Hi all

I'm a kitesurfer and kite buggy
Weight 100 kg
For buggy i use 4m ozone octane
For sea 10m naish park

I want a kite for light wind, i saw a deal on pansh aurora 19m
630$ with bar
Since i never saw the kite , and there is zero reviews on it
I want to know how is the kite preform
On land an on sea

Thank you in advance

Amnon

Quote: Originally posted by Amnonshlomo

Hi all Since i never saw the kite , and there is zero reviews on it

While pansh have their fans, it seems product quality is sometimes inconsistent and I think your own words speak to that.

Most have heard of the Chrono, Elf, all the Flysurfer kites, etc. if the aurora were in the same class it would be as well known and reviewed.

That being said, doesn't mean it's not a good deal if you like tinkering with bridles and upgrading line sets.

Quote: Originally posted by B-Roc

That being said, doesn't mean it's not a good deal if you like tinkering with bridles and upgrading line sets.

Yeah, it's one heck of a deal! Why buy a new one for 359$ if you can get a used one for 630$

Seriously though, like B-Roc said, the Aurora does not seem to perform like "the" other kites (and if it would, it'd be much more popular).
I saw the 15m Aurora some time ago, when it was new. It did fly...and it did stall, but I can't recall what it did more. I was told that it does fly (unless it's wet) and that the depower and performance were comparable to those of old Flysurfers but it wasn't really of any use unless the winds were super-clean. Then again, they may have changed something later because that kite was one of the first Auroras.

You'll most likely have more fun and less trouble if you buy a used but well known kite. The fixed bridle Pansh kites seem to fly well, but I would stay away from their high-AR depower stuff unless you have the time and knowledge to make the kite work properly if it doesn't.

I had a 15m Aurora. I would suggest it was similar to a Speed 1 as far as performance.

Not all but mine had a tendency to nose tuck. John from Powerzone installed an adjustable ( WAC ) line between my A and B bridles like Flysurfer does. A very inexpensive way of making it perform better.

John pointed out that the socks inside the inlets were much shorter than Flysurfer + it looked like they were made with material ends?

The deflate zippers are small and at the wingtips.

The pulleys seized up very quickly and I had to replace them with Ronstan pulleys.

I did not use it on water but reverse launch took a good pull. Similar to my 13m Psycho II. I think reverse launch on water would be a bit of a struggle?

Mine did not come with a bar and the standard 4 lines equal did not work. I was shut out post purchase but Rosie was always prompt to reply pre-purchase.

Pansh have only included a bar very recently. I would be interested in hearing peoples opinion on it.

I think I would shop for a used Flysurfer if I was you? I personally sold my Aurora and another kite to fund a 19m Speed II after my experience with the kite.

Hi Bladerunner.
Ive found all kites nose tuck if the "a" bridles are too short. Flysurfer got rid of the 'hard/soft' adjustment connecting the a's and b's on their Speed4 Lotus.

I recently took delivery of a brand new 19m Aurora in custom colours from the Pansh sale. Im very impressed with the amount of kite you get for $359. 3.6kg kite and bridles. Nice crispy smooth material, good workmanship and modern looking bridles. Velcro deflate and wing tip dirt outs. Comes with Ronstan pulleys. About 1.5 weeks from order to delivery during the Christmas period.

Fabric weight around 35-40grams/Metre, similar to other foil kite fabric weights. Lighter than the sturdy older flysurfer standard fabric weights, (This is much improved from the older Pansh Sprints which feel heavier and more porous and seem to absorb humidity from the air.) For comparison, speed1 17m SA 2.8kg. 15m speed2 standard 4.2kg, speed2 SA19m 3.8kg.

Flys right out of the bag, on equal length lines, no adjustments required. I put it on extra large Peter Lynn Handles and 40m lines. In sub 4 knots, (un-kiteable with my 2005 17m Speed1 SA) I was able to get a number of downwind runs in +12" of heavy powder on a snowboard. On handles, loops well.

I also have a 15m from 2012-3. Similar era to Bladerunner's. Bought second hand, never flown. Same level of quality but with metal pulleys. 3.2 kg. I have no issue with the metal style pulleys. Equally, it flew straight out of the bag, on handles, equal length lines, loopable in low winds.

The profile I would describe as medium aspect and medium chord. Not race kite sleek, so beginner friendly. Plenty of static pull, good stability, no overflying characteristics, and no back stalling.

These kites pull hard!
They have a fairly flatish arc, unlike the Peter Lynn Arcs, and unlike the newer Flysurfer models, Speed 3 and newer. That means you get more pull for the same area of fabric. But my guess is less stability in variable, gusty changeable winds.

The depower is a 4:2:1 2 pulley per side (4 pulleys) set up, just like the 2009 and later Frenzy's, Chrono's, Psycho 4's and Speed 3's. That means when you pull on the z lines, the c's move in 1/2 as much, and the b's move 1/4 as much.

I haven't tried them out in higher winds or on a depower bar, so I cant comment on the wind range.

