For a good overall picture of the parafoil kite scene back in 2007, see the big information table below. Prices change, and a new kite comes onto the market from time to time, so this info is obviously out of date now.
However, have you seen anything like this table anywhere else on the Web? I don't think so! Out of date or not, it tells you a thing or 2 about foil kites.
The cheapies are at the top of the table, and are not necessarily of much use to you as a traction kite! Ok for a bit of a slip'n'giggle out on the frozen lake with someone's old pair of skis or toboggan, maybe.
When the weather's good and you have the time, it's great to get out with a kite or 3. But what about on bad weather days? Then it's time to pull out...
"Kites Up!" - my downloadable kite-flying board game! Apart from towing indoor kites, doing a spot of imaginary flying is the next best thing :-)
Serious about going cross-country under parafoil kite power? Look towards the bottom end of the list.
Price (USD)
Manufacturer
Name
Type
Sizes (sqr m)
< 100
Brookite
Sky Witch
2-line
0.6
Brookite
Sky Wizard
2-line
0.8
Flexifoil
Buzz
2-line
0.8
Flying Wings
Mighty Bug
2-line
0.5, 1.0, 1.5
HQ
Bongo
2-line
1.2
HQ
NPW 5
2-line
2.4, 3.4, 4.4
HQ
Symphony
2-line
1.2, 1.4, 1.8
Ozone
Imp 07
2-line
1.0
Spirit of Air
Power Foil
2-line
1.1, 1.4
Thunderbird
Speed Foil
2-line
1.0
PKD
Buster
4-line
0.7
Rhombus
Firebee
4-line
1.0, 2.0
Feed The Rat
FTR
depowerable
2.0, 3.0
100 - 199
HQ
NPW 5
2-line
6.9
HQ
NPW 9
2-line
3.4, 5.3, 7.6, 12.0
HQ
Rush
2-line
1.3, 1.8, 2.6
HQ
Symphony
2-line
2.2, 2.7
Ozone
Imp 07
2-line
1.5, 2.0
HQ
Beamer III
4-line
2.0
New tech
Ballistic
4-line
2.2, 3.6
Ozone
Imp Quattro
4-line
1.5
PKD
Buster
4-line
1.4, 2.0
Rhombus
Firebee
4-line
3.0, 4.0
Feed The Rat
FTR
depowerable
4.0
200 - 299
HQ
NPW 9
2-line
15.0
Ozone
Imp Trainer
2-line
2.0, 2.5, 3.5
Gin
Zig
4-line
1.0, 2.0
HQ
Beamer III
4-line
3.0, 4.0
HQ
Beamer TSR
4-line
1.8
New Tech
Ballistic
4-line
4.9
Ozone
Imp Quattro
4-line
2.0, 2.5, 3.5
PKD
Buster
4-line
3.0, 4.0
Spirit of Air
Cyclone
4-line
2.0, 3.0, 4.0
Feed The Rat
FTR
depowerable
5.5
300 - 399
Gin
Zig
4-line
3.0, 4.0, 5.5
Gin
Yoz II
4-line
1.8
HQ
Beamer III
4-line
5.0, 7.0
HQ
Beamer TSR
4-line
2.5, 3.6
Flexifoil
Rage
4-line
1.8, 2.5
New Tech
Ballistic
4-line
6.2
Ozone
Samurai 2
4-line
2.0, 3.0, 4.0
Ozone
Razor
4-line
2.5
PKD
Buster
4-line
5.5
400 - 499
Flexifoil
Rage
4-line
3.5, 4.7
Gin
Yoz II
4-line
2.6, 3.8
HQ
Beamer TSR
4-line
5.0, 7.0
Ozone
Samurai 2
4-line
5.0
Ozone
Razor
4-line
3.5
PKD
Buster
4-line
7.0
500 - 599
Flexifoil
Rage
4-line
6.0
Gin
Yoz II
4-line
4.8
Ozone
Razor
4-line
4.5, 5.5
PKD
Buster
4-line
9.0
600 -699
Gin
Yoz II
4-line
6.2
Ozone
Razor
4-line
6.8
Gin
Yoz II UDS
depowerable
1.8
Ozone
Access
depowerable
6.0, 10.0
700 - 799
Gin
Yoz II
4-line
8.5
Ozone
Razor
4-line
8.5
Gin
Yoz II UDS
depowerable
2.6, 3.8
North Husky Ltd.
n/a
depowerable
7.3, 11.3
800 - 899
Ozone
Razor
4-line
11.0
Gin
Yoz II UDS
depowerable
4.8
Ozone
Frenzy
depowerable
5.0
900 - 999
Gin
Yoz II
4-line
10.6
Ozone
Frenzy
depowerable
7.5
1000 - 1099
Gin
Eskimo
depowerable
4.0
Gin
Yoz II UDS
depowerable
8.5
1100 - 1199
Gin
Eskimo
depowerable
6.0
Ozone
Frenzy
depowerable
10.0
1200 - 1299
Gin
Yoz II UDS
depowerable
10.6
Ozone
Frenzy
depowerable
12.0
1300 - 1399
Gin
Eskimo
depowerable
8.5
Ozone
Frenzy
depowerable
14.0
1400 - 1499
Gin
Eskimo
depowerable
11.5
Did you notice some groups or categories in all that parafoil kite data? Here's what I saw...
Hope you got something out of all this parafoil kite info!
As mentioned earlier, there's another alternative to towing indoor kites if it's just not possible to fly outdoors...
"Kites Up!" is my downloadable board game. It's a PDF file which has all the documentation for the game plus images for all the components. Tokens, cards, the board itself and so on. Anyway, just click that link to see more info :-)
It's a printable PDF file. Make a diamond, delta or sled step-by-step. They fly hundreds of feet up for hours on end. Woohoo!
Could you do me just a small favor though? If you're over 16, please sign up for Tethered Flying - my free twice-per-month publication. Here's just a sampling of the total content...
* 3 "tips of the month" (for beginners, parents & experienced)
* A fresh "photo of the month" (+ link to big hi-res version)
* A fresh "flight report of the month" (my personal flying)
* Updates on the latest board game from my-best-kite.com
Any questions? Here's more info on both the e-book and the newsletter.