Stunt kite for beginner

I want to get one for my son and his son.

Peter Powell kites and Kiteworld appear to be good options – but uncontactable; neither are answering calls or responding to messages.

Would really appreciate any suggestions/guidance and any comments about your experiences.

TIA.

Flexifoil were the kings of this back in the day, search ebay for Flexifoil.

We have a couple of Decathlon stunt kites in the van bought a few years back, they have provided plenty of entertainment and survived many crashes.

There appear to be a variety of flavours and price points now, ours were the basic ones, with the benefit of limited experience, they are responsive and fun to fly and do all the stuff that my Peter Powell did in the 80’s except by virtue of not having a 100′ tail, they are harder to tangle in barbed wire fences…

Got the eldest a Flexifoil Sting for Christmas last year and it is wicked fun without being too scary as a starter!

I asked on a kite forum recently. It was a bit like asking in here about Saracen and getting told I needed a Santa Cruz. In the end I was recommended the Prism Quantum or HQ Salsa 3 as ‘proper’ kites.

Not sure what budget you have in mind. Decent lines seem to make a big difference and cost a good bit.

Kiteworld have the Prism kites. The best price I found the HQ for was actually in France. I’ve been in the store, randomly, and the answered emails quickly. I haven’t bought from them though

https://www.bilboquetsport.com/gb/cerfs-volants-pilotables-2-lignes/27478-1293-hq-salsa-III-stunt-kite-188cm-adult-beginner.html#/960-declination-blaze

Can’t recommend either in afraid, I wanted a kite but ended up buying a bike!

I had a couple of these: Wild Thang : back in the day. Seems they’re “vintage” now!
A bit of Googling suggests they were not great kites and quite hard to fly, but I guess I must have been very talented back then (or just didn’t know any better) and blessed with a reliable strong on-shore wind, ‘cos I loved mine. (Although I do have some sympathy with the “it’ll just flip and nose dive if you don’t launch it hard enough” comment!)

Have a look at the HQ Symphony range, probably the 1.8 or 2.2m kites. Twin lines (rather than four) easy to fly, easy to pack away and come in a little bumbag so easy to take on walks/rides, and despite being crashed repeatedly ours are as good as the day we bought them. We’ve a 1.2 and a 1.8 symphony, the 1.2 is a bit quick for a beginner, the 1.8 is perfect.

I’ve got a Prism Nexus – great beginner kite; packs up small, easy to fly, and has withstood many impacts from my inept flying/crashing. Comes with everything needed and even has setup instructions on its pouch.

Nexus 2.0

10/10

Flexifoil were always the go-to for proper control-line flying stunt kites. I’ve got one stashed away upstairs somewhere, I bought it at a hang gliding competition somewhere down near Mells in South Wiltshire. It would have been between 1972 and 1977, because ‘72 was when the company started, and Bob Wills, who developed the Wills Wing rogallo hang glider and was taking part was killed in ‘77 while making an advert for Jeep, so mine is around 45 years old.
Unless you do something really stupid, they’re going to last forever. Almost – the only problem mine suffered was the leading-edge glass fibre tapered hollow spar that holds the kite in shape literally disintegrated, it shattered and parts turned to powder! Something to do with vibration causing a resonance in the material, a bit like making a glass ring with a wet fingertip. The replacement was solid fibreglass, in two tapered sections with a ferrule joint. In fact, mine is a stacker kite, most Flexifoils now are a different structure with a honeycomb-like leading edge, the spar allowed a succession of kites to be stacked – they demonstrated a big stack by pulling a VW Microbus up a slope, but I think those were bigger kites.
The Super 10’ Stacker now has a carbon spar. Mine’s a 6’ one, which is a good starter size; once you get into the 10’ ones, you need a tether attached to a spike in the ground, unless you like attempting to do big, long leaps off the ground in a strong wind; I’ve seen it done, I’ve also seen the framework around one blokes arm after he attempted a long, high jump with his kite and messed up the landing. It wasn’t a pretty sight…

The Big Buzz is 2.5m, for age 12 and above, which is probably what you’re looking for, the Rage is 3.5m, what you want for kite buggies, kite-surf or kite landboard. They’re around £360, just for the kite, the Big Buzz is around £140 as a complete kit.

