Gemini Feature
Gemini UL Review
Gemini STD Review
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The Gemini UL has been available for some time and is a significant evolution on the standard kite. As well as being possibley the most stylish kite ever designed, the Gemini remains popular despite changing fashions in freestyle. As one of the kHiTe teams more technical fliers has been heard to say 'I could watch the Gemini all day'. This review is by Roy Reed, kHiTe's own High Aspect Guru, and a dab hand with Gemini himself.

Introduction

The Gemini UL is a Benson progression from the original Benson/Wardley Gemini design. The bridle has changed from active to cross-active configuration (the standard Gemini now shares this bridle) and the sail pattern has been changed slightly, now having 13 panels, but still keeps the Gemini family feel.

Construction

Construction is as good as you'd expect from a Benson kite. The sail is PC31 and the panel seams are flat overlaps, sewn with a three stitch zig-zag. The frame is a combination of SkyShark P200 (leading edges), SkyShark 3PT tapered (lower spreader) and 5mm carbon-fibre tube (upper spreader and spines). The five stand-offs are 2mm carbon. The fittings are APA.

Gemini UL (top) STD (bottom).
Image courtesy of the Benson Twins

Flight

The kite's wind range is from 2-15mph, with its sweet spot between 3 and 8mph.

The new bridle makes what was already a great kite (in standard guise) even better. Although it's nearly two years since I first flew the UL, I can still remember the smile it brought to my face the first time I flew it. It's hard to put into words what the difference between the old and new bridles is. It hasn't added any tricks to the Gemini's extensive repertoire that the old-bridled kite wouldn't do (although some are slightly easier and some slightly harder) but the transitions between tricks just feels smoother. If anyone still has a Gem with the old bridle, the conversion took me less than twenty minutes. It's definitely recommended.

Although this is an ultra light kite, the frame feels stiffer than on the standard Gemini, which helps with precision. Many people will be surprised to hear the word 'precision' used in a review of a freestyle kite, but the Gem (both standard and UL) can fly precisely. True it needs very small and sure hand (not arm) movements to get this precision and avoid any over steer, but it can be done. Straight lines can be flown with ease, and the radius of carved turns can be controlled. It's not a kite that you'd want to fly in a precision competition, but this ability is what makes the Gemini a true freestyler, rather than just a trick kite.

Axels are flat and smooth. Half-axel cascades, fountains, rivers and are easy to achieve (the fountain isn't quite as easy as on the standard, where the extra weight seems to help). 540 flat spins are slow and graceful and much easier than on the standard. Fades are easily achievable from axel or flic-flac method and once there are easy to hold. Backspins - this kite was made for them. It's even easier than on the standard Gem.

Lazy Susans need a gentle touch as the kite has a tendency (as with all Gems) for the nose to want to pop up. This makes combination tricks such as the Jacob's Ladder harder, but the addition of a small weight on the tail of the kite (about 8gm at the base of the center stand-off - thanks Andy) helps with this and with roll-up tricks. The kite can be yo-yo'ed and flown rolled-up (although I've not been able to get more than one roll). The kite doesn't come with yo-yo stoppers, but I've added them to all my Gems. These need to be much smaller (about 5mm, 51-52cm down from the corner of the nose webbing) than the devils horns you see on some new kites. They must also not come above the face of the kite or they will have a tendency to catch when the kite is backspinning.

Custom Weight, Glides and Yo-Yo Stops

Can the UL perform some of the newer "French" tricks? The wap-do-wap? Certainly! Comet? Well I've not been able to do it (I have on the Minigem) but I asked ABW if it was do-able and he did one on the spot. It seemed to need a more delicate touch than the fast aggressive comets that I've seen with other kites, so I'll need more practice for that one. Can it do more. I would guess that it could do most of them, although the flying technique would have to be different and some of them it might not do so well (or certainly so easily). But then it does some of the old-school tricks much more gracefully than many of the newer kites which practically have to be forced through a full 360 degree axel!

Conclusion

I'm not saying this is the perfect freestyle kite, but if I had to have just one kite, it would be the Gemini UL. The Gemini is an all-time classic kite. It has changed the way people think about flying, and well deserves a kHiTe star award.

Gemini Feature
Gemini UL Review
Gemini STD Review
Video