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Help choosing my second Rev


bluesign2k

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Hi all, I'm totally new to the forum (not even a lurker other that the past few days) but I'm not new to Rev kites.

I'm looking to expand my kite "collection" with another Rev and would appreciate a little advice/push in the right direction... my current collection is actually pretty shameful compared to many of you guys, I have only two 2-line delta and my Rev. I had more previously but they got stolen a number of years back and for one or other reason I never replaced them.

My first experience with a Rev was when I saw a guy flying a Rev on a beach Cornwall (UK) back in 2004. I never flew it, but I spent a good hour watching the guy and knew I had to have one. Shortly after getting back off holiday and having done some (very) brief research I bought myself my first Rev... a shockwave!

I was always pretty handy with the 2-line kites as I was pretty young when I was introduced to them so when I read the "for experienced users" in the description of the speed series my arrogance (at the time) assured me that this was the kite for me... despite having never flown a 4-line kite before! lol I might be wrong but as I remember at the time this forum wasn't here so there wasn't really a source for advice when I was researching, otherwise I'd have probably been steered away for the speed series. Either way, yeh, my first Rev kite was a shockwave and I'm totally glad that's what I went for :D The first few sessions were a bit "hairy" but I soon got the hang of it... this was back in August 04, so I've now been flying my shockwave for almost 5 years. And although I know it would be against the advice generally given here, I would recommend the speed series (well, the shockwave at least) to any newcomer who (like I was at the time) is cocky enough to think they are experienced enough and think a superfast kite with a decent pull is what they're looking for! :D :D

Back on track... I'd never considered buying another kite since I love flying my shockwave but (and I know this is going to sound a bit silly) the other day I had real trouble getting the kite back into its bag, and decided I should invest in a larger bag for it. In doing so I came across this forum and realised how these kites have really taken off (sorry couldn't resist :rolleyes: ), so having read quite a few threads I've decided that although I'm perfectly happy with my current kite I'm not getting the full Rev experience. Also, while I feel I fly my kite well and am experienced in that respect, when it comes to the technicalities (using different rods/lines etc) I feel like a total beginner... and this is where I'm at now.

Having read various threads here I now understand that I'm not necessarily looking to buy a kite per-se but more of a sail/frame kit. I think I'm also right in saying that the shockwave doesn't really fall into this category as it has as 96" span which is pretty unique and therefore no "interchangeable" parts? I also think I understand about the different frames/rods (more wraps for higher wind, less wraps for lower wind and more precision, right?). I do however, have to admit my total ignorance when it comes to lines. Having just measured, I see my current ones are 80ft, no idea on lb though. How important is line length?

I guess what I'm really looking for is something that's just different to what I already have. Perhaps a setup that is more precise than the shockwave, still "nippy" in lower wind conditions, and still has enough pull that I can feel it's there. I can fly the shockwave in low wind but am less keen on it because there's no pull, that said I'm not looking for something that's gona lift me off the ground if there's a sudden gust (however fun that may be :D :D ). I often find there's either not enough wind or too much to fly safely, so anything thing to fill those gaps would be good :D Am I being too specific here, or maybe not enough?

If you think what I'm looking for requires me to buy two "kites" then that's fine too, but for the time being at least no more than that ;) I see the B-series frequently gets recommended and I'm half expecting that it'll be the B-series that'll be suggested as it appears to be a good all rounder, but is that really what I'm looking for? Also, I'm not sure whether vented, mid-vent, or none is what I'm looking for... from reading a number of topics here my instinct tells me to go for a mid vented B-series with a set of race rods... but I'm not 100% sure as I can't find any other posts asking for help moving from a speed series to a "standard".

As I said, any help/guidance is appreciated!

Chris

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Given that your beginner kite was a shockwave and you are looking for something with a little pull in the lower winds I would say a power blast 4-8 is the kite for you! :devil:

Otherwise I would say that the B Series would be a good choice given the multiple frames it comes with.

-Alden

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Given that your beginner kite was a shockwave and you are looking for something with a little pull in the lower winds I would say a power blast 4-8 is the kite for you! :devil:

Otherwise I would say that the B Series would be a good choice given the multiple frames it comes with.

-Alden

Now, now Alden. Let's not go crazy with the new guy.

I say the Power Blast 2~4 would be perfect for his wind condition and wants.

Lolly

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Hi Chris and welcome to the forum.

My team has just got the new Blasts having flown the SLE/Rev 1.5 for 10 years straight. The new kite is aptly named and is reall great fun to fly. It may well be the thing you are looking for. It is a little (and I do mean that) more precise than the shockwave but if you want pure precision then the Barresi is the kite to get, however it flies in a really light wind and because of it's size it retains a good feel on the lines. I already love this kite and we are now working on some new moves to fly in team so we are still playing with the possibilities. It sounds like this could be the kite for you if you fly mainly on your own. oh and in a big wind this kite will give you plenty of excitement!

If you were looking to start flying with other Rev fliers (and you should seriously try and do this) then you need to get a 1.5 of some sort.

I hope this helps but it's probably best to make it along to a kite festival and chat to some other fliers first. Brighton is 11th 12th July and Dunstable the following Sunday. After that the next big event is probably Portsmouth the last August bank holiday weekend.

Stephen

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Chris, you dont say where you are.

If your close to me, you'd be welcome to try what i have. (EXP, Blast & soon to be 1.5 and Bseries vent)

Im Swansea area (Close to some awesome sand & clean winds)

Cheers

Tim

Be back in the UK soon so if your interested and close enough.....

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Now, now Alden. Let's not go crazy with the new guy.

I say the Power Blast 2~4 would be perfect for his wind condition and wants.

Lolly

It's interesting your suggesting the Power Blast, I hadn't really considered them as an option. I though they were considered more of a "one step down from a power kite"? Are these not the kind of kites that are gona whip me off my feet if Im not too carefull?

I guess they fly well in lower wind becuase they have a larger sail, right? Yet I notice the wind range for the 2-4 (for example) is 10-20mph which is higher than the shockwave (for the low end al least).

Don't get me wrong, Im not trying to question your judgement, I'm just trying to get all the information ;)

...My team has just got the new Blasts having flown the SLE/Rev 1.5 for 10 years straight. The new kite is aptly named and is reall great fun to fly. It may well be the thing you are looking for. It is a little (and I do mean that) more precise than the shockwave but if you want pure precision then the Barresi is the kite to get, however it flies in a really light wind and because of it's size it retains a good feel on the lines. I already love this kite and we are now working on some new moves to fly in team so we are still playing with the possibilities. It sounds like this could be the kite for you if you fly mainly on your own. oh and in a big wind this kite will give you plenty of excitement!...

How different of the blast from the shockwave? Im not to bothered about getting plenty of excitement in big winds as the shockwave already does a good job of that, but I guess the larger sail would make quite a difference in low winds too.... hmm! Oh and yeh, I do mainly fly on my own so you might be right about the blast... just depends how much more precision I'll get from it.

...If you were looking to start flying with other Rev fliers (and you should seriously try and do this) then you need to get a 1.5 of some sort...

I'd like to start flying with other Rev fliers but at the moment I have very little free time... may have to give up the weekend job just to get more time to fly kites :lol: lol This was one of the other reasons I was looking at the B-series... because all the "groups" appear to use 1.5s.

...I hope this helps but it's probably best to make it along to a kite festival and chat to some other fliers first. Brighton is 11th 12th July and Dunstable the following Sunday. After that the next big event is probably Portsmouth the last August bank holiday weekend...

Indeed, its given something to think about. If I can then I think Im gona try to get along to Dunstable... providing I can get time off work :angry:

Chris, you dont say where you are.

If your close to me, you'd be welcome to try what i have. (EXP, Blast & soon to be 1.5 and Bseries vent)

Im Swansea area (Close to some awesome sand & clean winds)

Cheers

Tim

Be back in the UK soon so if your interested and close enough.....

Sorry, forgot to mention... Im just south of Birmingham :) so only a few hours down the road... I might take you up on that offer when I get some time off ;)

Chris

Oh, and cheers for the welcome everyone :)

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Giving what you have mentioned in your posts, I would think that the B-Series would be somewhat of a let down for you. The 1.5 and B-Series has very little to any pull at all and although they are extremely precise, they may not be what you are looking for in your next kite.

That being said, I would lean towards what has already been mentioned, the Blast or Power Blast 2-4 (ok, the 4-8 made me smile but might be just a tad too much). The 2-4 can be used as a totally serious power kite and will compete side by side with the best of them but because of its unique shape and design, it can do so much more. The wind range for the 2-4 (IMO) is around 3-4 mph on the light side up to 25 mph on the strong side in the buggy. It will start giving you some serious pull in winds starting around the 12 mph mark and makes an awesome buggy engine in winds starting around 15 mph +. In the light winds it will fly better than your Sonic as it has a larger sail. It isn't as snappy because of its larger size and mass but can be flown very aggressively and will give you much more power than your Sonic does.

The Blast is just a cut down version of the 2-4. Has excellent speed but not as much as your Sonic and has more pull. It too is larger than your Sonic so it isn't going to snap around quite as quickly but it can be a "blast" to fly. (pun intended).

If you get the chance to try some other Rev's, that may be your best option.

Hope that helps.

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<snip>

If you get the chance to try some other Rev's, that may be your best option.

Hope that helps.

Without wishing to be dis-ingenious I would suggest the Supersonic or Rev2.

The light wind options can be surprisingly rewarding...

Enjoy!

Felix

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Hey guys, thanks for the comments/advice. Taking them on board I think Im now gona go for either a blast or power blast 2-4. Im gona try to get along to Dunstable too to see if I can see either of these "in action" before I go ahead and buy. I'd still like to have a go on a B-series at some point just to see what all the fuss is about... and maybe further down the line I'll get one of those too ;)

@TimW cheers for the tip about KiteWorks... he seems to do many of the models cheaper than kiteworld (where I had been looking previously), and he's not that far away so I might pop along to see what he's got. I'll have to look into whether the cheaper price is worth it since I notice the ones at kiteworld come with laser pro gold lines, which from reading many posts here seem to be the ones to go for. He also seems to do the Rev kite bag £20 cheaper than kiteworld too... which is of course what start this all off :lol:

Anyway, again, cheers for the pointers guys :)

Chris

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@TimW cheers for the tip about KiteWorks... he seems to do many of the models cheaper than kiteworld (where I had been looking previously), and he's not that far away so I might pop along to see what he's got.

I would suggest you give him a ring before you set off, I believe he is a one man band so often has "flexible" opening hours.

The same goes for any Dunstable trip. There are not many Sundays that you won't find somebody flying a Rev there, but this time of the year the top fliers often have festival commitments.

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