Fractured Axel

I'm thinking of dipping a toe into the dark waters of Quads in the near future as an alternative to my 2 liners. I've never flown a quad and it's unlikely I'll be able to get anywhere easily to try someone elses. I'm only going to be flying for fun, so I need something beginner friendly with a decent wind range as I'm not planning to buy more than one (...ho.ho.ho....I know , I know... I said the same when I started 2 liners!). I'm probably going to have £100 or so to spend so what to go for?

1) A secondhand Rev - I know a lot of folks still think these are the best and if I don't get on with it I know I can move it on for probably what I paid for it, but which one to go for?

2) HQ Mojo - I quite like the look of these but are they any good? Am I going to be looking for something else in a few months?

3) A Chinese Quad from 4M - I've read that these are good but also that they may need a little tweeking from the bag to get them flying right so maybe not suitable for a Quad novice?

4) Any other suggestions?

Any thoughts, tips, advice greatfully received!!

Thanks

Personal comment would be for a second hand rev. preferably a 1.5 sle would be good, it got me going in these.
Don't forget a bit of cash for the handcuffs!!! as a sports flyer you'll be used to moving around a lot, but when starting on revs you don't need so much arm movement, it's all in the wrists to start with to get the basics nailed.
Good luck and enjoy.

As Peter says...Second hand rev... Go for an SLE or B series. I know plod on here was offering an SLE for sale only last week for around that sort of money - looked a tidy enough kite too.

Here's link to the info http://fracturedaxel.co.uk/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=11533

Cheers
STEVE

I'd go for plods kite. It only has the bigger of the 2 frames, but does the job and better for the beginner. Wind range doesn't go as low, but you'll probably have your trick kites out then.

Broady wrote:

I'd go for plods kite. It only has the bigger of the 2 frames, but does the job and better for the beginner. Wind range doesn't go as low, but you'll probably have your trick kites out then.

Yes it's a nice looking kite but it's going to be a couple of months before I can really get the cash together otherwise I would have gone for it. I'm just trying to get an idea of what to look for at the moment and the Rev seems to be the popular option.

If you do decide to go for it I could maybe courier it to you on a visit up to Lincoln. Maybe even a bit of a flying session too?
I've gotta give plod a single line delta kite sometime if he wants it.
Let me know

Do you travel about much Steve? I fly over at Ferry Meadows P'boro alot and have quite a few WS4LK's which include American Revs, some chinese Albas and a few other designs by custom builders. I can throw up what ever you like and you can see what you prefer. If you pick a sunday when the local kite club are in session its usually a good turnout.

I'll try and give you an impartial review here and leave my politics etc out of it

4mkites on Ebay sell quite decent Albatross Rev type kites. But they have a probs, the main one is size, he sells 3 different sizes and only one is 1.5 sized with interchangable spars etc with the Rev. Also the material they use varys from nylon to a version of icarex they call PC40.
The "dyneema flying lines" are also very poor, they are way too heavy and knot up at the slightest wiff of a twist in the line. Those lines on a rev newcomer could be enough to put them off for good they're so heavy and bad. Handles are very good, weights are around the same as a Rev although the Alba spars are more consistant in weight I've found.
The kites themselves are very well made, are all stitched (no prints) and fly almost identical to Revolution's 1.5 series. Last year I flew my Alba twice as much as my 1.5b and the Alba still looks like new, the Rev looks looks worn particually round the leading edge.
If you get the right kite and replace the lines you can get a bargain flyer, but it'll always be chinese and you'll always wonder what a Rev is like and want one if you get into it.


With a Revolution kite you get a great package but at a price. The handles and lines included are great you also get a DVD and if you buy a 1.5b you get a set of light spars along with the regular ones. In light wind they come in very handy and if you add the cost of them up you'll understand a little more of what you're paying for. Its a nice package and opening it all up when you get it delivered is quite satisfying for the first time. Of course they all fly really well and you know that because its a Rev you're getting exactly what you should do, if it's not flying right its probably technique or setup plus you can go ask on the Rev forum and they'll help you/say welcome to the darkide like a bunch of sheep. If you are considering an EXP dont, get a chinese Alba instead.
Second hand Rev's tend to have been well looked after but watch out for people who sell you them with crappy chinese lines or well worn leading edges, the line thing seems to happen alot atm and the people that do it should burned at the stake.
Quality isnt quite what it used to be IMHO, I heard they changed their manufacturing base to mexico but that might just be rumour and they wouldnt tell you or anyone else if they did. I'd go as far as to say Albatross and many of the bespoke sail makers do a better job now with quality, I've also found they need repair sooner than Alba's.

Thats my opinion, many I'm sure will think different but its 2.20am and I need sleep

Thanks for that Jezza, it gives me something to think about. I'm not a million miles from Peterborough - about 40 actually - but I'm a full time carer so getting to events is often difficult especially at weekends but I'll try and get down later in the year.

Basically I've got my dual line bag sorted how I like it - I can cover about 2-47mph in theory!! There's nothing much 2 line at the moment I fancy but having watched some youtube vids I do fancy a play with a quad so I'm saving up for that. I like HQ kites, but I'm not sure if their quads are the 'real thing'..you don't see them coming up secondhand - I'm not sure if thats good or bad - and new they are going to cost the same as a secondhand Rev. I like the Chinese designs and I know the quality is generally good for the price but it seems to me they would be a better buy for someone with some quad experience rather than a complete quad novice like me.

So at the moment I think I'm looking at probably a secondhand Rev 1.5 SLE - it's in my price range, you know pretty much it's going to fly with minimum fuss or tweeking and, if I really don't get on with it, I know I can resell it for more or less what I paid for it. It's the easy cop out, but until I get a bit more experience it seems the best choice at the moment......just got to save some dosh up now!

Well if you can get to the P'boro kite festival on the 10th of June I'll be there if you want to try one out.
I think you're making the right choice, its just a question of looking out for the right s/h Rev 1.5 really. Buying anything else just makes you think that you could be a better flyer with a Revolution. Which out of the box like for like against an Alba you probably would be. Not because of the kite but because a Rev is set up better from day one for the learner flyer and has a half decent set of standard lines imho.

Anyway, good luck with it and enjoy!

If you do fancy my Rev, i'm not exactly in a rush to sell
It's just I have 3 B series and a SUL and the SLE doesn't get used
I often have to do a collection from Lincoln for a customer coming up the A46 if that helps

Seems a shame for it to sit in the bag when I can buy other kites/revs with the money

Don't dismiss the EXP Revs. I know they were marketed as a budget version but many competitors used to frame the SLE with EXP spars because they were more forgiving. A gust of wind would cause the spar to flex rather than cause the kite to move, which makes learning stuff easier.

You can borrow my Rev for as long as you want it. PM sent

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=11596

here is few Quads listed to.

Thanks for all the advice guys,

I've taken the plunge and bought Plod's Rev 1.5 SLE ........just need some decent weather now to go and play....

Steve B, I'll PM you later.