AeroStar ZeroStar SUL

Description:
SUL, 7’ wingspan, windrange 0-8mph, hand-made, custom colors

Manufacturer:
Paul Shirey, AeroStar Sportkites

Construction:
I have to rave about this - absolutely impeccable, even for a $250 kite. I can't compare it with the construction on a Vapor/Bad Boy (both $100 more expensive), but I don't see how they could be any better, and I have some doubts they could even match this level of quality. There's a lot of TLC in those razor-straight cuts and perfectly-sewn seams.

First Flight - Conditions:
First flight was in what I would call "very light wind" conditions - winds were up & down a bit, but various samplings with the Dwyer showed readings primarily around 1-4mph. Toward the end of the session winds started to puff closer to 8mph at ground level, which demonstrated one of the strengths (literally) of this kite: it was just starting to shudder a tiny bit on those gusts, obviously could have handled another mph or two before the spars would be at risk.

Appearance
It was about an hour and a half before sunset and the wind was from the ENE. Kite was backlit by the sun, which made the yellow accents really light up and brought out the contrast between the black and charcoal gray fabrics - very cool visuals.

Flying Characteristics - General:
Turning radius was (I thought) very tight for a 7' kite - this was a good thing when headed for a "ground-auger" (to borrow a phrase). I'm used to slower turns so I may try to adjust this - bridle is clearly marked and the tuning instructions provided with the kite are detailed and coherent.

Forward speed was, of course, wind-dependent, but it didn't take a whole lot to really move the kite. I think this means two things: the kite can fly in even lighter wind than I was expecting, and/or it could have lifted longer lines (I was using 50# x 35'). I'll be making up a 50# x 70' lineset specifically for this kite.

Flying Characteristics - Tricks:
I wasn't pushing the envelope too much in the trick department, but here are some of the things I did try:
Axels - super-smooth and flat, also very easy to initiate.
360's - only tried these when the wind was on the lighter end, but they were really pretty easy (nearly equal to the indoor Wren), even with the wind pushing back at 1-2mph.
Floats - with better technique (not mine), I think you could regain a LOT of ground on a float (longer lines would also help) - the Z* loses altitude vveerrryyyy sssllloooowwwlllyy when in the pancake position. At the bottom of the float you can pop a 180 an it seems like the kite just hangs there during the rotation.
540's - didn't try enough of these to get it dialed in, but as I mentioned above, the kite will practically hover during the rotation, which is nice and slow and flat.
Pancake to fade - as always in light winds, this requires more subtle inputs, but it was very easy to figure out and the Z* does it extremely well for an SUL. It locks into the fade position very nicely, but getting out isn't that hard, needed to rock it to one side before pulling out the other side (need to be careful about ground clearance due to the 7' wingspan - easy to forget that the kite might be only 6.5' off the ground) - again, not the kind of thing you can do as easily on most other SUL's.

Overall:
Nice big kite (7') - provides good feedback on the lines.
Light but not too light - enough mass to keep it very trickable, but with excellent lift / float qualities in extremely light winds.
Custom colors - not the norm on a kite in this price range
Standard rods (Skyshark 2PT's) - inexpensive to replace, also tougher than most SUL framing.

Final Thoughts:
I haven't tried the Vapor or BadBoy SUL, but the Z* definitely beats my Wren and Ozone, hands-down - I believe my quest for the perfect SUL is now at an end. The Z* won't appeal to small-kite enthusiasts, but it is by far the sweetest SUL I have ever flown, and will be my go-to kite anytime conditions are suitable - some kites just click as soon as you get them airborne, and for me, the Z* is one of those kites.