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Buying the Kite This is my first powerkite that I got on my vacation to San Diego over the weekend. I wanted a larger kite than a two meter originally, such as the Sting 3.3 or Snapshot 2.5, but my parents said that it was outrageous to spend over 120 bucks on a kite. Also when we go to the kite shop, the owner said that even though Prism makes the best stunt kites, they do not make the best power kites becuase there is something wrong with the bridles or something. But anyway, he suggested the B-Two to me as the best beginner kite and said it had as much pull as the larger 2.5 because it arched more. The B-Two was also on sale for $100 (great price for that kite) as they were selling alot of them. One thing that I immediately liked about the kite though was that it came in different color schemes. I picked the orange and white and headed to the beach. Pros Upon taking the kite out I noticed how the kite was of great quality. It is made of ripstop nylon and is stictched together really well. Another great thing about this kite is how strong it is. Even though I am a fairly experienced stunt kite flyer with my Prism Quantum, which I would also recommend, I still crash this kite every once and awhile and there is no damage whatsoever. Even with the head on crashes the B-2 takes when I let someone new fly it still holds together. Yesterday I even got it stuck in a prickly palm tree and couldn't find a hole on it. (Except a tiny one that you could barely see) I also found out that flying with a bar is alot less responsive with handles but is much more comfortable and more fun to use. Cons I haven't really found any yet! Flying This kite is really easy to fly and is great because it flies right out of the bag without any adjusting. All you have to do is lay something somewhat heavy on the edges and pull and it shoots straight up to the top of the window. In lighter winds (3-5mph) it is a little hard to keep up and you have to stay in the middle of the window. But in winds 8mph+, this kite is a blast. It will stay up in the air very easily and zooms around through the window. Even though this kite is only a two meter and that I only weigh 90lbs., I find it pulling me along the ground in winds 10mph and up! I have yet to take it out in extremely strong winds but I know that it will be intense and that I could probably do some small jumps with it. To pack up I just like to wind the strings around the flying bar, fold the kite ends into the middle, then put the flying bar in the middle of the kite and roll it up. Would I recommend? Definitely a no-brainer. I would HIGHLY recommend this kite to anyone who wants to try power kiting. It is not a huge commitment either as it is only around $100. I will never get rid of this kite even if I get a bigger kite. It is also always good to have a small foil around for high winds that you could not fly a larger foil in. I love this kite and fly it anytime I get a chance to. By : Hoondiggi95

Hi well i purchased a slingshot b4 trainer kite and the conditions were just great on Sunday 8th here in Gorleston. I took this beast to the beach and you have to remember i've never flown anything of this size. I took it out of its case and laid it down weighted with sand attached the lines and here we were ready to go for that first self launch.I pulled the lines a little and there it was starting to inflate the many tubes,i pulled that little more and away it went, controlling it was easy much like a 2.5 metre only not so fast it was responsive and held its place amongst the flexifoils and beamers being flown. Although this kite is only a duel line kite i found the lines to be strong enough for the 20mph winds i was experiencing and the pull it gave was a great experience allowing me to scud along the beach not bad i thought for an old fossil of 46. Landing the slingshot was easy too as i brought it to the edge of the wind window and almost to a halt. I have to say i am well pleased with my first big kite purchase the material of this kite is strong the lines well sown into the material and generally well presented and for a beginner i found this slingshot quite superb. I think i will be looking for a nice 3 - 4 meter quad line kite now im just addicted should have taken this up years ago. By : routemaster

Ok I won't go into great details about the bag, suffice it to say the kite comes with a very good bag, very robust. This kite is easy to set up comes with a very nice 24 inch bar and colored flying lines, advertised as 20 meters in length. The bridle lines are a bit intimidating at first, compared to an inflatable bow kite, but still quicker to set up since there is no pumping. Its a 2 line kite with the back bridle lines connected to a third line which is attached to a loop which passes thru the bar. Pulling on the middle line kills the kite very quickly, which is a great safety feature. I first flew this kite in 15 plus mph winds, which was a bit of a surprise, I couldn't believe how much power this kite generates for a 4 meter. It launched like the B2 straight up and just sat at the zenith. The handling is very predictable, it pulls very