Three closeup views of the 4.0m Viper showing the "simple" design and dyneema bridle

In flight the Viper is slightly curved which shows up well in this shot and looks identical to the original Predator I. When launched it accelerates well with a strong pull which decreased directly overhead compared to a Blade II 4.0 which was being tested at the same time. Flying speed across the wind window looked to be faster than the Blade. Unlike the Blade which turns very well with a conventional 2 line flying technique and even faster using the brakes, the Viper felt VERY heavy and required a lot more force on the brakes to turn. It was possible to hurl it around quickly but the Blade was a revelation in comparison with finger light inputs to effect a much faster and smoother turn.

The first noticeable thing about the Viper is its shape - its very unlike the latest breed of high performance kites such as Flexifoil's own Blade, the new Predator III and the popular Libre Bora and Jojo to name a few. The kite is almost rectangular with a slight taper on the trailing edge and the construction is extremely straightforward but still up to Flexifoil's usual high standard. The cells appear to the identical and the bridle is made from lightweight unsleeved dyneema. It has a flap on the last cell on each side.
Overall what do I think about the Viper ? I can understand that Flexifoil wanted a replacement for the Skytiger. Was it declining in sales in favour of the Blade ? However in my opinion the Viper looks a bit "outdated" and doesn't "feel" like a high performance kite, after all even the Predator I has been superseded by the mark II and now mark III so it does show its age !! The Viper has two main problems -one is the noise. The end cell flaps make quite a racket. This afflicted the mark I Predator and I can't understand why this wasn't designed out even if it makes no difference to the performance ? Secondly is the list price. Now, I'm not an expert on kite construction but I have made one or two foils and its obviously much easier to sew straight lines than sew around curved lines, for example on a Blade. Sorry Flexifoil but for about £20.00 less than the 4.0m Blade II you don't feel that you've got your money's worth. The Blade II has an air of QUALITY. It looks expensive and even the shape is something special (probably having something to do with the elliptical shape which is immortalised on the Spitfire fighter and widely used on modern paragliders) however I'm going to be blunt and say that the Viper looks "cheap" even with the prominent Flexifoil branding. I'm not saying this is a bad kite because it does appear to be fast but it can't possibly cost as much as a Blade to make and if it was significantly less than a Blade by , say, £50-£70 then it would offer better perceived value.
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The Flexifoil Viper is billed as the "ultimate buggy kite" and has been designed by Pete Mirkovic of Predator fame. Very soon a full comparative test will determine if this is right, however have a look through some first impressions !! It "replaces" the Skytiger Hi series kites which were and indeed still are high performance kites. The test kite is a 4.0m version therefore it takes on the Skytiger Hi40 and the latest 4.0m Blade II....