25 replies to this topic

[pitviper51]

Hello everyone,
I am a one and off again lurker to the site and since the kite bug has struck me again i figured i needed to post. I have been flying standerd 2 liners for about 9 years, but never gotten a good trick rig tho. I do mostly power kites currently. Now I am really wanting to give the revs a go for added challege and something new. so you can expect some questions. I also do alot of rc flying which gives me alot of open spaces to kite on the same place i do that. I am in the process of figuring out which one to get.. I found out a new memeber in my flying club has a 1.5 SLE so i hope to check that out soon, but after reading i think the rev 1 has the widest wind range so i am considering that, also considering vented... Does anyone make custom sails for the revs? i have seen some great designs online but not shown on purchasing sites. thanks in advanced looking forward to learning.
Mike

[Love2fly]

Hello everyone,
I am a one and off again lurker to the site and since the kite bug has struck me again i figured i needed to post. I have been flying standerd 2 liners for about 9 years, but never gotten a good trick rig tho. I do mostly power kites currently. Now I am really wanting to give the revs a go for added challege and something new. so you can expect some questions. I also do alot of rc flying which gives me alot of open spaces to kite on the same place i do that. I am in the process of figuring out which one to get.. I found out a new memeber in my flying club has a 1.5 SLE so i hope to check that out soon, but after reading i think the rev 1 has the widest wind range so i am considering that, also considering vented... Does anyone make custom sails for the revs? i have seen some great designs online but not shown on purchasing sites. thanks in advanced looking forward to learning.
Mike

Hi Mike-
Welcome to the dark side... where it's always brighter to fly!!!
As you, most likely, already know, there are different kites for different winds. That being said, the midvent will give you a good wind range. If the bug really bites you... and it probably will ... you are going to want to have a full sail, a mid vent and a full vent in your bag. The B Series is a great place to start; especially for you. You have lots of experience. If you don't want to buy more of a starter kite and then after flying it for a bit, talking to others and reading the forum, you realize that you want a better kite, that's the way to go. (IMHO) The winds that you generally fly in are a factor to consider, as well. I highly recommend checking out your friend's Rev to get an idea.
There are also power Revs available.
Where are you from? You might be lucky and find that there are other Rev heads in your neck of the woods.
The custom sails: There are several Masterpiece kites available. Just go to the products before entering the forum and check the Masterpieces.
Feel free to ask anything here. There are friendly people on this forum, all happy to help.
Good luck.

[pitviper51]

thanks, i was looking at the speed series a bit but decide to go for more control over speed. so im looking at some sort of 1.5 now, i will likly go for the sle for the durablity. right now the winds are insane here 30 miles south of louisville, so a vented would be great right now, but mid summer some times its no wind. tho the advantage i have with flying my rc stuff on the top of a landfill is its usually windy and clean air for the most part. how low of wind will the full sail rev 1.5 fly in with changing out spars? now i just have to pick a color
mike

[Love2fly]

thanks, i was looking at the speed series a bit but decide to go for more control over speed. so im looking at some sort of 1.5 now, i will likly go for the sle for the durablity. right now the winds are insane here 30 miles south of louisville, so a vented would be great right now, but mid summer some times its no wind. tho the advantage i have with flying my rc stuff on the top of a landfill is its usually windy and clean air for the most part. how low of wind will the full sail rev 1.5 fly in with changing out spars? now i just have to pick a color
mike

Hi Mike-
Technique is definitely a factor for flying in low wind. John, Steve and guys on that level can fly a full vent in low wind (a lot of work, but doable). For the average flyer, we can float a full sail in light winds, a full vent, definitely not for me. I don't think that you are going to have a problem with contol since you have experience with power kites. In my opinion, if you plan to get a 1.5 SLE, get it with a 3 wrap frame and if you are really concerned about it's strength, see if you can borrow the SLE for a bit. In 30 mph winds, you will definitely need a full vent and probably need to double up the leading edge.

