Search the Community

vio s little baby is a well made fast and furious fun machine . the quality of material stitching is second to none . nice blue colour with the usual logo on the underside . only suplied with 20m lines which aren't much good for flying inland which is where i fly the most so replaced them with a set of 25m lines . first time out was in 10mph wind and after connecting the lines to a bar set about getting it in the air. went up OK but not enough wind for a kite of this size to perform properly , turns well and comes down on the brakes OK . you have to watch out for it spinning as something this small doesn't need a lot of input to get it turning. second time out was in higher winds and what a difference , fast and furiouser flying fun . small touches on the brakes sent it into a sharp turn that had to be controlled carefully or it would spin . on the trailing edge of the kite are three vents which are held closed by Velcro , these are dirt outs but as the leading edge has fine gauze across it debris is unlikely to get in . another use i have come up with for these vents is to fly the kite with them open and increase what was already a high wind kite into hurricane flying capabilities (not serious about hurricane ) leaving the vents open will allow air to pass straight through the kite and let it fly slower. this is a size of kite which is often overlooked by people concentrating on getting big kites but when you think about it this sort of kite deserves as much if not more attention than bigger kites ! why ? well although you might not get to fly them as often as others when you do the conditions are such that it is very demanding flying .high winds ,small kites that turn fast and respond to only slight amounts of input and that will last . when you manage to crash them they wont burst a cell and end up in the bin. to get the best out of the conditions you do need a good kite !this is a good kite , you get a plain plastic sleeved bag which is OK ,mine didn't come with handles or bar (i was given it )fully kitted out with bar or handle option the cost is £105 ; is it worth it ,yes ! would i buy one now i know what they are like , yes definitely! plus points: a quality kite minus points :will not get used often,you can buy other small kites cheaper . have now put 15cm power rings onto the kite and the performance is amazing now .turns so fast that you can spin the kite over and over again on its own axis . has turned it into a stunt kite . you can now park the kite in the window where you want . bring on the high winds please . By : graham a

With the kite market place growing at an enormous rate anyone out looking to purchase a kite will have there work cut out for them. What sells a kite?, the best review, the lastest bit of kit, just buy what everyone else does because surely it must be good. Many people take a leap of faith, buy the kite and then make there own judgements based on flying it. This is sort of what I did when getting my first Viokite. I was looking for a larger kite to compliment my 7m Voodoo. Problem was the cost of the bigger Flysurfers. I came across the Vio web site almost by accident and the first thing that really struck me was the masses of information that this site contains, and not just marketing hype, but real down to earth information, written by people who are flying these kites. As I started to read more I was drawn to the Vio Proteus 11m but kept asking the same question over and over again," how could a kite this good on paper be so cheap, what is the catch"? The equivalent Flysurfer would be almost twice the cost of the Proteus so surely the Vio must be very poor quality or rubbish in the air. After a few phone calls I made a leap of faith and purchased the Viokite Proteus 11m. Would this be a real mistake, should I save up for the Flysurfer? The first thing I noticed when the Proteus arrived was the excellent bag the kite was packed in. It is not a trendy backpack but a sort of rap around bag that is held together with velcro. There is nothing worse than being out in the field, trying to pack a kite back into a bag that will not fit with the wind blowing in all the wrong directions. The Proteus bag opens out, put the kite in it either rolled up or just crumpled up and pull the bag together around the kite. Again, this sort of design shows that this kite bag has been thought through and designed to meet specific needs, not just look cool. The kite itself is made to very high standards, with high quality canopy materials, bridle and line set. Layed out next to a Frenzy and Flysurfer Voodoo the Proteus equals if not exceeds the quality of the others.A testiment to the quality of the Proteus is in the fact that I have used my kite throughout the winter, a time that many kites just curl up an die or end up looking like a muddy stained mess. It still looks as good as new and the canopy material just does not seem to get stained even when very muddy. One thing that I was warned about was that the Viokites did not really produce much lift. This did not really concern me to much because in my experience anykite can be flown to produce lift when you need it. Kites that are sold with low static lift apeal to me more , I find the static lift on the Blade, for example, to full on and want more control over when I leave the ground. The Proteus is a difficult kite to sum up, in terms of what it feels like to fly. It is not as idiot proof as a Frenzy but not as fussy as higher AR kites. For a water relaunchable kite it inflates