Looking at youtube, the 8m, 10m & 12m work well and turn quickly on standard sized bars. The bigger sizes, park and ride. I conjecture that the bigger sizes need an extra long throw bar and a larger range trim system to get the full depower range. A bar like this guy looks effective:
http://youtu.be/9gxDI80PCW4

Im pretty happy with my Auroras but Id be elated with a Flysurfer Lotus!

jy1 - Have you flown the Aurora on a depower bar? I'd never thought of flying on handles (not sure why)......

Quote: Originally posted by jy1zoom

I haven't tried them out in higher winds or on a depower bar,

Why are you flying depowers on handles?

Inexperience. Letting go takes less thinking.
But from fiddling with old depowers on handles Im better able to see and feel the adjustments in the bridles and the speed system, particularly if they were adjusted or repaired by the previous owners.
Ive discovered most depowers will fly on handles.
No doubt, to maximize the full range of a depower kite, it needs to be flown on a bar.
Will report further on the Auroras.

Hey zoom!

I may be wrong here but I think if you compare the bridle plan on a Flysurfer and the Aurora you will notice that Flysurfer also adjusts the projected area with bridle magic. The Aurora is just sort of A.B.C.Z.

I want you to fly your 19m Aurora and Chrono back to back and then tell us how they compare! :smug:

Hey Mac,

The old Flysurfer manuals used to discuss flying them on handles. jy1zoom was zooming past me with his 10m Speed on handles a few weeks ago. I was on a15m arc.

I picked up a deal on a nearly new 19m Aurora last year. I did not use the 20m lines or the bar supplied. I replaced the metal pulleys with plastic Ronstan (RF13101). I set up an old kiteboarding 2:1 pulley bar (simulates a longer bar but the tradeoff is more bar pressure) with 33m lines and rigged a 5th line to the 3 centerline connections on the kite.

The fabric has a slick feel/coating and it holds air for a long time after landing (holds air longer than my old Flysurfer and fabric seems lighter). The zippers are very small/delicate. If they break I'll replace them by sewing in velcro instead (worked fine/better on an old Flysurfer I refurbished)

I have only flown it static in light wind, but it flew fine and the safety connected to my leash worked too. The bar I have has a long throw distance which seems to help with big kites. Set the trim to work with the best throw range/feel and then forget about it pretty much due to the limited wind range.

I wanted to try it out on water (this summer in steady thermal winds) as it is too much kite for me on a buggy, landboard, or on skis (snow is only in the mountians here with trees all around). I put it on long lines because I wanted to use it in the lightest winds possible with a twin tip board. Once it blows 12knts I'll go back to my large LEI. My TT boards have the most drag, but also the most leverage to avoid the downwind dragging effects of large kites at low speeds.

Bladerunner, On my Speed 17, I couldn't get past Buggeyed on his Yakuza 14. me on a board, Buggeyed on skis. I tried his Yak. more technical, less dowwind pull, more upwind speed. Fun. Chrono vs Aurora? not a fair comparison. How about you me 18 Phantom, 19 Aurora...Feb 7-9? which venue?

How about my 19m SA and your 19m Aurora ? :P

Yes, I have tried and struggled with Bugeyed's big Yak before. Funny because he makes it look so easy to fly!

I bet the snow down low will be gone I suggest we meet at Mamet on the 7th. If the snow holds we can try and poach some grasslands on the 8th ? With all those folks willing to get fined to protest being locked out of Corbet lake I think we would look like martyrs and be working for the locals cause if we actually get fined for demanding access to the grasslands as well. :evil:

:bouncing::roll::bouncy:

Dudes having fun with their Auroras:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AWjKHztUw8w
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BLawfNRfojM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jnKOjqxA11Q

Video 1 - Good kite if you want one that hits the ground by the time you can redirect it up.

Video 2 - 2 out of 3 Auroras will fly well without adjustment. The pink black combo is like a scooter. Nice but you don't want anybody to see you riding one !

Video 3 - That guy seems to be getting his moneys worth!

Haha, I know what you mean.
I like these colours:

http://i41.servimg.com/u/f41/09/01/85/36/imag0416.jpg

Another chappy having fun with his Aurora:
http://vimeo.com/57799498
http://vimeo.com/62641961

Quote: Originally posted by PistolPete

...I wanted to try it out on water (this summer in steady thermal winds)...

