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Handle length and bend ?


theone

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This maybe have been ask before but i was you flying today.. and none of us have the same handles

i use some red one i got from one this forum length 13" i use them all the time.. but the other one the field today have some very long and some bend a lot..

so my questions is

-what do you get you of having a shorter or longer handle

-why are some bend more then other.

i tried some of the long ones but it feel stange, guess there have to bee a reason for them os i hope you will help me under stand it..

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The longer handles require less input to the kite. They allow the kite to be be controlled at greater angles to the wind.

Some may take issue with my answer to the second part of your question.

The bend angle, geometrically, makes no difference at all. Any difference in the bend angle can be compensated for by the length of the pig tails at each end of the handle. Think about it. If the handle was straight, you would want short pigtails on the top, and very long pigtails on the bottom. If the handle had a 90 degree bend in the middle, below the grip, you would want very long pigtails on the top and very short pigtails on the bottom.

The distance between the top and bottom pigtails is what controls the amount of input required to control the kite.

I had Mr. Hunt for geometry.

We fly with fairly long pigtails on both ends of the handle, allowing nearly infinite adjustment of the angle of the grip portion of the handle. In very high winds, we keep the grip as close as possible to a neutral position to ease strain on our wrists.

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The bend is a personal choice,

some like the control mechanism with two bends, that may favor a squeezing grip-type action,

I use this indoors, little tiny handles that can be carried underneath an orcon sail, unaccompanied by pilot inputs so to speak.

maybe 7 inch gap and 1/4" aluminum tubing.

My most comfortable choice personally ( coincidently? Most commonly used as well?) are flown with thumb flicks, instead of squeezin',

17 inches between the two attachment points, grade 5 titanium tubes, they are lighter in weight with a set of 120s than the 13" no snags Empty! The bend is all up high, gradually straightening out to a straight line also.

I've seen folks with the foam on the straight part of the tube, and the curvature angled towards the kite, BELOW your hand

Then there's the foam itself......., thin or thick diameter?, hard or soft grip resistance? Long grip foam? A shaped grip maybe? You look like magnets sunk into the foam so they snap together rigidly for tricks kind of flier to me

Try some options if possible, see what you prefer

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Yep, it's all a personal preference! I like my handles bent to the indoor bend for ergonomics sake and use fatter foam to cradle the handle in the crooks of my fingers, rather than grip them with my palms! I do like a bit longer too, using 14" as my everyday handles, but 15" for lighter winds! It's something people have to try and find what works best for YOU!

And agree with Jim - geometry means you could have almost any bend, but if it doesn't work for you - ??

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Yep, it's all a personal preference! I like my handles bent to the indoor bend for ergonomics sake and use fatter foam to cradle the handle in the crooks of my fingers, rather than grip them with my palms! I do like a bit longer too, using 14" as my everyday handles, but 15" for lighter winds! It's something people have to try and find what works best for YOU!

And agree with Jim - geometry means you could have almost any bend, but if it doesn't work for you - ??

Right

Bend them to your liking, make leaders with plenty of adjustment, and fly with a length that suits you for the kite and wind conditions. We have been flying on 13" handles for years, but I'm about to make two sets of 14s. Flew a little at WSIKF on someones 14s and liked them a lot. 15s are a little quick for our liking.

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thanks for the help... i like grip i have on my i have got from Baz C. but i can see have to play a little with the pigtails.. the other day the i made video with the zen i had the top lines almost all the way in with my hands and the bottom all the way out. before i did feel like i able to catch the ligt wind a still able to break it...

and today i did fly the standard pro. i notice a huge difference between my 4 and 3 knot.

my top tail are 6 1/2 inch long, first knot 1 1/2 inch from the handle, space between then are little more then 1 inch.

my bottom are 2 inch long first knot 1 inch and the last at 2

How long do you have yours and how long to the fist knot and the space between then

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I fully agree with you on this Wayne !

The leader lengths and line connection points give a differential of 6.25 and 7 inches,approx 15.5 to 17.75 cm, my own base setting post-3812-0-09353300-1412852281_thumb.jpgpost-3812-0-54033200-1412852291_thumb.jpgbeing 6.3 inches,16cm !

This is what a lot of us use as a standard, once you have a base setting mark it with a sharpie, it makes it easier when setting up.

We usually find that the base setting is good and only one knot more or less is required, if any, depending if the wind is down or up.

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