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mbkite12

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Well for at least 1 week per year few questions 

my son just got the rx and the xx both kites fly great but my son likes the rx better he is a pretty good flyer muck better then me 

my question is the xx a rev 1 with new springs on the sail I do like it just was wondering 

we also have vented mid vent standard solid b kites an exp and a blast 

love them all 

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The XX is larger than the 1.5 series kites but it is quite different than the Rev 1.  The sails and frames are not interchangeable.  I like the XX a bit better than the RX as I find it has a little better precision and handles the lighter winds better.  Both are very fun to fly and usually my mood is what picks which kite I pull out of my bag.

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Would you say the xx is a bit better than the rev 1 for low wind 

I don't see the rev 1 for sale any more and want a low wind kite but can't afford the zen 

and not sure the zen is still made 

I have been off the forum for many years but want to get back up to speed 

thanks

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The more the total sail area increases and the total weight decreases the more chance that the kite will fly in lower speed wind. There are other factors involved, but these two are the major factors to consider at the outset. Obviously, if you attach a bowling ball to a Rev II it won't get off the ground. If you attach a feather to a Rev I it will appear to be zero hindrance to flight. So, knowing this you can do one or the other or both of two things to fly in lighter wind. Increase the sail area. Decrease the weight. Or both. If you increase the sail area, however, you are also increasing the weight by the amount of the materials added, additional frame lengths, sailcloth, more robust connectors to handle the additional stress of greater sail area, increased bridle leg lengths, etc. Another factor is the weight of the flying lines the kite has to pull with itself. So the simplest way to make a kite fly in lighter wind is to leave the sail area as it is and decrease the amount, weight and/or size of some or all of components (including the sail material, but that gets into somewhat complicated aerodynamic theory regarding how and where it can be done) so as to reduce the overall weight significantly, but not to the point where structural integrity is severely compromised.

So, how is this done. Here's some ideas to play with. What is the minimum length of connector necessary so it doesn't fall off when I tug sharply on the lines (assuming the bungees are properly tensioned)? How much bungee do I need to keep the sail tensioned? How much less weight does the kite have to drag around if I use shorter lines? Do I need a 200-pound bridle to fly in 1-mph wind? Do I need 90-pound lines for that wind? Can I use thinner, smaller diameter frame members? I'm sure you can think of more. If you want to play with this and don't want to hack up a kite you already have, buy a cheap "beater" and go to town on it. Modifying a kite to improve performance is how you become one with the understanding of what makes it work.

Just don't forget to have fun as you do it. Don't let the drive replace the joy.

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I have both the XX and the Rev 1 (actually have 4 Rev 1's including two Segwicks). The XX is definitely easier to fly in light winds, has better glides, hovers better and can dead launch.  Some of it is the sail design, some their newly designed rods but most of it is from the Reflex Technology that Rev has incorporated into all of their kite models now.  This allows the kite to have much better performance in light winds as well as better performance overall, especially when stalling the kite or dropping the sail out of the wind.  The Reflex design is a huge breakthrough in quad line flying and design.  Makes all the older quad designs that don't have the Reflex Technology old-school, outdated and obsolete.  The standard rods/sails that you find in the older Rev models is Revolution's original kite design that is 30 years old.  There has been so many advancements over the last 30 years in components, carbon fiber, computers, sail design, models etc...  Revolution has continued to push the boundaries with their innovative designs and their new Reflex Technology really brings quads out of the  past and into the future.  If you fly any quad line kite that doesn't have the new Reflex Tech, even if it is being touted as something "new", its still based off of 30 year old, outdated technology and will never have the same performance as the Reflex.

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The new kites can't do some of the old stuff and the old kites can't do some of the new stuff. There are always design limitations -- compromises which can't be avoided. Which you prefer, new or old design, will eventually become clear depending on your flying style and what you want the kite to do. It's a journey of discovery that will last a lifetime. Come on in. The water's fine.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Reflex tech is simply a space between the sail and the frame, to increase the glide and add a more aerodynamic 3/d curve into the sail as opposed to OVER the leading edge.  Imagine the difference between a dinner plate and a frisbee, if you kicked both off of a table?,... one would fall immediately and the other would glide some distance as it penetrates the wind more effectively.

An example,... Bazzer's new design (Phoenix) has a great "falling leaf trick" almost given away free because the glide has been removed by the attachment method of the end-caps on the top of the down spars at the back of the sail.  

The Supersonic has a pronounced curvature OVER the leading edge.  It will dead launch and have a better glide by comparison.  The Reflex is just more of that 3 dimensional airflow action, but you can do the same type of thing with altering the knot placement for tensioning the sail (such that they are rotated underneath the leading edge and the down-spar connection at that point) on a B-Series or a Rev old-style.  You restrict that end-cap's movement with an additional bridle leg, so it can NOT wiggle regardless of pilot flailing or impacts with Mother Earth.

A good glide should allow you to throw the kite parallel with the ground for some measurable distance, just like a frisbee.  You can practice w/o the strings affixed and compare the glide of different models.  how does it come from the factory and how could it be improved by the pilot's own individual efforts?

You can't have a great falling leaf available if your kite will throw & catch effortlessly, they are incompatible techniques, pushing one extreme eliminates the other eventually.

My hand fits in-between the sail and the frame on almost every rev shaped kite I own, from high winders to indoor models, not touching either side.

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