Things move on don't they? The same can be said in the kite world. In "Choosing your first power kite" we introduced some excellent kites such as the Ozone IMP and the Little Devil, some "average" kites such as the Eolo Radsail and in our opinion a poor kite - the Firebee.

In this, the second article of a series we'll discuss the choice of "traction kites" meaning kites designed to pull !

The increasing popularity of all terrain boards / mountainboards and indeed buggying means that its very hard to decide which kite to buy as part of a starter package.

Generally speaking kites for both these activities have 4 lines which offer excellent control. They're usually flown with handles or a control bar. Handles provide the best and most precise control but control bars are popular for landboarding and are more "natural" for those with watersports experience. However to complicate things, there are TWO types of control with a bar. Its worthwhile pointing out that almost ANY 4 line kite can be flown with a control bar but turns are usually slower and fine control is lost. The other type of control is "DEPOWER". If we take a look at Ozone's FRENZY it has been specifically designed so that the position of the bar relative to a line attached to the flier's harness alters the kite's POWER and SPEED to some extent. The kite and control system has to be designed to work in this way.

Lets get back to the "standard" 4 lines kites. What are we specifically looking for ?

The kite must develop enough power to pull the board or buggy. Since the wind strength changes kites are available in a range of sizes from less than 1m up to 11m plus. But we can't all afford to buy a full range of kites to cover every possible wind strength therefore we have to COMPROMISE. The best allround kites are in the range roughly 3m to 5m in size but they won't suit ALL conditions - that's a fact !

One of the most useable sizes is about 4 to 4.5m. It will fly in less than 3-4mph with little or no power, begin to produce useable power from about 8mph and really pull hard in 12-15mph. Therefore it has a good WINDRANGE. A smaller kite such as 3m will obviously pull LESS in the SAME wind but it will be useable in slightly higher winds, say up to 20mph or so. Conversely a 5-6m kite will pull HARDER in the same conditions therefore its more useful in lighter winds but if the wind suddenly picks up it can get dangerous.

We're often asked if a flyers weight affects the decision - well yes and no. On a board for example a lighter flyer might be able to use a kite one size less and still be effective but on a buggy it doesn't make that much difference as long as you have the physical strength and endurance to hold on. Obviously if a flyer is solely interested in being LIFTED (jumping) then weight does become a factor.

For simple recreational flying, fun flying and training a small kite such as a 1.4m to 2m kite is ideal - they're fast, not too intimidating and not too costly - and also a great introduction for younger flyers.

So in terms of kite size we'd suggest that a 3.5m to 4.5m kite is ideal for most activities. As budget permits a small kite in the region of 1.4m to 2.5m is very useful for high winds and a larger kite such as a 7.5m is good for lighter winds. The "in-between" sizes of 3m and 6m are sometimes difficult to justify - they're not particularly useful if you already have a 2m, 4.5m and 7.5m kite. If budget is tight then a 1.4m -2m kite would make an ideal start with a progression to 4.5m in time. The smaller kite will allow you to become a proficient kite flyer and if the wind is stronger (say 15 to 20mph) then it can be VERY interesting but don't go for that straight away! Large kites can also be very difficult to justify. They're great if you want to maximize flying in light conditions and of course they're essential for getting good performance (and speed) from a buggy in those conditions but realistically they don't get that much use and hence "value" becomes questionable.

What kites are available?

There are many kites worthy of consideration so we'll try to highlight the main differences and USPs (Unique Selling Points) of each kite:

Ozone Little Devil - A superb range of kites. The "LDs" are very stable and very easy to fly for beginners. They handle well in the air with no quirks at all. Construction is excellent (paraglider standard) with plenty of reinforced seams throughout therefore they're very durable and tough. The inclusive line set is SUPERB - prestretched and equalised. This is a MAJOR plus and saves so much aggravation. The 1.5m is incredibly fast , the 2.1m is fantastic in a high wind (well up to 30 mph) and the 4.5m is THE allrounder.

Disadvantages - very few. Graphically they're fairly plain (two colours) but still visually nice. In a higher wind they do bounce around on the ground and its essential to pull the trailing edge in a bit and weight it with sand. Attempting to land the kite in these conditions can be a little awkward at first but with practice and a positive but gentle control its fine. The bag is a simple drawstring bag but does it really matter ?

Flexifoil Bullet - Most kites from Flexifoil are good ! The Bullet seems to be a direct response to kites such as the Little Devil so its a hard act to follow. They perform well but maybe not quite as stable in some conditions with a slight tendancy to fold up. Its not too distracting but if you're used to LDs it can be offputting. The line set is good but not up to Ozone's standard. Graphically the Bullet is very good - simple but effective. Again on the plus side, the inclusive rucksack is great and the concise instructions are VERY good (very graphical and much better than Ozone's manual). The Bullets size range is also good - 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 therefore the 3.5 (pin particular) fills a useful gap.

Disadvantages - very few. As suggested, not as stable and "easy handling" as a Little Devil. Although the bag is nice you can only put one on your back at an one time!!!!

PKD Buster - The price of the Busters is SIGNIFICANTLY less than the Little Devil or Bullet so it HAS to be a contender. The price is kept low using strong but simple construction with little reinforcement so the Busters won't be as durable or stand up to repeated heavy crashes. However in the air they look good and the profile (shape) is very solid and smooth, a testament to good design and quality control by PKD. The line set is very average and both looks and feels cheap but it doesn't cost too much to replace it with a better quality set? For general use its fine. The Buster has a simple ripstop nylon drawstring bag and a concise instruction sheet. The Busters are available in 0.7m, 1.4m, 2.0m, 3.0m ,4.0m ,5.5m and 7.0m. The larger 5.5 and 7.0m don't fly quite as nicely as the others but they do provide light wind performance at a superb price. One daft thing - the handles (included) have a rope between them to loop over a harness. Everyone says it FAR TOO SHORT and it limits flying control.

Overall - very worthy of consideration. Difficult to beat for value for money. Its possible to get two sizes of Buster for a similar price to one LD or Bullet so they're extremely temping as a starter kite. Almost foolproof.

Peter Lynn C-Quads - The C-Quads seem to have been around for a long time. Unlike the Little Devils, Bullets and Busters, the C-Quads have a single skin. In this case they don'tfill up with air like an inflatable wing but they have a carbon fibre / glass fibre frame which gives the C-Quad's single layer of ripstop a semicircular shape. They are 4 line kites but the control is slightly different. You have to use the brake lines to steer rather than pulling on the main lines (firm left and right pulls on the main lines usually results in a crash). Its possible to fly the C-Quad much easier with a special curved control bar.

Although the C-Quads develop good power, they are a bit "quirky". The frame can break in a heavy crash but its replaceable. The packaging can be awkward - its a large circular bag not ideal to carry around. One big advantage is the price ! Overall probably an aquired taste but nevertheless popular kites and "different" !!

As a matter of interest other kites with a supporting frame CAN be used for buggying. The S-Kite is a fast and powerful 2-liner for example.

The Eolo-Gayla Radsails Pro has been developed by Andy Preston who used to work for Flexifoil. This new kite is a striking and individual design and its flies superbly. The standard Radsails receive mixed reviews however the "Pro" is altogether a MUCH better package. The overall standard of construction is adequate rather than good but once in the air the Radsails Pro is lively, fast and responsive - moreso than the Buster or Little Devil. The shape is not too dissimilar to a Blade but it doesn't have the lift of a Blade therefore is actually better on a buggy with excellent allround performance.

The Radsails Po is currently available in three sizes: 4m, 5m and 6m and comes complete with a backpack, lines and alloy handles.