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sftonkin
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Akuji UL

Sun May 21, 2006 5:12 pm

Not a proper review; more like a "mini-rave".

My deepening Akuji addiction has just been fed by our local kite-pushers. Typically for when one buys a UL, the winds were ballistic for the next few days after it arrived. Consequently, it had its first flight today in somewhat less than ideal conditions.

The wind was varying between about 2 and 12 mph, gusty, varying in direction through about 30 degrees and turbulent owing to nearby trees. Despite that, I "clicked" with the kite almost immediately. It is easy to rotate in all three axes (pitch, roll and yaw) and seems to recover from almost anything that this somewhat ham-fisted flyer contrived to get it into. When I got the timing right, I pulled off the flattest, floatiest axels that I have ever done on anything.

I only managed to fly for an hour or so before the rain intervened, but I think this is already my favourite of the Akuji kites. It's hard to explain. At the risk of being fanciful, and possibly a candidate for Pseud's Corner: with the comp, I feel as though it wants me to tell it what to do and it will do it willingly and competently; with the SUL, I feel as though it knows what it wants to do and my job is to help it do it; with the UL it felt like a mixture of both, something along the lines of if I wanted to do something, it would teach me how to do it. OK, definitely Pseud's Corner.... 8)
 
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Craig
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Sun May 21, 2006 5:17 pm

Glad to hear how well your enjoying it :D
 
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Neil E
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Sun Jul 16, 2006 4:03 pm

Anyone got any more to add to this? - i'm after a true 'very light wind dualie' and currently own an Amazing from Level One - a good indoor kite indeed, capable of tricks but not a true 'trick kite' per se (at least in my hands).

I've tried getting a peep at the vid of it but its in Realplayer - can anyone perform the magic needed to change it so I can see it along the usual channels?

Also, I notice the UL is rated 1 - 6 mph and the SUL 0 - 5 mph, the differance in wind ratings is marginal, would the UL not be (almost) as efficient at 'no'wind' with walking speed as the SUL??

Thanks :D
KITE Rx
 
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Craig
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Sun Jul 16, 2006 10:17 pm

Neil it sounds like you need the SUL rather than the UL.
 
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Zippy8
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:43 pm

Having cruelly, yes cruelly, relieved from Mr. Tonkin of this kite and leaving him with nothing to console himself but a minty fresh Dot Matrix :wink: I took it out for a little punt.

Damn but that's a nice kite ! I'm not completely sure that it's really a UL or whether or not it should just be a lower case 'u'. The stated 1mph might be there with more airtime but it feels like it's tolerating the low winds, rather than enjoying them. However given enough wind to get it moving it's just lovely.

It seems to be very much into tricking rather than any pretence towards being a polyvalent kite. Very quick in pitch, nicely controllable in rotation. It really hides its 2.4m span and moves nimbly.

I now just hope that he doesn't want the kite back now or I'll have to buy a new 'un. :-)

Mike.
 
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Craig
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:54 pm

I've always thought of it as a light standard rather than a fully fledged UL, get yourself a set of 5PT spreaders and an extra 5g weight and you have yourself a nice standard too :cool:
 
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kareloh
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:05 pm

Seems like you are connecting very well with it, Mike.
 
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sftonkin
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:09 pm

Zippy8 wrote:
Having cruelly, yes cruelly, relieved from Mr. Tonkin of this kite and leaving him with nothing to console himself but a minty fresh Dot Matrix :wink:


And, no doubt, the first attempt to deliver that will be when I'm out... (the tracking link you gave says it left Finland in the early hours of this morning).


Damn but that's a nice kite ! I'm not completely sure that it's really a UL


Glad you like it! -- I think (hope?!?) I mentioned it being more like a "light standard" than a real UL???


I now just hope that he doesn't want the kite back now or I'll have to buy a new 'un. :-)


Ah well, if the DM is as nice to fly as I recall, we'll both feel like we're winners. :-) (But you know where to get a nice red Akuji UL from anyway :-) )
 
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:32 pm

kareloh wrote:
Seems like you are connecting very well with it, Mike.
:lol: LMFAO :P
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Zippy8
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:44 pm

I shall be ignoring that :P

I think it has been mentioned before that the UL is more of an L but the wind range is still quoted as being 1 to 6mph, which even on an initial outing seems... implausible.... at both ends.

Mike.
 
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fworley
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Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:57 pm

I think it'd be alright in 6mh ... it won't fly in 1mph ... no way.

And besides thats what their SUL is for.

-Frazer
 
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Zippy8
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Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:09 pm

I had a longer fly with it this morning (lakes still frozen so making use of them).

I really do have to reiterate that whilst I really like this kite I'd be a lot less impressed if I'd paid money expecting a UL with a wind range starting at 1mph. When I started having problems with it I switched to the Sin, which has a stated minimum wind speed of Beaufort 1 (or call it 2mph). The Sin was fully powered up and wasn't even on the lightest bridle setting. Also when the wind kicked up into low double figures the Akuji failed to explode. Would someone more familiar with this kite think 3 to 12mph a more realistic wind range ?

But never mind that, get it flying and it's a beaut. Pitchy without being nervous, easily spun and asking for you to string off-the-cuff combos. together. I wouldn't bother even trying to bang out figures with this kite. Sod that and get some slack into the lines.

I'll tell you what it does remind me of - a sort of post-millennial Elixir. It's got that same flick 'n' trick, groovy feeling. And that would be a good thing. :-)

Mike.
 
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Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:40 pm

I'd be amazed if the SUL flies at 1mph let alone the UL. There isn't a lot of sail there and most of it is wingtip.
Rob
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Craig
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Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:50 pm

I've previously said 2-8 for the UL and 0-4 for the SUL, I've also said that no kite will fly by itself in 0, it takes movement to fly sport kites one way or the other.
 
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sftonkin
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Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:07 pm

Agree about the UL, but it will go up to 10-12mph with 5pt LS. As for bridling it, don't use the inner knot: it loses almost all response. 2nd knot in really low winds, 4th for normal.... I'd say 2-10-ish with the 3pt LS and no roll bars or tail weight.

As for the SUL, if anyone remembers when young Mr Goff put mine through its paces up at Dunstable one Friday evening when nothing else would fly....