Date: Sun, 15 May 1994 09:20:06 -1000 From: steveth@netcom.com (Steve Thomas) Message-Id: Organization: VisionAire, San Francisco, CA Subject: Re: Comments about Prism "Total Eclipse" anyone? REPOST In article <1994May15.164938.26400@wmdhh.wmd.de> witt@wmdhh.wmd.de (Markus Witt;WMD GmbH) writes: > >Hello. > >I planned to buy a Prism Eclipse, but while searching for a dealer >today, I heard about the "Total Eclipse" and now I'm unsure which to buy. >Does anybody have any comments to make about the TE? It's pretty >expensive, compared with the Eclipse, but from what I heard, it >could be worth it. I flew the TE at Las Vegas this year, and found the TE to be a bit slower all around, and pulled a lot harder than the Eclipse. I liked the kite a lot. The TE costs a lot more, but the work on the kite is awsome, and worth the money, IMHO... If you 1) have the money, 2) don't get too many days of higher wind (this kite's top-end rating is pretty low if I remember, and I doubt it's much fun in anything over about 12 MPH), then by all means get a TE, because they're really cool. >[stuff deleted] > >PS. Speaking about nice winds. Yesterday I was at the shore of the >North Sea and it was a total blast. I think I will have to get my hands >on some vented kite. (Didn't think we'd get out of this without a plug, did we?!) Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we get very high winds all summer long (15-25 is typical, 25-35 is occasional). I fly the XTC-XS (XTC "Screened") in higher winds, and it works spendidly. The XTC-XS is a *vented* version of the standard XTC, with a heavier, stiffer carbon frame. With the the XS, I can still do all the stalls, axels, floats, etc. that I do in lower wind in fairly heavy wind (after about 30-35 floats get pert-near impossible no matter what you are flying). Last summer, at the Berkeley Nationals, I had a chance to compare the XS to the Spectra Sport Competition Edge "Storme" (the "most vented" version of the Edge). In the ~25 MPH we had, the Edge was pulling a *lot* harder than the XTC, which was still quite managable, and could probably have been flown on 80# lines if we were careful. The XTC-XS is made by Buena Vista Kite Company, San Francisco, and you can order this kite through such catalogs as the Cutting Edge Catalog or the Chicago Kite Company Catalog (the phone numbers are in the archives). Ob. Disclaimer: I am a "sponsored flyer" of Buena Vista Kite Company, and I fly all their products in competition, etc. -- _______ Steve Thomas steveth@netcom.com "Consequences, shmonsequences, as long as I'm rich." -- Daffy Duck = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sun, 15 May 1994 06:49:38 -1000 From: witt@wmdhh.wmd.de (Markus Witt;WMD GmbH) Message-Id: <1994May15.164938.26400@wmdhh.wmd.de> Organization: WMD, Gesellschaft fuer Wissenschaftliche Messgeraete und Datenerfassung mbH Subject: Comments about Prism "Total Eclipse" anyone? REPOST Sorry if you saw article before, but the news connection of my home machine is unreliable at the moment and it seems to me that this article didn't make it out of .hanse.de. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello. I planned to buy a Prism Eclipse, but while searching for a dealer today, I heard about the "Total Eclipse" and now I'm unsure which to buy. Does anybody have any comments to make about the TE? It's pretty expensive, compared with the Eclipse, but from what I heard, it could be worth it. It has tapered spars, is slightly bigger etc. Thanks for any hint and nice winds, Markus PS. Speaking about nice winds. Yesterday I was at the shore of the North Sea and it was a total blast. I think I will have to get my hands on some vented kite. -- Markus Witt Hamburg Germany Work: witt@wmd.de Home: markus@mwhh.hanse.de = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 16 May 1994 08:04:58 -1000 From: witt@wmdhh.wmd.de (Markus Witt;WMD GmbH) Message-Id: <1994May16.180458.2739@wmdhh.wmd.de> Organization: WMD, Gesellschaft fuer Wissenschaftliche Messgeraete und Datenerfassung mbH Subject: Re: Comments about Prism "Total Eclipse" anyone? REPOST steveth@netcom.com (Steve Thomas) writes: > In article <1994May15.164938.26400@wmdhh.wmd.de> witt@wmdhh.wmd.de (Markus Witt;WMD GmbH) writes: [I was asking for comparison between Prism Eclipse and Prism Total Eclipse] > I flew the TE at Las Vegas this year, and found the TE to be a bit slower > all around, and pulled a lot harder than the Eclipse. I liked the kite a > lot. The TE costs a lot more, How much is the difference in the US? Here the Eclispe costs about DM 400,-- (~$235) and the TE costs about DM 600,-- (~$352). > but the work on the kite is awsome, > and worth the money, IMHO... > > If you 1) have the money, 2) don't get too many days of higher wind (this > kite's top-end rating is pretty low if I remember, and I doubt it's much > fun in anything over about 12 MPH), In that radical maneuvers arent't possible in winds higher than 12mph? What do you think are the highest winds one could fly these in with the TE? > then by all means get a TE, because > they're really cool. > >PS. Speaking about nice winds. Yesterday I was at the shore of the > >North Sea and it was a total blast. I think I will have to get my hands > >on some vented kite. > Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we get very high winds all summer > long (15-25 is typical, 25-35 is occasional). > I fly the XTC-XS (XTC "Screened") in higher winds, and it works spendidly. Don't think I have seen the XTC until now. US kites (besides better known ones as NSR, Hawaiian Team) you don't see too often. Markus -- Markus Witt Hamburg Germany Work: witt@wmd.de Home: markus@mwhh.hanse.de = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 16 May 1994 14:17:22 -1000 From: steveth@netcom.com (Steve Thomas) Message-Id: Organization: VisionAire, San Francisco, CA Subject: Re: Comments about Prism "Total Eclipse" anyone? REPOST Markus Witt;WMD GmbH (witt@wmdhh.wmd.de) wrote: : steveth@netcom.com (Steve Thomas) writes: : > In article <1994May15.164938.26400@wmdhh.wmd.de> witt@wmdhh.wmd.de (Markus Witt;WMD GmbH) writes: : [I was asking for comparison between Prism Eclipse and Prism Total Eclipse] : > I flew the TE at Las Vegas this year, and found the TE to be a bit slower : > all around, and pulled a lot harder than the Eclipse. I liked the kite a : > lot. The TE costs a lot more, : How much is the difference in the US? Here the Eclispe costs about : DM 400,-- (~$235) and the TE costs about DM 600,-- (~$352). That's about the difference here. Those prices are not too far off what they are here in the U.S., as I recall... : > but the work on the kite is awsome, : > and worth the money, IMHO... : > : > If you 1) have the money, 2) don't get too many days of higher wind (this : > kite's top-end rating is pretty low if I remember, and I doubt it's much : > fun in anything over about 12 MPH), : In that radical maneuvers arent't possible in winds higher than 12mph? : What do you think are the highest winds one could fly these in with the TE? That's not what I was trying to say. What I meant was that you just wouldn't *want* to fly the kite in heavier wind. It is framed rather light, and it has a lot of sail area (viz. it pulls hard). You could probably have lots of fun with a TE in about 12 MPH. After the wind comes up much higher (viz. 15 MPH & higher), unless your rather sadistical, you wouldn't want to fly it. Important note: consult the manufacturer's wind rating (don't take *my* word!). Prism's ratings are pretty realistic, as I recall... : > then by all means get a TE, because : > they're really cool. : > >PS. Speaking about nice winds. Yesterday I was at the shore of the : > >North Sea and it was a total blast. I think I will have to get my hands : > >on some vented kite. : > Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we get very high winds all summer : > long (15-25 is typical, 25-35 is occasional). : > I fly the XTC-XS (XTC "Screened") in higher winds, and it works spendidly. : Don't think I have seen the XTC until now. US kites (besides better known : ones as NSR, Hawaiian Team) you don't see too often. BV doesn't have a European distributor. Go figure. -- _______ Steve Thomas steveth@netcom.com "Consequences, shmonsequences, as long as I'm rich." -- Daffy Duck = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =