CORE COMPETENCY

Like a race car that looks fast standing still,  we knew we had a performer on our hands when we first unpacked our Core for rigging.  The aggressive elliptical planform screams performance and makes the kite appear to have a higher aspect ratio than it's moderate 3.6.  The next thing to catch the eye were the very thin bridle lines with spliced and sewn loops.  The kite is bridled every other cell with extensive use of D-ribs between bridle points to hold the sail's shape.  We could see that it would be a fast kite with all the care taken to reduce drag.  We were not disappointed. 

In light winds, the kite will leap off the ground in about 2 knots less than other all-around kites of the same size and fly a lot closer to the edge of the window than your would expect.   Customers report how light it feels in the hands when flying (until it starts to pull!).   As fast as it is, we found it to be stable with no surprises.  The Core is a great buggy engine with decent upwind performance.  Landboarders will enjoy the same upwind performance yet find that if they swing the kite up in the window quickly there is plenty of lift.

The Core is not as fast as a Reactor and not as lifty as a Twister, but is smoother and easier than either.  You won't have to ride the brakes just right like a race kite to get the most out of it and you are not going to feel like your arms are getting torn off.  The Core is for the distinguished rider with nothing to prove who likes as easy and comfortable ride across as broad a performance spectrum as possible.   Another great source of satisfaction of ownership of the Core is the elegant design and beautiful build quality.  We normally don't give a lot of weight to the kite bag design, but everyone who sees the Core backpack is compelled to comment on the thoughtful features and excellent construction quality.  Looking at the overall kite, this is where someone who is first surprised about the Core's price compared to other similar sized kites stands back and goes "Oh, I get it now...".

The Core, along with the Reactor II is a member of the "Pro-Range" of kites in the Peter Lynn line up.  While all Peter Lynn products are known for high quality construction, the Pro-Range kites are built in an entirely separate factory where the grade of materials, the craftsmanship and the construction tolerances are all dialed way up.  The top and bottom skins are made of Mirai fabric, the profiles are made from 70D fabric, Porcher fabric reinforcements are used inside the kite, and all parts are precision laser-cut.   There are Velcro dirt-outs in the tips as well.  Look at the perfectly straight rows of double stitching and the precision matching of color panels in the sail.  There is no overbuilt construction to hold the kite back with un-needed weight, yet there is thoughtful reinforcement built in at all the right places.  The bridles are incredibly thin and are not bulked up with sleeves at the loops, but rather are spliced (how do they even do that?) and then sewn.  This is another place where experienced kiters look and go "Ooooh".

The backpack that comes with it is generously sized and well appointed.  It has a small hidden external zipper compartment in the lid that is perfect for keys and change and a larger zippered compartment on the back for accessories.  It has a padded carry handle, compression straps and padded shoulder straps with a chest strap and padded waist belt.  As we said above, this is one of the nicer bags we have seen. 

Complete kit contains...

• High quality knapsack with 2 external zipper pockets
• Newer Peter Lynn padded, colored handles
• Pre-stretched 2-color Dyneema line set with colored, sewn loops, 25m
• Kite sail with packing strap
• Ground stake