way faster than the bigger Flysurfers. This may be due to the mid canopy placement of the air intakes as opposed to the Leading edge. The kite is very, very stable, even in very turbulent air, conditions that a Frenzy would not like. The pressure in the canopy stays fairly constant and this probably accounts for the stability although I do notice that the Leading edge seams to deflate as the gust hits, like a shock absorber. Power of the 11m Proteus was more than enough for me in all the wind conditions I have flown it in, maybe to much at times. This brings me to one negative point as a lighter weight flyer. This kite flys powered up most of the time and the depower range is not that great, not as good as the Voodoo. This situation is benifical when out on the water because you can hold down more power but on land can be a pain.This is were the zip system comes into its own. The kite can be zipped down to decrease the projected area. Even out in the field when the wind is picking up the zip is easy to use and the kite can be zipped down in seconds. The zip is designed so it will not snag the canopy, something I was worried about when first hearing about the zip system.I was also worried that if the zip was to become corroded what happens then. No problem, the zip is placed in such a way that even if it was to fail you will still have the larger sized kite with no impact on performance. Some may be worried that it will look silly zipped down. It looks the same, just a bit smaller. Does it work or is it a gimic? It works very well. The kite turns very fast for a big kite and is easy to spin turn. In the buggy it is very easy to use and with that low static lift a real bonus, it is great fun. Even on the kiteboard this kite is great, with good upwind performance. Cruising up and down the field is great with small jumps, not massive air though unless the wind picks up. The last point is the safety. The system used on the Proteus has to be one of the best on the market. It is very effective, when deployed resulting in zero kite pull. It uses a system that flattens the kite out so it flaps from one wing tip floating to the ground like a flag. The kite lands and the bar is very quickly recoverable with no tangles. What more do you need. To sum up: Great quality, brilliant alround package, unbeatable price( nothing comes close), low static lift, good for board and buggy, best safety system around. Note: with some very basic modifications easily found by searching through the web the Proteus 11 and 7m can be altered to produce a massive depower range, exceeding its nearest rivals, resulting in enormous controlable lift, more than you will safely need. These modifications do not require any cutting of bridle parts and can be completed by someone with basic kite knowledge. Viokite through constant development and listening to their customers have already begun to include some of these modifications in production kites, showing how this great kite can be made better. This mod places the Proteus up their with the best but at such a low price it has to be one of the best deals to be had in the kite world. http://www.powerkite.me.uk By : Mee

Hi, I have noticed that the only guy who ever appears to write about these guys is MEE (the person not me) so after flying the kite today and thoroughly enjoying it I thought I would back the guy up a little, well maybe a lot! After reading a considerable amount regarding these kites I decided to take the plunge as I had a few notes spare....and a weekend of too much kiting to do. The bag A basic yellow affair and the lettering is fading a bit (it is after all a second hand kite) but its great for packing this hulky thing away. It is more a wraparound with velcro. makes it so you dont have to be too accurate on a windy day to make sure it fits in the 'ole as it were. Has a little card in it showing manufacture date. The Kite On first opening it I thought ugh what a weird config of inlets.....even though I knew what they looked like from pics. I thought to myself well they wont work (they do - more later). The bridles are long in comparison to my FS Spirit but there again this is a big kite. There is a nice blue zip down the centre of the kite for changing between 9m and 11m configurations and yes it works beautifully when required. This does allow you to effectively reduce the size of the kite when you want. This kite inflates when in use so will work on land, snow and water without any issues and WILL relaunch on water with no real problems as I found out today when I got going so fast on the beach I ran straight into the sea up to my waist 🙂 Great fun! Only takes a little while to get back to full performance - minimal impact - still pulled like a train. Quality is very good - material is excellent as well as sewing etc. Lines and bridles are VERY strong. pulleys look more than adequate for the job. D lines in bridle are thinner than main bridle but that is to be expected. Bar is basic but has excellent features. THe safety is excellent as stated on powerkite.me and newer kites now have a trimmer strap instead of the knot solution which needs altering when zipping down the kite.I have a basic clam cleat system in place which works well. Colour coded lines from bridle to bar make untangling/setup very easy. This is a thru safety so you can spin the bar many many times with no issues. I use a clip and not a chicken loop with the kite as the safety is very good (in fact excellent). So - first impressions - 11m setup. 