NPW5
Some weeks ago, I added a new power kite to my collection. This time I chose a 3.2 sq. mts HQ Invento NPW5. I´ve always wondered about how a kite will behave without having “wind slots”, like the regular power kites I´ve flown before, and searching for a while, I found a real bargain on eBay. Some time ago, I had the chance to briefly test it, thanks to a fellow kiter that lent me a home-made one.
I flew it for the first time some days ago and It´s a lot of fun. It´s very compact (the bag is only 40 cms long) and it can be ready to fly in a couple of minutes, unlike the Revolution and Acrobatic ones, that require more time to assemble. The sail area is quite generous in this model, and you must be careful if you don´t want the kite to scare the hell out of you with strong winds!!! It´s not designed to jump, but it can be used with a buggy, a mountain board or kite skates.
The kite flies with little or no wind, which makes it ideal for those calm and slow days. It has a speed range from 1 to 6 Bf.
One detail to have into account is that the power and brake lines have different lengths, and in my first attempt, I set them up wrong. The kite flew but behaving nervously, with a lot of “wrinkles”. When I realized that I have installed the lines in reverse order, I corrected them and the kite flew much better.
The only downside (so far) is that you have to be careful with the lines and bridles when folding the kite, since they tend to tangle easily.
In general, I recommend this kite to everybody wanting to have fun without much fuss, but for those beginning in the sport, the 2.5 sq. mts version is better to avoid unexpected behavior with strong winds.
