Several people over the last months have asked me if I would write kite reviews for the kites I fly: Buena Vista Co. Kites. I guess people thought it a bit ironic that, since I'm such an advocate of my sponsor's kite generally; and, that I'm a fairly active member of this forum that I would not have review(s) for my sponsor's products here. The truth is, that I've always found it a bit of a "conflict of interest" to review my own sponsor's kites. However, I must make it clear that I *truly* believe in their product and my own reviews. If I didn't truly love these products I'd find a different sponsor, or I'd let the manufacturer know so they'd change the product. To avoid any possible flame damage, I want to caveat here that: 1. I am a sponsored flyer of Buena Vista Kite Company, and they have been responsible for me being able to go all over the world to fly. Peter Werba, owner of BV, is a personal friend of mine. 2. I have been flying Buena Vista kites for a very long time. At this point, the majority of my flying career has been devoted to BV. 3. I personally don't think that Buena Vista gets the coverage it deserves. Believe it or not, BV's XTC has by several accounts the hottest selling high-end sport kite in Japan. BV sells kites in over 50 stores all over the world, and is in several catalogs. They've sold thousands of kites and have been around for almost four years now. Still, people still tend to think of them as a smaller "garage" player. And the final caveat... 4. My own profession is, after all, *marketing*. :-) Also, I want to make these reviews "living documents"--I'd like people to give me input on how they can be improved, etc. (viz. *exact* weights and wing loading, etc.). These reviews will take their place in the FAQ, etc., so we'll have lot's of time to perfect them... *** So, here they are. In my typical propensity to write *more* instead of less, I've taken the time to write individual reviews for *all* products in the Buena Vista line--they have eleven products in all! (Don't worry, it only worked out to be *five* individual reviews). Those of you with good eyes will notice that I made liberal use of cut and paste to put together the five reviews (I had to finish them *this* century!). This reflects a similar philosophy within the product line as much as is does my own laziness... I hope you like the reviews, and I hope they help you in your flying and purchasing decisions, as well as generally increase your level of knowledge about kite products in general. Thank you, and enjoy. Steve Thomas Palo Alto, California