Buying your first kite
The first doubt that comes to your mind when you are going to buy your first kite is «what kite am I going to buy?».
I can tell you that for this question there is no easy answer, for it depends of a lot of thing that you should take under consideration:
- Budget. It’s important to set a top limit that you are willing to spend on your new kite. There are kites for all prices, and having a predefined budget helps a lot.
- After you have set a budget, take a look at the database section on this web site, but take the prices only as a reference. Not always a more expensive kite is a better kite. Take time to visit some kite forums and collect some opinions of the kite you want. A visit to the manufacturers site can help you as well.
- One time flying or a hobby? This is an important factor when you are entering the world of kiting, … will it be a one time experience, or will it be part of your free time and life? Many are those that try this sport and after a few times just loose interest in it, and a big investment in a kite is just a waste of money.
- What flying experiance do you have? In most cases, entering the kite world comes after an invitation of flying a friends kite. In these cases you have the opportunity to feel the pleasure of flying, and can evaluate your ability to do so. With practice you get better and better, … but you initial skill is important to decide what kind of kite you are going to buy. If the kite falls a lot, .. consider buying a kite with glass fiber rods, for they are more resistant to crashes. After you get the hang of it, move up to carbon fiber.
- Don’t let the fear of breaking rods condition your choice. Although it may seem a contradiction of what I just said, it is not. After knowing the basics of flying, and specially when you enter the world of freestyle, breaking rods is normal. Everybody breaks rods once in a while, and for that we have the spare parts. A spare rod should always travel along with you on your kite bag, specially if you are away from home and only have one kite.
- Your first kite is going to be the more important one. It will have a big responsibility on the way you will see kite flying. If you buy a bad kite I am certain that you will quit kite flying on the first day because you will hate it. A good kite doesn’t make you a good pilot, but a bad kite will make you a bad pilot for sure. Sometimes spending an extra 10 or 20 % of the amount that you had planed can allow you to buy a much better kite. I started with a fiber glass kite that cost 20 Euros at Toy’s R Us and got really addicted to the sport. I don’t fly it any more, but it still travels with me in my kite bag. It’s my son’s kite now, … he’s 5 years old.
As you can see, it’s very difficult to choose your first kite, ... but if you thing choosing your first kite is complicated, wait until you’re deciding to buy your second kite, and third kite, and…