Prism Hypnotist Dual-line Stunt Kite

Up until a week ago my stunt kit experience has all been with seven kites over 20 years old so I have almost no experience with modern stunt kites, the terminology or what was possible. My old/antique stunt kites would fly and could do some basic tricks but mostly I hoped for wind to keep those cement trucks in the air.Quality and Assembly:I spent a long time looking over it with a fine tooth comb. All the fittings and tubing seem of good quality. The stitch lines were uniform and straight. The panels were all symmetrical from one side to the other. I started assembling and the lower spreader just didn't seem right. I looked at the instructions and it showed two little bits which I didn't have so I thought my package was missing something. Right before clicking the button on Amazon to return it for another I decided to give Prism a call. They answered on the third ring and after a few questions determined that I had all the parts and gave me tips for assembly. It turns out the instructions are somewhat generic and the photos were of a different kite model so the little bits were not used on this model. She (Prism) politely offered that I should call if I had any questions or troubles so customer service gets a big thumbs up.First Flight:The wind was highly variable in direction and speed going from short calms to gusting about 18. Within a minute of getting the Hypnotist airborne I could hear little angels singing in my head. It was so responsive and different from my old kites I was kicking myself for having not upgraded years ago. I soon found myself waiting for the calmer periods to really see what the Hypnotist could do as it wasn't about just keeping it in the air. This kite wanted to play.I spent the first while just learning the responsiveness and not over controlling. Then it was off to the edge of the wind window which is greatly expanded compared to my old kites. I've never had a kite that could work with so much of the sky. Quickly I was able to get it to float right on the edge forever, tip stand and even some side slides. Then I was playing around to get it to stall. Then one time I did it a bit harder and it flipped on it's back and was able to get it to hover there. A quick tug and it flipped back. I did that a few times then when it was on it's back I tugged on line and it did a 360 on it's back, then a quick tug and it flipped up and took off flying. I'm going have to search online just to learn the names for some of these things but it did so many things I had never been able to do in 25 years of kite flying. Simply amazing. I am so hooked.-----I've been flying in a vacuum for so long with antique kites I'm off to search the web just to see what's possible. It's really hard to emphasize how big a revelation this is for me. For two decades kite flying was fun but pretty limited. This kite has just opened up a whole new world of what a kite can do and most importantly it doesn't rely on having stronger winds. It can really work with the calmer, fickle winds I have inland so I'll have many more opportunities to fly.

I'm a beginner with stunt kites so any problems that arose are probably attributable to my own ineptitude. That being said, I like this kite a lot more than a less expensive kite that shall remain nameless. Overall, it can take a beating, but one problem that did arise was the lower spreader. The glue holding the ferrule in place is pretty weak. I don't know if it's a design flaw, but on the first flight, the ferrule came out of place. I glued it back in place with regular super glue, which may have been a bad idea, but it held like a champ for about a month. Then the ferrule splintered and snapped. Thankfully, that was the only casualty and I've replaced the lower spreader, but again on the first flight, the glue didn't hold.Also, the lines weren't even, but that's been corrected with no problem. While the bridle clips are very convenient, I personally don't like them as they seem to snag parts of the kite when attempting, and in my case failing, to do tricks.Overall, I like this kite a lot and I'm on the field for hours when the wind kicks up. It's fast, has decent pull, but can be a little loud. A little advice though, do your research, figure out what you want to do with the kite, determine your price range, do some more research, watch stunt kite vids, more research, then get out there and fly.

I've flown quite a few different stunt kites over the years and I fly them exclusively on beaches where there is consistent wind. I bought this kite recently and it basically flies well for my kites of the same size and is responsive for a large kite.The reason I'm giving it three stars is because of a structural issue when performing higher-speed maneuvers when flying in higher wind speeds (15 MPH to 20 MPH). Basically, the lower halves of the leading-edge spars (the longest pieces on the sides, that are within the fabric) would "flap" a lot at higher flying speeds. It reminded me of a bird that was flapping its wings. I've never had a stunt kite that behaved this way. It worried me so much that this behavior could cause significant stress on the spars that I switched back to one of my older kites. I think the problem is related to the tubular rubber connectors that hold the upper and lower halves of the leading edge spars together, because these connectors may flex back and forth during high-speed maneuvers. The two-piece leading-edge spars on my other larger kites fit together directly (one spars' connecting end fitting inside the other) and don't have this flapping problem.If you don't perform high-speed maneuvers then you'll be ok. If you do like to perform those maneuvers, as I do, then you might want to look elsewhere.

I had read some negative reviews about this kite before I bought it. Some were complaining about poor making quality, and some others were about its durablity. I cannot tell how much someone can get for the 140$ kite, because I'm not an expert, but for me It is actually good kite for the price. It flies so smoothly and quietly. I cannot tell how well it tricks because I'm not a good tricker. but for it's huge and slow, I can see better how it react to my input. In my case, it endured several terrible crash on a hard surface.The only thing that went wrong was about the lines. My left line was about 4 inches longer than the right line. I have to adjust my self later.I think this kite occupying a good position in the price level, for whom finding their second kite. Most of the kite which is Trickable are around or over 200$, and this money might not be so affordable for the fliers who still committing some unexpected crash every flight. It's tough, trickable, and affordable. I recommend it.

Very nice stable kite. Noisier than a murder of crows at dawn. Easily fixed with an I-pod.