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I got into sport-kiting as a young lad, but for various reasons had to give it up at age 12. Some 18 years later, I've suddenly and thoroughly gotten back into the sport, thanks to an unexpected (and wonderful) combination of factors. Having come from an era where kites were all about precision, speed, edge-handling, and pure, unadulterated performance (as opposed to all of the ultra-dainty, light-wind trickery that seems so popular today), it is not only appropriate but predictable that my online research would lead me directly to the HQ Symphony 2.7 as my first modern-day kite purchase. To say I was utterly blown away would be an understatement (as well as an atrocious attempt at a pun). First off, having read oh so many reviews of the kite and the company, I was expecting excellent build quality. I was not disappointed. The kite arrived in a neat, well-constructed rucksack, replete with lines (on a smallish, but thoroughly adequate winder) and decently constructed padded handles with polished metal D-rings to which to secure the lines. The kite itself was perfectly sewn and measured, with precise, fully sewn bridle lines that have since stood up well to hard-core stretching and wear. The inlets are reinforced, the trailing edge doubly so, and everything has nice, precise double-stitching. The only beef I have with the build quality lies in the lines, which display tons of tiny frays after only a couple of weeks of abuse (but they still stand up to wind well out of the kite's advertised range, so I guess it doesn't matter much -- more on that later). This kite is a pure "stunt foil." As I understand this category, a "stunt foil" is supposed to provide one with roughly the performance envelope of a traditional framed stunt kite without -- well -- the frame -- thereby enabling one to truly take the kite anywhere. Not quite so with the 2.7, as the rucksack will comfortably fit into a largish backpack, or attach to a Camelbak, but not without taking up a bit of space, say, about as much as a deflated single bedroll folded over on itself. Still, it's extremely transportable, vastly moreso than an elder framed kite. Still, on backpacking trips, I'd prefer to take something much smaller, like a Prism Snapshot or one of the smaller Symphonies. In the air, it will perform, and perform well, in more or less exactly the wind range the manufacturer specifies. I've gotten this thing up and happily flying in winds that are barely enough to feel on the back of one's neck (4ish mph), and in such winds, it gently floats from one end of the window to the other, tracking solidly and precisely. (And that's with custom-made 6 foot tails on each wingtip, which add at least some degree of drag.) In stronger winds, this thing will absolutely scream along, making a delightful whooshing sound as air streams into the inlets. In such winds, it's far faster than one would expect of a foil of it's size (roughly 2 square meters), and the pull is atrocious. Unless you're a descendant of Hercules himself, be prepared to tire and/or suffer from pulled muscles after only 10 minutes or so tracking this thing across the power zone in 20+mph winds, as it generates a LOT of pull for its size. Nevertheless, as fast and hard-pulling as it is, this kite never fails to give one quite a helping of precision control. It's got a lovely cross-over bridle, which, coupled with its highly elliptical form, gives it extraordinary turning performance. This kite will push-turn almost on its axis in higher winds, while steadfastly resisting collapse in every position save the absolute edge of the window. When it does collapse (which is rare, but inevitable in gusty, unstable winds at the edges of the window), I can recover approximately 80% of the time by tugging a couple of times on the lines. Having let a few people try it and having used it in a variety of conditions myself, I'd say that this is not a good kite for buggying, boarding, or any such application, if only because the pull isn't really controllable. Take the kite to the top of the window, and it generates manageable lift in a strong wind, but put it in the power zone, and you're pulled right into the land of Oz with little recourse if the wind is 15+mph. It's very fun to do tricks with, however, and mine has resisted enough hard landings into gravel to make it a good kite to hand over to a newcomer (as long as said newcomer weighs more than 150lbs). In sum, this kite is very well made, fun, fast, stable, precise, and well worth the $139 one can get it for off of the internet these days. If you're a veteran of old-style framed stunt kites like I am, you can't go wrong with this. However, unless you're looking for a severe workout if winds top 15+mph regularly in your area, I'd probably downgrade to the Symphony 2.2. Or lift weights a lot....... your choice. By : kairusan

