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2007 Flexifoil ION2 .. 14.5M Super Floater

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Wetstuff
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2007 Flexifoil ION2 .. 14.5M Super Floater

Postby Wetstuff » Fri Dec 04, 2009 12:04 am

Image


I like to try a lot of kites, but it is stoopid to be buying kites at the end of your season, because you don't get enough time with them to really know their habits. It is doubly stoopid to comment when you are not even using their lines ...so you should know that this is only based on two flights; one with a North 5-line/bar set and the second with a JN, 5-line/bar set. I have used the North lines on three other brands ..this is the 4th. The reason I switched to the JN was that I felt the very high Y on the North, where the fronts split, were pinching the kite. The JN's Y is much lower but the depower throw is too short to my taste.. Next time I will have the Flexi bar sorted.

I 'met' (he did not meet me..) Jason Furness years ago at Cabarete when he was doing Flexi demos for the German kite magazine. It was clear then, these kites were probably among the best built. Despite them looking like you could pump the LE up to 20psi, I had the impression that they were 'nice' kites. Meaning, kind of generic. At my skill level, I should be quite happy with generic kites .. but that is not why I do anything... I want something off the house menu.

This kite reminds me of my '08 Rhino 14. It will pull stumps and is very easy to throw back at zenith to get wonderfully floaty jumps. By comparison, the North seems 'over designed' ..whereas the Flexi seems 'over built'. Maybe I am loosing my zest for life .. or it is 'New Girl Friend syndrome', but I am liking 'over built' at the moment.

A couple of things I do not like: 1) the HI - LOW business with the SLE bridle. It is quite easy to switch pigtails, but WTF? ...does it mean: HIgh Wind .. or High Power. It would seem better for Flexi to either; pick one ...or be bloody clear what they mean. (as the second owner, I do not have the opportunity to RTFM) ... 2) I got rid of a Royal ERA 14 (a 'nice' kite) because they made the filler valves with a flapper stop: the SOB was twice as hard/long to pump up because of the restricted air flow. On this kite, I fill the exhaust valve and leave the filler sealed.

.... but in a half hour of riding in mid-teen winds, I can say the kite flys beautifully. No sudden rushes, just a settled feeling. It was easy to throw it around. I figure that this kite could probably do everything that I formerly would have used a 16 for.

Thanks to Steve Harris at http://vpkiteboarding.com/ in N. Myrtle Beach for his help with this kite. He is not reluctant to talk 'after the sale'.

Jim


..... feel free to add your impression if this kite if you have one. (I am about to go into hibernation)

User avatar
Wetstuff
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1471
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2001 1:00 am
Local Beach: Assateague National Seashore, Maryland
Gear: Ozone WASP wind wing
Naish 8-0 Directional
Sand kart
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Maryland USA
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: 2007 Flexifoil ION2 .. 14.5M Super Floater

Postby Wetstuff » Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:06 pm

Here's the KITEWORLD review of this kite...

http://www.kiteworldmag.com/2007-kite-t ... oil-ion-2/


Jim


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