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Is Element 6 good for inland gusty conditions?

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rtz
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Is Element 6 good for inland gusty conditions?

Postby rtz » Wed Jan 16, 2019 4:55 am

Is this kite good for gusty conditions?

https://switchkites.com/products/element6

stenner
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Re: Is Element 6 good for inland gusty conditions?

Postby stenner » Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:16 am

Faxie did a fairly comprehensive review, try searching. From memory I think he said it did a decent job of that.

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Re: Is Element 6 good for inland gusty conditions?

Postby lewmt » Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:15 pm

I have a quiver of them & use them mostly in snow. Very smooth turning kite but not the most powerful turns. Flies & behaves a lot like a SS rally in my opinion. Relaunches well. Boosts pretty decent. It's 5 strut so my experience in gusty conditions has been really good at handling gusts. I kite inland lakes in summer but have been using Helium3's because I like riding strapless surfboards mostly. Build quality is excellent. Customer service from Switch - for me - has been as good or better than with any company I've ever dealt with.

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Re: Is Element 6 good for inland gusty conditions?

Postby Faxie » Wed Jan 16, 2019 6:55 pm

stenner wrote:
Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:16 am
Faxie did a fairly comprehensive review, try searching. From memory I think he said it did a decent job of that.
They do ;) But you'll have to like the feeling... pulleys, so it's smooth but wobbles a bit on your hook in unstable winds. But a lot of people seem to like that more than a direct but bit harsher feeling on the hook. (even though a kite then stays in the same place better, but oh well...)

Felt a lot like an Evo to me.

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Re: Is Element 6 good for inland gusty conditions?

Postby SimonP » Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:58 pm

Based on one lake session to date on a 7m, yes.
Five struts, very stable, lots of depower. It is very much a delta kite, like the Evo or Slingshot Rally. Some people like the feel, others don't.
They are very powerful for their size; it has a high surface area. I probably should have bought a 6m.
The kite was faster than I was expecting, it is relatively high aspect compared to other kites of that sizing.
I hope to try a 5m soon, from that size down it switches from five struts to only one.

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Re: Is Element 6 good for inland gusty conditions?

Postby pmania » Thu Jan 17, 2019 4:30 am

I like my Nitro & Legacy also in gusts. What does a kite need to have to handle gusts really well ? A big/large wind window, so a good low end and high end and those two as far apart as possible ? Or is there more ? I didn't like my old Element v3 anymore that much after I got my Nitro v6 and Legacy v2, but I didn't use it that much anymore also. Only when I had to repair my Nitro so maybe that is why I didn't like the Element kite anymore also, maybe one day I can revive my old Element and Nitro from the dead.

How old are you and can you tell us more about the spots you kite on ?

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Re: Is Element 6 good for inland gusty conditions?

Postby Matteo V » Thu Jan 17, 2019 6:16 am

pmania wrote:
Thu Jan 17, 2019 4:30 am
What does a kite need to have to handle gusts really well ? A big/large wind window, so a good low end and high end and those two as far apart as possible ? Or is there more ?
Two main types of "gusts":

1. increase in wind speed with consistent horizontal and vertical direction of wind - Pretty much any modern kites will be controllable in these conditions.

2. increase in power in the kite due to change in window position (without moving) caused by a change in the horizontal or vertical direction of the wind - If the kite is directly above you at 12oclock, and you experience an updraft, the kite suddenly is in a deeper position in the window. As that updraft subsides, or turns into a down draft, the kite suddenly has overflown the new window. Horizontal changes in wind direction are effectively the same if the kite is on the side of the window.

For #2, kites with a tendency to "self-sheet-in" slacking steering lines (tips are swept back and seem to be heavier than leading edge), almost auto adjust to a certain degree of downdraft and self stabilize when overflown. In sudden updrafts, a kite that has good depower, but does not come to far forward in the window when sheeted out, will stay up and recover more quickly since it does not overfly to a point of no return in the wind window. A kite with poor stability (but likely many superior and more advanced capabilities) will "Hindenburg" without just the right inputs from the kiter.

Inland winds are typically "turbulent" with vortices of different shapes, sizes, and horizontal/vertical orientations. So don't think "gust"! Think more along the lines of change in wind direction hitting the kite.


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