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HQ kites are a bad joke

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foilonfoil
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Re: HQ kites are a bad joke

Postby foilonfoil » Mon Dec 04, 2017 10:14 am

Ittiandro wrote:
Mon Dec 04, 2017 6:50 am
early bird2 wrote:
Mon Dec 04, 2017 1:23 am
You should first have a beginner lesson at a kiteschool , all your questions will be answered at once .
Thanks early bird2

Evntually I will do it , may be next summer, but I am sure a kite school will be able to answer only some of my questions, not all and certainly not the more important ones.
I have to have these questions answered before I buy one of their kites.

This is because my questions deal only marginally with kiting technique or how-to-do issues, which, I agree, any competent instructor would be be able to answer regardless of the brand .

The more important questions are instead about some of the specific features of the Kitmare-HQ brand ( the German manufacturer ) and I doubt that any run-of-the-mill local instructor here knows this brand, or if knows it, that he knows it well enough to answer them.

Ittiandro
- Digging up a post from 2011 is nuts. So much has changed in the sport and across the brands in six years. Chris from HQ Kites was last active on this forum in 2012.

- You need to take a lesson. The questions you are asking are not brand specific and show a complete lack of understanding and experience. Your plans to purchase a specific kite don't mean anything to anyone. Lessons first then purchase an ok second hand kite based on your instructors feedback as you are going to beat the crap out of your first kite or two.

- There are so many open and closed cell kites to choose from, don't get stuck on a specific brand.

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Re: HQ kites are a bad joke

Postby Ittiandro » Mon Dec 04, 2017 4:51 pm

Matteo V wrote:
Mon Dec 04, 2017 3:40 am
jakemoore wrote:
Mon Dec 04, 2017 3:35 am
I definitely would consult the ancient wisdom contained in early posts by PumpMeUp before attempting to fly an HQ hydra.

HQ has produced some of the best kites of the time. The Matrixx I was one of the highest performance kites on the market when released. If you can fly one back to back with an Ozone "Chrono II" and a Flysurfer "Speed (2,3, or 4), you will see that it is almost as good as the Chrono II and light years ahead of the Speed series. And that was way before the "Chrono II" was ever available!

Grazie Matteo

Thank you for your comment on the HQ line. You seem to know it pretty well. Your comment allays some of my fears, as a newbie, to buy this brand, which I don't know too well and has been scorched by the caustic comments of somebody in this Forum, who didn't like it or maybe had a wrong expectation or set it up incorrectly, even if. honestly, I couldn't discount some " errori di percorso" by the manufacturer in the design of one or another of their products, as you said yourself.....

I have already posted in this thread some of the more burning questions I had regarding the HQ trainer kite Hydra 300 or 350. Maybe you can have a look at it and comment because all I seem to get as a response is to take a course and ask an instructor...

Basically, even though this trainer kite is about half the price of full fledge L.E.I's, I wouldn't want to buy just a toy, soon to be discarded after learning some of the basic tricks on land, like a child with his small kite....

Here is where I come from: I am neither a professsional kiter, nor a dare devil ( nor young !). I just want to have fun with the kite as an alternative to windsurfing when winds are low, but the kite has to pack enough power to safely propel 85 kg both on the snow and on the water..I was even thinking of using it on a SUP or even a kayak...
May be you can tell me if this trainer kite is for me...

1.One essential element I have to consider is the safety features on the kite.
Most of the kites I see on the market are 4 lines and have a Depower /quick safety release/power control mechanism through the middle line , which joins two of the two lines from the upper kite in a Y connection.

You seem to imply that this system is now obsolete and that there is a more advanced design. It may well be, but for me it would be enough.
Just want to make sure that the Hydra has such a feature. Can you tell me? From the diagram on their manual it looks like this feature is there. It looks pretty much like the Depower mechanism on the Oozone kite shown in the instructional video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZLS2qqFggo.

2. The HQ Hydra manual says that the kite is water-relaunchable and that it will hold the air for" some time". What are the chances that it it will deflate on the water to the point that I cannot relaunch it? It would be a real snag!

