Hi all,

I'm new to all this and have read Scoops Guide and this forum for a while.

I'm in Ottawa, Canada, and am 160lbs and active, and my house is basically surrounded by farm fields. I want a kite that I will be able to learn on and then in the winter be able to use to snowkite.

I've been looking at the Octane and the Tensors. A dealer said that I should get the Tensor 4.2 as it has the bar/handle combo, but I'm worried that its size will be too crazy for me to start with, but then again I guess I need the pull power to move me around on the ski/board.

To me it comes down to the Octane 3 vs Tensor 3.1

Any thoughts would be great.

Thanks!!

If you are brand new to kiting I would recommend a 3 meter 4 line kite. Use that to learn the basics and it will be usable for traction in higher wind. If snowkiting is your ultimate goal than you will most likely need/want a depower kite such as an hq apex or ozone access.

yea 3m kite.. learn to fly proper then move on...imo, both those kites are really ugly are you sure about this?

Quote:

both those kites are really ugly are you sure about this?

That's matter of opinion but I have to agree with you.

ssayre, yes, I've been told and read that depower kites are the way to go for snowkiting, I just can't afford them right now and I want to get some experience first. I'm hoping a 3m traction kite will be able to pull me in the higher winds at a good pace without my 3 year old daughtrer running faster!

abkayak, hahaha, I chose those two kites as they seem to get good reviews for beginners like me and might be able to pull me later on. I hadn't really even considered their looks. What other kites should I be looking at that fit my 'wants' AND look awesome?

i promise you a 3m will make you fear for your life...if you do this right it will provide you years and years of fear and fun. you are new to this so i would buy a used 3m and get the flying thing down pat..than go get something nicer after that
if you play your cards right you will have like 4 kites in a few months and your wife wont even know:D

What are your average wind speeds in the winter? I use my 4 meter quite often in the buggy but never get the winds to use my 3 meter. I use the 4 meter in anything above 15mph.

Good question, I'm not sure how to get the historical speeds, but its probably close to the 15mph (or 24km). Maybe thats why the dealer had suggested the 4.2 Tensor. I'll see what I can figure out tonight.

I've got access to many fields, and the wind just seems to power through them.

You could try starting with the 4 meter as long as you start out in winds less than 10 mph and in the least gusty wind possible. I'm 225# so at your weight you might find the 3 meter more useful for movement than I but it really just depends on the wind. RTZ on here gets wind high enough to use a 1.7 meter kite to buggy with.

I'm kinda with Ssayre on the 3 meter. You're basically never going to use it once you've learned to fly. Do you have any kite flying experience at all? If you do I'd go with at least a 4 meter kite. I first bought a 2 meter HQ beamer 5. I really only fly it now in like crazy tornado storm weather and what not, when its unsafe to fly traction. I might try and find a hand-me-down small kite to learn on. I started landboarding on a 4.5 meter Pansh Adam. Despite Panshes not so great reputation the Adam is a fantastic beginner kite and much cheaper than equivalent gear from the big brands. I can handle up to about 25 mph on it and then I have to strop down to a harness. This leads me to my next point.
For riding boards land/snow/water depower bar flown kites are vastly superior to handle flown. Being 160 lbs your go to kite will probably be in the 7-8 meter range. High wind in the 4-6 meter and low wind in the 12- 15 range. I fly my now somewhat ancient 9.5 meter HQ montana 3 at least 3 times a week.
All of this being said I've flown the 4.2 tensor and its very fantastic. It's got more power and lift than the Adam 4.5. But I think the recommendation of your dealer for a 4 meter-ish kite is a pretty good recommendation.

Many good deals on used gear can be found. Like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ozone-Access-XT-6m2-Traction-Foil-/2...

i maintain 3m kite on handles.....become a pilot.....im 160# learned to board w/ a 3m still take it out every time i go out bug or board (along w/ a 9m dp)

Most anyone with experience will tell you to start with a 3m kite on handles. The kite serves as a great means of learning control rather than learning survival. With a 3m you can learn true control and in 15 mph wind, it can really do some work. As you gain experience you'll want to get some larger sizes to suit differing conditions. But it really is best to start around 3m (in wind lighter than 15mph). Then as you progress, the 3m kite becomes your high wind kite.

As for a good starter kite, Octane is a great kite. I have a 3m which I bought a few months back (my most recent purchase) to have a 3m on hand and to have something to hand to a newby to try. The quality of Ozone is impeccable and the kite is TOP NOTCH. It is uber stable in my really cr@ppy wind and has the strength to do the job in the higher wind speeds. I have yet to try it as a buggy engine, but I'm sure it will likely perform very well.

I cannot speak much to the tensors. I know prism makes decent stuff as I've always enjoyed their inventive single line stuff, but I have never flown a tensor before. I can tell you however that most people don't keep them. I will often see them for sale after guys have them got a little while and decide to move up. To me that's not a good sign.

If I'm going to invest in a NEW kite, I either want to buy something that will hold my interest and stand the rest of time, or have a decent resale value. I cannot say that for what I've seen of the tensor.

Buying used is always a good option too. You can always get a good used HQ Beamer or Peter Lynn Hornet... Octanes pop up now and again, but they're a newer model so not that often. PKD Buster Soulfly is a great starter too and are much less expensive New than other kites.

One unique thing about the tensor is it has an adjustable angle of attack, I think? I have never had an fb kite with that feature but I could see it possibly being useful

I'm pretty sure the Flexifoil Rage has that feature, plus likely better quality than tensor and IMHO the bit about it having handles converting to a bar is kinda gimmicky.

I'm really not trying to talk down the tensor, I just think there are better kites to start out with. I DO think it's a decent starter kite, I just think that's as far as it's usefulness extends.

Again though, I have not actually flown one, so I might be completely wrong... I'm just speaking from what I've seen here on PKF.

If you're trying to decide between the 2, I say Octane hands down.

i have flown a tensor.... and would guide you toward the Octane(if we are just looking at these two kites.) Prism makes great stunt kites and dabbles in entry level power kites, Ozone makes great power kites and dabbles in nothing. It also may be worth mentioning that i entered power kiting with Prism stunt kites >Prism foils >Beyond....

WOW, thanks for all the great replies!

I was originally looking at just the Octane and the HQ Rush 4, then the dealer suggested the Tensor.

Now I'm really thinking about getting the octane 3, learning that, and then hope to turn that into my high wind kite.

I know most of you all have multiple kites and maybe I will soon as well!

Now to find a canadian online dealer and I'll give this sport a try.

I'll keep my eyes open for a depower kite too with a good price!

Get the Octane, you will not be disappointed in the least. Plus you get a cool bottle opener and a ton of stickers