HQ Beamer II 2.5m power kite - four line traction

HQ Beamer II 2.5m power kiteThis was the second power kite a bought. I was after a stable kite, relaxing to fly experience, that had less power than my Firebee 3m. The Beamer proved idealUnpackingThe Backpack Thebackpack comes fitted with alarge comedy zipper, it's huge! The pack on the mark 2 beamer seems to be of a decent quality, some of the early mark 1 backpacks were apparently poorly put together. This one seems fine,thick material, and large zippers. Plenty of room for your kite in the main compartment, no matter how poorly packed. The handles and lineset will fit nicely in the smaller zip compartment, or can be kept with the kite.The Instruction manual fits well in the huge zippered compartment, together with the promotional Video VCD.The KiteUnpacking the kite for the first time it seems nicely put together. The underside is mostly white with a nice corner detail in red. . The backside of the kite is all red, and it hasblack cross-bracing between the cells, which shows through when flown.The Bridle Thenext thing that impressed me was the bridle, there was was a lot of it! The brake lines extend out from the kite near 3 metres! The bridle is made of sleeved dyneema of a thick black type.There are alot of knots and loose ends in the bridle, its not stitched "Ozone" quality, but does the job. You cannot adjust the bridle, except for the tension of the brake lines. The bridle feels solid, and does not feel like it will come free of the kite, or break, unless under an extreme load. The Lineset The lineset includes nice quality Dyneema lines in white. They come figure 8 wrapped on a standard plastic winder. Lines are good quality, andstrong. I'm had no problems with snagging or breaking. . Both ends of the lines are sleeved.The Handles The handles are aluminum, with a rubber grip covering the majority of the top of the handle. There is a plastic cap on the bottom of the handles, and the rubber of the grip covers the top. The handles feel very strong, no load from a kite would in any way deform them. One handle has a thick red leader line for the power and brake lines, and the other handle has thick green leader lines for the power and brake lines. The handles that came with the kite, quickly showed signs of wear, where the line emerged from the handle. there appeared to be a unfinished edge here. However a quick email to HQ support forum saw replacements with sleeving on the handles arrive a few days later. Great service HQ!The handles come with nice qualityHQkite killers, with strong velcro. To complete the package the backpack includes a ground stake and great belt holster.Thefirst Flight I flew thekite in steady 10 mph winds, over dry grass. The kite felt stable andcontrollable. As it was early evening the wind dropped and I had to work the kite to keep it in the air, but beamer was proving howpredictable it was. In the steady winds the kite didn't luff. I just kept it moving through the air and it was fine. Great first flight.Other Flights Having flow the kite in everything from 5mph, to 35mph I can confirm this is an excellent kite. Over 10mph the kite started producing nice solid pull around just enough to scud on grass or lean into! In 30mph plus the kite is fast as ****, and has pulled the handles right out of my hands as it powers straight through the middle of the window. Great kite killers!The kite is a solid, stable, predictable, and enjoyable foil to fly. Easy to take off and land (even upside down).SummaryBest things - Robust,easy to fly,enough power to be interesting,responsive turning, great package. PRICE!Worst things - the knots in the bridle can mean the it tangles easily either in the bag or on the ground.

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