Ive heard the name so i looked them up, and man... those things are cheap! The low price tag kinda makes me wonder about quality, but i found a 12m depower (so the site says) for like $300... It looks like a fixed bridal from the pic...
I kinda worry about the claim that these are "THE Chinese power Kite." Here in the states, thats usually not a good sign of quality.

I searched the forums and couldnt find much.. just wondering if anyone has any experience with these?

(Pansh Kites Web Page)

You will get the gamut of responses on this one. I'm surprised you didn't find info on them. When they first came out, there were incredibly long forum threads about price vs. quality. There are people that have 5-6 Pansh kites or more and love them and others that have tried them and moved on to other brands that cost more. You will need to try a few to see for yourself. I've owned 2 and flown 2 others. The Ace is a lifty kite and the Blaze is less lifty. They are a continual development company meaning the kite you buy this week could be different than one a buddy bought 3 months ago. Line and handle quality were once horrible but it seems they've improved these issues to at least make them serviceable.

The two extreme positions are, "wow I can build up my quiver and not spend alot of money", and
a frequent poster here that said he keeps 1 pansh to remind him how expensive "cheap" can be.

As usual... you get what you pay for.

For someone that is just wanting to get something to see what this "powerkite" craze is all about, it's a good way to get something that won't break the bank. The quality is definitely lacking. And I have also heard of some where the bridling needed some tweeking to get it to fly right.

What I have seen in the past too is people have gotten one and being somewhat satisfied with it... until they flew a good kite. After that, the Pansch doesn't seem to make it out of the bag much.

It was also found out last year at an SOBB "ceremony", that they don't burn very well either....

I think they make the BLaze II a de-power, if I remember right. But curiously, it does not come with bar and lines. I've had several come to me after buying one and then try to buy a standard control bar (for fixed bridle), not understanding the difference. Then when I take the time to bring them up to speed, they get upset when they find out a de-power bar and line set runs almost as much as their kite did. Some will then storm off to eBay in a huff and probably end up with some bar from an old C-kite. It often does not end well unless they have the means to get the proper gear. Problem is, Pansh attracts those with out the means.

The Blaze II is depower, however it doesn't come with a bar or lines, so the price can be decieving if you are comparing to other manufacturers where the bar and lines are included. Once you buy the bar and lines, and tune it, you might be better off buying a better name kite used. I don't have much experience with the Slingshot Ranger (flew a 9m once), but there are 12m depower kites on Backcountry Outlet going for cheaper than the Blaze II and that includes lines and bar.

I've been quite happy with the Legends. My 3m has taken a pounding but still flys well. But side by side with the HQ Beemer, the Beemer was much more stable. I had a great time cruising hooked in with the 5m Legend on the snow. Next to your Twister though, the Legends are pretty tame.

Haven't really flown the Ace much, I hated my 7m Blaze I (fixed bridle) so I sold it and moved up to the 7.7m Crossfire.

There are also some issues with their business ethics (marking kites as gifts to avoid duty fees and such) but I'm sure others here know more about that than I do.

My final opinion, if you have the budget go for a better name brand or scour the used market! But if you have a tight budget and you need something to fill in a gap, Pansh can serve that purpose. However, (even though I do like the Legends and they have served me well) you do get what you pay for.

Now the big question is will this thread just turn into another Pansh bashing fest?

Quote:

Originally posted by WadoGal The Blaze II is depower, however it doesn't come with a bar or lines, so the price can be decieving if you are comparing to other manufacturers where the bar and lines are included. Once you buy the bar and lines, and tune it, you might be better off buying a better name kite used. I don't have much experience with the Slingshot Ranger (flew a 9m once), but there are 12m depower kites on Backcountry Outlet going for cheaper than the Blaze II and that includes lines and bar. I've been quite happy with the Legends. My 3m has taken a pounding but still flys well. But side by side with the HQ Beemer, the Beemer was much more stable. I had a great time cruising hooked in with the 5m Legend on the snow. Next to your Twister though, the Legends are pretty tame. Haven't really flown the Ace much, I hated my 7m Blaze I (fixed bridle) so I sold it and moved up to the 7.7m Crossfire. There are also some issues with their business ethics (marking kites as gifts to avoid duty fees and such) but I'm sure others here know more about that than I do. My final opinion, if you have the budget go for a better name brand or scour the used market! But if you have a tight budget and you need something to fill in a gap, Pansh can serve that purpose. However, (even though I do like the Legends and they have served me well) you do get what you pay for. Now the big question is will this thread just turn into another Pansh bashing fest?

Naturally:

Some of us tested a 3m Blaze, lasted about 5 mins before the bridle stretched out.

If you pay for what you get. IMO you don't get much.

"one GOOD kite can change your life forever"

Just join NapKRA Jellis is giving away kites. 1 per week.

i kinda figured they'd be mixed results on these... they look ok, but not great, which, depending on your progression in power kiting, could be good!

IDK, ive been scouring up and down all over the net for info and future purchasing options on depowers, and these guys came up. I was really thrown off by the price, but didnt know anything about the company... just cruising for info... not trying to bash anyone!

....but if bashing is due, then by all means...

IMO, for just a little bit more money you can get a very high quality name brand kite such as the Peter Lynn's or HQ's that will last you for years without any problems. Most everyone here who has purchased Pansh has had to re-work the kite about every couple weeks just to get it to stay flying where the other brands just fly....kinda sounds funny but yea, they just fly, no fuss, no hassles, no reworking, no trying to figure out which bridle line stretched out where, no changing flying lines or purchasing different handles, no searching to find out what tweeks you need to do on the kite to make it perform like it should have performed in the first place, no re-stitching / sewing the sails & cells to take the stretch back out of them so they are consistent again..........they just fly.

Every pilot who has owned a Pansh kite in our buggy community here in Vegas has either destroyed it within the first couple weeks of flying or has dumped it on flea-bay to get rid of it because of the constant hassle. Granted our conditions are a little on the extreme side for kite durability but the Ozone's, Flexi's, HQ's and Peter Lynn's seem to be able to handle it ok.

As said many times in this post already, you get what you pay for.....and you need to consider what your time and hassle is worth and how much time you actually get to go out flying. Do you want to spend your limited flying time trying to figure out how to get your kite to fly properly or do you want to spend your flying time flying? For me it's no frickin' hassles and more buggying!!!!

Just my opinion anyways.....

Ive got a 5 meter Ace and i can easely say ive master the pendulum jump, I easly can get 25+ foot jumps with it in about 20mph winds, For its size its super lifty, the lines are not coated but very tough now since the upgraded them, mine are still perfect. The kite it self has been thrashed around pretty tough and it is still in great shape

You can spend the same amount to get a good, reliable, brand-name used kite, or a new, (but older) model close-outs.

Quote:

Originally posted by Houston AirHead Ive got a 5 meter Ace and i can easely say ive master the pendulum jump, I easly can get 25+ foot jumps with it in about 20mph winds, For its size its super lifty, the lines are not coated but very tough now since the upgraded them, mine are still perfect. The kite it self has been thrashed around pretty tough and it is still in great shape

5m Ace+ 20mph winds = 25+ foot jumps? You must weigh 50 pounds lol!! Unless you meant 25+ foot forward and not upwards :P.

Anyways, I've kind of gone through a phase with Pansh kites. I bought my 5m ace, and my bro a 3m legend. Both have been great kites, i have flown the heck out of the 5m ace. I also bought a 10m blaze II. I flew that one for awhile and it was a great kite! They are stable and would be perfect for buggying. It didn't have enough lift for me so I went a different direction. I say they are good kites, but not excellent kites . BTW: i've flown the ace 5m for over a year on the stock handles/lines (anywhere from no wind to 25mph, rain, sand, grass, whatever... :P) and it's still goin strong.

Lets not forget about "Rose" in customer support at pansh! If you have bought a Pansh direct- chances are you have had contact with her Lets see... was it for
-double billing?
-replacing crappy lines?
-bridle issues?

Oh the list goes on and on!

The funny part is I really like my Pansh's- yeah you have to constantly adjust bridles and sometimes they fly like lead ballons but when they do fly correctly they are a strong stable kite.

Most of reputable the kite companies are Paragliding companies as well. The ones that aren't still over-design .

When you get to a point in flying that you are putting your personal ( and public ) safety on the line it is probably best to go with a company that over-designs things. The extra cost is insurance , so to speak ?

Reputable companies constantly put money in to R+D . They also give back, supporting riders and events.

Putting Pansh kites side by side with quality kites is a good way of seeing the subtle differences.

I feel you are FAR better off buying a top quality kite that is used and a slightly older model than buying a new Pansh. Their designs haven't changed in a few years !

ive had good success with my legend 5.5--beat the crap out of it and still going strong--tons of power--i have a 6m ace that flies great also(but MUCH differently than my blade 6.6) --on the other hand,my ace 8m has given me nothing but headaches some bridle issue i think....so for the price pansh is ok---not on the level of hq-flexi,pl etc etc

All the above statements are 100% correct and some other Pansh points and facts were left out. Bottom line is, If you know and understand how to tweek a kite, set it up and fly, then your good to go. If you are a newbie, than stay away from them, you will save a few $ but the frustration is not worth the price.
Some of the kites fly very well and are great deals, but to many won't fly for many reasons.
I was one of the dealers for pansh(they canceled my contract because I complained about everything) and I still have some for sale at an even better price than from pansh and mine have been set up and are RTF. Most of mine are used as demos. Want a good deal? LOL
You get a good deal because someone else gets a better deal

Quote:

Originally posted by kitejumper ....so for the price pansh is ok---not on the level of hq-flexi,pl etc etc

Something I find interesting is that HQ was sort of the Pansh of the day when I 1st started to watch foil kites.

HQ does R+D and gives back. They try and keep cost down but not at the cost of safety or quality. It is great to see that newer folks respect HQ and lump it with the big boys now !

I don't see Pansh ever fitting in there the way they do business.

That gap between perceived reputation and actual quality of products sold has always bothered me about HQ. They really make some good and innovative stuff. I really enjoy the Montana, and the Beamers are both great for beginners with more performance coming with each new model.

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner HQ does R+D and gives back. They try and keep cost down but not at the cost of safety or quality. It is great to see that newer folks respect HQ and lump it with the big boys now !

i can tell you that these new hq kite killers are superb--and doing alot of scudding and jumping,i tend to destroy kS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s at a faster rate than normal--and these hq's hold up to the stress just fantastic

I'm relatively new to power kiting getting into it 1 year ago. My first purchase was a Prism P3 which got me started, and now my kids are starting to learn on it. My second purchase was a Pansh Ace 5. I'm 235 and have flown this kite a bunch and flown it hard. Yes it was inexpensive and thats what I wanted to make sure I was going to enjoy the sport and continue to grow in it before laying down major bucks.

For approx $170 I have enjoyed flying the Ace to no end. Is it the best? Maybe not, however I have absolutely no regrets buying the Ace. It has taught me a lot in kite handling, and has given me a great deal of fun and satisfaction. The good news is it is still in perfect condition and I have not had to tweak anything to make it fly. It seems many are really down on Pansh however my experience has been great!!! Heck it costs more to go skiing with the family for a day but my Ace just keeps pumping out the fun. Best of luck shopping for your next engine.

That's great that you have had such good luck with your kite. There are exceptions to every rule and you should consider yourself pretty lucky on that one. I have heard of others too that did just as well. But it is a gamble.

Hmm, I try to avoid the bashing but my ace is the most expensive kite I own! Not in purchase price but when you look at how much use I have from it against the money I sent on it it most certainly is. It sits in my closet as a reminder of how expensive cheap is. Why buy a cheap poor copy of a good kite? Most of the people who love pansh kites have only flown pansh kites and have not much else to compare to. Now that I have said that my only comparison is with what seems to be an early ace and has such a aggressive AOA it is next to un-flyable.

my Pansh Legend 2M Flys great. But once I tried a 2.2 PL Reactor and a 2.5M JoJo ET all in the same buggy session. I had to get one of the other kites. The Legend was way to much work to get upwind with in comparison to the high quality kites. I ended up purchasing a 2.5 JoJo ET and a 3.8M PL Reactor and haven't look back.

I like the Pansh for static flying and scudding, it is also a great kite to hand over to your freinds to learn on.

You guys want to sell a Ace, check the wanted section.

bigkid you have u2u.

oh, dear.... how could I miss a panshfest like this one! It's been ages!

for the record, I got started on pansh, and i still think they're a good way to get going if you are a beginner on a budget. but yes, all of the issues mentioned above are reasons to go with something with years and years of life in it, which is not pansh style.