8mph winds static flying at york racecourse. went up no problem but I had concerns over the bridle setup - couldnt make out if a mod had been done to it. Also we had disconnect lines due to a tangle..........I wasnt confident with it so didnt board. It flew well and dealt with gusts ok just not with sudden lack of wind - there again neither did my other kites deal well in these conditions. So hey ho off home we went to check the bridle and plan a visit to good winds. Took it home rearranged the lines slightly (my fault) and checked everything over - right tried the zip - wow - dead easy! Left the zip done up as I prefer to start smaller really. Second impressions........9m setup cleethorpes offshore changeable winds up to 20mph Kite out - lines ok when unwrapped - clipped in and we were off. I had been flying a 7m spirit earlier in the day to get used to my new harness but it didnt have enough grunt. changed to this! Wow what a difference this made! Depower was ok but wind was high so became a little silly to power this kite up too much in the window. Talk about pulling us around the beach with little jumps at each end! great. The intakes worked really well with the kite absorbing gusts on the leading edge - literally 5 seconds to really fill out! Righto now for the board. off we went and woohoo this is the first kite I have managed to "lock in" to the window with no problems. it sits and grunts at you. So - upwind downwind - left right great fun ( and I am no proffessional this was probably the first occasion I really really used my board properly. It felt really really fast. THe wind was obviously a little strong as I was fairly overpowered - it dragged me straight into the water as metioned earlier at quite a speed. to be honest this thing made my day. Lift - this kite does lift with the right control - I havent got it right yet - the mods I intend may help that. Unfortunately, the wind got up a little too much for me after a couple of hours and I did a faceplant. Then another which needed the safety which worked immaculately. I will learn to reduce kite size one day at the appropriate time 🙂 I will be modding this kite in line with the Mee's site over tomorrow so I will update you on my next adventures at cleethorpes.(in a week weather permitting) Conclusion A little known - well designed, gust proof depowerable with a lot of flexibility. If you havent got when then at least have a go of one then you will want one. Just be careful these are powerful. I am now going to have a steam bath as when I fell off I hurt my legg and it hurts a lot - This is not the kites fault but the driver! Hope to see you at a beach or York / pontefract soon! By : grogamanda

The Protean2 was launched in the UK in January so this will be the first Summer it has seen in the UK. A few flyers around the UK have got to fly the Prototypes and the reactions have been mixed. Vio are being very brave producing a kite to compete in the advanced high lift performance kite section of the market, considering how competitive it is. Considering the company only produces a handful of kites, competing with the R&D might of some of the bigger players is a challenge in istself. The Protean2 is a strange kite and does look unusal when flying due to the Very high AR canopy and flap depower system. You will either love the look of this kite or hate how flappy it can look. It is certainly not a fashion statement and this alone will put alot of flyers off, regardless of performance. Quality is again up there with the very best and the line set and bar have been improved. The bar is much smaller, even on the bigger kites, and the QR is now standard. Bar presuure is also now variable. The kite inflates very fast due to the slightly redesigned center air intakes. The kite does need a good amount of wind to fly and if you fly this kite outside its wind range the wing tips will just curl up and the kite will stall. The first thing you notice about this kite when you start to fly it is the power and lift and there is certainly loads of it. Getting air with this one will never be a problem and I can see why Vio bill this kite as an advanced kite, an inexperienced flyer would hurt themself with this much power availbale on tap. The depower on this kite gives you a fairly good range although you will need to go to www.powerkite.me.uk and read the mod reviews to see how it can be vastly improved. Vio make great kites, not to everyones taste, but nevertheless, high quality bits of kit. I do have reservations about the Protean2 though. The quality and construction of the kite is A1, it is its performance that is in question. Massive power and lift is no good without control and I feel that Vio needed a better depower system on this kite to compete with the top players in the field. When you fly the Protean2 you are always powered up and you feel that you canot kill the power enought to load up the canopy to get high jumps. If the kite had a better depower system you could hold down more power and the 'pop' would be awesome, with the power and lift this kite has. The canopy is also a 'no compromise design' and really does need and experienced flyer to get the best from it.Wing tip curl can be an issue due to the canopy being so thin and high AR, so must be flown within its wind range and with a degree of skill. At first, after flying the forgiving Proteus, I did not like the Protean2 finding it fiddly to fly and always needing constant input. Once I excepted that this is an advanced flyers kite and started flying it more agressively I really