Basically, I wanted to find a good starter foil that would get me into kiting. Materials: The HQ Symphony comes RTF with flying lines and strap handles. The quality of the kite is very impressive given what you are paying for it (around $50.00) and since this is my first foil kite, it definitely has had its fair share of crashes in the beginning. The edges of the kite are double-stitched for added durability. The carrying bag is basically a fanny pack so forget about looking cool on the beach but it's appropriate since it is a small kite. I've flown this kite quite a bit since I bought it and it is still in great condition. The straps are very durable and should last a long time given the type of flying you will be doing with this kite. Flying: Since this is a smaller kite, it favors stronger winds. It is a challenge to keep it flying in winds under 5 mph. However, in winds of 10 mph or more the kite flys great. It is very responsive and turns very quickly. It very rarely has overflown the zenith and will fly great accross the window with overall good stability. Conclusion: This would be a great kite for anybody would like to start flying and getting involved in kiting. It definitely has suceeded in getting me addicted to kiting and wanting to progress further. I have since bought my first quad line kite and even though it is a completely different animal, many of the priniciples that I have learned from flying the symphony are the same including packing your lines and packing the kite itself. By : corsair

Trevone, Cornwall, 2003 For the last year or so we've been having fun with a basic £10 delta-wing stunt kite (one flies it, the other two become moving targets trying to avoid being hit by the kite). Probably not the most sensible thing to do, especially considering our ages - 32, 33 and 60, so don't try this at home kids! A few days of this and we're ready to move on - wind becomes too strong for our cheap kite and yet we see others with parafoils. Of course, casual interest leads to curiosity, which leads to greater interest and then ultimately desire - we need to get one for ourselves. A trip to Marazion sorts it out - we visit Lodey's place (www.lodeysails.com) and get hold of a HQ Symphony 1.8 softfoil. Nice bloke in shop tells me at my weight (15.5 stone) I'll get a reasonable pull, "especially in this wind". Give him £54.95, leave shop with the words ringing in my ears "you'll be wanting a bigger one soon". "I doubt it" I say to myself - how little I knew! HQ Symphony 1.8 Two lines, wrist loops, line winder, neat small orange storage bag + instructions = £54.95 = big smile! Get to Travone - nice gusty wind. Get the kite out and away we go. Definately a nice fast kite, eager to fly, quick to turn. Tests the reflexes extremely well and on a day of strong winds, pulls very well for what I now know is a smallish kite. Then disaster - leaning back whilst in the power zone one line snaps. I suddenly find myself sitting in damp sand with a watching wife who is bent over laughing. The sand is easy to get rid of but the pride is damaged... No matter, new knot, re-attach to kite with newly learnt larkshead knot and away we go again. SNAP. Stayed upright this time but getting a little frustrated. New knot, re-attach, re-launch....SNAP. Aaarggh! The fading light gives a good excuse to call it a day. Taking a step back in the comfort of our holiday bungalow, I realise the size of the kite alone isn't important, it's the relation to the strength of the wind. Taking that into consideration, the kite is fantastic for such a cheap, small package. The lines need to be stronger but that can be addressed at a later date. The willingness of the symphony to fly no matter how much wind there is (little or lots) makes up for the weak lines. After a few days of the wife, sister in law and mother in law (and, it's hard to admit, myself) smacking the kite into the beach a high speed has done very little to damage the kite. Okay so there's a small, 1/2 inch hole in the underside but it still flies brilliantly. What's more, there's a fantastic new whoosh-ing sound that's pretty satisfying. If you want a kite to take anywhere that doesn't take up a lot of room, always eager to fly no matter how little wind, and something just to have fun, then you can't go wrong with the HQ Symphony 1.8. If you want to jump, buggy, surf.... anything else but above then you'll need something bigger. For me..... just received a PKD Buster 3.0m...... Lodey bloke - you were right! By : Adrian G

