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A Guides Unlimited production
Background:
I’d been flying my beamer I 2.5m for a year when the Rougham kite festival came around again. I fancied something with a bit more power than the 2.5m as I had recently got into boarding, and the 2.5m just didn’t have enough pull for me in most winds. The choices in my price range were the 5.3 rhombus firebee, or the 5m beamer II. I was advised to go for the newer of the kites, the beamer II. Here’s what I thought of it.
First flights:
The first time I flew it was on the same day as I got it. There was very little wind in the afternoon – I ended up flying 360’s around myself just to keep the kite in the air. Over the next few days I flew this kite a great deal. I found that it definitely had more power than the 2.5m, and that I could get going on my board without the wind howling first. It still had no lift, just like the beamer I.
General flying characteristics:
I liked this kite when I first got it, but as I improved and flew more and different kites, I realized it didn’t really perform as well as it should. Things like a slight lack of power and a less-than-wonderful upwind ability aren’t such a problem with a kite like a 2.5m beamer – it’s a beginners kite, and you don’t expect it to be wonderful. But a 5m is generally considered the next step up, and this wasn’t really. It moves fairly slowly across the window, and is quite slow to turn. It can also be difficult to set up properly. It dislikes rising fully to the zenith – I found that the highest it would sit at was about 75 degrees – quite annoying, because it significantly reduces an already fairly small wind window. The advantage of this, though, is that this is possibly the hardest kite to luff that I’ve ever encountered. It’s stable, predictable, and easy to fly. But it always feels like (to me) someone designed a small kite and scaled it up, without really considering that it might not work in the bigger sizes. It has a very detached feel to it.
Turning speed and maneuverability:
On the lines supplied with the kite, the maneuverability is quite good. It’s possible to spin it quite quickly on the brakes, and hovering and controlled landings are relatively easy. Longer lines, however, kill it dead. It just doesn’t respond at all. Turning speed isn’t really that good. On the power lines, turns are sluggish in the extreme, and it can take some effort to turn it.
Lift and jumping:
The beamer II is slightly liftier than its predecessor, but you wouldn’t really notice it unless you were looking for it. It is possible to do a few very small jumps with this kite, but it’s not worth the effort.
Light wind performance:
Not particularly good. This kite will fly in light winds, but like the beamer I it really needs a bit of wind to start being any good. When I had this kite, I didn’t get much use out of it below about 8-10mph.
On a board:
I really don’t like this kite on a board. It’s OK for learning to move about on, but if your plans for the day include going upwind then it’s not much good. When I used to have this kite, I used it on my board on days when I thought my blade would kill me, and there really was no comparison. The beamer will not get upwind; it picks up very little apparent wind and has too much downwind pull for my liking, due to it sitting far back in the window.
Upwind ability:
Nope.
In a buggy:
Much the same as on a board, but turns are quite difficult because it’s so slow through the window.
Construction:
I and a friend of mine both had this kite at one point, and we both had problems with quality. I had two bridles snap under normal use, and he had an attachment point tear clean out of the kite. That doesn’t really say much for the quality of the kite.
Accessories:
The handles and lines with this kite are very similar to those provided with the beamer I. The handles are perhaps a bit thicker and the lines are no longer on a wooden winder, but the kite killers are significantly improved on the originals. That being said, the original killers were dire, and there are still numerous cases where the beamer II killers have snapped under load. Investing in new killers for this kite would be a good idea.
The bag is not as stylish looking as the original, but it is considerably better constructed, and it still has the trademark massive zipper on the back. There’s plenty of room to fit the kite in, but the number of pockets has been reduced and so has their size – there isn’t so much room for your bits and pieces.
The instruction manual is good – it shows clearly how to set up and fly the kite, as well as providing tips and general flying information and guidelines.
Appearance:
The appearance is a slight improvement on the original, but only slight. I say only slight, because the only difference is a small black flask on one bottom corner of the kite. Other than that, the colour scheme is fairly plain.
Conclusion:
As you may have guessed from the general tone of this review, I don’t like this kite. I suppose the main reason for that is that I owned the Beamer I 2.5m beforehand. That was a nice, zippy little kite and good to learn on. This kite feels like a step backwards to me – given the choice between the 5m beamer II and the 2.5m beamer I, I’d go for the 2.5m. I can’t compare size for size across the series but from what I’ve heard and from my own experiences, I wouldn’t now buy a beamer I or II bigger than 2.5m.
If you’re going to be doing nothing but static flying, this kite would probably be a decent choice. But it’s not a step up; it’s a beginner’s kite. And to me, a 5m shouldn’t feel like a beginners kite. This would make a good first kite for a fairly heavy person, but don’t buy it expecting to improve your skills.
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