Hello, this is my first post I have been lurking for a while. A little background .....

I fly revs and recently had the chance to fly a power kite, a 3m HQ demo at a kite festival. It was a lot of fun and I decided I wanted to expand my quiver to include a power kite. I am very comfortable with quadline kites and understand the whole wind window deal.

This brings me to my question. I have settled on either a Peter Lynn Twister II or a Ozone Flow. Due to price I am looking at the 4.1m twister vs the 3m Flow. I am interested in static flying with the option to possible landboard, buggy, or skiis. I fly in Illinois so I have the usual landlocked winds, no nice steady beach winds.

Any advice on those two kites would be appreciated. I am 6'1 and around 190. The 3m Beemer was fun, but in ~10mph winds it didn't have the oomph I was looking for. Could have been my technique.

I can't comment on the flow as i don't know much about it. But from my understanding is a lower aspect kite built for stability with little lift. Others please correct me if I'm wrong. Where the twister is a bit higher aspect with more lift. i think it may be more comparable to compare the flow to the PL Hornet. For what you are looking to do with the kite I don't think you need the twister. But if you have a small desire to do some jumping than the twister is for you.
The Hornet is a great kite. We have nothing but success with it here. Another kite that has been flying under the radar is the PL Viper. We had our first flight on it a couple weeks ago and were extremely impressed. We flew a 2.6m viper and I will say that is the closest foil kite I have flown to the performance of a rev. flying static. We didn't get a chance to try it in the buggy, but now I have a whole quiver of them so we should have some better reports on the viper soon.
Also don't forget the beamer IV. the beamers that you flew are also a great kite. It just sounds like you had too small a kite out for the wind conditions. The hornet and the beamer are very comparable in their flight characteristics. Here again I can't comment on the flow.
Good luck on your decision and welcome to the power side

Thank you for the reply ... the powerside I like it, just don't let those rev guys on the darkside know I'm over here.

I am quickly realizing power kites are a lot like revs, right kite for the conditions and style.

I have looked at the Hornet and it is appealing, however I am afraid to get into a kite that will bore me after a few months.

I don't know much about the viper, it looks like it has a high aspect ratio so I am assuming that is why it is a quicker turning kite.

I guess now I have a bigger selection: Hornet, Viper, Twister, and Flow .... which one is the most versatile, one that will allow me to try out all the various styles and see what I really like. Initially most my flying will be just on my feet on (or butt and back), so scuds, jumps, pendulums, etc. Can you do all that with the Viper, or is more of a buggy engine?

ADDING TO DINO

if you just want to fly static, four line power kite --> i'd go with the Hornet. Over teh weekend I flew an Ozone Flow, and found it slower than a Hornet in kite speed.
both the Hornet and Flow are beginner foils, that dont produce huge amounts of pull unless in the upper windranges. they are both every forgiving at the edge of the wind window, and many times will not luff but backs itself naturally into the wind again. I would also consider the IMP for static as well.

the Twister is your beginner / advanced jumping kite ... if you wanted pro jumping ---> than it would hands down be a Blade. The twitter offers good lift, and stable so you dont get dropped like a rock.

Viper is your beginner / advanced buggy kite, its designed with less left more speed. its a cruising kite.

hope this helps ... #1 rule: try before you buy if you can. words / brands are only soo much, buy what feels comfortable and fits you instead.

FWIW: The Flow is targeted for someone that is looking for low lift but for a kite that develops pull at the lower wind range and inland flying conditions. The bridle has been minimized and tweaked to reduce drag. All of this is from the marketing material.

Mine arrives on Monday (Thanks Kent). :singing: :wee:

Now if only Ozone would make a long sleeve shirt or hoodie in the Flow 3.0 colors

Flying is doubtful mid-week after it arrives (I expect burps from a new network install to keep me hopping with user requests), but I will be looking forward to the weekend.