HQ Symphony 4.1 purchased December 2004, Cost £138 Supplied as a two-line kite in a square nylon bag with Velcro fastening and small hanging loop at one end. Lines supplied on winder with respective red and black sleeving and blue and black padded wrist straps First outing was on Xmas day (much to the annoyance of the kids) but due to high tide could not be flown on the beach so we had to make do with flat grassland backing onto the dunes. Flying in a moderate wind the kite felt strong and on lift off had me running forward with the pull. At the zenith the kite felt light and controllable. Didn't wish to try anything more adventurous at this stage and given it was getting dark we packed up and headed home for a late Xmas lunch by candlelight (very annoyed kids) Second outing was on Boxing Day mid morning to catch the low tide, again a moderate wind and again lifted off with good pull. We were just cruising about around the zenith dropping it down into the power window to get the feel of things and pulling a few small scuds. Scary but controllable. Spectators were well impressed with the occasional gasp as they watched in awe. Someone even started taking photos, which filled me with confidence. Then I took me eye off the ball and one edge of the kite folded flying at the edge of the window so I pulled it straight and as it filled with air it bit and suddenly pulled like a train lifting me off my feet and over. I crashed down on my side bruising my thigh, arm, shoulder and nearly knocked myself out as my head hit the sand (who said sand was soft). Held onto the kite though which had landed amongst the concrete sea defences. Pulled myself together and although hurting launched again to save what little credibility I had left, but with confidence drained soon let it down and returned to the Symphony 2.2 Third outing was in similar conditions but having a little more respect this time I was watching it like a hawk. However had a similar problem with folding and again during the unfold got pulled over again. I was ready this time and fell better. Just ripped a big hold in my jeans and got sand burn as I got dragged down the beach. I stopped, and just as I was getting up it pulled again, Id had enough so I let go, fortunately the kite was on the ground and the better half ran and retrieved it. Packed it straight away I've since flown it in no wind (relatively easy to get it airborne) and light winds and got used to handling it better. It's slower in the turn than the 2.2 but still fast and good for scudding and skimming the ground at low level and very controllable on two lines. But as soon as the wind gets up it feels scary. I've now bought a kit to convert it to 4 lines (£9) but have also had to purchase handles, additional lines and kite killers (in case I have to let go again). Ill report on flying with 4 lines on a later review In general I'm pleased with the kite, it's a lot of kit for the money when compared with others, just need to build my confidence up again. In low winds its fine and great fun but gets scary as the wind rises. I'm hoping that the 4 line kit will tame its unpredictable temperament because when it pulls it pulls and its all side pull hence getting pulled over rather than up. A good cheap way to experience big kiting without the expenditure just treat it with respect and start in low winds until you get the feel of it By : PeatyMcBog

The symphony 1.4 was my second kite and second symphony after I'd been playing with my 2.2 for a few months. I bought it second hand for £15 after getting pestered by my young daughters who were finding the 2.2 too powerful (they were only 8 and 10 years old!) It packs down almost to pocket size in it's own pouch complete with belt loop. It's a two line kite with an attractive rainbow pattern. Being second hand, the ripstop nylon had lost it's crispness but the construction was still sound. The supplied lines were pretty naff and had several knots so I flew it on the 2.2's lines and handles. I first put it up in about 30 mph winds at Pembrey on 30m lines. It was totally controllable and blisteringly fast. Since then, noth girls have found it great fun to use in mild winds and I tend to put it up in heavier winds when the pull on the 2.2 gets too much. All in all a great fun kite to have for really windy days - the speed is great fun and now I'm moving on to slowing it down and practising fine control. I'm having so much fun with it that I'm looking for another so there's always one in each car! The only downside recently was buying another off ebay recently. The trader was fine, I paid £18 in all, but the lines were very thick heavy nylon on individual winders. After the sleek smooth dyneema lines of the 2.2 these would have weighted the kite down too much in lighter airs so I sold it on... (but now regret it as, since then I've got more line sets so wuld have had a set to use... Conclusion A great fun fast foil kite. It isn't suitable for traction or lift, but for sheer fun and speed through the air it's hard to beat for the money! By : beara

HQ make a range of foils, the Symphonies. They come in 1.4, 1.8, 2.7 and 3.3 sizes. Why HQ have decided to break with tradition and size the foils by wingspan remains a mystery, maybe it gives the impression of a larger foil for your money, but that is just me being cynical I guess. I started with the 1.8, a fast 2 line foil, in a neat bag. Neat, but not strong, the seams burst after about a week, and the bag is now mostly constructed from Gaffa tape. It is VERY portable though, about half a sheet of A4 in size when packed away. The foil flies very FAST, and on 30 m lines (supplied) with wrist straps (supplied) is great for tuning your reactions. It has a large window of flight, survives being smacked into the ground by nieces and nephews, flown into cliffs by friends and other abuse. The foil is well made and has vented cells along its span, helping to keep the foil inflated at all times. I have not used it for buggying, but have used it in high winds to tow me on a skateboard, and it works fine! The 3.3 was bought about 6wks after I had the 1.8. It is a completely different beasty. The bridle is well made, and has stitched joins. The foil itself has attachment points for a set of brake bridles, which I made up from the plans on the Invento web site. I flew 2 line for a long time to get used to the significant difference in power of the 3.3. The foil flies fast and turns quickly, making good power. At 60 kg, the foil even drags me off the floor, along the floor and in the buggy, works very well. 4 line control opens up the foil to new heights of enjoyment. At 2.5 m2, it is never going to be a diesel, but pulls well enough in medium to high winds. The foil is stable in flight and you can fly backwards, reverse launch, turn almost on a tip with little deflection of the foil, just some puckering of the TE. Re inflation from a luff is fast, though this is rarely required. The foil will sit at the edge of the window and at the zenith happily, giving you time to rest. No Blade-like overhead lift, so less scary.... If the foil does get wet on the beach, it will still fly! There is a mesh across the LE which helps to keep the sand out, and the foil dries very quickly. For buggy use in high winds, or for a beginner in low to medium wind, this foil is perfect. I have tried the HQ Quad Symphony 2.5 a friend has just bought, and the 2 foils fly very much the same. My 3.3 is marginally faster, being an updated profile of the old 3.3, which the Quad 2.5 is a copy of, be it with brake bridles already installed. The Quad 2.5 does not have the sewn over A, B, and C lines though. To sum up: I LOVE these foils, they are cheap, well made, easy to fly, powerful in the right winds and easy to get to grips with. They can also be had a ridiculous discount due to the fact that the 3.3 and Quad range foils are being phased out of prioduction and replaced with the Traction Quad range from HQ/Invento. Go get one, you will not be disappointed if you are new to the sport and on a limited budget. By : Racing Snake

