Blast Handles

[lamrith]

So I have a blast and it came with std 13" handles. I know they have special fiber covered handles for the last and PB kites.

Besides the Fiberglass coating what else is different in the handles? are they any longer, angled differently, etc?

I have enjoyed flying the Blast on the stock Rev handles. I seem to have plenty of control and precision flying seems good, but I want to make sure I am not missing out and that I am flying the kite "as intended"...

[johnnmitchell]

So I have a blast and it came with std 13" handles. I know they have special fiber covered handles for the last and PB kites.

Besides the Fiberglass coating what else is different in the handles? are they any longer, angled differently, etc?

I have enjoyed flying the Blast on the stock Rev handles. I seem to have plenty of control and precision flying seems good, but I want to make sure I am not missing out and that I am flying the kite "as intended"...

Actually the handles have carbon fiber wraps not fiberglass. The reason for this is that keeps the handles from bending when the blast pulls way to much.

[lamrith]

Actually the handles have carbon fiber wraps not fiberglass. The reason for this is that keeps the handles from bending when the blast pulls way to much.

Ahhh my mistake on the composition.

And IS there such a thing as pull TOO much?

Are the blast handles any longer than the std 13"?

I am thinking about adding a set of handles for my shortline set and am not sure if I should just get a Std set of handles and be done, or buy a set of blast to put with the blast and move the Std handles to my shortlines. The blast are almost double the price and I am just not sure I need them. If it is pulling that hard I am likely moving to my B midvent, or maybe I need a blast vented.. hrmmm...

[Baloo]

I quite like flying my other Revs on the Blast handles, not sure why.

My favourite handles are some Baz made up. Like the Pro handles but with a slot to keep the pigtails in place.

Think the Blast needs the stronger handles for higher winds, I have a vented Blast which is great fun.

If, as you say when the wind picks up you go to a mid vent B then you dont REALY need the strong handles.

My opinion for what it's worth.

[flt101]

Maybe if you're using the blast to travel on a frozen lake at 55mph you'll want stronger leaders and line sets. You sure don't want to use 90# lines on it.

[lamrith]

The blast came with 200# lines, but Std Rev handles. I do not have any plans to use the blast for actual power kiting. It is just a fun rig that offers more pull than a 1.5...

[Squarehead666]

Possibly slightly unrelated, but never let a good thread go to waste.....After a couple of hours flying my 4.1m Twister II powerkite in 20mph winds, my arms would be aching good and proper, I've not flown a fixed bridle as large as 8m (6.6m Blade III is my biggest FB), but I can imagine it would be quite taxing without the ability to harness the kite in some fashion.....Given the alleged (as I haven't flown one) power of the 2-4 & 4-8 Blast kites, have Revolution ever considered some means of adding a strop to the kite handles? Would it even be possible to do so? Is there a need to do so, or do the flight characteristics of the kite reduce the strain on the fliers arms compared to an equivalent powerkite?

TIA & All the best

Andy S.

PS - What lines do the bigger Blast kites use.....200lb is pretty puny compared to the lines on my traction kites; the 5m Ozone Haka's front lines are rated to 300Kg, but the 4-8 Blast is alleged to be significantly more powerful!

PPS - I'd be very interested to hear the perspective of any buggiers (boarders too) who use the Blast kites.....Does anyone know of any reviews of these kites written from that perspective (with back to back comparisons with powerkites if possible)?

[Squarehead666]

Quiet in here innit?

I keep on hearing about the amazing power of the Blast series, but I've still not seen much actual evidience of it....I've found only one video of a Blast hauling a buggy and nothing in that video suggests that the kite (a Blast 2-4) is any more powerful than my 3m Blade III, certainly my 4.9m would have been dragging the buggy downwind in the same conditions and as for my 6.6m.....

Nor have I seen many comments from keen Blast users explaining how they actually harness all this wonderful power.....In the video Joe Hadzicki appears to be using powerkite handles with no strop.....Presumably therefore the Blast handles themselves are not suitable for use in traction sports?

