The Saber in two words, competition ready. This kite is designed as a precision/TP tool. The kite is set pretty heavy and tracks very well. That heavy set, wide bridle means large inputs. Flight is slow and pull is moderate with very good drive for what I would consider a somewhat heavy standard. I’d realistically rate the wind range in the 3-4mph zone up into the 20′s on the top end. I’ve personally flown it up to around 15-16mph without issue. Pull is still manageable but you know there’s something on the end of those lines.
Looking at construction. Overall the kite show’s no issues and I personally find the sail pattern fairly attractive if only a little subdued. All the good stuff is present for materials/framing/fittings. An interesting construction method uses a single piece of heavy dacron stretches from tip to tip and is integrated into the nose for crash protection. No additional webbing is added nor do I feel it’s needed. This demo has a fair amount of flying time and the nose is showing no signs of wear/issue. The sail consists of Icarex and the TE is heavily reinforced with DAC/Mylar. There is no leech line to adjust and as the wind speed increases, so does the noise. The Saber can get pretty loud in flight but the loose TE does a great job with controlling forward speed even with increasing wind speeds. Stiching is solid with no real issues (few stray stitches). All panels appear to be DS taped prior to sewing and there is plenty or reinforcement throughout the kite.
Framing is an interesting mix of SkyShark and Avia. P200 ULE’s and spine. Avia G-Force SUL’s for the LLE’s. LS’s consist of 5pt’s and the upper spreader is pultruded Avia .220″.
So how’s it fly? Pretty good I feel. That stiff framing and wide, heavy bridling makes for great response. Nice sharp corners with zero oversteer. Very solid, firm feel on the lines. Great drive and speed control. Foward flight speed is slow and well controlled. Wind range is very good even flying down into some UL territory. Trick wise, most everything I can do is there. The Saber is pretty heavily turtle biased but without some of the issues present in other kites where the turtle locks in and you can’t get out (ala; my TC’s). The kite does great backspins and backspin cascades. It’s also very stable in a fade. The fun starts once you get it into a turtle. Lazy’s and multi’s are really good. Lewis’s and yoyo – multi’s are also solid. I’m not a yo-fade or crazy copter guy (yet) but the Saber pitches nose down like nothing I’ve flown. Very quick. I personally love the smooth transitions from trick to trick allowing great combo’s and some of the smoothest JL’s I’ve seen.
There are a few oddities with the Saber. This kite is capable of pitching very fast but one must manage the inputs required to make this work. Explaination: If one initiates a single pop yoyo from a stall, the Saber will roll up so fast, the kite can surprise you. With a two pop or half backspin initiation where you pitch the nose forward, the kite takes a much longer/slower looping roll up (somewhat more controlled as well) requiring significantly more slack. I’ve spoken with young master Will and he’s given me some instruction as to how to adjust my inputs for the roll up so I’ll be reporting back once I get it back out for a flight. In practical use, I don’t have much issues yoyo’ing the kite though I do need to try in higher wind to see how it manages.
Another issue I’ve had is with Cascades. The kite seems to prefer a 3-pop method with very firm inputs. This makes for a more aggressive looking Cascade but has taken this pilot some time to work out. I simply haven’t been able to make a 2-pop method work.
Lastly, some flat spin moves are tough. I believe it may have something to do with the extremely deep sail. Slots are good but 540′s suffer some. I can manage them OK but it’s certainly not the strong point of this kite. Seemingly, it struggles with the last part of the rotation where it loses momentum and starts to stall, falling tail first. Odd but I think workable.
Otherwise, I feel this is a very good first iteration. Contruction is solid with only some minor fit and finish details needing refinement. I don’t see anything that will be an issue in terms of durability. Flight is very good and I’ve had a lot of fun with this kite. It took me a little time to learn where it’s happy and what inputs it requires but once you dial in the larger inputs and your timing, you get a feel for what the kite wants. Once you dial those in, endless strings of combo’s are present. It’s really a fun kite to fly.
Eric…