enjoyed the power and lift. It is not a kite you take out for a relaxing fly. Once you get dialed into this way of flying it you do not want to go back to the Proteus which seams so flat and boring by comparison. The Protean2 is amazingly stable for such a high AR kite and deals with the gusts very well. It will translate the gusting to lift when powered up so care is need or you could easily be lofted. Water relauch is also very easy but you need to watch out for how long the kite sits on the water. The kite has a very thin canopy profile so does not sit on the water for long as the Proteus or VR. Dont let this kite fall forward on the water either as it will fill up very fast due to mid canopy air intakes. It is very much a board kite and buggying with it can be a case of speed runs then fighting the lift in the turns, abit like flying a big Blade. The Proteus is a much more suitable alround kite. As with any high performance kite is is very easy to find faults and as yet I do not know of a kite on the market that would be classed as 'perfect' in all conditions. Considering what this kite offers in terms of power and lift and its lower cost over the high prices of its direct rivals it is certain worth a test fly. There are some very high quality depowerable kites available on the market at the moment and the only way to really decide is to fly them, then make a judgement. To sum this kite up. - If you are after a mainstream fashion statement then look elseware. - This kite will offer, power and lift by the bucket loads. - The depower system is not the best available but can be easily modified. - The kite is not for the inexperienced flyer or relaxed Sunday afternoon flying. - The quality and safety systems are first class. - The Price is very competitive. - The zip system gives you to kites in one. By : mee

When you talk to any experienced kite flyer, asking them what kites they own, as well as quoting all the new exotic kites they have and wish to own they will no doubt list a small three meter kite that they have had for years that either comes out to play when they just want to get a good workout or for those very silly high wind days. I recently aquired a VO3 from Viokite which would easily fit into this catagory. To look at it it seams like any other 3m ish kite, not as distinctive as a Bullet or as bland as some other makes just very yellow. After spending a few days using this kite as a buggy engine I was simply amazed. Where ever possible I fly depowerable kites and always find fixed bridle kites either to tame or to agressive. Depower gives me the choice over the feel of the kite. This little VO3 was so smooth even in the very gusty wind that picked up later in the day. Its massive stability and I mean rock solid, must be down to the very heavy meash over the air intakes creating a very solid famework to the Leading edge. It inflates very fast as well after a crash due to the reinforcement inside the LE. The quality of stitching and canopy material is up to Vio's brilliant quality and seams very waterproof. This was tested to the full when later in the day the wind picked up and in came the snow. Even in a blizard the kite remained rock solid with no water logging or falling out of the sky like a wet sponge. It was great fun. This is certainly not a boarding kite, to small and no real lift, this is a buggy kite.The lack of lift is so reasuring, you can really throw this kite around without fear of it lifting you out of the buggy. The kite generates a surprising amount of pull when flown fast and low through the wind window and the best bit is that it keeps going not collapsing at the windows edge. Upwind performance for such a low AR kite is great but that probably has more to do with that rigid LE than pure up wind performance. Because I can not own a kite for more than a few days without changing something on it I had to find out if a depower system could be fitted to this one. With a Wing warp depower and Airush depower bar I set about converting the kite. Nice thing about this kite is that the bridle is suitable for a depower system with the A/B/C lines all connected to the tow point separately. After about 20 mins the kite was ready to fly. Another 10 mins setting up the brake line tensions in the field and wow, I have a fully depowerable 3m kite. I have found that whenever I fit a depower systems to smaller kites they never really seam to work that well. They tend to overfly or be very unpredictable in gusty wind, to much of a liability. This VO3 was perfect. It takes the depower system very well, down to the stability of the canopy plus, I would think it also takes a few design pointers from it bigger brother the VR3. It was great fun in the buggy and you can really feel the depower effect even in lighter winds. Not once did it overfly even back in the snow blizards we were flying in the next day. The wind was very gusty gusting up to 30 mph and at no point did I really feel the kite was to much, just pushed the bar away and it simply absorbed the gusts.Even though over these three days I had some much more exotic kites to play with this V03 was so much fun and certainly got more flying time than any of the others. I would certainly recommend this kite to anyone after a smaller kite either as a buggy engine in higher winds or just for static flying. Also check out the prices. If you are after a small depowerable kite, even with the bar and depower kit, it still comes in way under any of the competition. Another well kept secret from Viokite. By : mee