Long or Short Handles for Your Rev? by Revolution Kites

Transcript

1. ›

   Handle options

   0:00

   Hi, I'm Joe Hadzicki, inventor of the Revolution, and I often get asked: should I fly my Revolution on different length handles? Well, first of all, 99 percent of all Revolutions are flown on 13-inch handles. But if your Rev feels too responsive, or on the other hand you want to push your control to an even higher level, you might want to consider different length handles. First, let's look at our options. Here are standard 13-inch handles, here are short 11-inch handles, and here is a long set of 15-inch handles.

2. ›

   Handles and sensitivity

   0:37

   When you're talking about handle size, you're really talking about sensitivity. For sensitivity there are two basic rules. Rule number one, wing size: a larger wing is more stable and a smaller wing is more responsive. Rule number two, handle length: shorter handles will make your Rev feel more stable, while longer handles will make your Rev more responsive. Of course, speed models like the Blast and the Eagle are faster, but the rules are the same.

3. ›

   Standard handle lengths

   1:09

   The standard handle length for the 1.5 size, which includes the EXP, the New York Minute and the Reflex RX, is the 13-inch handle. The standard handle for the XX is the same 13-inch handle. You might say, wow, the XX is larger than the RX, shouldn't the handles be larger? Theoretically that's correct, but the Revolution design is so controllable that the 13-inch handles are a perfect match for the XX for most pilots in most conditions, including me.

4. ›

   The original Rev handles

   1:46

   Let's take a step back in time to the original Rev to get a better feel for handling. The original Revolution, the Rev 1, came with 11-inch handles. Whoa, how does a 9-foot Revolution go with 11-inch handles? How is that going to work? Well, that larger size made the original Rev nice and stable, and the smaller handles made it less sensitive. That was a perfect combination when you're first trying to learn how to fly a Revolution.

5. ›

   The Rev 1.5 and the XX

   2:15

   As the years went by and Rev pilots gained experience, we came out with the new Rev 1.5. That smaller size makes it more responsive, but we also lengthened the handles to 13 inches. This combination of the smaller wing and those longer handles can make your Rev 1.5 very responsive, especially in higher winds. For an experienced pilot this is not a problem, but for a new pilot your Rev 1.5 can be a real handful. These are the reasons why the Reflex XX is my favorite Rev. That larger size makes it more stable. That larger size also balances out the longer handles. And finally, the Reflex design makes the Reflex stable on the outside of the window and eliminates the stall.

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   Which handles to choose

   3:04

   To sum it up: if you fly in high winds, short handles will help calm your Rev down. Also, if you're new to Rev flying and you're having problems adjusting to that sensitivity, short handles are something you might want to consider. If you're an experienced Rev pilot and you often fly in light winds, the extended 15-inch handles will add that extra responsiveness, especially on the XX models. For some of the Speed Series models, including the Blast and the Eagle, the short 11-inch handles can help calm that experience down. We'll see you on the field.