Prism Tantrum 250 Dual-line Parafoil Kite with Control Bar

Perfect kite to train for kite surfing or to just have a powerful kite to fly. Nice quality, easy to fly, and so quick to go from in the bag to in the sky. Has very nice pull in decent wind and is very fast. I will absolutely buy more of their products.

I never would have guessed that I would enjoy flying a kite as much as I have after purchasing the Tantrum 250. I purchased this immediately after getting to fly one of the larger traction kites (Tensor 5.0) my cousin let me have a go at. I have no need for a full-fledged traction kite, but I really enjoyed the challenge of flying a kite that has enough pull to take you for a ride. I believe that the Tantrum 250 was the perfect compromise as far as price and size go. I typically fly in wind speeds between 12-15mph, and that is enough to get some good pull in gusts. I have flown it in winds a little plus of 15mph and it will definitely pull you – hard. Pretty smooth to fly in the 12-15mph range as the sail fills with the wind pretty easy.After researching the various parafoil-style kites that Prism offered, I bought the Synapse 200 about two weeks after I had bought the Tantrum 250; not because there was anything wrong with it, I just wanted something a bit more aerobatic that I could stick the 75’ tube tail on for eye candy. The 200 is definitely faster, and can pull loops, figure eights, etc. more easily than the 250. The 200 also has a much more forgivable pull than the 250, and that is the major difference between the two. The 250 can also pull off loops and figure eights, albeit slower/smoother than the 200. The trade-off is you get the experience of major traction with the 250; if you aren’t ready for it, a sudden gust can definitely pull you out of your shoes and I weigh ~180lb. With the 200, a big gust will simply register a casual “meh.”Bottom line. I really, really, like this kite. Super easy to pack up (less than 2 min), great pull, great look, definite eye catcher. Personally, I really like the control bar, but my girlfriend very much struggles to get the mechanics down. The 200 comes with strap handles and (honestly) it is easier to fly with the handles. I think that handles would allow you to perform faster aerobatics with the 250 as well. I will probably expand the collection to include the lower tier Synapse 140 (Cilantro) to complete the family.

I hadn't even thought about writing about the durability. but yeah I crashed it into a pipe rack out behind my warehouse today and it was no worse for wear. as far as tensile strength, it dragged my 245 pound butt across the gravel today in 19 (gusting) mph winds. it's got some strong pull, it's super easy to handle, pretty forgiving in rough turbulent winds too. I started out with the prism synapse 1.6m kite and then moved to this one, and it's similar to fly, but different to handle with the control bar. not any harder, just a little different to get used to. I encourage this kite, you can fly as calmly as your like, or as aggressively and wildly as I do lol. watch out for overhead lines too...I had to ditch it into the street as I was crossing from the east park, across a crosswalk to the west because I didn't see the overhead lines behind me until my GF said "look out for the wires". so I crashed into the pavement and picked it up - in traffic - and walked it into the park.

This is my second parafoil kite and it’s a great kite to bring with me every where I go. The kite pulls very hard and has a wide enough wind range to fly at almost any time. I weigh in the ball park of about 155lbs. In 20-25mph winds, I’ll lie on my stomach and the kite will drag me across the ground about 10-14 feet each pass through the high power zone. While on my feet I’m able to jump about the same distance forward. Jumping up is a bit difficult because the sail is not quite large enough to fall back down slow enough. It is possible however. This kite is quite the work out. I flew the kite all day in 15-25mph winds and the next day I was so sore that I was moving old man speed. In light winds (8-12mph) is probably the best for this kite because it won’t leave you bed locked the next day. This kite leaves a wide grin on my face every time I fly it. I without a doubt recommend this kite to anyone who is looking to get into kiting. There is one thing that could be a negative, however, it’s understandable. That is the durability, if you fly the kite correctly, it will last years. Avoid making the kite hit the ground leading edge first at full speed. Upon impact the internal pressure of the sail will increase exponentially and will make the sail tear after repeated collisions with the ground. So I highly recommend that you get used to the kite in light winds before testing your limits. My final thoughts are 10/10. A helpful hint: if you are flying alone, stake the control bar to the ground and set the kite in an L shape where there is tension on the lines and the first 1/3 of the sail is sticking up while the last 2/3 is on the ground. This will make launching very easy if you don’t have access to sand.