Guildworks Synergy Deca A1
Guildworks Synergy Deca A1
As a Synergy Deca1 owner I had heard about the Deca A1, a smaller and cheaper version of the Deca 1 but had never actually wanted one since it was, well, too like the Deca 1. However a second hand one came up on the Fractured Axel forum at a good price. I wasn't really going to bother until I found out its upper wind range - 45mph! Now I was looking for a high wind kite to complement the Custom Vented Revolution 1.5 and the Benson MiniGem and so I snapped this up.
My hope was I would receive it in time for our holiday in France where a small high wind kite would be perfect on the beach. But due to a UK postal workers strike it looked like the A1 would miss the holiday - thankfully it turned up in the nick of time the day before.
Physically its somewhat smaller than the Deca 1 but its sail is still made out of a single panel - it also has a reputation of being very robust indeed.
Purchased: August 2007
Details
Width : 165 cm Height : 32 cm Depth : 35 cm Weight : 155 g
Spars : Carbon Fibre Sail : Ripstop Nylon
Packs Up Size : 73 cm x 5 cm
Wind Range : High
Cost : £45 Second hand (including original lines and handles).
Good Things
- A very good wind range - especially in higher winds.
- Controllable at the upper ends of it's wind range.
- Virtually no pull.
- Usual beautiful Deca shape (as with the others).
- Packs up small - useful for taking on holiday!
- Pretty robust!
Bad Things
- Not as easy to do the flipping onto it's back or front as with the Synergy Deca 1, especially true in stronger winds.
- The Deca A1 doesn't float on it's back, it aways flips back to the upright position.
- Unless my second hand version had been fixed in it's past I think the left and right hand sides were set up differently.
- As with all the Decas's - it isn't a precision kite.
Final Thoughts
An excellent small kite - perfect for those strong wind days (alongside the Vented Revolution 1.5 and the Benson Minigem). I like the simplicity of the single panel sail - the light blue looks stunning in the sky and is fun to fly.
Of course you can't fly it in low winds - it needs a good breeze - so it's not much use as the only kite. However it has earned a permenant place in my kite bag. Not bad for a kite I wasn't interested in (at least until I found out it's wind speed). A real shame they aren't made any more - they are well worth it.
Links
- