| Premier Profile Feature |
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| Review |  |
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| Stills | |
Introduction
The Profile is the latest of John Trennepohl's designs to be manufactured by Premier Kites. The Profile is very much a Big Wing kite; at 7'6" (2.3m) by 3'9" (1.15m) it represents a (welcome) trend back towards larger kites. Through the usage of venting the aim is to produce a kite without the intimidating pull of other big wings. It has a wind range of 4-25 mph.
Construction
All Premier Kites are made in China, and I would say the production quality of the Profile is good. The Sail is a crisp Ripstop Nylon, stitched together with broad rolled seams. There are two mesh vented areas in the sail and three cut outs without any sail cloth whatsoever. The frame is Skyshark P series wrapped carbon, which offers a remarkable blend of toughness with stiffness, and is doubly impressive at this price. The fittings are APA. There is no Trick line or Leech line in the trailing edge, and the bridle is a standard three-point affair. Although clearly not a "hand made" kite nothing about the construction of the profile gives me cause for concern.
Design
At first I thought the sail layout a little odd, but once in the air it has an almost alien quality to it. The other effect is one of a smaller high aspect trick kite encompassed within the body of a precision kite. I'm not sure if this was intentional but it is certainly the way the kite flies!
Flight
Having set up the kite the Profile launches easily into the air.
The first thing I noticed was the tracking - the kite came with 75ft lines, but even on this length squares corners were sharp and without wobble.
The second thing I noticed was the reduced pull, the profile was not trying to rip my wrists off despite gusty wind.
The third thing I noticed is how well the kite stops and starts: Stop the kite, pop and axle, and then slot straight back into a sharp straight line. There is something about being able to come out of a 540 flat spin into a safe ground pass without a shudder that left my jaw hanging.
Freestyle
So what about the freestyle stuff? Here the profile continued to impress me. Axles, Half Axles and Cascades are flat and controllable. 540's can be pulled with ease without line wraps, despite the lack of trick line. The kite will Flick Flack and holds a fade very well indeed from a belly out or from a half axle. I almost got the kite to backspin.
In a turtle the Profile is stable and with a little coaxing lazy susan's and other tricks are possible. Yo Yo's are there with practice, although longer lines are needed for this type of move. The Kite is very recoverable the kite surprises in its controllability in a variety of positions.
Groundwork is also exceptional. The kite will deadlaunch and tip stand's, leading edge drags and other old school moves are available and stable. Axle take off's and pop ups are also there without too much trouble. The only time I had to walk to the kite was when I got a tip or tail wrap from a bodged move. A trick line would fix that.
Adjustments
That brings me neatly on to those little adjustments a flier might want to make to the kite. An 'M' style trick line would be a good addition, although the kite doesn't strictly need one. The nose re-enforcement could do with taping to prevent the line catching on the fabric, something I tend to do on all my kites. Finally a wing tip bridle leg may well open up backspins.
Conclusion
I was expecting a lot from the Profile and yet I was still surprised by this kite. In performance level it rests in a class with the Matrix and the Lithium, kites that are considerably more expensive.
If you are looking for an inexpensive entrance to big wing flying then the
Profile has to be the best solution available right now.
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Premier Profile Feature |
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| Review | |
| Video | |
| Stills | |
