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Just three recommendations?

Forum for snow- and landkiters
Snapcut
Rare Poster
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:31 am
Local Beach: Sauble and Oliphant. Near Owen Sound
Favorite Beaches: New Zealand, hope bay, Oliphant, balmy beach
Style: Snow kitting
Gear: Ozone frenzy 12m
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Just three recommendations?

Postby Snapcut » Tue Feb 03, 2015 4:49 am

Hello everyone,

I'm just hoping to get three solid recommendations for a quality medium wind foil kite...mostly for snow, but I'm not against a water capable foil either...say in the 5-8 meter range...really just need the name brands, I can do the research...ozone seems good and I think HQ kites are ok too (but I know nothing about HQ kites

Thanks,

P.S. I'd like to find a fair deal on a used one before all the snows gone, if anyone on here wants to sell one? But, I'm mostly just looking in the Ontario area...

gl
Medium Poster
Posts: 156
Joined: Sat May 31, 2008 1:44 am
Kiting since: 1999
Gear: Flysurfer Peak 4 8 and 11, Concept Air Smart, Water Smart, Pulsion, Firefly and Wave kites. Slingshot foil boards and foils, North Nugget
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Re: Just three recommendations?

Postby gl » Tue Feb 03, 2015 2:36 pm

I really like the Concept Air 8.5 Smart Kite as a medium wind snow kite. It is open cell, has a huge amount of depower and is really easy to launch and land in higher winds. I also live in Ontario and find we get a lot of gusty winds. This is where the kite really excells as there is very little significant surging and dropping back with this kite so very gusty conditions are still fun. They are out of Quebec and their web site is www.conceptair.com. If you give Ben, the owner and desinger, a call sometimes he has used kites.

Snapcut
Rare Poster
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:31 am
Local Beach: Sauble and Oliphant. Near Owen Sound
Favorite Beaches: New Zealand, hope bay, Oliphant, balmy beach
Style: Snow kitting
Gear: Ozone frenzy 12m
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
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Re: Just three recommendations?

Postby Snapcut » Tue Feb 03, 2015 9:30 pm

Sweet answer! Thanks gl!! Ya, gusty winds here in Ontario for sure! I always like when I find a forum where people actually try to help each other...

Thanks everyone

Living2Kite
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Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2014 7:16 am
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Re: Just three recommendations?

Postby Living2Kite » Wed Feb 04, 2015 8:27 am

Ozone frenzy=quality, low performance, backup safety, proven safety release with the megatron.
HQ Montana=High performance ,lower quality than Ozone, less safety features. No pulley backup for example. Questionable reliability of the CL safety release.

HQ Montana 5=extreme lift, little depower=easy loftings, slight LE collapse, easy maintainance at kite with only two rings.
HQ Montana 6= stable, good depower, higher maintainance with 6 rings!!!!!!.


Let me give you an example of quality:

HQ doesn't taper tails for splicing but Ozone does. Tapering tails is the biggest waste of time in the world actually :D It's true everyone.

I would try to avoid a foil with that old Velcro quick release.


HQ kites have never had a problem with self landing on their open cell foils. Ozone have always had a major problem with this and it really is unacceptable and dangerous.

The previous HQ chicken loop wasn't great. I dismantled mine and I threw it in the bin.
That chicken loop is a throwaway item when you need to change the CL rope in my opinion because it's a pin type thing, like a watch, I'm not reassembling that!.


I have a Peter Lynn charger.
The kites shit and the companies full of dicks.

nate76
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Posts: 140
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2014 4:08 pm
Kiting since: 2005
Local Beach: Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska
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Re: Just three recommendations?

Postby nate76 » Sat Feb 07, 2015 10:21 pm

Are you looking for a back-country rig, or do you want something with more pop and float?

Ozone kites are top quality all the way from the kites to the bags. You will also pay a top-tier price.

IMHO, HQ offers the best value for the money. The new 8th generation Montana's are amazing. I believe some of their older kites were not on the same tier as Ozone, but that is simply is not the case any more. The stability, handling and depower of the new kites are superb and the Chicken Loop setup they are using on the new Montana 8's is the best I've ever used - very easy to engage and eject, even with clumbsy gloves on.

HQ's market strategy seems to be about positioning itself as a lower-cost alternative high performance kites. As such, they tend to try to save money on things like the quality of their bags, but overall kite performance remains top notch. For me, I'd rather save a few dollars for another kite rather than have a really nice bag that spends most of the time in the car anyhow.

If you want a kite that is better suited for gusty conditions, the Ozone Access and HQ Apex IV are two good ones, and I would seriously consider the Flysurfer Peak which I have been hearing rave reviews about. I have an older Ozone Access that was my 1st kite, and have also been really pleased with the HQ Apex IV's handling and quick turning.

I have an 8m HQ Apex IV with about 3hrs on it that I am considering selling. Its essentially brand new, but unfortunately got tossed in a tree in the last outing and suffered a couple small tears. I've patched them up and it still flies like new. I would be willing to let it go for $475 +shipping if you are interested. I can send pictures, just let me know. It would be a cheap answer to your problem, though.

nate76
Medium Poster
Posts: 140
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Local Beach: Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska
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Re: Just three recommendations?

Postby nate76 » Sat Feb 07, 2015 10:59 pm

I should also mention that the chicken loop and bar set-up that HQ uses on the Apex IV kites is not of the same quality as the Montana 8's. It is functional and it works fine, but it is not as nice as the newer bar setup.

If cost is no object and you had to choose between the Access and the Apex, I would choose the Access. But I would also try to get out and try the Flysurfer Peak as well: everything I have been hearing about those kites has been positive. If cost is a consideration, I would seriously look at the Apex: it is a lot of kite for the money. If you have the opportunity, try them all out. The good thing is there are really no bad kites anymore - things have come a long ways in the last 10 years.

Good luck - Let us know what you decide on!

Nate

fernmanus
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Re: Just three recommendations?

Postby fernmanus » Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:11 am

I have two 9m FS Peaks, one new and one used about 15 times. I also have a 6m FS Peak that has been used 10 times. I am selling the used kites for $500 each and the new one for $600. The FS peak is an awesome single-skin kite. It flies in very little wind and wraps up very small.

Snapcut
Rare Poster
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:31 am
Local Beach: Sauble and Oliphant. Near Owen Sound
Favorite Beaches: New Zealand, hope bay, Oliphant, balmy beach
Style: Snow kitting
Gear: Ozone frenzy 12m
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Just three recommendations?

Postby Snapcut » Mon Feb 09, 2015 5:22 am

Thanks for the recommendations and offers of sale everyone! I'll be in touch ASAP, just a little busy....

Snapcut
Rare Poster
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 6:31 am
Local Beach: Sauble and Oliphant. Near Owen Sound
Favorite Beaches: New Zealand, hope bay, Oliphant, balmy beach
Style: Snow kitting
Gear: Ozone frenzy 12m
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Just three recommendations?

Postby Snapcut » Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:08 pm

Thanks Fernmanus, ya...those peaks look sweet?


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