Got the eldest a Flexifoil Sting for Christmas last year and it is wicked fun without being too scary

I have that kite. It’s really good, although I’ve not used it for years now.

Forgiving for a beginner but in the right wind can be a lot of fun.
It’s pulled me down damp grass on my feet when you get it in a spiral death dive, so nice and powerful when you want it but manageable if you’re new to it.

<p style=”text-align: center;”>I bought a Flexifoil Sting about 2 months ago when they were half price.</p>
My 13yr old lad likes using it, he’s about 60kg and it pulls him quite a bit in moderate winds. I’m 80kg and it needs winds above 15mph ish to even pull me.

Anything from HQ. The sparless Symphony power kites are excellent and 1.8m is a good start. Don’t be tempted to go big. It will not end well. They pack small and come self-contained. A sparred stunt delta is a different and more precise proposition. One of each will hone the skills. Don’t go too small for a stunt kite as they are too fast. Six foot is the right size to balance pull and speed. I have a stack of five stunt deltas that pull like a tractor but look amazing.

Have a lot of kites and I do like my stacked six foot flexifoils. Mine are ultralight and will fly in a very light wind. The traditional stacker needed a decent blow and could be frustrating in light to mixed winds. The ten was too big for a beginner. Everything is sparless now and about two square metres is the right size.

Want the deep end? Get a Rev 1.5. My favourite stunt kite 😎. Very steep learning curve but so satisfying. And a big single line kite to relax. I have many including a very large delta.

Outed as kite geek.

We seem to be mixing stunt kites and power kites here.

Any suggestions for something below the current level – for kids ages 3-7 as a step up from a traditional single line diamond thing 30cm across? Under £30-40 would be a bonus

Any suggestions for something below the current level – for kids ages 3-7 as a step up from a traditional single line diamond thing 30cm across? Under £30-40 would be a bonus

The Eolo stunt kites are a very good kids/beginner introduction kite.

Something like this…
https://www.atbshop.co.uk/kites/eolo-popup-magic-125cm-stunt-kite
A 1.25/1.5m kite was perfect for my daughter to learn on when she was 7.

Any suggestions for something below the current level – for kids ages 3-7 as a step up from a traditional single line diamond thing 30cm across? Under £30-40 would be a bonus

When my two were that age they used our 1.8m hq symphony, I just tethered them to the ground with a harness and a couple of tent pegs, they thought it was wonderful, especially when they got a bit of air 😀

Fantastic thanks, Cotswolds had it in stock so nipped out at lunch to get it in time for holibobs tomorrow.

Thanks all; have just ordered an HQ Symphony from ATB.

We seem to be mixing stunt kites and power kites here.

Exactly my thoughts. The Symphony isn’t a stunt kite, it’s a power kite (albeit at the gentler end of the scale IIRC).

This is me, several years ago, flying a power kite.

If you’re buying a power kite, I’d suggest also buying lessons. And if you’re taking it on holiday, insurance.

Want the deep end? Get a Rev 1.5. My favourite stunt kite 😎. Very steep learning curve but so satisfying.

I have a Revolution (I think 1.5? It’s been a while). It’s an absolute nutter of a thing, certainly teaches you fine motor control! I can’t fly it for shit. 😁

Exactly my thoughts. The Symphony isn’t a stunt kite, it’s a power kite (albeit at the gentler end of the scale IIRC).

This is me, several years ago, flying a power kite.

If you’re buying a power kite, I’d suggest also buying lessons. And if you’re taking it on holiday, insurance.

You’re flying a four line power kite in that photo and you’re in a very similar stance to me when I’m flying my four line hq beamer, it’s a good work out :). Absolutely nothing like flying the two line symphony.

Fair, I’ve never flown the Symphony. I think that was under a baby Blade so yes, probably not a fair comparison. 😀

(And that photo was from 2005, jeez!)

Something to enjoy. The Decorators are a revolution quad line stunt group. Flying in formation takes silly amount of skill doubling the number of lines. More so

There’s something wonderful about a rev heading for the ground then floating back up again. Everyone stares!

