Hey there guys i currently have a HQ symphony beach 2.1m which to begin with i enjoyed i now want to go bigger i cannot decide between the flow 3m or the sting 3.3m the price difference doesn't matter I was just wandering if anybody has any experience of either kite and which one they would recommend for starting landboarding with. I weigh 8 stone as im 16 so both will pull me around which i want them too i was just wandering if one stood out much better than the other.

Cheers P.S feel free to recommend something else as long as its £160 or below

My kids have a sting. Its a nice kite for sure. Durable, easy to fly but the version they have (1.2) does not come with handles or lines that an adult could use for serious boarding. If the 3.3 uses the same, I'd definately recommend the Flow. That's a nice kite.

3m Flow is a very nice kite. I've spent a bit of time with mine in the buggy. I've got quite a few vids of it on my site - here's one: Beamer & Flow video Haven't spent much time with Flexifoil stuff, but I highly recommend the Flow.

Flow.

I have the entire Sting suite with some spares in some of the sizes (don't ask... package deals and fire sale pricing in some cases). I also have the Flow 3M.

I will always love the Stings and chances are they are never going to leave home for a lot of reasons. They are smooth, predictable (although the 1.7 has open inlets and can get squirelly in extreme gusts), forgiving and an all around nice introduction to power kiting.

That said, the Flow was introduced several years after the Sting II and includes some refinements that really need to be taken into consideration.

1. From the wingtip, cells 1,2 and 5 are closed so that during lulls the kite retains it's shape as long as possible.
   
2. Internal cross-bracing reduces the number of bridle lines.
   
3. In addition, the Flow bridles are unsleeved.
   
4. #2 & #3 combine to reduce the parasitic drag caused by the bridle lines and improves low-wind & upwind performance.
   
5. The air inlets on the flow are positioned not at the very leading edge, but a bit further back towards the belly of the canopy, which results in:
   • A cleaner, more aerodynamic leading edge which improves performance.
     
   • When the kites is sitting on its trailing edge, prior to launch, the air inlets face more directly into the wind. This aids in the inflation of the cells and provides a marginally hotter launch due to the firmer canopy acting as a more efficient air foil.
     
   • In a nose down crash, the mesh on the air inlets are protected from damage by virtue of the fact that they are further back from the leading edge.
     
   • Although not explicitly stated in any of the literature, I expect the chances of cell damage are also reduced because impacts are oblique to the actual inlets.
6. During initial flights. in less than optimal wind conditions, I was constantly amazed by the Flow's ability to execute mid-air, "oh crap, I'm going to crash.... no, I'm not"/Hail Mary recoveries. You have to be prepared for the power ramp when this occurs (lest goat impersonations ensue). Still the ease with which they can be executed is worth mentioning.
   

In all fairness to the Stings, despites size similarities this is really an apple and oranges comparisons of two kites tasked with fairly divergent roles (despite any overlap that might be present).

Hope that helps.

ATB,
Sam