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honchoboy
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DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Wed Aug 10, 2011 10:53 am

Hi all,

Does anyone have any opinions or own/flown any kites by Designkites. I am particuarly interested in the Defuse Mk1. They can be found here:

http://www.designkites.com/wp/category/ ... te-design/

I recently bid and won one a pre-owned from ebay, but i was quite drunk at the time of bidding :roll:

It has yet to arrive so am curious as to whether anyone else has experience of this designer and the Defuse Mk1 as after searching high and low i don't seem to find much info other than what is on their website.

Thanks in advance.
Ian
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mobius
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Wed Aug 10, 2011 6:43 pm

Although I've never seen one in the UK, I would imagine it is the smaller brother of the Define which Stephen used to win the individual Eurocup in 2009.

Not my cup of tea design-wise.. but certainly built by someone who knows what he's doing.
Dave Morley
 
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bryan beasley
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:05 pm

Yup, good kite and Top bloke Stephen. Highly recommended.

Bryan
 
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honchoboy
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:53 pm

Cheers guys - I think I may have been in the right place at the right time. Got it for what I consider a good price too. I honestly thought that I would be outbid but it appears to have gone under the radar of others who peruse ebay.

It arrived today and first impressions is that it certainly appears to ooze quality and it is immaculately stitched. Admittedly my knowledge of kites and comparisons is very limited but it looks to be extremely well built and a certain step-up from my Jive II. I do agree with you Mobius that looks-wise it is not really a head-turner but in the flesh it is actually better-looking than the website images suggest. (Funny that's what my wife says about me). Not sure why but it just does. The bridle alone looks a class act.

As mentioned before I do not have much to compare to but I will put up a review plus pictures when I have put in some hours flying with it.
Ian
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Fri Aug 12, 2011 9:33 am

you might have to add some tailweight because iirc it wasn't there by default.
The MK2 did have it.
Then again, if you bought it second hand chances are it was allready installed.
 
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honchoboy
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Sun Aug 14, 2011 10:40 pm

Cheers Kareloh - your memory does serve you correct. There is no tailweight with it. I have had a very short spell with it today and it was VERY nice, but I am gonna get out with it this week and try it with weight - I do have 14g which I am thinking of using, would you say this is about right? Also the yoyo stoppers aren't on it, i can see that they were once upon a time so I will sort this out.

Hopefully will have a review up by week end - gonna go to Fleetwood on Sunday and put it in the hands of people who know there stuff and can give me a 2nd, 3rd, 4th?? opinion.
Ian
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Thu Aug 25, 2011 9:28 pm

honchoboy wrote:
...and put it in the hands of people who know there stuff...


Not sure about knowing my 'stuff' but I'm sure that bridal could be tweeked some! It has the turning circle of dustbin lorry!
Driving a VW Camper, flying Bensons! (OS, Gemini, DS)
 
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:30 pm

I like how Simon described it - 'flys like a pig don't it'

I have been holding off posting back on this as, as Gaz hints at, it really didn't fly that well in the breeze (thats being polite), yet the common consensus was that it needed a bit of looking at setup-wise before making a judgement. The turning circle was HUGE.

Well I have now put 10g weight on it (manual states anywhere between 10-20) and Iam going to play around with the bridle over the Portsmouth weekend. I have also been in touch with Stephen (the guy who made it) and he happens to be flying over from Holland and attending Portsmouth - so the plan is to meet up with him so I can put it in his hands to see what it is capable of and adjust as necessary

Frustrating really as I am sure that she is a beautiful swan but at present she's too content being the ugly duckling.
Ian
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Tue Sep 06, 2011 7:30 pm

honchoboy wrote:
I like how Simon described it - 'flys like a pig don't it'
Frustrating really as I am sure that she is a beautiful swan but at present she's too content being the ugly duckling.

You could try sending Stephen [from Designkites] a mail.
He's is known to be a helpfull bloke.
remember: amateurs built the ark ..
professionals built the Titanic.

PLEASE......NO TAILS ....
 
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:49 am

Hi there Lex B,

I actually met up with Stephen at the Portsmouth Kite Festivla and yes, he is a very helpful guy. We had a talk about the kite and it turns out that the kite had been slightly changed by the previous owner from how it left Stephens hands. It had been re-spared with P100 whereas Stephen had built it using P200. Due to this the kite was flexing in ways it shouldn't and so with his suggestion i have now changed these to 5PT and this has removed the flexing. Again, with Stephens suggestion i have also upped the weight to 15g which sits about 7cm behind the centre-T. It had a fly in much better pilots hands than mine at Portsmouth (thought the wind was at the top-end of the kites range) and it did perform. Very nice and flat in spins and stable on its back. It was really good to see what could be got out of it. The only thing i am still fine-tuning is the bridle - it is spinning in quite a wide-arc but to be honest I am now starting to get used to this and it is not bothering me as much as it first did. It really does seem to like a wind at around 12mph+ and will always fly as straight as a die. It is fair to say that this kite is really beginning to grow on me.
Ian
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Lex B
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Sat Oct 01, 2011 10:28 pm

Glad to be of help
Or, pointing in the right direction ;-)
remember: amateurs built the ark ..
professionals built the Titanic.

PLEASE......NO TAILS ....
 
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Sat Dec 03, 2011 3:25 pm

:-D Hi new to this forum but have been flying for about 20 years. Re the Defuse mk1 have had one since they came out and love it,with or without a weight. Mine turns quite tight but i do play with bridle settings. Dont be afraid of moving the bridle settings BUT have pen paper and measure to make notes!!!!!. Other kites in quiver include Matrix , several Spirit of air,2 Level 7 !! (great kites once you get your head round them ),3 Psyco and some 4 line.
 
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Sun Dec 04, 2011 2:03 pm

timorohn wrote:
:-D Hi new to this forum but have been flying for about 20 years. Re the Defuse mk1 have had one since they came out and love it,with or without a weight. Mine turns quite tight but i do play with bridle settings. Dont be afraid of moving the bridle settings BUT have pen paper and measure to make notes!!!!!. Other kites in quiver include Matrix , several Spirit of air,2 Level 7 !! (great kites once you get your head round them ),3 Psyco and some 4 line.

WeLcOmE !!!!!!!!!!
and have fun reading and reacting on this fab. Forum....
remember: amateurs built the ark ..
professionals built the Titanic.

PLEASE......NO TAILS ....
 
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Mon Dec 05, 2011 10:30 am

Hello and welcome timorohn to FA. Now that you have found the forum I am sure you will enjopy your time here.

I must say that I really do like the Defuse now. It did take quite a while to get used to it (and it didn't help that it was re-framed wrong) but now I wouldn't want to be without it. Compared to other kites I have flown I would say it is quite slow in flight but this is now one of the attributes that i particuarly like. I always feel like I have time to think with this kite. The one thing that I have found though is that once on its back I can't linger before giving it something to do otherwise it can plummet like a stone, but I am guessing this has more to do with me than the kite.

I do need to spend more time playing with the bridle - What measurements have you got the bridle set at timorohn?

I spent a whole day playing around with weights and I probably learnt more in that day about how it affected a kite than I thought possible. I have stuck with the 15g but now moved them furthur down the spine so they are sitting under the spine tunnel - IMO this has helped it sit better and for longer in a fade and 'tighter' flic-flacs. I have also learnt that I don't find it easy to get to grips with learning a new trick on the Defuse but once I have learnt it on another kite (I swear by the Jive II for this, it is so forgiving) I can then do it much better and prettier on the Defuse.

Although not everyones cup of tea if i lost this kite I would hunt down a replacement, or the thief, without hesitation.
Ian
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Re: DesignKites Defuse Mk 1 - Opinions wanted pls

Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:16 am

I know Stephen has a few MKII sails in stock. Perhaps he's willing to sell one to you.
The colors are quite nice on those.

Thread on Dutch forum:

http://www.vliegerwereld.nl/phpbb/viewt ... f=7&t=5778

designkites wrote:
Allicht is het jullie al opgevallen dat Designkites langzaam aan het transformeren is van sport vlieger producent naar evenementen organisatie...
http://www.designkites.com/wp/activities/

Echter liggen nog de resten van 12,5 jaar vlieger productie.

Mijn vraag is dan ook; is het interessant voor jullie om een los vlieger zeiltje te kopen met een bouw beschrijving erbij van stokken en toom? Dus hiermee kun je in een uur tot 2 je eigen vlieger framen en afbouwen, allicht moet jezelf de stokken ect aanschaffen, echter geeft dit ook de vrijheid om te bepalen wat je erin gaat stoppen (merk en zwaarte).

Het meest interessante van deze deal is dat ik de zeiltjes goedkoop van de hand kan doen.
Zeiltje Define mark 2 (kleur blauw/rood/grijs) zal 30 euro kosten, inclusief bedrukte zak.
Zeiltje Defuse mark 2 (kleur blauw/rood/grijs) zal 25 euro kosten, inclusief bedrukte zak.
Kijk hier even voor foto's van de vliegers;
http://www.designkites.com/wp/category/publications/shop/

Leuke deal of niet? #-o
(indien er genoeg animo is zal ik een bouwbeschrijving samenstellen om mee te sturen)