strongly as it is moved across the window. I haven't try skiing behind it yet, but I think in higher winds it should work quite nicely for that. I like the fact that it is so stable, you can let go of the bar (with a harness of course) and it just sits there, waiting for you to do something. It doesn't seem to have a lot of lift, but since I haven't flown a lot of kites (other than my SS Turbo 2 11m which DOES have a lot of lift) I don't have that much to compare it to. I just know that it pull like a little freight train, and will fly even in very light winds, probably 5 mph or less. I think this will make a great high wind kite or a good beginner snow or buggy kite for someone who has flown a smaller trainer a bit first and isn't quite ready for a big kite. Oh yeah, the quality is typical slingshot, looks very durable and well made, good stitching and reinforcements thruout. Great kite! By : jackk

This was my first kite, I was looking for a trainer before moving up to a larger bowkite. As others have mentioned, the build quality of the B series kites is quite good, this kite as survived some nasty crashes without suffering any damage. This is also a 2 line kite, and comes with a short 20 inch control bar. I 've never used handles, but I find the bar works quite nicely. It comes with 25 meter flying lines which give it great speed and controllability. The first few times I flew it, it launched great, but my lack of experience brought it crashing back to earth pretty quickly, but after a half dozen launches, I was flying it all over with great confidence. In light winds it will over fly a bit when brought right up to the zenith and parked there, but with more wind, say 10 mph or more, it's not really a problem. But thats not where this kite was meant to be flown, it loves to zoom all over in the power zone and turns very quickly. It also develops good power in higher winds and I have skied behind it several times which is a good warmup for skiing with my other kite, an 11 meter slingshot T2, I'll give a review of it when I 've used it more. I think this is a great beginner kite, it is tons of fun to fly and can even give you a bit of a ride. I'm sure it would even move you in a buggy with enough wind, I might just give that a try this summer as well. For the money, I think this kite is VERY tough to beat. By : jackk

After I returned from Egypt I was desperate to get my mitts on some different kites as my Hydros had suddenly looked old and slow, probably because I spent a day flying everyone elses kites and as I had finally rweached a level where I was going both directions and making ground upwind my views were changing. So after talking to people, flying kites as different as the North Rhino 05 12m(terrifying) Slingshot Turbo Diesel 12m (horrible) North Vegas 12m (superb) Slingshot fuel 11m (grunty and fun) Flexifoil Fusion 12m (ford escort) I was seriously looking for a 12m Vegas. Sadly until I got back to the UK I didnt see the price tag. When I did see the price tag I didnt like it!!! So after some more looking I was introduced to the Slingshot Octane. Now anyone familiar with this kite will know it was marketed as Slingshots competition kite, even though most Slingshot riders are riding Fuels (and for good reason!!) I was initially suspicious as I still consider myself a beginner although others say I am reaching intermediate but thats something you can dispute all day, whats important is if you have a bad feeling... trust it! But I did trust the person selling me the kite and as it was half price, new and RTF it got the better of me, so after trading in my trusty Hydros I was the proud owner of a 12m Slingshot Octane. Well firstly I have to say the build quality impressed, trhe bag was great and practical if a little too covered in straps but still a good bag, if anyone has had the pleasure of trying to get an 05 fuel into the so called travel bags thay came with this is a godsend. Its basically the same bag as the 06 fuels come in except its yellow and black. The bar was already set up and required no adjustment. Unpacking the kite the Slingshot attention to detail and build quality are in my opinion brilliant. The stitching was bombproof, all reinforcing looked practical and anywhere that might rub through like spars was velcro'd so as to be replaceable. Unpacking it on the beach the first thing I noticed were the cries of "Its like a ribbon!!!" and "that is SOOOOOOO high aspect you go into orbiit!!!" None of which I can honestly say filled me with confidence. Well I pumped up with the supplied pump and was immediately converted to the one pump system! None of this pump up the spars and fiddling with small plugs (which in winter when you cant feel your habds will be a godsend!) Superb! I got the lines attached, all colour coded and therefore idiot proof and yup... the wind died!!! Always the blody way!!! So dissapointedly I packed up to return the following day. The next day it was blowing a nice 18-22mph and I couldnt wait to get out. especailly as I had not just a new kite but a brand new North dragon board to go with it! TO the beach I went, pumped up and got again the same cries of "it still looks like a ribbon ya know!" Well.... up she went smoothly and.... Holy Crap thats quick! Guys.... guys... is it me?? No..... was the resounding answer! It wasnt me!! This thing was fast!!! But it didnt feel like I had to watch it all the time! I could take my hands off the bar and she would sit overhead with no problems, the bar pressure was light but when she moved she was SO responsive. Well out I went and I could not believe the speed of this kite, but what impressed me more was the fact she felt so stable and user freindly! So I jst had a wonderful afternoon cruising up and down, but the fact she was SO quick I was struggling to get upwind! Probably just me I thought !!! THings will be different next time, but still I was grinning from ear to ear! SO much so as soon as I got home i was on the phone ordering the 16m! Well the next time out conditions were very different, it was around 25 plus, bang onshore and I was at Camber, but undettered I went out and had the best session I had EVER had!! I was getting lit up on every run! It was making me WANT to jump!!! and it felt like as soon as I plucked up the courage to go it would be big! VERY big!!! The sea was choppy, guys were out on surfboards and I suddenly noticed that guys bigger and better than me were out on 9s, and what was that! a guy on an 8!!! And I am not even sheeted in!!! No wonder I cant get upwind!!! Better sheet in!! Actually...no I will just call it a day... Im knackered!!! lol I will say that this kite, unlike say the fuel, the Octane gathers its power from its speed, it requires a bit of play in the bar to manage the power rather than juast locking it in like the fuels. As a result for me (13.5 stone) this 12 and indeed my 16 is probably the equivalent of an 11 and a 14/15. I totally disagree with Slingshots original market of this being the comp machine as its SO VERY user friendly! Thats not to say it doesnt bite! when I finally di pluck up the courage to release that edge and pull that bar in I was right! 20ft easy!!! BOOM strraight up! But never felt out of control! However, after dropping tentatively down the back of a wave and accidentally pulling on the bar (I think) I was picked up and slammed like WWF wrestler throwing a child!!! I could barely move my neck for 3 days and it really shook my confidence. But yuo gotta get back on the horse as they say and I am back loving my Octanes again. I am loathed to put these kites in the beginners class due to there speed and power but both these things are VERY manageable. I did ask a friend why we dont see more? (I am in kent and the Slingshot importers are local to all my spots so there is a disproportional amount of fuels to other kites in my area) and he informed me that the price of new Octanes is up with the Vegas' at around £900 so they dont sell that well but at the price I got mine he would have an entire quiver.. no question!! (Although he has now changed his mind and returned to his love of Fuels, just 07 ones now! lol) So in conclusion.... what can I say!!!! If you can find a good deal on an Octane and you want a massive amount of bang for your buck, go for it! It may not have the outright power of the 05 Rhino or the smooth grunt of the 06 fuels but it does have a phenomenal amount of speed and controllable power, it munches gusts well, has a bar pressure that means you dont need arms like apes to manage it and a safety system that I beleive is the best on the market. That coupled with Slingshots bombproof build has made me a convert for sure. If I am absolutely honest I couldnt at the moment wish for better kites...! OK just one! I would swap my 9m Boxer III for a 9m Octane!!! lol But hey... life aint perfect after all!!! By : BlindJP

I decided that I'd get a kiteboarding kite to get into the sport. I am very small so I just got a 12m hoping that it would cover the largest wind range and hoping to expand my quiver later. I bought a used kite off of ebay. I got a 12m 2002 Slingshot Fuel for 93 bucks. I got it out knowing I'd have more power than those Beamers I'm used to flying. I was right, and it was loaded with traction, and in above 9 mph it popped me off the ground very well. I jumped a few up to 10 feet high at 15 mph Build quality. You shouldn't have to ask. It's a Slingshot, doesn't that about sum it up? I have crashed this kite many times, gone over sticks on the beach, and lets not forget that it has been used by someone else since 2002. there are no rips, tears, or holes in the canopy, or anywhere on the sail, and the bladders still hold rock solid. amazingly duable. I already crased it twice and thought it was gone. Thanks Slingshot! All the seams on the kite are double stitched, and it has wear pads over the critical wear spots on the kite, including the bladders. The fabric is rip-stop nylon, barely thicker than oher brands, but it is way stronger. my friend tore his Naish V4 after he crashed it the second time on the beach. This kite is as many put it, "bomb proof." The only hassle is that the valves aren't one way, meaning you have to pinch them. The kite flys very well in light winds for starters, but does not depower as well as most, partially because it is a mid-high aspect. In