HQ symphony will get you going on two lines. Keep the wrists together as it handcuffed. Small movements. Then get a delta stunt kite or go four lines. When you can fly a Rev, THEN get a quad line power kite 🤣 one of my own favourites is a NASA para wing Rogallo. I have a 2m2 and it pulls like a tractor. Great through the waves. Can’t be relaunched. Packs to absolutely nothing. Designed originally as a steerable parachute

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogallo_wing

TiRed – that’s a great video and thanks for the multiple recommendations.
The symphony is a present from me to son and grandson; as grandson will be 4 next week it will be a few years before he migrates to the bigger stuff.
Even now I’m thinking…get one for myself!

I have a 2m2 and it pulls like a tractor.

One time, a mate rocked up with a Blade III that had just been released. I had a go. I thought, “I know what I’m doing, I’ve flown Blades before.”

The thing I didn’t realise at the time was, with each successive Blade they try and make it exponentially more stupid than the previous incarnation.

I flicked it straight up into the middle of the power envelope. Then before I could go “oh fu-” I’d returned to Earth horizontally maybe thirty yards down the beach being dragged like a cowboy in a Western, the brand new kite heading for a pile of gorse bushes. Brakes nailed full on and the canopy near-collapsed yet still pulling like a bastarding train, I finally realised the point of kite killers.

As I ground to a halt one of my mates running behind me quipped, “are we learning yet?”

I know you’ve made a decision and ordered your new kite, but can I suggest you have a look at the site of a U.S. shop, http://www.oceanshoreskites.com You may be able to glean a bit more info on what kiting is about and of other kites that are available. I’ve been to the store a couple of time and come away with a couple of wonderful kites.
You could also look at https://johnbarresi.com and search out Barresi video’s on YouTube. There you can learn about how to fly a kite properly. He also shows that the movement of a kite through the air can be a thing of beauty. I met him a couple of years ago in Washington and was absolutely gobsmacked with what he can do with a kite.
I have one of his Djiin kites, if only I could fly it like he does.
Other than that, welcome to the world of kite flying.

As above, you asked for a stunt kite and people seem to be recommending power kites. For a learner you’d be best getting a biggish 3 foot tall/wide delta shaped 2-liner. It’ll fly in lightish winds, do untold spins and soar along a foot above the ground. The pull will be quite powerful. Brilliant fun.

Power kites (flexifoil stackers are 2 line, most are 4 line so have ‘brakes’) are a different kettle of fish. Dragging along a beach is fun.

For a learner you’d be best getting a biggish 3 foot tall/wide delta shaped 2-liner.

I’d disagree. A small two-line inflatable like the symphony is a better learning experience. It’s not a power kite. I’ve seen numerous small deltas taken out in too much wind for a beginner, spin and bash into the ground. Then the parent is looking for replacement spars. Packs up and never taken out again. You won’t break a sparless wing. Just don’t fly a big one. Ok you won’t axel it either, but small steps.

And I learnt on an 8ft carbon fibre delta before I went flexi. An expensive lesson. My kids and nephews and nieces all learnt on an HQ symphony before I let them loose on deltas. And then the revs.

I’ve seen numerous small deltas taken out in too much wind for a beginner, spin and bash into the ground. Then the parent is looking for replacement spars.

That’s one heck of a good point.

First time using a four line kite this evening, very different to the dual line kite I have been using.

Bought the Eolo above a while ago and daughter had 1 go on the beach and we forgot about it for a bit and then seem to have broken it. Then I bought a little cross kites air for a bit more robustness after borrowing a similar flexfoil from a mate.

Today I crashed my new to me hq beamer straight into the hedge out the back of work in my lunch break.  Can’t wait to take the kids to the beach at the weekend!

Well that was terrifying

That’s no stunt kite!! (-:

there’s a more recent thread if you’re interested:

Kite flying…

I’d have gone for a Peter Powell as I loved mine as a kid in the 70s as my kids now do theirs.  we’ve got a power kite but it’s ****ing terrifying/hilarious to use so the smaller more manageable one comes out more often.

Reminds me, we ought to get it out.  I’m not sure we’ve used it this year which is a shame.  No Welsh “beach” holidays this year means it hasn’t got much of a look in.