anyone got one? are some brands better/more acurate than others?

don't bother. I got a good one when i first started but only used it a couple of times

Ironman said...

anyone got one? are some brands better/more acurate than others?

The Kaindl and the Skywatch Eole and Meteos are all good quite accurate hand held windmeters.
http://www.kitepower.com.au/kiteboarding/accessories/pumps-windmeters.html

They can teach you to accurately read the winds at your local spot, by checking the readings against what you are able to observe. They are very useful to take on your travels to asess what the winds are doing in locations you are unfamiliar with.

^^^agreed but why not combine both while learning? A hand held anemometer provides a reliable baseline to learn how to read local conditions. It saves rigging too small or too big and may save a spanking out on the water until confidence and exPerience kicks in.

Chris6791 said...

^^^agreed but why not combine both while learning? A hand held anemometer provides a reliable baseline to learn how to read local conditions. It saves rigging too small or too big and may save a spanking out on the water until confidence and exPerience kicks in.

maybe so chris, but i think they cause more harm than good. personal opinion i suppose....

-they are okay for a backup i guess but learners especially tend to rely on them completely

-people sometimes read the gauges from on the beach where the wind is often swirling or disturbed

-they think 20 knots from one direction is the same as 20 from the other, which it usually isn't

-if you are learning you probably should take note of what others are rigging/riding not what the gauge says

- in my opinion a spanking on the water is a quicker way to learn respect for the wind

-i reckon its better to think of the wind strength in terms of kite size rather than knots (eg it looks like a 9m day)

reliable, easy to read and cheap, granma's tea towel

stamp said...

^^^ and are more often than not completely misleading in unfamiliar spots.

How could they be completely misleading? If they were completely misleading, they would be obviously faulty, and warranty would apply.
The whole idea is to use them to back up the persons judgement, and to learn. Don't assume that every beginning kiter knows nothing about the wind.

stamp said...
20 knots tropical is very different to 20 knots cold

No its not very different, its 20 knots.

stamp said...
learn to feel the wind and read the water, not rely on a gadget

Thats the whole idea, use the gadget to learn to feel the wind and gauge its strength.

stamp said...
maybe so chris, but i think they cause more harm than good. personal opinion i suppose....

How could they cause harm? Maybe you just have a very harsh view of beginners and have forgotten what it was like when you were a newbie?

stamp said...
-they are okay for a backup i guess but learners especially tend to rely on them completely

Thats a big assumption on your part, and an indicator of your bias against beginners. They are something to use to learn about the wind, and eventually a person will not need it.

stamp said...
-people sometimes read the gauges from on the beach where the wind is often swirling or disturbed

If the wind is onshore, its not swirling and disturbed, if its offshore they should not be going out and probably would not. Most wind meters come with good instructions on how to get the most accurate readings.

stamp said...
-they think 20 knots from one direction is the same as 20 from the other, which it usually isn't

Not sure what you are trying to say about a 20 knot wind, but 20 knots is 20 knots? Direction and the effect it has on a spot will not be indicated by a wind meter.

stamp said...
-if you are learning you probably should take note of what others are rigging/riding not what the gauge says

Good advice, and to back it up and learn to read conditions and what a certain wind strength looks like, especially in a new location a wind meter is very useful.

stamp said...
- in my opinion a spanking on the water is a quicker way to learn respect for the wind

You're kidding right? You are recommending that people have a kitemare rather than use a wind meter to avoid potential harm to themselves and others??

stamp said...
-i reckon its better to think of the wind strength in terms of kite size rather than knots (eg it looks like a 9m day)

Obviously that comes with experience, it seems like its hard for you to remember what its like to be starting out.

Wind meters are useful. I bet you use seabreeze windmeters to see if its on at your spot, or not. There is nothing wrong with someone checking at their local or a new spot, to be sure what to rig or whether to go out at all.

And don't forget to have a laugh before you reply
I did when I read your post

I don't have to time or patience to do a Steve style quotathon.

They're dangerous and cause harm because a) people get a low reading and go out when they should not, or b) give a high reading and they get used to going out on a 12m in "30 knots".

They're not accurate in onshore winds because people are only 2m tall so you're standing in the zone of friction from the waves and/or the zone of compression from the beach so you have two contradictory factors influencing the reading of your "accurate" gauge.

The gauge is accurate, the user is not, the location you are using the gauge is not.

20 knots is in fact 20 knots. The cold wind, warm wind thing is a bit of a myth. Propellor/anemometer gauges read the actual wind so the wind the gauge is experiencing is 20 knots, end of story. Venturi-style gauges (that are hardly used any more) are more influenced by temperature.

For practical purposes there are only 3 wind strengths (4 counting no wind at all), light wind, strong wind, farking strong wind. The kite you choose, the board you choose and your skill level are the factors that influence how you will go. The number on your gauge is entirely irrelevant.

If you must buy a wind gauge buy one of these. www.hallwindmeter.com They're cheap, accurate enough, easy to use and they don't have any batteries to go flat.

PS Go to a paragliding site and watch guys trying to take off because the wind gauge only says it's 12 knots (even though there are white caps all over the place), or guys say they can launch their 26 sq m paraglider in 20+ knots because they have in the past according to their wind gauge.

Ok lots of this that and the other....

I just bought one for the opposite reason and thought it would be interesting to know when it is the least wind and ask people what they think it is ???

