New Tech Kites

ken · Kite Enthusiast Joined: 17 May 2005 Posts: 21

You can read a really good review of the Pyro XS by Ed Diaz here: www.flkites.com I think it is a really good honest review from an average (meaning not into comps, no offense ed) flyer. Heck, I am just going to post it here for Ed, he wont get mad at me, right Ed ol buddy???

Pyro XS Reveiw
By Ed Diaz

Here is my review on the new (2005) Pyro XS manufactured by New Tech Kites and Designed by Dodd Gross. Total est. flight time:15 hours. Wind conditions range from: as low as 3-4mph, to as high as 15mph with gust up to 18mph. Lines used: 80#/65ft for the low wind flying and the Pyro XS line set at 80#/80ft, which let me mention feels more like 75ft. I will not be doing any comparison to any kite(except its predecessor, the Pyro) because I simply do not want to start any BS.
All statements are my own personal opinions and i do not work for New Tech or Dodd Gross nor is this review in any way a "promote" to the Pyro XS. It's simply a review just like any other review. I am not a expert flier and am still learning new tricks but im capable of performing many tricks like fade type, axel type and stall type moves. sorry no roll ups for me not yet.

Kite name: Pyro XS
Manufacturer: New Tech Kites
Designed by: Dodd Gross

Wingspan: 80" (203cm)
Height: 38" (97cm)
Wind Range: 3-20mph (5kph-32kph)
Flight Classification: Freestyle
Weight: 8.3oz (235gr)
Bridle: 3-Leg
Skill Level: Beginner-Advance
Sail: Ripstop Nylon
Frame: All 5mm Pultruded Carbon Graphite
Country of origin: China

RTF package: Kite, Bag, straps, 80#/80ft Spectra lines on winder.
Price: $54.99

Introduction
"Stable, big and tough enough for the beginner, the Pyro XS is tricky and fast for advanced pilots. Now features a collapsible leading edge for compact storage."-Newtech website

Sadly this is all they have to say about it, but one thing is for sure, the Pyro XS(PXS) is definitely bigger and tougher resulting in a more stable kite. Like most of us I also take a close look at my kites when I first get them, the PXS was no exemption. The first noticeable thing to me was the new more stylish carrying bag. Much larger(61") this time to accommodate for the much larger wingspan, it also folds in half(33") and has a Velcro strap to hold the "folded" bag together. The bag is very similar to the Big Bangs bag and has a large enough pocket inside to hold your lines etc..

Now onto the good stuff. As I opened it and started to assemble the kite my eyes "wowed" at the size of the kite in comparison to the old pyro. Assembly was a snap too. Now lets look at all the goodies Dodd added/changed to the new PXS.

-6" was added to the wingspan bringing the total to 80"
-6" was added to the height bringing the total to 38"
-2.1oz heavier resulting in betters tricks with better momentum
-re-framed entirely in 5mm pultruded graphite tubes
-a collapsible leading edge with external ferrule for when traveling
-the standoffs are replaced with thicker ones which don't "bend" like the old Pyro
-covered standoffs too! to reduce line snag
-a added leech line
-dacron has been added to the trailing edge
-APA "look-a-like" leading edge connectors
-replaced the "O-ring" with a better Center T and a 2-piece lower spreader unlike the old Pyro
-the sail pattern has been altered a bit, in a positive way.

Construction
Ok construction is no "Nirvana" but it is very clean cut and very nicely done. I did not notice any double stitching and there were very few loose threads, probably 2 or 3. The stitching is regular zigzag and glue method I believe. In comparison to the old Pyro the leading edges seems to use a stronger type of dacron and much "more" dacron this time around. The nose has been changed a bit also with some added things. The leading edge connectors are APA "wanna-bees" but work perfectly fine. Everything is in a positive way and I couldn't find anything negative except for the leech line. According to Dodd the PXS comes RTF meaning there is no type of "adjusting" that needs to be done, unfortunately on my PXS the leech line was way off adjustment and I needed to correctly adjust it, not a major flaw. Overall the construction of the PXS is very nice especially for a $55 kite and clearly exceeds the old Pyro, it equally stacks up with the Addiction by Premier.

