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FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

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TomW
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FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

Postby TomW » Fri Feb 02, 2018 5:22 pm

Hi,
I've been looking for a first foil kite for HF. I'll get a 12 or 11 to use in 8/10 knots to max 14 knots ( gusts). Not super lightwind sub 8 knot stuff. I'm 78 kg on moses Freeriding foil.
I'd love to get a new one, but can't ( don't want To) afford it.

So I've been looking at a lot of options, but one option is a lightly used 2016 12m Speed 5 dlx or a more used Sonic V1 11.
The speed 5 I'll have to buy after visual inspection, no testing or test period. the Sonic I can get test fly, and borrow it, then buy if I like it or return it. Sonic is 200€ cheaper.
The Sonic is used more, but will be tuned up by seller before selling to me. guy selling is knowledgable local and I know him.

The Sonic seller has had 12 and 21 Speeds and another acquaintance a 18, but all have performed badly in light wind, back stalling and falling from sky. He recommended sonic 1 or 2 instead. But I can't afford a new Sonic 2 11m.

Anyone else have informed opinions? What's your take on which kite will be better?
Or should I hold off, save up some money and get a Sonic 2 or other new Ozone Chronos?

I've also considered a Pansch, but there's a lot of mixed reviews, I don't like to tinker too much with kites, and don't know anything about foils. Just need it to work

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Re: FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

Postby tmcfarla » Fri Feb 02, 2018 5:49 pm

Disclaimer- I’m an lei guy, though I tried to get into foils a couple times. Foils have to be tuned, and sometimes have their bridles replaced. This isn’t a bad thing (tube kites need maintenance too), but it does mean that if you are buying used you may have no idea of what the kite should feel like, and thus no idea how to fix it. Unless you don’t have a friend who knows foils and can help you get started, I would stick with buying new. I’ve bought a couple foils used, and I still don’t know whether A.) I don’t like foil kites, or B.) I’ve never flown a properly adjusted foil kite.

TomW
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Re: FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

Postby TomW » Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:09 pm

Hi TMC,
thanks, The Sonic 1 is being sold by a Flysurfer rep, and he knows how they are supposed to fly. He said he would tune it to make sure " it flys right" then let me borrow it.

I just looked at Flysurfer specs:
Projected area: Speed 5 12m - 9,5m2 Sonic 2 11m - 9,4m2
weight of Speed 12 2,74kg, Sonic 2 11m 2,43kg
parked at zenith windspeed : Speed 6+ knt, Sonic 2 5 knots

I think that explains why my friends experience with Speeds are poor- he was out in wind dipping below 6 knots in lulls - i was there one time.

TomW
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Re: FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

Postby TomW » Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:44 pm

Ive also found a Ozone Chronos V2 11m complete near new.
That must be equivalent to the Sonic 1 11m ??

T

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Re: FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

Postby windrider1 » Fri Feb 02, 2018 7:56 pm

Th Sonic 1 will be a better light wind kite vs speed 5 . It’s a little bit quicker and the fabric is lighter. With tht being said when it comes to ozone or flysurfer I tell people ozone is an easier kite to fly and would be best for beginner to foil kites whereas flysurfer is a little more technical and requires some experience to get the kite to perform to its max . Sometimes the mixer needs adjustment after heavy use on foil kites but most times depowering the kite a little bit fixes most problems . The biggest issues of guys coming from lei to foils is they don’t understand tht a foil kite needs to breathe on the upstroke which means ease the bar out a little bit .
Last edited by windrider1 on Fri Feb 02, 2018 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

Postby borist » Fri Feb 02, 2018 8:06 pm

I owned Sonic FR 11 (my first foil kite) now I use HL 12. Sonic 11 has very good bar feed back and is overall lovely kite , has tendency to fold wing tips little more than other sizes. I did not get a chance to try Speed 5 12m. I'd assume it will be little more "user friendly" than Sonic and with less up/down wind angle performance.
What you need to pay attention to when buying used is how worn out the fabric is. It may fly great but if dropped will soak up water too quickly if coating is worn out and seams are stretched. Relaunch will be difficult at best or impossible.
R1 V2 is pure race kite that behaves very well. I found the bar feel a bit mushier, but great kite otherwise. Too pricey for me though and I no longer care for racing performance so HL was a better choice for me.

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Re: FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

Postby davesails7 » Fri Feb 02, 2018 9:46 pm

I had the Sonic 1's and rode a Speed 5 12m once. The Speed 5 felt to me better behaved and more stable with less surging or no wingtip collapses compared to the Sonic 1. The Speed felt like 90% of the performance of the Sonic (in jumping, speed, and hangtime). I didn't get to try them back to back in low end.

The Sonic 1 was hit or miss. My 11m always worked perfectly for me, but my 15m was real finicky. I was always messing with the bridle on the 15m to try to stop the tip tucking. I've heard others had it the other way around, their 11m had problems and 15m was fine. I was happy with the kites overall though. They seemed a little better than the Chrono V1 I had before that.

The Sonic 2 is a dream. Never any issues with tip tucking, collapses, or surging. It has ease of use of the Speed, but with more performance than the Sonic 1. They've been out for a while now. I bet you could find a used one.

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Re: FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

Postby Adventure Logs » Fri Feb 02, 2018 10:57 pm

Get the Speed 5 especially since it’s your first foil. Had a Sonic1 11 and 18. Loved my 18, hated my 11. Had terrible wingtip collapse. Unless you are really experienced on foils, you aren’t going to get the extra performance out of the sonic1

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Re: FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

Postby Kamikuza » Sat Feb 03, 2018 1:47 am

IIRC Jzh_perth has some Sonic2's for sale. You may also be able to capitalize on the exchange rates too...

I think for a first foil kite, Speed5 would be best. I saw a YouTube video testing "sitting on the water for 5 minutes and can we relaunch". Speed5 was the clear winner.

But Sonic isn't a huge step up and IMO is better for foiling -- Sc2 better than Sc1 too.

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Re: FS speed 5 vs Sonic V1

Postby Regis-de-giens » Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:01 am

I also strongly recommand not to begin foil kite with the sonic1 (which has same cloth dlx+ than the speed5 IMO).
You can envisage sonic 2 which is easier and better low end, but you take the risk to dislike foilkites since less user friendy than other freeride medium/high ratios foils = more unconfortable situations (launch technik, stability , relaunch from water, swimming back, knowing that race kites like sonic are more prone to became unstable after time and crashes followed by rollings in deepwater.


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