3. Which size would you suggest ? The 4 m2 looks interesting, but perhaps risky ( too powerful) in high winds, although wind are generally light here in summer( 10-15 knts most of the time) On the other a 2.6 may be underpowered. Perhaps a 3.5 ?

Thank you for your comments

Ittiandro
Last edited by Ittiandro on Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: HQ kites are a bad joke

Postby Matteo V » Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:01 pm

Ittiandro wrote:
Mon Dec 04, 2017 6:50 am
..... because he identifies himself as "Chris-HQ Kites" and invites our disgruntled Snowkitejoe to contact him “ to see-in his words-what he can do”. If so he is probably my best bet to have my questions answered. I hope he will see my post and take the time to answer my questions..

Ittiandro
I'll vouch for Chris. He is a good guy and we have kited together.

That said, he will promote his brand to you as it is his job and livelihood. I can also vouch for the brand being no worse than any other kite brand. Isolated incidences of issues are present in even the most expensive brands. And it seems that most kiters find no increase in service with an increase in price.

Don't take this as me being neutral. It is just the truth - maybe even the "first law of kiteboarding".
Ittiandro wrote:
Mon Dec 04, 2017 6:50 am
....to buy this brand, which I don't know too well and has been scorched by the caustic comments of somebody in this Forum....
Not really. The OP in this thread was a little too forward to be believable. I think he was outed pretty quickly. His issues were not even issues a conscientious kiter would present, at least not in that manner. And that was why I alluded to the historical events at the time. There was some animosity going on between two brands prior to this. There is a probability that this was a "hit post" on HQ by someone affiliated with that brand.

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Re: HQ kites are a bad joke

Postby Anthonyshopguy » Sat Dec 23, 2017 6:50 pm

I have had the pleasure of meeting and kiting with the US rep Chris at Ivanpah. Great guy and went way out of his way to help me with some confusion on a order. I now own an apex 6m and though I don't think it's the best kite in the sky it meets most of my needs. I'm looking forward to trying the Montana 10 soon. Good company and they stand behind their products!

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Re: HQ kites are a bad joke

Postby Matteo V » Fri Dec 29, 2017 6:43 pm

Anthonyshopguy wrote:
Sat Dec 23, 2017 6:50 pm
I now own an apex 6m and though I don't think it's the best kite in the sky it meets most of my needs.
No, it is not. But if you really use this kite - fly static when it is too light to move, learn the loops, learn to place it in the window by stalling it, learn stall recovery on the bar, YOU WILL HAVE A BETTER FEEL for kites than someone who has not experienced that particular kite model. This kite should be mandatory for everyone to learn before moving onto SLE's.

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Re: HQ kites are a bad joke

Postby Ittiandro » Thu May 30, 2019 3:20 am

I just bought the HQ Hydra 420 trainer and after several unsuccessful ( and so frustrating !) attempts to launch it on land, I begin to think that the title of this thread is justified.

First off, the manufacturer's marketing spin, if not deliberately deceptive, which I think it is not, is totally unrealistic: the documentation, as well as the instructions manual indicate that the 420 HQ Hydra kite can fly in as little as 4 kts/hr winds..and this speed is in fact already in the green zone according to the manual) .
Well, sorry, I have an anemometer and this is simply not true: at this speed, the kite simply flutters on the ground like a rag, it unfurls briefly and than it collapses again on itself.

On occasion , during brief gusts, the kite does lift off a few feet, fully deployed to promptly twist around, veer to one side and plummet to the ground in reverse with the lines all tangled up and I have to waste time in disentangling them. Annoying!
I don't know why it keeps veering to one side instead of rising vertically, even more so that I take care to keep the control bar level , instead of tilting it up and down to the sides..

For some reasons, the kite remains almost entirely deflated There might be a design problem: I noticed that, unlike the earlier models which had two intake valves, this one only has one , which may be too small . In addition, the thick mesh further restricts the air flow. I checked the bladder inside to make sure that it was not folded or otherwise obstructed, It looked O.K., but then I began to think that air circulation may be restricted somewhere else inside the kite .

I am kind of disappointed, because I bought the kite with the idea of eventually using it to pull my SUP, as many do, but with so many problems in launching it on land, it may be even more difficult and time consuming to fly it on the water...