Based on what I've seen so far I would be extremely reluctant to trade in my fixed bridle foils for a Blast in the expectation of power.

So, come on Power-REVvers.....Convince me that I'm wrong! Believe me I'm more than open to persuasion; I was once adamantly against both Arcs and landboarding, but after being shown the way by experienced users I now own one of each and wouldn't be without either. Indeed I'm already partly converted to REVs, as I have come to believe that static flying powerkites is pretty pointless once you own a REV, but I'm still going to need some convincing that flying a REV for traction is worthwhile when you own a quiver of powerkites (or one good depower).

All the best

Andy S.

[lamrith]

With a Rev you are 100% on your hands/arms. There is no stropping ot conntecting to a harness.

In terms of power I know my regular blast pulls every bit was hard as a 2m PKD buster foil. The Power blast series can only be more?

The cool thing about the Rev power series is the sliding, instant direction changes AND instant power off abililty of the kite without having to dump to kite killers/pull safety.

WOW, Whatching that video he looks pretty well powered, albiet it he is keeping in a tight area.. I would be interested to know what the wind was that day. It did not look to be nuking by any means and he had plenty of power....

[Squarehead666]

Cheers for the reply.....Do you fly static or do you also use a buggy or landboard?

I'm interested in the 2-4 & 4-8 Blast kites as potential buggy engines for a friend of mine who has had some 'issues' with the lift of the gruntier powerkites. My concern is that if you can't harness the kite you are going to be limited in the duration of your runs and also that you won't maximise the potential of the kite (as your arms will be acting as shock-absorbers). As I mentioned above, the REV pilot in the video appears (to me) to be using powerkite handles, have you tried this? How does it affect the handling of the kite? Presumably if the kite flies well on powerkite handles, a strop and roller might be useable after all?

Sorry for the grilling, I'm just trying to get this all straight in my head so I can recommend a sensible alternative to my friend.

All the best

Andy S.

PS - I'm guessing the wind was around 15mph in the video? We don't have enough palm trees around here for me to be a good judge of their bendyness!

[lamrith]

I am only a static flier, hence my migration to Rev's. I do not have a power blast 2-4 or 4-8, I only have a basic blast which is betwwen those and the speed series. And it has great power for static.

Yeah I am not sure if the power blast was designed for all day buggying? The Issue with trying to harness is HOW the blast's make power. You cannot just hang/connect to the power lines like a foil, the Rev's make power only by having brake tension and it is a narrow degree of pressure from power to no power.. If you go to full forward (brake lines slack), the kite makes no power, start adding brake line tension and the kite starts building power.

Theoritically if you found the balance/pivot point needed you might be able to make a strop so that you can take the majority or pressure off the arms. But control may get tricky, as we all know rev's are twitch movements to control..

Might be worth some R&D time....

15mph might be about right, the sand was not flying, and in the one shot it looks like a full sail rev was flying...

[lamrith]

Some quick clarification.. There are 3 "blast" kites..

The Blast - More of a hybrid sail between the power blast below and the speed series (Shockwave/supersonic). This badboy is an absolute BLAST to fly static, great power, smooth hover, but turns like a hummingbird on crack.

Power blast 2-4: The smaller of the power series designed for traction kiting type rev flying.

Power blast 4-8: the Big brother of the power series.

The power blast kites are the ones designed more for traction kiting, the base blast has power, but not like the Power blast ones..

[awindofchange]

True Lamrith - but I do buggy with my Blast too.

[lamrith]

And there are pictures to prove it!

Kent does bring up a great point though.. There was a gentleman @ NABX last week that hit 34mph with a Rev 1.5. I could not find the video of it, hopefully Kent has it handy as it was his friend I believe...

[lamrith]

I am cross posting this. It is Kent's (awindofchange) reply in my new flier thread and thought it needs to be here...