The readings will be confined to.... (dont care about variables)

1. That spot

2. Head height on the beach

3. just feel on face

4. very light constant wind on face

5. just enough wind to get goin

this is what people normally would feel sittin around waiting for it to happen or not happen

Otherwise - its just wind line on water and wind on face and vary angle of attack accordingly... is what most use

Hard to argue with Kite power's response on all that,maybe a lot of us just have one relegated to the bottom drawer and forget the confidence boost it gave in the early days.

....and here he is again.

Classic

Kitepower Australia said...

Gorgo said...

I don't have to time or patience to do a Steve style quotathon.

Its not hard or even time consuming, your arguments are presented without the crazy illogical hate, and I agree with all of them, mostly.

Gorgo said...
They're dangerous and cause harm because a) people get a low reading and go out when they should not, or b) give a high reading and they get used to going out on a 12m in "30 knots".

Yes, but an intelligent user will perhaps have read the instructions and will be aware of possible reading error factors, OR they will learn from the experience, whatever it turned out to be. Wind gauges - are about learning to read the wind without a gauge.

Gorgo said...
They're not accurate in onshore winds because people are only 2m tall so you're standing in the zone of friction from the waves and/or the zone of compression from the beach so you have two contradictory factors influencing the reading of your "accurate" gauge.
The gauge is accurate, the user is not, the location you are using the gauge is not.

Its always the users responsibility to know how to use the instrument, knives are not dangerous until they are used by a dangerous/stupid person. We all use them every day.

Gorgo said...
20 knots is in fact 20 knots. The cold wind, warm wind thing is a bit of a myth. Propellor/anemometer gauges read the actual wind so the wind the gauge is experiencing is 20 knots, end of story. Venturi-style gauges (that are hardly used any more) are more influenced by temperature.

Thank you, its a very strange idea that some people have about warmer and colder winds, 20 knots is still 20 knots regardless of the temp.

Gorgo said...
For practical purposes there are only 3 wind strengths (4 counting no wind at all), light wind, strong wind, farking strong wind. The kite you choose, the board you choose and your skill level are the factors that influence how you will go. The number on your gauge is entirely irrelevant.

The number on the gauge will teach a person with little experience of the wind and weather, what those 3/4 bsics wind strengths are and how they relate to his or her quiver/kite.

Gorgo said...
If you must buy a wind gauge buy one of these. www.hallwindmeter.com They're cheap, accurate enough, easy to use and they don't have any batteries to go flat.

PS Go to a paragliding site and watch guys trying to take off because the wind gauge only says it's 12 knots (even though there are white caps all over the place), or guys say they can launch their 26 sq m paraglider in 20+ knots because they have in the past according to their wind gauge.

My experience with the hall meter is that it can be extremely misleading, but it is cheap and is hard to break.

I agree that some people will always be dangerous, like the guys with the Flysurfer kites at Sotavento recently. I knew from the time I saw them with a wind meter on the beach in a very blustery and gusty, 20-35 knots offshore wind that they would need rescuing. They were rescued 4 times in 2 days, you should have seen the mess their kites were in!!! The Rene-Egli jet ski rescue crew just grab you and your kite and then its full throttle back to the beach, the bar and lines are dragged behind the ski and turned into an amazing birds nest. Plus these guys had no idea about lines and turned the bar birds nest into a complete clusterf#ck bridle nest too! They woud spend hours as in several, untangling, do a wind reading, then do it all again, amazing. I've got an iphone pic somewhere.....

When I was asked to part with a sizeable wad of $ for a replacement A/C controller - I went on line for a universal one and came across this...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160537667360

It is great - if it busts - do not worry about the $.
It has lived in the glove box for 12 months and works fine.
Main aim was to give my youngster some idea about lighter days instead of giving me heaps for being past it!!!
PPal'ed for everything - so no worries despite having an email name of jenny.hot
they were excellent to deal with.

AP

I have one and it takes the guess work out of choosing which one of your quiver to grab. That few knots can be the diff between an epic session or a struggle for wind.

Hi kids,

Been reading this with bemused half interest.

Caveat: AKS sell wind meters. I also own a wind meter myself, The Kaindl Windtronics one. It's very accurate and the battery has been going for more than 5 years now.

I rarely use it, usually to settle bets, or to show overly enthusiastic learners in the school that it is too windy.

Not everyone needs or even wants a wind meter, but there are people who are new to wind sports that can benefit from owning and using one to learn to decipher what wind strength looks like. The difference between wind at 2-3m above the beach will only be a knot or so different from wind 30m up at most so this point is moot.

People (nay sayers included) will usually ask what the reading is if you pull one out at the beach. Why? Because they are using it to confirm or deny their own guestimate...... same probably as the owner is.

What is the problem with owning a wind meter if it makes you happy and you find it useful? it's all good. Some people are just gadget guys and love electronics and instruments connected with the sport of their passion. Some people come into the store when it han't been windy for a while and need some retail therapy, what's the biggy if they use it or not.

Don't rely on coming to the beach and seeing what others are riding. There are a few days a year when it is 30+ knots when you can find me out on an 11m Ozone Edge boosting to the stratosphere. At the same time, you may find little o out on her 5m and "the phantom" out on his 12m DNA. If you werent skilled and figured it was OK to pop up a 10m or 11m, you'd be in a world of fear and pain as soon as the kite was launched.

There are a lot of products people use in this sport that make me think, "Why would use fly one of those?" but then I just think, it's their choice and it's making them happy so I go back to worrying about me.

I suggest you all do the same.
Now repeat after me: What others think of me is none of my business
I do not need to discredit the choices of others to prop up my own fragile self confidence

DM

If you don't believe cold air is more dense then unbolt your turbo intercooler and tell me how she goes