Hi guys,

I am just looking into buying my first four line power kite and am hoping that someone could steer me in the right direction.

I am currently looking at either a HQ Beamer III 3 (£105) or 4m (£130) or Radsail Pro II 3m (£125) or 4m (£150)

So i was wondering what is the best kite and size for me. Reading another post it sounds like a 4m may be better?

Also are these reasonable prices (before postage)? Any other recommendations in this sort of price range?

I want something that will be challenging and fun and ideally that will be good not just for learning but once i become profficient aswell. Ideally i would eventually like to be able to do some scudding, jumping and possibly boarding with it.

I am 21, about 11.5 stone and 5ft11 (if thats usefull?)

Cheers

I've just bought my 1st kite, a Beamer III 3m and its awesome, never flown anything else though so can't give you any comparisons, although I did find it very easy to pick up and fly, especially for a beginner like me. I'm 22 and just over 10 stone, about 5'7" tall and I seem to be getting on ok with it so far.

Hey Tom, I have been power kiting for only about 8 months and feel as if I am getting the hang of it pretty well now with respect for the un-expected. But anyway I was directed toward the Beamer III 3 meter for my first kite. It worked out well for me, easy to fly, once you have the basics down. The price here in the U.S. was good as far as power kites go. Beamer is a well made kite. As far as your needs for the kite as you say, jumping, scudding and board. Everyone says that the Beamer III 3 meter is not made with jumping in mind and does not produce alot of LIFT which you need for jumping, but it does provide alot of PULL which is needed for scudding, buggying and land boards. But its a good size for started out and is a kite you can use thoughout, it will diff provide alot of power, depending on wind speed, for everything you want to do with exception of jumping. good luck.

i fly a radsail 2.3m and that lifts me up loads! and its great for boarding but then i only weigh 8 stone and am only 17 (just a tad underweight!)

Well heres my 2 cents

both the Beamer and the Radsail are great kites...I have both...
My Beamer to me seems alot more stable......But for those really windy days The Radsail is a better choice....So either way your going to be getting a great kite...

but if given the choice I would take the Beamer all day long
hope this helps you with your choice

Flyin High
Shannon:singing::singing:

The beamer sounds pretty good to me then. I'd would be interested in knowing a bit more info on the radsail if possible. Is it fairly similar to the beamer performance wise? What makes it better on a windy day?

Joecat mentioned that the 3m beamer III does not provide much lift, is this also true of the 4m and the 3m/4m radsails?

I read that a 3m or 4m would be good to start on presumably any bigger would be too big for a beginner. I only mention this as i have found a 5m radsail at a very good price!!

cheers for all the info so far

The RadSails are similar in aspect to the Blades, which translates to a LIFTY Kite. The Beamer III's have a higher aspect ratio whch will give them a tighter turning radius. It's a tough choice that I actually just made recently between the Radsail Pro II 7.0 or the Beamer III 7.0 In the pleasing to the eyes department the HQ Beamers will win. They are a cleaner looking kite, and include KKillers, Ground Steak, and somewhat well put together backpack (big zipper?! lol). But most of those accessories dont help you on a gusty day. The Beamer does LIFT, dont get me wrong at all, take a look at the jumpers in the youtube video's! but its main quality is traction.

Wind speed in my area average 8 with 14mph gusts so I chose the Radsail Pro II 7.0 for its higher LIFT quality and stability in unpredictable winds (ie inland kiteboarding). Im going to suffer a bit in the support department because Radsail is playing catchup with the rest of the kite industry, but you just cant beat the price per Square meter, not to mention overall positive reviews on racekites.com. I wanted something big now and Ill pick up a Flexifoil Crossfire or Blade later if I see a steel of a price here on the groups.

Cheers everyone for your help.

I have decided to order the radsail - just hunting around for the best deal now!!

Quote:

Originally posted by tom_w Cheers everyone for your help. I have decided to order the radsail - just hunting around for the best deal now!!

I'd be interested to hear how you get on as I was in the same situation last week. I opted for the Beamer!!
BTW on the couple of occasions I've been out its pulled like a train. Absolutey no problem in dragging you along the beach!!!

Both are great starter kites.

The Beamer is slower,more stable, and has a wider wind range (Due to it's really low aspect ratio).

The Radsail is far more dynamic in the wind, (and hence, a little more exciting to fly), but are slightly less stable.

Granted, neither of them are power monsters, but there are differences.

Personally, I would recommend the Radsail. It's a great kite, and it allows for a smoother transition to higher end kites (when that time comes).

I still love flying my 6m Radsail...Predictable but still exciting!!

I still love flying my 6m radsails

Dont forget to look at a ProFoil, say 3.5m², its no slouch as far as good kite for starting out on 4 lines, & with the price's Ted's been asking you wont break the bank, & end up with a really nice kite with plenty of pull, steady in the window & fun to fly, not to mention fast for their size...

Much agreed!!! ProFoils rock!! I only have an old (and pretty beat up) Quad-Trac 3m. But it still is pretty cool. I have seen Ted's new one's, and they're definately up to snuff.