STX 1.8 SUL

by Cavaliers du Ciel

Specs

History

The STX 1.8 was the 7th kite I purchased on the recommendation of another flier.  I wanted something that would trick like the Easy Light in low winds, but also have better pitch performance.  I was not disappointed!  The STX 1.8 flies well in just about any puff of wind (down below 2mph), and it is capable of any modern trick even in very light winds.

Construction

This is another high end stunt kite well constructed with an expensive Icarex/Ventex sail and an Avia 188 frame.  It comes with a single piece leading edge, two piece lower spreader and metal center T.  Yo-yo stoppers are standard, and it has a lightweight turbo bridle.  The kite is very light, which allows the low wind (SUL level) performance, but it is just solid enough to trick well even in the lightest conditions. 

Tuning

Cavalier du Ciel is famous for having bridle measurements that are a little bit off.  Fortunately this is very easy to correct with a yardstick and a little careful measurement. The first thing to do when you get your STX 1.8 is check the bridle measurements against the standards available on their web site.  Adjust your bridle until your measurements are correct.

I did try adding a little bit of tail weight to the STX 1.8, but it really hurt the performance of the kite.  This is one of the few kites in my bag that actually performs better without any tail weight.  It will easily pitch and perform excellent fades and turtles with no weight at all.

In Flight

The STX 1.8 is the best kite I have tried to date for very low wind tricks.  It will fly down to about 1.5-2 mph.  It can be tricked in zero wind, but it requires a bit more walking than some indoor zero wind kites.

Tricking is clearly the strength of this kite.  It requires a lighter touch than a full size kite, but with a little practice you can perform literally every trick in the book.  Axels are no problem, as are all of the other axel related tricks.  It does beautiful 540's.  The pancake to fade requires a bit of a pop motion but once mastered is easy and very stable.  Flic-flacs, lazy susans, and even Jacobs Ladders are all beautiful on this kite.  In fact it is one of the few kites that does nice rising jacobs ladders.

With the slightest breeze the kite flies with very good precision.  The only negative item I've noticed is a slight oversteer when the kite is stalled and sinking.  Several people on the forums have noted that you can make minor changes to the bridle to correct this but I have not yet had time to try it.

Overall Impression

Simply the best SUL kite I have flown to date.  It will fly well in winds very close to zero and is capable of all of the latest tricks.  I was skeptical that a SUL could perform this well at very low winds until I flew the STX 1.8.

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