I've been eyeing a large flysurfer for quite some time now, to extend my wind range. I'm mainly interested in getting on the water sooner, but I'd
probably be using the kite on the snow too.
I currently have a 12m Catalyst for water and a 11m Frenzy for snow. Weight 85kg.
Do you think I should be looking at the 18/19m foils or would a 15m be more appropriate? I doubt a 19m would make any sense for snow, but on water the
extra power may be needed?
If we limit this to foil kites, the two main options are the FS Speed3 15/19 and the Pansh A15 15/18m. :puzzled:
I seriously never thought I'd ever even consider a Pansh, but according to the reviews I've found, the A15 actually seems to be flying even without
any tweaking. Heck, some even go as far as to say the thing is more stable than a Speed!
I know that at least a few people here have the A15 and more than a few have the Speed3. What do you think about the A15's -depower, -wind range,
-turning speed, and stability compared to the Speed3? Is it a viable option for me? Could I fly it on the 5 line bar of my Frenzy (2014)?
Hopefully I'm not asking too many things at once here!
I'm not sure why I would choose a psycho over the speed, the speed seems to be the obvious choice for light winds + I've never seen anyone ride a 19m
Psycho let alone sell one. I might consider it if someone was actually selling one + the price was right.
I've got an A15 in the 18m size that I got this winter. Haven't had much opportunity to fly it but this is what I can tell you. I have flown it twice,
once on skis and once in the buggy. On snow the flags were barely moving, a flutter really, and you could barely feel the wind. Right out of the bag,
on a ozone bar I use for the aurora, it flew and flew well. I inflated with a leaf blower as the wind was that light, once airborne it was very stable
and behaved well. Lots of low end grunt and when the apparent wind kicked in got moving quite well and seemed to keep building. The wind then died
completely.
Second time in the buggy. Winds maybe 5-7, Ted struggling on a 12m peak, inflates well took awhile to launch as I forgot to close the deflate zipper
in my excitement to get going. Once that was taken care of she went right up. Lots of pull, found myself being pulled sideways quite a bit, but with a
better wind direction that would be better. Once again apparent wind just built and built. Kite was stable, easy to fly, well mannered and fun. For an
18m the turning speed wasn't bad, you just need to plan ahead a little as with any kite that size that I have flown. I put in 12 miles and got up to
25mph on a day that I would have been sitting around or struggling with other kites. I got mine on sale for around $400, custom colors, including
shipping and it was here in about 10 days. Much better than the Aurora
I have never flown a flysurfer, so I have no comparison, maybe someday. Session saver-YES, Priced Right- YES, would I buy it again-YES
Would I choose it over a speed? Probably not if my budget allows for the Speed. I would choose a Psycho over a speed.
This A15 had to have the whole bridle gone through to remove some hanky twists and make it right. That said, even before that was done it did fly
well out of the bag. But if you were to fly it a lot as it was there would eventually be issues.
It's a Pansh. So you have to come into it knowing that it may need some tweaking. If you are okay with that it can be a good kite on a budget.
Mostly in terms of light wind kites. Can it compete with a Speed of the same size? Close maybe. R1, Chrono or Sonic? Nope.
Light wind flying is the most costly. These kites can be session savers without breaking the bank but I'm not sure, if all you have are light wind
days, that it will last long term in terms of durability. This is based on the wear we saw on them from the snow and ice. Sand is a bit more
abrasive.
But it is stabile. As you can see, it's nearly Arc stabile.
Chris Krug-Owner @ Hardwater Kiting. Authorized Dealer of Ozone, Flysurfer, HQ kites. www.hardwaterkiter.com 603-986-2784
You can't go wrong with both kites. For the price though, you could find a 15m Speed 3 dlx used. I've never owned the Pansh so I can't tell you much
about it.
In my opinion, 19 or 21 really limits you in terms of flying and once it gets over a certain point, you'll be packing up. With a 15m you have the
wider wind range. I've never owned a Speed but I have had a Psycho 4 15m and loved it. It had good low end, but I felt overpowered at 70kg when it
gusted, (that was land). The speed has the lighter fabric, so if you're looking for a session saver, possibly look into it. Good luck with your
choice!
I'm not sure why I would choose a psycho over the speed, the speed seems to be the obvious choice for light winds + I've never seen anyone ride a 19m
Psycho let alone sell one. I might consider it if someone was actually selling one + the price was right.
I wa surprised by how good it was in light wind, but I prefer my Speeds too, although I'd like to try the Psychos with the foil board.
Yes it does. I added an A15 to my cart and the price changed to 360e, including shipping.:D
Thanks for all the info on the A15, it really seems to be an option worth considering.
Like I mentioned, the other thing I'm not quite sure about is size. The 21m would probably get way too big way too soon on water and wouldn't be of
any use on snow so that leaves me with the 15m and 18/19m. Ideally I'd use the kite on snow in winds under 12 knots and on water until 14 knots or so.
Of course I need to factor in gusts as well. The 15m seems to have a very good windrange, but is a 15m even a true light wind kite at all? Maybe the
18/19m would get me on the water on those really light days? Oh no....
21m is a dog IMO.Flies in nothing but falls out of the sky in a turn at low speeds. I prefer a smaller kite that I can work to get performance and
can put where it needs to be when it needs to be. The 21m isn't that kind of kite. Survives on apparent and like most kites that do, any loss of
forward speed is a real problem.
Chris Krug-Owner @ Hardwater Kiting. Authorized Dealer of Ozone, Flysurfer, HQ kites. www.hardwaterkiter.com 603-986-2784
Like many kites in their largest sizes, the size is better suited to heavy rider weights, not added light wind performance. Sure there are a few
exceptions but not many.
Chris Krug-Owner @ Hardwater Kiting. Authorized Dealer of Ozone, Flysurfer, HQ kites. www.hardwaterkiter.com 603-986-2784
from my experience, 15m P4, durable powerhouse with decent range . i am 90kg and it gets a ton of use.
is it a session saver? not really , but close. if you already work alot of light wind it will definitely add a ton of punch in a nimble fashion.
not sure a session saver is the kite, i would put the $ into modality over kite , the right kite is like shoe size , when its right it will take you
to your limit in the widest range esp. from the bottom of the range....of course there are limits as you go into heavy air but those days you don't
need to save anything but your neck!
Nice to see that they've already fixed a couple things that people complained about on the A15, such as the magnets.
They've also added a ultralight version: " AURORA II ULTRALIGHT version made with the lightweight materials as the world famous Paraglider. "
Sounds like they've even tried to rip off the advertising from Ozone. :D
I had the A15 18m out on the water with a spleen monster door in Hatteras and I was to only one out and riding. Just saying. For what I paid for it
I'm happy and it worked well. Might lengthen the back lines a bit, flew better trimmed in some. Big guy, big board, light winds
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