(by guest reviewer, my friend Tony Travaglia from Oamaru. New Zealand)

As I wanted (needed) a light wind kite to fly in our fickle winds I chose the Little Bear as it will fly in winds of about 2mph up to about 10 mph. The Little Bear fitted the bill even though there are a couple on the market that fly in about the same wind range but the availability and speed of delivery made me choose this one.  I dutifully assembled it and took it outside to fly. The wind was too strong so I had to wait another 24 hours to try it. I was not disappointed as it climbed straight up to rise above me and float on the wind. I let it out to 300 feet and it stayed locked up there, almost at the zenith.  The next day I decided to go for the end of the line (500 feet). A flawless launch, pulling at the line, it rose to the end of the line with no qualms, directly above me. I let it stay up there for about 10 minutes before lowering it to the 400 foot mark. It was well behaved with no drama.

One thing to watch out for is that when the wind drops to almost zero it will float as it falls but the rate of fall is rapid and one has to be alert to be able to wind the line in quickly. The balloon keel helps it to behave, as sometimes when it passes the zenith (directly overhead) it will go into a loop but one can let a bit of line out to slacken it and then pull it back and the kite will recover its normal flying attitude.  This kite is a pleasure to fly. I recommend it highly and give it a 10/10.  From Into the Wind, $110 (2012 price.)