ATB,
Sam

Sam -

good luck with the kite, if the gods treat power kites like revs you will be guaranteed bad wind/weather for at least a week after a new arrival. I would love to see pictures of it, the flow is an absolutely gorgeous kite.

ripsessionkites - thanks for the info, with the descriptions ou gave it sounds like I should learn towards the hornet or the twister, maybe even the beamer IV .... man I had my mind set before I started looking again. Thanks for all the info, I will definitely try to fly before I buy if possible .... no power kiters in my area. I will be at a festival this weekend I will see if anyone brought one of their foils.

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I have looked at the Hornet and it is appealing, however I am afraid to get into a kite that will bore me after a few months.

Don't knock the little guys. That boring 3m kite in 10mph winds becomes a bit more exciting as the winds pick up.

Also it's nice to have a beginner kite to get your friends hooked.

the twister II is an awesome kite however hindsight being 20/20 I almost wish I had purchased a hornet or a beamer for my first foil. (almost) My buddy hooked me on the twister II 4.1 in lower winds (6-8) so there I was thinking, "meh...how much more could this thing pull in higher winds?" and I bought the 5.6. Don't get me wrong, i LOVE my 5.6 AND my friends 4.1 but in winds above 14mph, these things can leave you feeling like you have been used as a speed bump by a mack truck after a couple hours. You said you fly in inland winds and not the smooth clean costal dream winds, well...the twister II is a bit of a beast when a gust catches it. It yanked me off the ground pretty quick today when a gust of about 16 hit it. (I'm learning to appreciate brake lines :P) One thing about the twister II that I really like is the fact that it is fairly forgiving when a piloting mistake is made. I can't tell you how many times my newb skills have caused the tips to fold in, and it almost seems like the kite corrects itself. In fact, when that happens I can almost hear it laughing and mumbling "newb" in the wind. Consider your usual wind conditions when purchasing any kite model, and also consider what your primary use for the kite will be i.e. atb, buggy, static, etc. and dear lord, if you go with a jumping kite buy a brain bucket lol! No matter which kite you decide on, above everything else you need to do 2 things. 1) Respect the kite. 2) Respect the wind. Weather its a beginner kite, or a more advanced kite, when a good wind catches these things they can turn into beasts rather quickly. Even the mild mannered foils can put you on your butt in the right (or wrong) winds.

I hope this helps, and welcome to Power Kiting!:wee:

Thanks for all the input. After every ones help and after talking to my kite dealer I am going with a PL Twister 4.1m. It seems best for my winds and goals for the first kite. I can see powerkites are like Revs, you can't have just one.

After I get good control and have lots of hours on the kite I might begin jumping. I need to get up and go to work everyday and I don't want to be a viral video on youtube so I will stick with scuds and just getting yanked around for quiet a while.

Any recommendations on a helmet?

Awesome choice on the 4.1!!! You will get lots of great scuds with that one careful though, my bud was yanked up in a good gust yesterday :P

I hope it's not too much of a handful for you, depends on your winds.... That's a lifty kite! be careful!

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Originally posted by DB Cooper Any recommendations on a helmet?

You might find these threads of interest:

HEY! WHERE IS YOUR BRAIN BUCKET!

Giro G10 Snowkite Helmet

What helmet are you using and for what

what helmet?

How snug?

basic face protection for landboarding?

You'll probably be fine with most of the name brands (quality-wise), but all of them fit a little differently. You have to kiss some frogs to find the one that fits your noggin best.

ATB,
Sam

ive got the 5.6 PL twister II and in the wrong winds itll teach you some respect! Ive yet to be lofted, but the twister will yank and pull and try to loft ya. The 4 will be a lot easier on ya, and you'll love it forever, just take it out in baby winds the first couple of times and gradually work your way up... if you take it out in a breeze, then some minor winds, then (with safety gear) try your first jumps.

The twister is great fun, but inland & gusty winds still suck. A few friends of mine have earned a few bruises with this kite for that simple reason. The best way to learn these kites is in small steps, they hurt much less if you mess them up!

Have fun, and be safe!!!