Hey I found this kite on ebay here is the link
3meter kite
My question is, if this is good enough for kite landboarding? I am 135 lb and on a good day, we get like 15-20 mph wind avg like 10-15
Also my other question is, if this is a good kite? usually a 3 meter kite goes for at lest $150 but i can get this one for like 60 with free shipping. Its from china thats why I am wondering if this thing wont fall apart in the sky lol. I also found a guy in England selling the same kite, so might be ok.
I already have a 11 meter bow kite, but kind of scared to use it by my self. I got it for kite surfing, but want to first learn landboarding before i go to the ocean. Also, would i be able to attach the control bar to the 3 meter kite? I already spent so much money on all my gear so don't want to spend alot on this small kite.
I also found a 4 meter but looks like a pos lol and the color of the 4 meter kite, well I would not want to be seen flying it lol.

4 meter

I already took lessons and stuff, and even did snowkiting with the 11 meter, well did not work well I kept of falling down lol.
Thanks

A three meter is a good size to learn on... but just remember the old saying... "You get what you pay for". There is a reason quality kites cost what they do. Watch the for sale section on here... you'll get a better kite in the end.

o ok well like i said just want a small kite to practice. I already have a gk sonic

I know it might look to be self serving but the kites you are looking at will be a major disappointment and waste of your money. I imagine when this question has been asked by those looking to get into the sport that the HQ Beamer 3m is always mentioned in response. There are other good kites to learn on but no one will say that the Beamer is not an excellent kite to start out on. I have one for sale for a great price in the for sale section if you are interested. Since we are talking publicly here, I have no benefit in steering you the wrong way. I learned on a 3m Beamer myself so I speak from personal experience. lol, notice my forum name. And at the price I'm selling for, you would probably get all your money back if you chose to resell later. The ebay kites won't bring a penny used unless you find someone that just doesn't know anything about kites.

Neither of the kites in the links that you posted are worth spending money on.

They list the lengths of the lines, but not the line weight.

The control handles pictured with the 3 meter kite



might be suitable for flying Revolution type kites, but is not suitable for flying a 3 meter kite in 15-20 mph winds. The small metal triangles at the handle tip that attach the leader lines will deform/snap under pressure.

You are going to hurt yourself or someone else with this kite. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's my honest appraisal of the kite.

A 4 meter kite that costs $20 is not going to be worth the postage that it costs to ship it.

If you are in the US, look at some of the used kites on PKF or one of the clearance kites on one of the sites owned by the dealers that frequent the PKF forum.

If you are in the UK, signed onto www.kitecrowd.com and look at some of the smaller used kites that are sold there.

If you are worried about the cost, buy a used kite, use it to learn on, and then resell it. You should be able to recoup enough of your purchase price (as long as you don't damage the kite), that you won't be out a lot of money.

Buying an inferior kite at a bargain price is going to have you fighting to keep the kite in the air enough that it is going to impair your learning curve.

ATB,
Sam

o ok thanks for the advise

GOOD MOVE running those through us !

YES avoid buying both kites you are looking at.

In general Ebay is a dangerous place to buy if you don't know what you are looking at.

You have made a wise choice in asking. Used is good and sometimes you can find a deal on Ebay but trusted kite forums like this are your best bet? Keep hunting Ebay but also keep checking out the real deal on a kite with us before bidding !

I think someone has a 4m Flux for sale on here that would suit your needs and as cheap as you get ?

Here it is :
http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=17910

yeah saw that, might get it but first want to look around
thanks

Good advice here. Buy quality used equipment and you will never regret it. Ask members about the kites you are considering. You won't go wrong.

I just noticed that the 4m Flux doesn't come with lines or handles. This is an issue for you but explains the great price.

It is still a decent kite to start but not the deal I thought it was. By the time you get lines and handles it will be much more. Best to buy at least 1 kite complete and Ready To Fly.

well i already have lines/bar from a gk sonic those should work right?

depends on the strength of the lines.... 300 pounds min on the front lines. I don't know the GK sonic...

worst comes to worst you could get handles and use the lines from your LEI, but you might trash the lines if you are learning on rough ground. Good handles are less than half the price of good lines. You'll need a little extra wind to get going with the 600-900 pound lines (guessing, eh?) from your LEI, but only an extra knot or so.

most of the good brands (in no particular order) include HQ, PKD, Ozone, Flexifoil, and Peter Lynn. Pansh is doable, but many fliers sell them on after the first year or so of the learning curve. Peter Lynn offers the best value IMHO, new or used.

for the folks saying buy good stuff, new or off this forum or others.

Quote:

Originally posted by cpamieta well i already have lines/bar from a gk sonic those should work right?

NO, Your GK is a depower kite. The kites you inquired about are Fixed Bridle.

Go to www.coastalwindsports.com and read through the tutorials.

This is a great place to go. Once you have looked through it all you will have a great understanding of things.

o ok thanks I thought as long as the kite uses 4 lines, the lines from my bow kite would work. Well that kite is 4 line kite, i am guessing. well thxs

Out of curiosity, I tried flying a fixed bridle kite on a depower bar - trouble is depower kites (foils - HQ/Ozone) are generally steered by their rear/trailing edge lines with little or no front line input. If the kite is not designed to be steered like that - ie: fixed bridle foils, the result is lots of stalling and spinning. This was the result:

thanks for the video, seemed to fly ok. Worst case, i guess i could just buy the bar later

John knows how to fly well.
Trying to teach yourself with a depower bar on a fixed bridle kite is a path to frustration.

o well i found this http://www.trucknut.co.uk/Repower%20bar.html
it seems like someone modified a depower bar to work for a fixed bridle. Would that work or would there be other problems?

Starting to look like a turbo bar to me. It will depend on the kite you put it on. Small Reactor II's and Century 2's definitely do not like being steered mainly by brakes - lots of stalling/spins/luffs. Hornets ok, Flows/Methods/Beamers/Crossfire/Imp fly really well on the turbo bar. It should work, but wouldn't handles and strop be a lot less hassle?

edit: nearly forgot, put a Blade V 4m on the turbo bar and it was really nice. Best bargain I've seen so far is the Zebra Z1. Flys really well in gusty crud and is very well put together. See here: Zebra Z1 If you have a look at the 'buggying' thread Kingston 2011video, you'll see AndyFly having a blast with his Z1 on the claypan. And at the end of the vid, doing some buggy jumping on the 12m Speed 3.

o ok thanks for the tip

Fixed bridal on handles, depower on bar, simple. there's no other way. if you want total flight control...