higher winds, it is easy to become overpowered, and I had a couple of very frightening moments when the kite just picked me up off the beach 20 feet. It is harder than most to steer, and I would suggest a longer bar. It turns kind of slow, but makes up for it with its high forward speed. The lift is truely amazing, and the pull is great as well. The kite is not as stable as most, so you will crash it a few before getting the hang of it. It does, however, hang very well once you are in the air. great to catch some sweet hangtime, especially for a 12m. I only paid $93 for this kite, and it was the best deal on a kite I ever got. it was used, but still flies great, and has a long time left in it. The newer Fuels sell for a bit over a grand, and I have heard wonderful things about them, especially because of their one pump, fifth line, and split-strut. As far as I know, the Fuels get better every year. I got a great deal on mine, and I believe even the 06' Fuels are well worth it. The kite is indesrtuctable, and built to last. I've beat on the thing so much, and it has had no problems, and still holds strong. I got it very cheap, an if you get them used off of ebay, you can always get a great deal. It pulls very nicely, and gets lots of pop and hangtime, but can be overwhelming at times. It flies well in lighter winds, but hard to handle in higher winds. Not exactly a good begginer kite, but tons of power for the more experieced. A bit hard to handle and turn, but like I said, the power is ameome. Overall, I love flying this kite if the wind is right, and love flipping on the thing. It definatley puts out, and it was cheap. Not recommended to a begginer, but f you have been flying for a while, you have to try a Fuel. By : Beamerpilot27

The WASP 1 meter kite is my second kite i bought after buying a ss FUEL 13. I went to my local beach to begin with my 13 meter FUEL only to have the 13 ripped out of my hands as i blew a hole in my heel on the sand and rocks. Others on the beach kindly asked me how long i had been kiting and i said today was the first day. I had never had lessons except reading the KITES book and watching video DVDs. They (other kiters) saw that i was a danger to myself and others on the beach. I could not remember everything in the book and videos as i had total brain freeze. Limping and feeling like a dummy i packed up and began to leave for home when another kiter took me to the side and told me that "I needed kite time". I am an avid skydiver, base jumper, I sail boats, scuba, surf, skateboard, and snowboard. i thought all these activities would blend me into kitesurfing easily. Boy was i wrong. But i admit i am void of knowledge in kiting, so picking up beta from others became a hobby. I would ask all the questions i could to other kiters when it was appropriate. no matter how mundane the question, i found that others were more than helpful with lots of advice. I don't have a big ego and that was VERY helpful. Others saw that i was worth teaching as i did not act like a complete jerk. I have seen this attitude in others with other activities and those with inflated heads are left outside of helpful advice. In skydiving terms i had become a WHUFFO. what's that for? What's that do. What's this about. Why, Why, Why????? Anyway... The First helpful advice i got from another kiter was, YOU NEED KITE TIME. I agreed. I found a used 1 meter Slingshot WASP 1 from Realkiteboarding in NC. It showed up one day with a free video which was cool. The used kite had sand in it which made me smile and laugh. The price was 50 bucks. great deal! I can not tell you enough how much this lil thing helped me. i discovered the wind window. I learned how to walk up the beach and keep the kite parked in a safe zone. I learned the sine wave pattern to generate power. I learned that figure 8's were what you need to do to maintain speed. I learned to "park" it in certain areas. on windy days 20kts+ this lil WASP 1 was a blast and had me grinning from ear to ear. I weigh 190lbs and the WASP would pull in heavy winds. It is easy to crash if you take your eyes off it. But i'd say that with some practice i learned that certain bar positions would make the kite figure 8 on its own. This became important when i finally entered the water again. I keep the WASP 1 in the back seat of my car. When i get a lunch break from work i usually fly it for a while as it takes little or no time at all to set up. For the money it was well worth while. My learning curve went way up. My brother wants to borrow it ...lol Next time i went to the same beach i was better mentally prepared. I did not suffer from brain freeze. I now hooked into the chicken loop and DEPOWERED the kite prior to the launch. What a difference. I was in control. I immediatly realized what i was doing wrong before. For those thinking of entering kitesurfing or kiteboarding, I suggest you get a small traction kite first. ASK QUESTIONS. Research the internet. And when you finally decide to get into it, A WASP 1 is a good way to start. Get some kite time first ! A couple months have gone by and i have had successful, fun filled days in the water. I owe it to learning on this small kite. Gradual progression was the key. Thanks Jonathan Oxx By : Jonathan oxx