But if i were to start again, I'd get myself a proper 3m I won't grow out of in a few months. I'd go PL from the buzz they generate from flyers even though their marketing is sch!esse, nice combination in my book.

pansh depower? don't even go there, unless you find a deal from a pansh reseller who has gone to the trouble to set them up, not many of those left now....

yeah, there was huge buzz two years ago, now there is hardly none, I think most of the folks who originally thought they were good have by now had exposure to good kites and won't be looking back.

that said, my 5m ace is the thing that flies (vaguely floats in a fig 8 with lots of walking about to keep the lines tight) in low winds when nothing else will get off the ground without doing the 100-yard dash. It's got its place in my quiver for a while yet. my 8m ace is good for floaty jumps when the 6.5 blade doesn't have the lift for fun, I'd replace it with quality as it turns like a schoolbus even for 8m, but have not the $$$$!. The 3m legend is junk (bridle stretch), the 2m is a little better and has a good role as a stable high-wind kite. And that's what i've flown...

won't be buying anymore of them, that's the bottom line.

My 5m Ace has not seen the sun in almost a year. I keep it for travel. I travel with things I will not be too upset to lose.

Like Furb' says, it flies early and through a wide range. It flies pretty well for a $99 dollar kite !:smug: The intro price.

I traded for my 3m Blaze 'cause I love the graphics. If I hang a kite it will be that one ! I flew it once and it now sits on the bottom of the dead kite bag.

I really like my 7m Blaze II, and the graphics are great I usually fly it in 12-18 and it's got some nice grunt; it has considerably less power and grunt than my Montata 5 so when I want to just cruise around on the beach I tend to fly the blaze. It's got a pretty wide wind range and overlaps its flyable wind with all of my kites I've flown it in up to 28, but its sweet spot imho is 17. I've heard it's a pain to initially tune and re-tune the kite, but mine came from blake pre-tuned to the dime and I haven't had to futz with it at all. I've flown it about 8 times so far this year, I imagine the lines will stretch out since they are visibly fairly cheap but luckily I haven't had the problem yet. I'm very satisfied with the kite, it's fun to fly, and pretty gentle but nothing to write home about. Handles well and goes upwind well. I'll be interested to see how my blaze II handles over time....

There is certainly a clear and large quality gap between my blazes and HQ/flexifoils. Would I buy another? Well the graphics are very cool If I was strapped for cash and couldn't find a used name brand on ebay or the forums (which is usually pretty easy) then I'd certainly consider it. But for now I don't see myself buying a pansh larger than 7m; the perceived quality vs power above 7 is not for me. Would I have bought it new to the sport? Well probably because it seems like a deal, but I'm glad I got the montana first since its very stables and a bit more behaved espically in lower winds. But certainly as a first kite, if you plan to stay in the sport, I'd recommend a low aspect name hq or flexifoil; for buggy/board, the pansh to me is a reasonable low cost gap filler once you know how to handle kite, but a second choice.

i just looked at the stats section here and noticed that the most viewed thread on here is "PANSH BLAZE" WAY out in front of its nearest competitor by 3000 views--LOL

yeah, i have a couple pansh ace videos on youtube and they get way more hits than any other video I've posted.....

that thread had so many hits because Pansh was a new thing then and the pricing caused quite a stir in the industry. Lots of people were looking for info.

Quote:

Originally posted by kitejumper i just looked at the stats section here and noticed that the most viewed thread on here is "PANSH BLAZE" WAY out in front of its nearest competitor by 3000 views--LOL

i want to hear more posts from people who have owned pansh products in the last year. i have a 4m ace which was my first kite. ive never done any setup or adjustment to the bridle and it still flys great...its been thwacked in to the ground by beginners(me at one time) countless times and flown in 25mph winds with no issues. very tough kite. my second kite was a blade IV 6. the ace and the blade are the only two kites i've flown. of course the blade flies better, and the quality is better...but both kites fly great and do their job well. i flew my friends 6m ace which i would say is comparable to the blade IV. a fixed bridle 6ish meter high lift/pull kite. aside from the slower turning due to crossover steering, the ace 6m felt just as lifty as my blade. i was getting 10 ft jumps in 20mph easily.

dont jump on the pansh bash wagon until you've flown one and gotten a sick jump(very easy) off of a $100 kite. its not a ferrari, but its at least a corvette.