Funny how things happen. When John Taylor of Dot designs first sent me the vented Darkside prototype it was based on request of a pair of ballet fliers, who had found the Darkside to be tunable for their requirements. They requested a vented version. John made it. I flew it, made some comments and passed them back. I have had the prototype for some time, but I have only just had the opportunity to fly the production model.

Freestyle flying in over 15 mphis not always easy, especially if you have a 7ft kite. Most high wind trick kites are "mini" versions of the real thing. Sure they're a blast. The DarksideV however is quite simply a full size Darkside that can be flown freestyle when the wind is beginning to howl. It behaves like a Darkside would in half the wind conditions. Axles, no problem. Cascades .. come on this is a Darkside .. easy. Flic Flacs, sure thing. Fade, nice and stable. Backspins, there for the taking. The only position it seems less comfortable is on its back, but it will turtle and lazy susan with enough slack management. As the wind gets stronger the DarksideV continues to perform well. Precision is okay too, especially if you fly on longer lines. Ground work is good, the only limit being it won't deadlaunch as easily as the Darkside 2.

The construction is up to usual Dot standards, with a frame of p300 and a spine of p500. The position of the vents looks nice too.

The Darkside V is still not going to take you into Psycho territory, but apart from that it seems pretty perfect. I am making this kite a permanent addition to my kite bag.