was under powered.

Then that has my vote!!

Blaze 10m and 12.5m have been out of stock for some time now. It may be hard to come across one of those anytime soon. Ace 12m is on the way though.

Quote:

Originally posted by B-Roc used blade III 8.5 or a mac bego 600 might be worth considering - though both may have more lift than you want in a buggy??

Bump theses two with a slight edge going to the Bego. Nice call B!

Thanks for the feedback, any way of knowing from the Pansh site when the 10 or 12m Blaze would become available.? I've thought about the 12m Ace, a little concerned about the lift. Not much in the way of user reviews yet.
I do like the 5m Ace for the buggy especially in lower winds. I've also thought about the Blade but your right It might be more lift then I wish to deal with. I prefer just cruising, fast is ok if I feel in control. Getting to old for any freestyle moves. (56) The ones that happen by accident and I come out facing the right direction are cool.
Other ideas? Performance of the Reactor? I read somewhere that the reactor and the Libre Vampir were similar. Thoughts here?


Cost of the Pansh's are hard to ignore though.

Angus/ACampbell (PKF forum member) owns a Reactor 8.3 and is a serious buggy pilot. Shoot him a U2U. I think Beamerbob (PKF) has also flown the 8.3 in the bug. Good luck!

I should have a time frame on the pansh tommorrow. I emailed them and they are usually really good about responding fast.

A few other low wind performers for the bug would be the U Turn Oxi II, Butane, and the PKD Century and Combat. Pablo (PKD) and Ripsession (U TURN) can give you the skinny on these. Ive never read a neg comment on any of the above! Again, good luck!

Maybe next month on Blaze is the word I recieved.

The 9.0m² "Bus"ter does great in low winds, maybe NOT 2 mph but >4mph & up... its fine...

thx Tridude for the pimping. =)

dunno what libre buggy you bought, but assuming its a full race/hardcore/v-max you can hold down a pretty big size foil without tipping over.

what is the wind range that you're trying to cover?

do you want an interimate kite, interimate race kite, or full race kite?

do you want to just cruise or speed?

what is your budget?

honestly, size up from what you already fly, because you're use to that control. I always go 2m, 3m, 5m, 7m, 12m ... thats a pretty good range. You can always play around with line lenght, its cheaper than buying new kites.

The PL Rector isnt a bad kite for the money, a few guys are using them in GPA for kite racing. You'll find it will be a lot like your Rebble with a bit more power.

Big foils = Pricey ... its the price we pay to play in light winds. =)

My recommendation: TRY BEFORE YOU BUY, REVIEWS ARE GOOD, BUT DONT SPEAK JUSTICE ALL THE TIME.

in no order:

U-Turn Oxi II Pro
U-Turn Butan or Nitro Evo II
Ozone Yak
Jojo RM+
Libre Vampir Race / Pro
PKD Cent / Combat
Flexi Blade
etc etc

have you checked out the Used Kite Section. There are a few big foils listed. That should save you a few bucks.

Yes, ACampbell swears by his reactors. That 8.3 was a very gentle non lifty kite. You could feel the power kick in when some wind actually blew. If you aren't interested in getting air, it would be an awesome buggy engine until your 5m Ace was powered up enough. The reactor was also easy to control. It responded well to inputs and you could sine it to generate a little more power in very light winds. My 12 year old even flew it static for awhile. Very light winds though.

Wexler photo with Reactor

I can launch my Reactor 8.3 in a 4-5 mph puff and, once moving keep it flying in next to nothing as it makes its own wind. At 10-12, it becomes a lot of work and I downshift kites. My Reactor 4.9 I fly in 8 to 18-20 mph, but you can buggy in as little as 6 mph if you work it like mad.

hanks for the feedback.
Ricardo, I'm probably looking at an Intermediate kite, I prefer cruising, but with NABKRA starting up I might join in when the skills come to do some racing. More for the fun and experience then to win. The try before you buy is a great idea, but I'm the only flyer around my area, and my trips to the beach are usually alone.
Could be convinced to make a trip to Canada in the near future though. What's the flying like this time of year?
The buggy I have on order from Jon at KBSS is a Libre VMax with moonlights. I currently ride Kite trike, but decided to buy the libre instead of trying to make the trike suitable for soft sand and fields.
Money wise, that's why I was looking at the Reactor or Pansh. So something within that area.