Flight
Lower wind range(3-5mph)
I must say the PXS flies very nice in a mere breeze of 3-4mph and I did no adjusting to the bridle on this kite as of yet. With some adjustment to the bridle it can fly even easier in the 3-4mph wing range. Would I use it as a UL, probably not. It still tricks very well in this wind range and requires small-normal inputs however, you will need to do some back walking to hold a fade in this wind range obviously. Snap stalls, cascades even backspins are easily done in this very low wind range. Overall I was very impress at how good it flew in such low winds

Upper wind range(15-20mph)
I only got to fly the PXS twice in this insane wind range for less then 20mins, winds blowing this strong where causing windchills in the -18c. The PXS has very little to "normal" pull in this wind range!! yes believe it. It is also very consistent when flying throughout the window, there isn't too much "speeding up" or "slowing down" of the kite, its pretty stable, smooth and consistent with not too much pull. The kite does have some decent precision but I probably wouldn't use it for precision flying, its more of a "freestyle" kite. Sorry but I didn't even bother to do tricks in this wind range though I did managed to do a few snap stalls and axels. Would I use this kite for high winds? no way not me. The other thing I want to mention is the buzz, in this wind range the kite WILL buzz pretty loud. Did I also forget to mention there is no more "jerking" of the wingtips unlike the old Pyro the PXS is nicely solid.

Let me just say the PXS flies much smoother, more stable, feels pretty darn good on the lines(not heavy but not light), flies pretty consistent throughout the window in varies winds and just looks hot in the sky(especially the "burn" colors). The kite doesn't wabble like the old Pyro coming out of corners. The only problem I came across during flight was the lower spreader leading edge connectors slide upwards along the leading edge, an easy fix to this is just to add a c-clip or a stopper above the lower spreader leading edge connector or just replace it with a more rubbery one. Overall the sweet G-spot for this kite would probably be around 5-9mph for freestyling.

Tricks
Ok lets talk about the serious stuff, tricks. I will break it down according to what I already know what to do.

Stall type moves
The PXS pulls off very sweet snap stalls. It holds them VERY stable and for some reason I was pulling more of them off with this kite then any of my other kites and it was very easy and pleasing to watch. The kite does NOT have a smell of oversteer what so ever when doing stalls or spin stalls or any type of stall for that matter. Vertical and horizontal tip stabs where a ease.

I cant comment too much on side slides because I only just started to learn this, with the PXS I was able to go pretty far with them.

Axel type moves
The most fun I've had doing axels with since first getting my E2. The PXS pulls off axels nicely, flat, slow and smooth I was really impress however, I was having a very difficult time pulling off half axels but this could have been on my part. I managed to do lots of cascades(from axel) with the PXS and I've only just started to learn this trick. The PXS does them very nice and pretty easy and doesn't mind sloppy inputs sometimes like the E2, this is attracting to beginner freestylists. Coin tosses are also done pretty easily and look nice.

Fades
This is where I truly shinned for some reason. The PXS rocks at doing fades from axels and especially from pancake(flare). A few times I didn't even have to go into a "full pancake" to go into the fade, it just easily flips right over and WANTS to sit in the fade by itself. Because of the easy fades the PXS does easy flic flacs, I had a blast doing them and I managed to pull off many for the first time ever!(probably 4-5).

Backspins
Now this, oh man, I am completely speechless!. For some time I have been trying to practice the backspin, I tried several times on the Addiction and about two times on the E2 with no success. Well the gods have heard my cry because I managed to pull lots of backspins with PXS and more then once. The PXS does backspins almost effortlessly and with sooo much ease. I had thee blast of a time doing backspins and wish I didn't trip over my bag and camera recording because I would have posted it on here. Sadly when I got home I only then realized I had trip over the bag and moved the camera making it point to the sky recording nothing but sky for 10mins while I was performing all these great tricks lol.

Overall I must say the PXS is very tricky, just about if not more, then the old Pyro. What shines on this one however is the stableness of the PXS due to its heavier, stronger/stiffer frame and wingspan. Its so much fun pulling off tricks with the PXS and it just seems soo easy to do, it has a very nice "flow" to it and some tricks like the backspin are almost near effortless.