[Kite Krusader]

Rev 1.5 SLE
Wind Range:
4-20 mph
Wing Span: 91"
Weight: 9.4 Oz.
Frame: 3-wrap

Rev B-Series
Wind Range:
3-10 mph (2 wrap frame)
4-16 mph (3 wrap frame)
6-20 mph (3 wrap frame w/2 wrap LE added)
Wing Span: 91"
Frame(s):
2-wrap 1/4" spars
3-wrap 1/4" spars

To keep you competitive, the B-Series comes with two frames... One 2-wrap (SUL) and one 3-wrap (UL), giving you the versatility of being able to switch your frames based on the current wind, and you can also slide your SUL leading edge rods in parallel with the UL leading edge when the wind is up, effectively doubling your leading edge strength.

As the standard sail stretches over time, the grey panels will actually begin to channel wind vertically, increasing precision.

[Love2fly]

To keep you competitive, the B-Series comes with two frames... One 2-wrap (SUL) and one 3-wrap (UL), giving you the versatility of being able to switch your frames based on the current wind, and you can also slide your SUL leading edge rods in parallel with the UL leading edge when the wind is up, effectively doubling your leading edge strength.

If I'm not mistaken, the B Standard sail comes with the 2 and 3 wrap frames and a B full vent comes with the 3 and 4 wrap frames.

[pitviper51]

thanks. great info, i dont plan to fly competitivly but i do want to most versatility for the always changing conditions here. i have a feeling ill have more then one before long i have too many hobbies... i think i may have to consider the B series a bit more since it comes with spar options.
mike

[Baloo]

Wit the winds you have at the moment you would need a vented. Go for a B if you can due to the spar options.

Presume you have been reading on here. Go for longer top leaders and fly with lots of brake added. There are many posts on here you can read for the advice.

Line length is personal, the longer (120 ft) will give you a larger flying window so easier to learn with.

Later in the Year whan the winds calm down you might want a full sail or mid vent.

Also of course do try your friends kit out. However as it might have the thick SLE leading edge it will feel and fly slightly different to a B set up.

And welcome to the forum. Ask away, nornaly you will get advice. Mostly it will be good advice.

[Sailor99]

i think i may have to consider the B series a bit more since it comes with spar options.

Definitely. IMHO it offers just as much durability as the SLE when you put in both leading edges. But with the choice of frames you have a much wider wind range to play with. I know it is more money than the SLE, but to be honest I think you will end up throwing away the SLE frame pretty quickly and replacing it with some 1/4 inch frames. As such, in the longer term the SLE will end up costing you more money.

If I may suggest you have a good read of some of the "What should I buy" threads the overwhelming weight of opionion leans towards the B series as a recommendation. As a guy I respect says "Cheapest is often not the best value for money".

[Aerochic]

Since everyone has offered you such great input already I'll simply say Welcome to the Forum!

What kind of flying do you generally do? Inland? Coastal? Lakeside? I totally agree with what people have said about the B-Package, but if you're predominantly an inland flier I think a Midvent with a set of race rods would be the Rev to get.

[Sailor99]

Good point - excuse my manners. Welcome Pitviper.

[Jeff]

Hello everyone,
I am a one and off again lurker to the site and since the kite bug has struck me again i figured i needed to post. I have been flying standerd 2 liners for about 9 years, but never gotten a good trick rig tho. I do mostly power kites currently. Now I am really wanting to give the revs a go for added challege and something new. so you can expect some questions. I also do alot of rc flying which gives me alot of open spaces to kite on the same place i do that. I am in the process of figuring out which one to get.. I found out a new memeber in my flying club has a 1.5 SLE so i hope to check that out soon, but after reading i think the rev 1 has the widest wind range so i am considering that, also considering vented... Does anyone make custom sails for the revs? i have seen some great designs online but not shown on purchasing sites. thanks in advanced looking forward to learning.
Mike

Hi Mike, welcome.

