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Buyers Guide
Kite Buyers Guide
Welcome to the Kite Warehouse kite buyers guide. Hopefully the tips below will help you choose the ideal product, whether it's for yourself or a gift.
As you may already know, kites come in all shapes and sizes and are also designed for different uses. There are 4 main categories of kite:
Single Line - Kites that fly off just one line Dual Line - Kites that fly off two lines Sport Kites - Kites that are designed for speed and agility Traction or Power Kites - Kites that produce power and pull
The first thing you must decide when choosing a kite is the purpose it's required for. Is it a toy for a young child? A gift for a teenager? Something to drag you across the beach or be used with a land board or buggy? Once you answer these questions the selection of kite becomes easier.
Below are the four main categories which provide all the information to enable you to make a product selection:
Single Line
Most Single line kites (with some exceptions) can be flown by all ages. Single line kites have the most variety out of all the kite categories, mainly because they are not tied to any one design. They also represent some very traditional kite shapes, such as the diamond, delta and box kite.
Many of the Single line kites include spars (or sticks) which give the kite its shape, they also have a bridle where the kites flying angle can be adjusted, and where the flying line is tied. Some Single line kites don't rely on spars and use other methods to keep their shape, these are generally referred to as Para-foils. These make great gifts for younger flyers, because they have no sticks and are easy to fly.
Single line summary:
Great variety of designs Easy to fly Good choice for younger flyers Simple to assemble Great starting point.
Dual line kites present a whole range of different opportunities. By flying with two lines the 'pilot' can manoeuvre the kite left and right, up and down and perform tricks. Dual line kites look spectacular in the air, some models come supplied with long kite tails that follow the kite as it moves through the sky.
Most dual line kites come with everything you need to get flying: kite, spars, lines and handles. Dual line kites at the entry level are generally robust and can withstand most crashes, ideal for first time 'stunt' flyers.
Due to the control available with dual line kites, they can be flown in a wide range of wind speeds, approximately 5 - 25mph
Dual line summary:
Ideal for older children and adults Exhilarating to fly Allows for greater control and movement
Sport kites use the same dual line control system as above but tend to be made of high performance fabrics and materials. Sport kites are faster and more agile than the standard dual line stunt kites and are designed for precision movement.
Sport kites come in two main frame options. Some are built with fibreglass frames, the advantage of this is that it's very strong, however the material is also quite heavy, meaning advanced users would notice a difference in performance. The other frame type is carbon, this is extremely light giving optimum performance, carbon is usually more pricey and not as strong as fibreglass.
Sport kite summary
Ideal for teenagers and adults Fast and highly manoeuvrable Large range of designs Top end products suited for competition flying
Perhaps the current most popular types of kite. Traction and power kites are larger versions of the Single Line para-foils, meaning no spars. These kites use either 2 or 4 lines to control the kite. With the 4 line option the 2 additional lines act as brakes to slow the kite down.
These kites can generate a huge amount of pull, although the smaller models (under 1.5m2) offer a chance to get to grips with flying these types of kites, but without the power.
Traction kites can be used with buggies and land boards allowing another dimension to the sport. This has seen a huge increase in popularity in recent years.
Due to the nature of these kites, they are not suitable for children or inexperienced flyers.
Power kite summary:
Ideal for older teenagers and adults Wide range of sizes and designs available Huge power can be generated, perfect for jumps, drags, buggying etc. Not suitable for children or inexperienced adults
Please observe the following advice when flying your kite:
1. Never fly kites over, within range or in the area of other people. Injuries can be caused by out of control kites. 2. Dont fly your kite in winds stronger than recommended. 3. Never fly a kite near overhead cables of any type. 4. Dont fly kites near airports.