Like the B3 this is a no nonsense kite. The build quality is excellent and the lines and bar are perfectly matched, like the B3 a dependable workhorse. Again a pure two line kite. It delivers all the traction you will need for buggying and is stable across the window I took a five mile run with it in a steady 12m.p.h. onshore wind, heaven! bliss! Most of the run was coasting in and out of neutral, at one with the elements and the only sound was the wind in the sail and the crunch of the wheels on the sand. It is easy to generate that bit of extra power with it when needed for tacking or soft sand by spinning it, but use this manouvre sparingly it comes in like a turbocharger with this baby!! I'm sure this kite will be as dependable as my old B3 now retired after 3 years loyal service (replaced with a new B3). I don't think i will need to go larger with the slingshot range for what I do but if these kites had been around twenty years ago!! (now collecting my state pension). The only drawback is with the absense of brakelines you have to really fly this kite, I don't find the bar an impedment at all when buggying in fact quite the reverse. When it arrived I unpacked it and spread it out it lay on the floor like a stealth bomber! BLACK and GRAY with RED logo and stars, no low profile here! In conclusion its a personal thing but in there size class there is nothing to touch these kites, the B4 will outperform bigger kites such as L.D 4.5 as the B3 outperform 3.5 kites and larger,the disadvantages are obvious with this size being on 2 lines but it teaches you respect and caution and how to FLY!! My bag is 1.5 bullet(high wind machine) 2.1L.D. (best kite in the range) 2+slingshot B3,s (one retired) slingshot B4 (stealth bomber) 4.5L.D.(sulking at lack of exersise)!! 4 different bars with different line lengths and diameters several sets of handles and assortment of lines. and for sheer fun (and frustration) a revolution stunt 4 line kite. Remember, better underpowered than overpowered ! By : Cyril Wickham

This sling shot fuel was bought in America off a pro that had been given it to try out before release in 2002. At first at I was using it as a beginner the kite was quite advanced and the short bar that it came with gave the kite slow moving turns although it did sit in the window nicely. After a few goes in wind (wasnt too good at guessing the wind speed even though coming from a background of paragliding!!) I quickly grew an understanding of the kite and realised how forgiving it actually is. I was keen to get into the water and off on my board. I have now used the kite with a variety of boards and am still happy with it and the power it gives through the window and is very good at going up wind. I have also used the 16m slingshot fuel and found that in comparison the 12 is a much friendlier kite. The kite can generate a lot of power and as I have already had the kite for two years and am continuing to use it even after trying several other 12m kites because of its stability. The durability of the material is fantastic and it is still crisp even today. Just recently I have been using it for land boarding (a first for me a sport done on the land!) and it seems to cope and with its stability it deals with the amount of times I get dragged along the beach - I still prefer being dragged through the water! Without any doubt the best use is for surfing and it can be used with a range of lengths of boards as long as the wind is right. The kite works best in 10 - 19 mph winds and is at its optimum at about a 14mph constant. The water relaunches are relatively easy but the main problem I have had with the kite is the valves that were supplied in both the main tube and ribs are a pain in that they are missing the ball to stop them deflating when you take out the pump. This is fine in good conditions but when it is cold with sand blowing everywhere it can take a few attempts to get them to the desired pressure. Everything else with the kites seems to be cool and have been happy expanding my own experiences on this kite and overall would rate it as a good medium aspect kite. By : kitesurfer247

This sling shot fuel was bought in America off a pro that had been given it to try out before release in 2002. At first at I was using it as a beginner the kite was quite advanced and the short bar that it came with gave the kite slow moving turns although it did sit in the window nicely. After a few goes in wind (wasnt too good at guessing the wind speed even though coming from a background of paragliding!!) I quickly grew an understanding of the kite and realised how forgiving it actually is. I was keen to get into the water and off on my board. I have now used the kite with a variety of boards and am still happy with it and the power it gives through the window and is very good at going up wind. I have also used the 16m slingshot fuel and found that in comparison the 12 is a much friendlier kite. The kite can generate a lot of power and as I have already had the kite for two years and am continuing to use it even after trying several other 12m kites because of its