Sorry I cannot comment too much about tricks. I just don't know them all yet lol.

Recoveries
Most recovery moves are doable as well, sleeping beauties are easily done and so are belly launches(fade launch). Cartwheels tend to give me wing wraps but this is on my part because i get them all the gosh-darn time with any kite. Leading edge launches, well what kite can't do them. To my amazing surprise this kite can very well do dead launches. Now I'm not a fan of this move and hardly ever do it on any of my kites but the PXS does them very well. In comparison to the old Pyro, which no matter what surface condition you where on, it COULD NOT do them. The PXS does it pretty easy with the proper surface(ground), I was doing them on icy, solid and pretty smooth grounds so that probably helped out a lot too. However, I couldn't pull many Pop-ups or Side-pop-ups.

Conclusion
What can I say, The PXS is a blast of fun to fly. I haven't had this much fun since I first got my E2 months months ago. The PXS flies smooth, feels very good on the lines, is very stable and does very good in its lower wind range. It has a lot of added/upgraded stuff from the old Pyro. This kite is also very good for beginners because of its very durable(plenty of nose plants on the ice) and has a great price on it for the SIZE of the kite. And we all know, the bigger the kite, the more stable the flight, perfect for beginners. Tricks are fun, look good and are easy especially backspins. There is no more of the "flimsy, jerky and wobbliness" of the old Pyro. It comes RTF with a good set of lines and a much nicer bag. I feel Dodd and Newtech did an outstanding! job here with this kite and made thee right choice of upgrading it and making it better. Like they said, although the Pyro was good the Pyro XS is even better! and that stands true. Did you know the Pyro XS is the largest kite(80") in the market that falls under $55 and you get ALOT ALOT of bang for the buck as they say, you truly do get a lot of "kite" for your money. If your a fan of the old pyro then you will certainly love the XS even more. This truly is the BIG BROTHER of the Pyro. Thanks Newtech and Dodd keep up the great work.
_________________
ken
www.flkites.com

Dodd · High Flier Joined: 13 May 2005 Posts: 186

Thank you Ken we are very happy to work with you, your website and the Florida Forum, best wishes to you and we will be seeing you over there as well. So any Florida people, sign up for the Florida message board too!

Anyone is welcome to post or add a review to this thread, Flying pics are welcome!

Sincerely
Dodd

ed_diaz · Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 10:26 am Post subject:

what! i cant believe you posted that without asking me! ... LOL just messing with ya

i was actually thinking of posting it on here but i was going to make afew changes to the whole review since i've been flying the PXS for a much much longer time now, i can change somethings i wrote in the review and/or clarify other things since i did that review when i only had like 14hours flying time on the kite. so Dodd you want me to make the changes(none are bad of course ) just afew changes here and there, i feel i have had much more time on this kite to make afew changes for the better. thnx let me know ok.

WrongRealities · Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 3:17 am Post subject:

I don't have much time on my daughters Pyro XS, so I can't say too much.

I do know that the cartwheels I had to do worked perfect and this kite axled FAST. We were flying in med/high wind. I have not flown it in low wind yet.

I think I'm going to have to get one for myself. My Addiction is just too loose.

Buying kites just never ends... dose it?
_________________
Mario de Angelis
MAD KITERS

winged v · Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 7:03 am Post subject:

Mario,
Nope! the bag just gets bigger and bigger and turns into more bags.
_________________

Rick
Flying in the winds of change.

Dodd · High Flier Joined: 13 May 2005 Posts: 186

The reason we are working on a larger bag! Very Happy

Rick knows how many kites fits in the burrito bag, its a shame that bag didnt become more popular, it held a lot of kites.

One time in Newport, we had all of the slots filled in the bag, whats that, 20 kites or so, and then Rob put two big filled up MLD bags on top and rolled it all up and went to check in at the airport, he must have had a couple hundred kites all together in one bag!

Thanks for your review of the Pyro XS

Dodd

ed_diaz · Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 7:47 am Post subject: