SLE with ultra light struts

[foggydave]

Hi

I started Rev flying about 2 months ago with an EXP. Last week an unused SLE came up for auction on Ebay, I put in a silly low bid and won. I expected the kite to have standard SLE struts which I understand are larger than the standard. This kite came with ultra light struts. My question is. Are these struts as strong as the standard SLE struts and give the same maximum wind tolerance or has the maximum wind tolerance been decreased by using ultra light?

[johnnmitchell]

Hi

I started Rev flying about 2 months ago with an EXP. Last week an unused SLE came up for auction on Ebay, I put in a silly low bid and won. I expected the kite to have standard SLE struts which I understand are larger than the standard. This kite came with ultra light struts. My question is. Are these struts as strong as the standard SLE struts and give the same maximum wind tolerance or has the maximum wind tolerance been decreased by using ultra light?

Apparently the REV 1.5 SLE which won on eBay was either delivered new with the standard 1/4" rods or the previous owner swapped them out. Most REV fliers simply don't like the SLE rods.

Anyway, you will enjoy your REV more, with the 1/4" rods, in 95% of the situations you will fly in. In my opinion, only rarely is the thicker be nice to have. Some say never.

To answer your question, the 3/8" SLE he rod is stronger and it will handle a higher wind. However it is very stiff which places it at a disadvantage in most situations.

Count yourself lucky on receiving your REV 1.5 with 1/4" rods.

JM

[Lolly]

Apparently the REV 1.5 SLE which won on eBay was either delivered new with the standard 1/4" rods or the previous owner swapped them out. Most REV fliers simply don't like the SLE rods.

Anyway, you will enjoy your REV more, with the 1/4" rods, in 95% of the situations you will fly in. In my opinion, only rarely is the thicker be nice to have. Some say never.

To answer your question, the 3/8" SLE he rod is stronger and it will handle a higher wind. However it is very stiff which places it at a disadvantage in most situations.

Count yourself lucky on receiving your REV 1.5 with 1/4" rods.

JM

[Lolly]

Hi Foggydave,

When I read your post, I think you are saying the Struts- vertical rods- are not SLE. That is correct. We do not make an SLE (7/16" od) vertical shaft.

The fatter rod gives a stiffness to the long leading edge. Not needed in the 31" vertical shaft.

Both are Ultra Light (weight).

Enjoy our great find.

Lolly

[awindofchange]

The rods included in the EXP will usually not have any tags on them, or if they have the newer tags will say EXP on them. The EXP rods are the same "3 wrap" or "Ultra Light" rods as the rods that are labeled as such. 3 wrap ultra light rods are available in both the SLE (Super Leading Edge 7/16" rod) and the standard sized rods (1/4" diameter rods).

As Lolly has stated, the vertical rods are always the smaller diameter 1/4" rods every Revolution kite except the huge Power Blast 4/8. The leading edge can use both the standard 1/4" rods or the larger 7/16" SLE rods.

Hope this helps with the confusion.

[foggydave]

The rods included in the EXP will usually not have any tags on them, or if they have the newer tags will say EXP on them. The EXP rods are the same "3 wrap" or "Ultra Light" rods as the rods that are labeled as such. 3 wrap ultra light rods are available in both the SLE (Super Leading Edge 7/16" rod) and the standard sized rods (1/4" diameter rods).

As Lolly has stated, the vertical rods are always the smaller diameter 1/4" rods every Revolution kite except the huge Power Blast 4/8. The leading edge can use both the standard 1/4" rods or the larger 7/16" SLE rods.

Hope this helps with the confusion.

[foggydave]

Hi

Thanks for the answers. The guy had it specially made and imported it from America paid a lot of money, price + £50 import duty. In between the time he ordered it and it arrived he devoloped a bad hernia so could not fly it. He tried one flight but gave up after a few minutes due to strain. It would not have flown properly anyway because he assembled it back to front ie the bridle was on the wrong side which made the bridle wrong.

I am sorry but did not explain it too well. It came with the ultra light rods all the same diameter. ie quarter inch for both the struts and leading edge ( I do not know how to type fractions)

Do I assume that because the kite came with quarter inch rods it will only be good for low wind ie the same as the EXP 15mph?

Reading the specs on the B series it says you can double up on the leading edge rods to give more stiffness and higher wind capabilities, could this be done on the SLE with 2 sets of quarter inch rods?

Now here's a question I may not like the answer to. Putting the EXP and the SLE together there seems to be very little difference. Is the only difference in that the SLE has a larger leading edge rod and can therefore take higher winds or are the flight characteristics of each kite different?

What I am asking is could I have just bought SLE rods and end caps and put them on my EXP and achieved the same results as buying an SLE?

Thanks Dave

[goestoeleven]

What I am asking is could I have just bought SLE rods and end caps and put them on my EXP and achieved the same results as buying an SLE?

Thanks Dave

Maybe, but I don't think you would have enjoyed the end result.

Here's my two pence, for what it's worth:

The EXP, while it's pretty much the same shape overall, is made with different sail panel shapes and different materials. The EXP is a good kite, but the SLE (with skinny rods) is a better kite (especially with an Icarex sail). The B-Series and Pros are better still. While the EXP and SLE are similar, you won't get a better kite by putting the SLE leading edge into an EXP. As a matter of fact, you'll likely get a worse kite overall. The SLE leading edge is pretty indestructible, but it's heavier and doesn't flex like the thinner leading edge. Heavier and stiffer does not equal better, even in higher winds. I didn't appreciate this until I was a bit more experienced - and until I got to fly with other Rev flyers. Just a few weeks ago, I got to fly a friends B-series pro with "race" rods right after flying my own "regular" SLE with 4 wrap spars. While I love my kite, I can now appreciate the difference in handling in his Pro kite. 18 months ago, I wouldn't have understood that his kite felt better, simply because I did not have the experience flying to notice the differences.

Since I stopped using the SLE leading edge and switched to the skinny rods, I haven't used the fat SLE leading edge more than once or twice - and it was so windy a vertical spar popped out of the end caps. If you want to go for higher winds, you are better off sticking with skinny spars, and getting a vented sail. Vented sails are just beautiful - smooth and forgiving - when the wind gets higher. While it's possible to break a skinny spar if you are flying in heavy winds, it's much less likely if you have a vented kite. I've managed to break a vertical spar in flight, but only because I had the wrong kite in the air for the conditions (full sail, with race rods on a pretty windy / gusty day, and not enough brake on my handles).

Don't regret your purchase. First off, you now have two kites - so if you have two line sets, you can get some friends to fly with you. The best part for me of this sport is getting to fly with others (especially my kids). Second, if you want to sell the EXP, you probably can sell it and recoup some of what you put into the SLE, and you can use the proceeds to get a vented kite for higher winds. Careful though . . . . the first year can be an expensive one when you find out all the variations you think you need to have . . . .

If you really, really want the SLE leading edge, I'll bet that someone will give you one. But don't say we didn't warn you first. When I first met up with other Rev flyers here, they suggested using the fatter SLE spars for staking up tomato plants:P

Actually, they are excellent spars for the speed series . . . . and not too bad for beginners who are self taught and worried about breaking spars running into the ground and other things. However, even the skinny spars are pretty hard to break in "normal" flying. I'll bet far more skinny spars have been broken by being stepped on than in flight.

[johnnmitchell]

snip...

Do I assume that because the kite came with quarter inch rods it will only be good for low wind ie the same as the EXP 15mph?

Reading the specs on the B series it says you can double up on the leading edge rods to give more stiffness and higher wind capabilities, could this be done on the SLE with 2 sets of quarter inch rods?

Now here's a question I may not like the answer to. Putting the EXP and the SLE together there seems to be very little difference. Is the only difference in that the SLE has a larger leading edge rod and can therefore take higher winds or are the flight characteristics of each kite different?

What I am asking is could I have just bought SLE rods and end caps and put them on my EXP and achieved the same results as buying an SLE?

Thanks Dave

There is a difference in the SLE and EXP. However, you may not notice flying it until you become much more experienced. The panel layout does have an effect as does the material. Today's SLE(no longer labeled so) has a sail made of polyester ripstop. The EXP is now has a sail made of ripstop Nylon.

The UL (3-wrap) rods will take quite a bit more wind then you would suspect. There are also (4-wrap)rods available which you can use in stronger winds.

Yes, you can slip a second set of rods in the leading edge. They won't need extra end caps. Friction alone holds them in place.

You could have just bought SLE rods and used it on the EXP. You would not need new end caps. However you would need two large washers to fit over the end caps to keep the bungees from being cut by the SLE rod. This is because the SLE rod fits over the end cap.

This all said, I don't think you will find very many REV fliers recommending the SLE rods. However, you might find a lot of them willing to part with their SLE rods inexpensively.

[foggydave]

Hi

Thank you all for such a detailed and informative response its very much appreciated. I think I now have a hang on what I have got. As they say 'Welcome to the dark side'.

Dave

[awindofchange]

Minor correction. The older 1.5 SLE sails were made from Ripstop Polyester (Icarex). The newer 1.5 sails are all made from Ripstop Nylon, just like the EXP. Even though the sails are the same overall size, the way the sails are cut and assembled does make a huge difference in how the kites fly. The 1.5 is a bit nicer to fly than the EXP once your experience increases. The same is for the B-Series kite. Same overall size and shape as the 1.5 and the EXP but the sail is made totally different which effects the flight and performance. The B-Series kites are all Ripstop Polyester.

At the beginning of 2010, the 1.5 was changed from a Poly sail to Nylon - but now includes both the SLE leading edge and a standard 1/4" leading edge. Pre 2010 models were Poly sails but only included the one SLE leading edge.

You can use the same frame in all three models (EXP, 1.5 & B-Series) without any issues or modifications but the kites are totally different. It is the same as saying you can put the same Goodyear tires on a ton of different cars, but they don't all perform the same way.

Hope that helps.