stability. The durability of the material is fantastic and it is still crisp even today. Just recently I have been using it for land boarding (a first for me a sport done on the land!) and it seems to cope and with its stability it deals with the amount of times I get dragged along the beach - I still prefer being dragged through the water! Without any doubt the best use is for surfing and it can be used with a range of lengths of boards as long as the wind is right. The kite works best in 10 - 19 mph winds and is at its optimum at about a 14mph constant. The water relaunches are relatively easy but the main problem I have had with the kite is the valves that were supplied in both the main tube and ribs are a pain in that they are missing the ball to stop them deflating when you take out the pump. This is fine in good conditions but when it is cold with sand blowing everywhere it can take a few attempts to get them to the desired pressure. Everything else with the kites seems to be cool and have been happy expanding my own experiences on this kite and overall would rate it as a good medium aspect kite. By : kitesurfer247

The B series is Slingshots offering for land traction kiting. They are marketed as dual line kites, but have attachment points on the trailing edge for break line bridles (I am currently trying to track down a conversion kit to fly mine as a quad). The 2003 B series comes in a comprehensive range starting with the 2.0m (called the B2... go fig) and topping out at an 8.0m (named the B8.... sensing a pattern yet). Slingshot has since retired the B2-B3 in favor of the Wasp series of trainor kites (Wasp1-3). When I bought this kite (my first traction kite), I did what I thought was alot of research, talked with a number of salesman/kite fliers, and shopped around for prices. Because of my size (6' 4" - 210lb) and that I wanted to ultimately land board , the consensus was that I needed to go large (one guy even tried to talk me into going with an 8m... funny guy... haha). After digesting all of this info, I decided that a 4m dual line would be a good starting point and I called up Kitehigh.com to place my order. Once I started talking to the rep, he told me about a clearance sale they were having on the 2003 slingshots. The B5 was actually cheaper than what I was planning on paying for a 4m, hmmmm.... what's one more meter and heck, I don't want to pass up such a great deal. I happily revised my order and the B5 was FedExed to me that very day. Ordered on a Monday, it arrived on the following Thursday. Packaging and Kite : The B5 comes in a 2.5ft long nylon black & white bag with the Slingshot logo and kite name on the side. The bag unzips at one end and has mesh at the other end so the kite can breath as well as let sand and other stuff fall out. It has a brief case style hande in the center to make it a bit eaiser to carry and a second handle over the back end of the bag to make pulling the kite out a snap. The final nifty feature of the bag is a set of clips that allow it be rolled up and clipped shut into something that looks like snail and takes up about a 1/3 of the space the bag with kite inside takes up lying flat (if you aren't storing a bar with the kite). When you are out flying, the bag can be balled up and stuck in a back pocket or a cargo pocket (it's a bit large to fit in a front pocket) It comes with a good owners manual, Slingshot sticker, 24inch profire carbon bar, 300lb 23m lines, harness strap, and the surefire safety release system (basicly a wrist leash). The kite slides out of the bag quite easily. The 2003 B series all have the same basic logo design, but come in a wide range of colors. My B5 is red/black and out of the kites I own, looks the best as far as eye candy goes. It has a design on both the back and front so you aren't just stairing at a blank underside while you are flying (it's a good point as far as I am concerned) plus, it just looks aggressive. The material of the kite is rip-stop nylon with very solid seams. Black bridles are in the usual configuration. When it first arrived, I layed it out on my living room floor... I was bit shocked at the size and it got me reconsidering my decision to go with that extra meter (I'm guessing it is about 15ft from wing tip to wing tip). Trepidations were quickly put aside and I moved onto setting up the bar. The Profire Carbon Bar is a quite solid. The grip is covered in comfy neoprene that has color coded sligshot logos to delineate which line connects to which side. Each end of the bar has heavy duty rubber caps that double as a winder and the first 8 inches of the leader lines (which are also color coded) are encased in thick foam to protect your hands from the lines when making hard turns. The lines were prestretched, quick to seperate, attach to the bar and than wind back up on the bar. The SureFire safetly release was equally simple to set up. I chose to leave off the harness strap at the time, simply because I didn't own a harness. I have since gotten a harness and attaching the harness strap is another quick and simple procedure. I procede to repack up the now ready to fly kite, following the instructions included in the