HQ Symphony 4.1 4 Line conversion kit purchased February 2005, Cost £8.95 The 4 line conversion kit is supplied by HQ and consists of two sets of brake lines with each running into four lines that attach to the loops on the trailing edge of the kite. The two brake lines have four setting with approximately 50mm between each Once you have the brake lines you then need to purchase handles and lines unless you already have them . Although we brought unmade up lines on reels and made them up ourselves so had to purchase a line needle and a little sleeving which is surprisingly easy and cost less than buying ready made lines. We also purchased kite killers for security! Anyway the additional cost totalled £42.43 We decided to fit the lines kit indoors out of the wind and it was easy, we then took it for its first flight. We were very disappointed; in 10 to 15mph winds the kite was slow and wouldn't even reach the zenith adjusted the brake line setting but still no better. Managed to pull a few scuds so it still had potential but nothing like the way it performed as a 2 liner. Very disappointed to say the least, this wasn't going to be a 4 liner Thinking about it over the next few days we decided to detach the brake lines and check the lengths and sure enough each of the trailing edge lines were different lengths, something we hadn't noticed before, doh! So after reattaching them correctly, we were waiting for the right day to try them out again. Forecast was for 20mph winds and I had the indoors for an audience. What a difference, with the lines fitted correctly, the kite behaved much better, easy to reach the zenith and move round the window, bags of controllable pull and reasonable lift, in fact the indoors thought I was going to take off at one point. I was pulling scuds no problem and was able to back it off slow down and then start the scud again. I felt safe doing so in the knowledge that I had the killers to fall back on in the event of problems, although I didn't have to. After wearing myself out and with extreme arm fatigue decided to call it a day but with big smiles In conclusion the kites performance is reduced in a 4 line setup, it does not have the speed of turn or general agility in the sky. It is easier to self-launch though in 4 line mode. From my point of view having had a couple of scary incidents in 2 line mode (see earlier review) its given me the confidence to fly it in higher winds without worrying about being pulled over as the killers are fitted. Ive not tried them out but the better half has and the kite did come down, although she says it was still pulling as it did and went into a spiral causing us lost time in untangling the lines. The kite does brake on the rear lines but not well, I guess its our inexperience or settings. The brake kit is easy to detach so in lower winds it can be removed and used in 2 line mode then refitted for higher wind days. For us this is our first foray into 4 lines so fairly cheap to 'test the water' with a largish kite By : PeatyMcBog

I got this kite about two years ago in Poole and first of all I was very disappointed when I realized that it was not a 3.3 m². That’s just a marketing game of HQ to make it sounds like bigger. The Kite comes alone (without lines, handles) in a very simple bag. The construction itself is quite good for the price. Has very strong bridles and the sewing is quite well done. I’ve already flied this kite in very strong winds and it still looks like new. I made the mistake to take 2 years flying it just in 4 lines. And being disappointed whit it most of the times. The brake lines drag completely the kite and have serious problems to go to zenith. In strong winds it was pulling me more to the front then to the places a good kite would pull you. The window is relatively small and it lufts very easily. ...but when I took the brake lines away it behaves completely different. As the wind beat the kite it flew straight to the zenith. It was very stable, quick and powerful. The shape looked much better and the window got bigger. I could also solve this problem of the brake lines with power rings. They really worked with this kite. All in all it’s a recreational kite, but in strong winds (more than 15mph) it can work as a traction kite for bugging or mountainboarding. The uplift is strong and you can also use for small jumps. I’m 72 kilos and I could do some in medium to strong winds. Be careful with gusty winds! Its not a stable kite, but has its fun factor. They are cheap, but I think you can have something better for this price (maybe a Radsail or even a Firebee). I’m not English speaker (brasilian) so, sorry for eventual mistakes. Author : one more