You don't say exactly where you're from, but based on your links, you appear to be from Kentucky, maybe down past Louisville. You might want to consider taking a drive up to the Otto Budig Kite Fest which will be Saturday and Sunday, April 4 and 5 in the north Cincinnati suburb of West Chester.

Our Rev team will be there, and if you come, you can take a test spin with whatever we've got in our bags. I'll have a set of standard and vented Rev 1's, SUL, Standard and Vented Rev 1.5, and a Vented B-series. The rest of the team should be carrying quite a few others as well.

[Stone in Shoe Bob]

Hi Mike

Welcome to the Darkside.

For a first Rev I would recommend one of the 1.5s as they tend to be a bit more forgiving. The Rev II can be a bit skittish for a newbie and the Rev I a bit prone to butterflying if over controlled. Don’t get me wrong, the I & II are both great kites, I have one of each in my bag but a 1.5 is the way to go for a newbie.

Before you place an order my advice would be to think long and hard about what it is you want to do. If you genuinely just want one Rev, to stick in the kite bag for the occasional hour or two of light relief, as a change from the power kites, then an EXP will do fine. However if you decide you want to take it a bit more seriously you will soon out grow an EXP.

Look at it this way, if you were thinking of taking up Golf you might first buy a putter and knock a few balls around the lounge carpet or you may buy a driver and head for the local driving range to release your frustrations. But if you wanted to take it seriously sooner or later you would need more than one club.

Not many of us expect to end up with a bag full when we buy our first Rev, I know I only ever intended to buy the one, and many once hooked take a one kite at a time approach to building a Rev Bag and end up with a hotchpotch of sail patens and colours. I chose to build a matched set, I think it makes a bit of a personal statement. It’s got to the stage where people recognise me from the colour of my kite. Also with four, (to the untrained eye), identical kites the wife has no idea how much money I have spent.

My point is, if you do end up taking this further, the right choice of first kite could make the way ahead easier in the long run.

Given that as a power kiter you are not a total newbie and this is not likely to just be a “five minute wonder” I would recommend you go for either the std or vented B series I know it’s a bit more expensive than the SLE you were considering but It comes with a second frame. Unlike a duel-line kite you can change a Rev frame in the field in minutes and end up with a totally different kite. It is very much a case of mix and match.

Which B Series you go for, I can’t say that will depend on what the prevailing wind conditions are like in your part of the world and when you want to be flying your Rev. Though I can almost guarantee that if you go for the vented you will have no wind for weeks and if you buy standard it will be howling.

Strange as it may seem I would not go for Mid Vent first time out. If you end up as a “one Rev man” any choice you make is going to have a limited wind range. However if you buy either “full vent” or “standard” you are then only one purchase away from having the full wind range covered. If you start with the “mid vent” you will be two purchases away. There is quite an overlap in the range of standard and vented kites, the mid vent simply smoothes the transition and should be looked as a 3rd addition to a kitebag. Many people feel that when there is sufficient wind, venting helps to stabilise the kite, the mid vent is simply a compromise to allow a vented kite to be flown in lower winds.

[Jeepster]

Not many of us expect to end up with a bag full when we buy our first Rev ...

Hi Mike and welcome.

As to your choice of kite ... what Bob said!!!

He's spot on ... on most counts ... especially the "I only want one" statement. That's where I was nine months ago with NO background in kiting. I settled on a non-vented B-series. Then added a vented B-series, then an SUL, then to keep the momentum going JB let me win another SUL in a Kitelife contest. There's a mid-vent on order right now. Then there's my wish list. You already love kiting, so think seriously about the B-series with the versatility of two different frame sets ... fully vented or non-vented based on your local wind conditions.

The one point I disagree with Bob on is sticking with one color pattern. Some flyers are truly known by their "colors" and that's great for them. But, having different colored kites, is like having a circle of friends with varied personalities and interests. Somedays you feel like hanging out with the wild and crazy ones and on other days you feel like hanging out with the somewhat more subdued ones. A festival of colors makes life much more interesting.

