Sling Shot 2016 Slingshot B3 Light Traction Trainer Kite

I bought this as a first step to learning to kiteboard. I had previously taken a 1 hour lesson with a smaller kite (just on land) and found it incredibly stressful to fly. I knew then that it was going to take me a number of hours flying a training kite before I would be ready for the real one, I was guessing anywhere from 10 to 20 hours. The thing came with no instructions at all, and I would have to say the only thing needing instruction was how to attach the safety leash but with some thought I figured that one out and then a bit later even found a youtube video where that was shown. OK, first flight was scary, I knew it would be, especially when the kite was at 12, directly over my head. But the kite was easily controllable, and surprisingly easy to launch. I watched videos on youtube to see what I should practice and those maneuvers were easy to mimic with this kite. I've now gone and flown it about an hour a day for 5 days and I'm now very comfortable with it, I can do figure 8s with it, can loop it and hold it at various places in the wind window. That happened faster for me than I initially thought it would. A few thoughts. Not sure now that having kite this large is better than say a 1m2 kite, but happy to learn how to stand to properly resist the very strong pull it can produce when whipping it around in the power zone.. Probably not appropriate for someone weighing less than 140 lbs who is a beginner. This thing can easily produce extreme power in a gust and catch you off guard. If you are small, buy a smaller kite, perhaps a B2 or even smaller. It is so easy to launch that all I do is lay it upside down on the ground, wait for a gust and give the bar a pull and up it goes, on days with higher wind a couple of water bottles are used to hold the trailing edge down (which is the upwind edge when it is flipped upside down), and they just slide off when I pull the bar to launch.

Great kiteboarding trainer. You will quickly learn the "wind window" with this kite. For kids younger than 14, I recommend the smaller B2 version.

before I went back out after years of ignoring my favorite past time sport. I spent a couple of weeks on this, and was ready to get back out there. But now, I've shared it with all my friends, so they too can onboard with the sport. Very durable. Very easily to learn system. Slingshot itself is the brand of kite boarding equipment I want to transition into based on its reputation.

Go from hating a windy day, to hoping for windy days. This thing is epic! The leash and flag out feature that come with it work amazingly in emergency situations(I’ve had a few). I use mine to “Kite board” down the beach with a dirt board and it’s insane. GET ONE

This thing is no joke. Almost drug me across the field lol. First time flyer here and this was my first of these types of kites. Im 35, 5”7’ & 140lbs. I got the hang of it but it wore me out in about 2 hours. Only crashed once. It took most of my weight and strength to not face plant in about 15mph winds. Watch instructional videos. consider getting the b2 or lower if this is your first time. That said, i am obsessed. This was the most fun ive had in a long time. This thing id durable as they come and easy to set up and use. Soo happy with this purchase!!

I bought this for my husband. We’ve always seen kite boarding in the Keys and he’s talked about learning for a while. I got him this starter kite and he really likes it. The DVD doesn’t come with the product like it advertises but they do give you a link to YouTube for instructions. Someone else mentioned that it doesn’t come with a harness but this was does NOT NEED a harness because it is a training one. He loves it! (I don’t love the grass stains on his jeans. Ha!)

So. Damn. Fun. I laughed like a maniac the first time I flew it! I'm 180lbs and this kite easily pulls me across the ground, skidding on my feet. I'm super pumped to get out on a frozen lake with it with some skis and play a bit. This kite gets me so stoked to step it up to a larger one and take it to the water! It's great exercise to fly it and honestly just a blast. It's durable, but would be cool if the strings were a little bit thicker- like parachute cord or something. You won't be let down if you buy this. I'm 35, and when I fly it I feel like a kid again.

I’ve had this kite for 2 years now , absolutely love it. Highly recommended for first step into kite boarding.