Revolution Rev Exp

My first review so here goes......

I initially bought this kite in the hope that it might be a trainer for me for later quad line foils. Having seen people flying foils at the local site I was aware of the power that foils could produce and was fully intent on staying at ground level until I was confident enough to make the switch.

Having ordered the kite from my local supplier it arrived with handles, a detailed instruction leaflet and a nice instructional video outlining how to set up and tricks that could be performed. The lines were supplied separately were 15m climax low friction which I though seemed short but were fine in the end

Having flown dual line stunters for about 7 years I was a little surprised when I assembled the kite as it looked almost 2D, however having flown a rev 1 a few years before my worries were soon put to rest.

I watched the instruction video with detail and read the instruction leaflet with care so I though I was ready for my first flight when I went to the local site.

Everything was assembled as instructions dictated and was impressed at how eager the kite seemed in wanting to get airborne so not wanting to be one to disappoint I pulled the handles and the thing shot into the air and sat there nicely. Landing was a similar success when the bottom lines were applied it shot down quickly and landed back on the ground.

Turning was where things differed a lot. Being stuck in my dual line mindset, when I relaunched it I pulled on the left handle hoping it to turn right only to find it coming spiralling to earth. A quick check of the instruction leaflet soon sorted this out and instead of pulling the handle a turn in the wrist was all that was needed.

Getting it to move around in the wind requires the pilot to apply tension on the pair of lines perpendicular to the direction of flight i.e. forward flight requires tension on the top lines, sideways flight (not turning) reqires the handle to be gently applied tension

This is where this kite differs than other quad liners in that every edge can be a leading edge in that it is as happy to fly forwards as it is backwards and will fly sideways without hesitation. Couple this to the sharpness of the controls and you have a very fun piece of kit.

One word of warning though do not take it out in gusty winds, although it might be within the wind range of the kite I have suffered a couple of broken spars as the sail thrashes back and forth in mid-flight after being battered by gusts.

I have had mine now for 5 years and despite lots of use it is still in an excellent condition and worth every penny spent on it. As a trainer for quad line foil, as I initially purchased it for, forget it. Get a small foil or get someone to teach you.

If you thrive off adrenaline when kite flying you probably won't enjoy this kite however if you want to take a little step back from getting airborne once in a while you won't be disappointed.

By : prometheus_uss