Cheers,
Tom

[Love2fly]

The one point I disagree with Bob on is sticking with one color pattern. Some flyers are truly known by their "colors" and that's great for them. But, having different colored kites, is like having a circle of friends with varied personalities and interests. Somedays you feel like hanging out with the wild and crazy ones and on other days you feel like hanging out with the somewhat more subdued ones. A festival of colors makes life much more interesting.

Cheers,
Tom

I have to agree with you, Tom...
It's never boring to fly, but a change of "viewing pleasure" does add to the fun!

[Stone in Shoe Bob]

I think I had better clear one thing up.

It wasn’t my intension to recommend any specific colour strategy, I was simply pointing out that now is the time for Mike to think about weather or not that might be the way he would want to go in the future as choices made now wil have implications later on.

If he is sure he only ever wants to be a “one Rev man”, chances are an EXP would be just fine. If he is happy to build a mixed collection again an EXP is a valid starting point. If however he thought a matched set might be the way to go an EXP would be a one kite dead end.

Having said all that I am extremely proud of my matched set, but the strategy does have its drawbacks. It often means a long wait if your particular colour choice is not in stock, especially if you live outside the U.S. and as my colour scheme has now been discontinued new and replacement kites have to be custom made. The matched set concept can only ever go so far, my four 1.5s (sul, std, mid vent & vented) are virtually identical but it can not be carried through to the Rev I and Rev II as though they are the same colours they do have a different sail paten.

Oh, and yes after what I said about an EXP possibly being a “one kite dead end” I do have to own up to one in my kite bag, a purple and aqua one that I have teabagged, it had its maiden flight yesterday I love it.

[pitviper51]

wow, great write up Bob, and thanks all for the great advice. My rc flying field in in Elizabethtown KY, i will likly do alot of flying there as well as in the yard. the wind is goofy.. yesterday it was 38mph gust followed by major storms, today was dead calm... I havent said i only want one rev, i am in the bike biz and your cant take a roadbike on a mtb trail if that makes since.. i would like a SUL in the bag after i get used to flying quads, the ghosting around in no wind ( no wind for me is 5-10 mph haha) looks like soo much fun. at the same time on the days its ripping 15-20+ i would have an option that wouldnt drag me around the yard like my power rigs.. so right now i an really considering the Bseries, i hope to fly a sle wednesday night if we have wind. thanks again for the welcome
mike

[pitviper51]

forgot to ask, does the B series lighter leadedges are those 3 parts like the sle or full leigth? thanks id doesnt really matter but would like to know.
mike

[Jeff]

forgot to ask, does the B series lighter leadedges are those 3 parts like the sle or full leigth? thanks id doesnt really matter but would like to know.
mike

Yup, 3 parts. The frame breaks down to 5 equal pieces, except that the ferrules in the leading edge's center piece stick out of the ends about an inch and a half.

[bobw]

I havent said i only want one rev, i am in the bike biz and your cant take a roadbike on a mtb trail if that makes since..
mike

Sigh, as someone who owns 8 bikes, your analogy does hold some water. But I have taken my road bike (compact crankset) onto single track. Takes a *lot* more finesse to manage it, as well as a lot more anticipation, and dang it, there are just some short little hills that I just have to get off the bike and run it up!

I guess the same can be said with the kites. Each has a personality that its best suited to. And while I can take a road bike into single track, it is sooooo much more work to do, and I still won't go blasting down a rutted hillside with it. From the sound of things, I think you'll be (like most/all of us) getting a quiver of kites.

I will say that I favor my vented kites when I can. The vents seem to smooth out the bumps in the air and make the kite less twitchy. Its such a noticeable effect, that I tend to go for my midvent or vented, even when the wind conditions would favor a full sail. It only when I spend more time working the kite a lot to stay in the air, that I switch to a full sail. YMMV

And like every one, welcome aboard!

Bob