Andy, What do you want to know? I have all the Rev's including the beastly 4-8 and use them regularly.

As for power, the name/numbers pretty much gives you a good idea to their power output. The 2-4 is a 2m flat sail that has the equivalent power of a 4meter foil. The 4-8 is a 4m flat sail that has the equivalent power of an 8 meter foil.

I can verify that these numbers are pretty accurate. The power blast kites pull awesome. The advantage of these kites is that you can dump the power out of them instantly so taking them out in higher or gustier winds is not nearly as crazy.

Down side to these kites is that they are very fast compared to foils. You have to work them more in the window to get the buggy up to speed before you can park and ride. If you try to park n ride right off the start, the kite will race to the edge of the window and you will have barely moved in the buggy. Once you figure them out they are awesome.

Another down side is that you actually have to fly these kites, meaning you need to have good control and know how to get the most power out of them by using the handles and all four lines together. With foils they are kind of "yank and hold on" type of power. The Rev's are more technical.

Let me know if you need any other information and I will gladly help you out.

[lamrith]

Here is the link to the guy @ NABX doing 34mph with a Rev 1.5

http://www.revkites....__1entry87328

[vx_m4rk]

I've had the power blast for a couple of months now and have been using it regularly for buggying - it's my favourite traction kite - I also have several FB kites, 2 flexifoil rages, a blurr and Peter Lynn viper.

For its size to power ratio no foil can touch this kite! In 25+ mph winds the acceraration you get is amazing! The efficiency of the aero foil is also incredible as with any rev, you can take the kite much closer to the edge of the window and not get punished because of their inherent glide, where as a foil will luff and you look like and idiot wrestling to reinflate it.

The downsides I have found are:

In high winds this kite is a handful to manage on the ground, it takes a bit of skill to park it - because the kite wants to power off when the brakes are applied, you sort of have to break through the power zone at the edge of the wind then reverse it down, on the ground the wind also puts a lot of strain on the sail and uprights so you want to get it laid flat ASAP. Don't even think about doing a dive stop in high winds, you can kiss that leading edge good bye!

Second because this kite is so powerful and the handles are so small compared to other traction kites, unwinds are extremely painful, you will hit the Lactic acid barrier very quickly in your arms and wrists, I constantly get cramp in my hands and Im looking at applying a strop to take the load with my harness.

But despite all the pain and cost of replacement parts, this is still my number one traction kite! They are pretty unique, powerful and excellent fun on light wind days when the only other kite you could fly is a Zen!

[lamrith]

I've had the power blast for a couple of months now and have been using it regularly for buggying - it's my favourite traction kite - I also have several FB kites, 2 flexifoil rages, a blurr and Peter Lynn viper.

For its size to power ratio no foil can touch this kite! In 25+ mph winds the acceraration you get is amazing! The efficiency of the aero foil is also incredible as with any rev, you can take the kite much closer to the edge of the window and not get punished because of their inherent glide, where as a foil will luff and you look like and idiot wrestling to reinflate it.

The downsides I have found are:

In high winds this kite is a handful to manage on the ground, it takes a bit of skill to park it - because the kite wants to power off when the brakes are applied, you sort of have to break through the power zone at the edge of the wind then reverse it down, on the ground the wind also puts a lot of strain on the sail and uprights so you want to get it laid flat ASAP. Don't even think about doing a dive stop in high winds, you can kiss that leading edge good bye!

Second because this kite is so powerful and the handles are so small compared to other traction kites, unwinds are extremely painful, you will hit the Lactic acid barrier very quickly in your arms and wrists, I constantly get cramp in my hands and Im looking at applying a strop to take the load with my harness.

But despite all the pain and cost of replacement parts, this is still my number one traction kite! They are pretty unique, powerful and excellent fun on light wind days when the only other kite you could fly is a Zen!

Thanks for the update!! Which PB do you have the 2-4 or 4-8?

Is it not possible the land he PB LE down like most people do with a Std rev now?