Postby Downwind-missile » Fri Nov 13, 2020 4:15 am
I'm just here looking for ideas/hardware on how to convert my backup fireball bar's QR into a rope slider setup. I endured the fireball for several months before getting a rope slider so I have some experience with it to chime in.
The fireball pulls from a point closer to your body, so it's better than a hook. The rope slider does that even better, and also shifts the pull side-to-side which makes it better for riding toeside. With your hook or the rope slider, the quick release will stay oriented the same way all the time, and you can use the little swivel above the QR to untwist your lines. With the hook or rope slider, the leash goes to the flag out line and since it's not swiveling down there it never tangles or wraps up.
The thing that makes the fireball a pain, and maybe dangerous, is that it can also swivel below the quick release. The ball-socket connection can spin around while you are riding. And it does just that. Even if you aren't looping the kite, and aren't doing rotations, just mowing the lawn that fireball will start to rotate around. So the center lines aren't twisted above the bar, but the whole QR piece between the upper swivel and the fireball is slowly spinning. While it spins around it wraps all of your leash around it. Even with a short leash, it can get a few wraps around it. If it wraps down low then it binds against the fireball. If it wraps higher, up around the QR shaft, then it blocks the QR from pushing out. So all the time you're worried about this thing taking up your leash and twisting it and maybe not being able to release in an emergency. It is made with nice materials, it feels rugged, it should work great...I couldn't stand it, haha.
When I finally switched to the rope slider I felt like an idiot for waiting so long. I am hoping to find a snap shackle with fixed bail (can't have it swivel below the QR!) or some kind of carabiner or ring to be able to use the fireball QR with a slider. The new modular QR system has a nice looking slider connector but it won't work with the fireball QR, sadly.