The wind range would be as low as I can get up to about 10mph.
I Think I have a good coverage for winds above that. Honestly at this point in time I like flying in lower winds.
Thanks Angus, BeamerBob for the input on the Reactor.

whatever kite you go for find some 120ft + lines. I rode a 14m this past SOBB in like 4mph and it was rockin! The long lines make a huge difference in low winds!

We typically have light winds during parts of our summer at Sunset Beach. I used to drive over an hour to get there only to find out the winds were too light for the foils I had. I found that sitting on the beach waiting for stronger winds suck. Finally I got a JoJo RM+ 12m and never looked back, no one close to me anyway, and now run a RM+ 14m and 16m. The amazing thing with these foils is the forward pull and to reach speeds of 35+ mph with a steady wind of 4 to 6 mph. To see people trying to keep single line kites in the air when I am blasting down the beach is a hoot. When you move up to the larger sizes a 12 m will keep you smiling, a 14m will make you giggle and a 16m will make you laugh. Yes the larger foils are not cheap but you get what you pay for in quality and performance. Besides how much did it cost you to get to the beach and just sit there and wait for stronger winds? Time is money, add it up.

Again thanks for all the input. A few of these kites that have been mentioned are classified as "Race Kites". What does that mean in the way of handling?
In terms of motorcycles, I can ride probably any bike out there. But put me on a "Race Bike" and I could get my butt kicked. Yes, I could ride it, but it would take time (a lap or two anyway ) before I could crack the throttle open to see what it is capable of.
So, are kites similar? If I start slow with them can an intermediate flyer handle one fine or would they be in over their head?

Also little confused, in size. If the 8.3 Reactor and 9m Buster can fly in 4mph winds what is the advantage of a 12, 14, 16 m wing? Sounds like they still need the 4 mph to get going. Top speed?

Race kites are more touchy... usually a thinner profile and longer and skinnier (higher aspect ratio). They fly faster through the wind window and can generate more speed.

I have a home made 8m that I fly in light winds, and it works quite well in the 5-10 range in the buggy. I'll see a 9m buster now and then, and somehow AJ manages to keep his 18m Phantom in the air (I'd be hard pressed to launch mine, yet alone use it).

Light winds = big kites. Where I'd have to work an 8m to keep moving, a 12m might be able to sit back and enjoy the ride... I used to go cheap on kites... but like Jellis said.. you get what you pay for in regards to quality, perfomance, and life expectancy of the kite.

"They fly faster through the wind window and can generate more speed."
I would agree that when you learn to control that speed in the higher aspect foil sizes you can haul a—and they found a way to make the newer models quite stable. Now for the larger foils using the speed through the air generates either tork (sideways pull for lower aspect) or forward speed (for high aspect). I always recommend a higher aspect foil in low winds because the can generate forward speed and less tork. Therefore with a higher aspect foil you go forward in a greater wind range and faster, say 3 to 10 mph. While a lower aspect foil might fly in 4 to 7 mph wind before you get dragged sideways and lose a lot of forward speed. IMHO

Here's the thing with large kites, first off, you're in low winds, so they've got to be efficient, no room to be wasting power. Second off, anyone who's flown large kites will agree that they usually turn like a bus, So the kite's got to handle properly with brake turns or you'll find yourself knocking it out of the sky when you try and turn it.

Those are the two parts that make a good low wind kite, Look for something that's high aspect with a thin foil, Make sure it'll respond properly to brake input. If you can ride the brakes a little and generate more power then it's shaping up to be a fairly decent kite. If you apply brakes and it folds easily then the chances are the kite's geared more towards beginners. In normal winds you can get away with a lot, but in low winds, you really need proper gear.

Unfortunately most gear that fits this category costs a bit, but it's $$$ well spent,


Edit: how bout the 11m Razor in the buy/sell, complete, it'd get it done on a bit of a budget