manual. ~~And my mother said all that time folding paper airplanes was a waste. So everything is setup and I am itching to go get dragged around the beach. I check the weather report for the next day. They are forecasting 5-10mph winds which sounds like a good starting point to me. I go to sleep with visions of kite flying dancing in my head. Flying: I finally make it out to the beach around 2:00pm (I'm self-employed, but still had to get some work done before heading out). First lesson, add about 5mph to any non-specific area-weather report when going to the beach. I'm guessing now that it was blowing at a solid 12mph. I take a moment to digest my surrounding. The beach is mostly empty, the wind is blowing down the beach (getting pulled down-wind wasn't going to dump me in the ocean or up into the sand dunes), and the tide seemed to be out. All good, so I start setting up the kite. The kite comes out first, I weigh down the trailing edge with sand, check the bridle for tangles, and than procede to unwind my lines. After gaining an education on keeping lines untangled, I finally get everything layed out. I connect the lines to the kite, walk back to the bar, put on the wrist leash, pick up the bar and brace myself for my first attempt. Heeding the manual, I had setup for a side of the window launch. It took 3 tries because I didn't know what I was doing, but I finally make the necessary mental connections to do an edge of the window launch and the kite goes airborn. It scared the crap out of me as it shot up to 12 o'clock. No matter how much your read, the first time you get pulled by a kite is a memorable experience. It's a testament to how solid this kite is that all it did was give me a short drag on my heels and than just sat in neutral. No overflying at all (since my first attempt, it has been my experience that the B5 will only overfly in winds of 6mph or less and I have been working it quite a bit to generate pull... it has only happened twice). I let it sit in neutral for a while, trying to get comfortable with the feel of it and than begin working it through the clock positions. It goes to and sits perfectly in each position making me feel like I know what I'm doing. I move on to doing wing stands on both edges of the window with no problems what so ever. Just flat out great control. So, I'm feeling a bit cocky and decide to move onto figure 8s. I go for a small one at the top of the window and get dragged about 10 feet ending up on my a$$, my adrenaline pumping, and a smile on my face from ear to ear. I also, at this moment, came to the conclusion that I needed a smaller kite to learn on (I bought a Slingshot Wasp1 and an Ozone Little Devil 3.0, to give quads a try, the following week). I played for a little while longer, mostly working the clock positions again. Basicly, I stayed out until I felt like my arms were going to fall off (the B5 is a hell of a work out if you aren't wearing a harness) Now that I have been flying for awhile, I've come to value the B5 even more and be alot less apprehensive about it. It's a great engine for landboarding and scudding. Jumping is an area I haven't attempted very much of, so I can't confidently comment on that aspect. I am hoping to convert it to a quad line to make pulling hard turns a bit less work and jumping an easier maneuver, but even on the bar the kite turns exceptionally well. Conclusion: If you are ready to upgrade to larger kite, I recommend the B5 highly. This should not be a "first" kite. No matter how many places you see it listed as beginner fiendly. Because of the size, you are more likely to hurt yourself than enjoy the learning process. I got lucky my first time out. Start with a 3m or 2m. After saying that, the B5 has a very strong build that will survive the inevitable crashes, a stability that makes it a joy to fly, enough power to keep most folks very satisfied and is a great value once you factor in the all it comes with in addition to the kite itself (as of this writing 5/2004, the 2003 series are still available and on clearance at most retailors in preperation for the 2004 line). By : slothart

my first kite! two years ago! I have never looked back. A pure two line kite on bar, after the obligitory learning curve. ploughing furrows in the sand with your shoulder, getting dumped in the sea. etc. etc. All good entertainment for anyone fortunate enough to be looking, it has my utmost respect and admiration. In that two years it has never let me down (and it's taken some stick) and has clocked up immearsurable miles with the buggy. Its three metres of controlability and power and when you get familiar with it and the bar you can place where you want in the window it has to be worked in moderate winds but i vary rarely get a slack line! In moderate to strong winds Wow!! I have just bought a second one,am putting my old one out to grass! Not a cheap kite but i have certainly had value for money. I have flown most kites in the same class and they all seem lazy in comparison but then maybe I'm biased. A difficult kite to find though as no one seems to stock the B series 3, 4, 5, in the U,K, (it's american) can anyone help me on this? By : Cyril Wickham