Yesterday took out the “Big Banana” (19m Aurora in standard yellow & black tips) for a test drive on the water. My patience/tinkering setting it up and static flying paid off because it was ready to go. I flew a Speed2 19m Silver Arrow and a Speed3 21m earlier this month to get baseline ideas. Many factors such as wind speed/gusts, board type, line lengths, etc., changed that, I would summarize and say the Aurora is as useful to get me out on low thermal wind days for a lawn mowing session as the Speed2 or Speed3. All these kites get me riding earlier than my vintage 2008 15m LEI kite, by as much as 4-5 knots. I was using an Ocean Rodeo Mako King in twin tip configuration as this board gives me great leverage to pull against the big kites and rides easy working the big foils back downwind. The Speed3 21m I rode (not my kite) had 21m lines and it was difficult in very light winds to get enough powerstroke to get started but once started it probably pulled a little more than the 19m kites in the cruise zone, not very noticeable in light winds. If the 21m Speed3 was hanging from the 33m lines (that I had put on the Aurora) I am sure the difference would be more noticeable. The 19m Speed2SA was on 27m lines which gives a good powerstroke and is a solid performer. The 19m Aurora on 33m lines gives a great powerstroke and the long line drag/slop was not noticeable. Turning the kite on 33m lines takes some time but you get used to the slow timing/transitions. It’s kind of weird, you are standing on your board swinging the kite overhead and slowly changing directions, but you look down and it looks like you are just standing on your board, on the water - not sinking, being pulled upward the whole time by the kite. Other kiters at first may get a little confused how to get around such a big kite on long lines moving fast or turning slowly. I successfully avoided having to do a water launch or pulling the 5th line for the 2hour session. I tested the 5th line on land and it worked but you run the risk of a tangled kite/bridle. Also on land I noticed the throw at my bar (about 4’) exceeds the range/distance used by the pulleys/bridle/kite. Confirmed this again yesterday that I have a “trim strap” not a “depower strap”, meaning adjusting the centerline strap helps place the bar in the most comfortable riding location and does not give you access to more range of depower. So I never used the trim/centerline strap all day. Flying my large LEI I use the centerline strap quite a bit to adjust trim/range. Sorry no pictures, videos, or numbers to analyze just an opinion that it seems to me these 19m+ low wind depower foil kites work fine and longer lines can help. I prefer the direct connection fixed-bridle/C-Kite, feel to kites which you can sometimes lose using longer lines. From my limited flying of the Speed3 the (triple) safety is an improvement but I have read that it can also reduce direct feel. These big kites move slow anyway so I think the negative effects of long lines and/or triple safety are somewhat muted. I do love the high aspect ratio kite acceleration and upwind performance when using a board that can make use of these fun factors. These kites are all are several years old, looking forward to flying used Ozone-R1 and Flysurfer-Sonic kites…in several years :wink2:

I don't surf but that was a good write up and comparison between kites and use of different length of lines. Since you like the direct feel of fb kites I wonder how those large size pansh adams would be on the water.

I just looked it up. They have the adam from 3.5 - 10.5.

Don't be intimidated, it says it's a trainer kite.

Thanks for that review PistolPete. I am asking the same thing on another thread, which Pansh is good for water kitesurfing. Your review is the closest to that being a reality, but I am prepared to make adjustments as necessary to make it 'worS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-.

Hi LoftyWinds,

I saw your post <Which Pansh for water kite surfing?> and the <Who has a big Pansh Adam?> . I took a chance getting the used (flown twice for snow kiting) 19m Aurora, and it was like new. Now they are 50% off which would make it more tempting. I have ridden it on the water 3 times for about 5 hours now and I still like it on the long lines and 5th line safety. A while ago I took another chance and got a used “in good condition” 15m Flysurfer Silver Arrow for a good price (not from a seller on this forum) but it would not fully inflate, I used almost 5 cans of <Silicone Spray> to get it to fly, not sure how long that will last, plan to try 5 cans of <polyurethane> next.

Foils lose their finish and become porous, quicker in salt water with sand... The new Pansh kite has new material and should last quite a while and I am not really buying it with re-sale in mind. Resurfacing an old kite with mixed results while the fabric and seams deteriorate more and more is not the best plan, not the kite’s fault, just my lesson learned.

These older generation light wind, large, closed-cell kites “fly” in similar winds but the bigger they are the more they pull so matching your weight, skills, and your planned use is important. Most YouTube videos are of static flying or not from the rider's perspective which, may not tell you much about how these higher aspect ratio kites pull because they really need to get moving to find out how/where they perform the best. The 15m FS-SA I’ll use in my buggy or on my landboard or on the water in stronger winds. Lighter winds on the water I would prefer more pull from the 19m Aurora. Stronger winds on the water I’m going for my LEIs. Decent wind on land I really like a smaller more efficient open cell type kite. I assume the 22m Aurora would “fly” in the same winds as the 19m but pull harder. Would be fun to try and compare but my guess is I could ride in about 1knot lower wind and it may ride a little slower due to more drag and keeping the kite high so as not to be pulled over. No recommendations or advice here, just sharing my experiences and opinions...

P.S. <Forum with a lot of Aurora Kite information but you'll need to translate> :ticking:

Lofty,

The Aurora that Pete has was mine.
I flew it twice on the snow one winter, it flew properly right out of the bag with NO adjustments what so ever on my part! I was quite pleased with this as you could imagine. These large kites are "Park and Ride" meaning you can't throw them around the sky, they just don't move fast enough for that type of flying. It is a poor mans Flysurfer, I said that 2 minutes after flying it the first time.

Pete seems to like it on the water, but I don't know what type of sessions he was using it for, maybe ask him?

Will it work for what you want to do with it, only you can answer that!


Blake