Before selling it, I give it one more try at the beach, where the winds may be stronger as they come unimpeded across the water.

Ittiandro

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Re: HQ kites are a bad joke

Postby RalfsB » Thu May 30, 2019 11:30 am

A few months ago I bought a HQ4 Matrixx 18m, so far it seems to be the best foil kite I ever had (turning speed, depower, safety) for light wind freeriding.

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Re: HQ kites are a bad joke

Postby bay surfer » Thu May 30, 2019 3:16 pm

4 kts of wind is not even enough to inflate the kite, let alone fly it unless you know how to fly it. You need to learn in at least 15 kts. Pre inflation will help. Learn to fly before you dis the Manufacturer, HQ does make good kites, your not a good HQ HYDRA flyer, but could be.
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Re: HQ kites are a bad joke

Postby windrider1 » Thu May 30, 2019 3:25 pm

I dont think any closed cell foil kite will fly in 4 knts. especially a 4m kite. I think your post instead of showing a problem with HQ kites show your inexperience. Most closed cell kites will begin to fly and be stable in about 6 knts and that would be in a bigger size. A 4m will probally need about 10 knts or more to be stable and perform properly . If the kite is veering to one side there may be an issue with the lines make sure both sides are equal and match look for any tangles in the bridel lines. was this kite purchased new ? . try looking at some videos on launching a closed cell kites u need a few seconds to let the kite inflate along with maintaining tension on the back lines at all times during the launch or preinflate on the ground completely before launch.
Ittiandro wrote:
Thu May 30, 2019 3:20 am
I just bought the HQ Hydra 420 trainer and after several unsuccessful ( and so frustrating !) attempts to launch it on land, I begin to think that the title of this thread is justified.

First off, the manufacturer's marketing spin, if not deliberately deceptive, which I think it is not, is totally unrealistic: the documentation, as well as the instructions manual indicate that the 420 HQ Hydra kite can fly in as little as 4 kts/hr winds..and this speed is in fact already in the green zone according to the manual) .
Well, sorry, I have an anemometer and this is simply not true: at this speed, the kite simply flutters on the ground like a rag, it unfurls briefly and than it collapses again on itself.

On occasion , during brief gusts, the kite does lift off a few feet, fully deployed to promptly twist around, veer to one side and plummet to the ground in reverse with the lines all tangled up and I have to waste time in disentangling them. Annoying!
I don't know why it keeps veering to one side instead of rising vertically, even more so that I take care to keep the control bar level , instead of tilting it up and down to the sides..

For some reasons, the kite remains almost entirely deflated There might be a design problem: I noticed that, unlike the earlier models which had two intake valves, this one only has one , which may be too small . In addition, the thick mesh further restricts the air flow. I checked the bladder inside to make sure that it was not folded or otherwise obstructed, It looked O.K., but then I began to think that air circulation may be restricted somewhere else inside the kite .

I am kind of disappointed, because I bought the kite with the idea of eventually using it to pull my SUP, as many do, but with so many problems in launching it on land, it may be even more difficult and time consuming to fly it on the water...

Before selling it, I give it one more try at the beach, where the winds may be stronger as they come unimpeded across the water.

Ittiandro
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Re: HQ kites are a bad joke

Postby Ittiandro » Thu May 30, 2019 5:19 pm

I'm glad to hear that, contrary to what the starter of the thread implies in the title, HQ kites are not a joke..I really hope so!

I totally own my inexperience, but my disappointment that the kite cannot fly in 4 knts is NOT due to the naïve expectation of a rookie : it is the manufacturer itself that makes the 4 knts claim and I took their word for it. I

I never would have blamed the quality of the product or the design if the kite lifted off in 4 knts, (as the documentation claims) and I was subsequently unable ,because of my inexperience, to control it or keep it flying.

The fact is that I didn't even have a chance to practice the control technique with the kite in the air, because it NEVER lifted off!...I see why now : as some of you have pointed out, such a small kite can never fly in 4 knts. So if it didn't fly with me in 4 knts, it is not a question of experience, because nobody could, experienced or not..

Ittiandro
Last edited by Ittiandro on Fri May 31, 2019 1:01 am, edited 1 time in total.


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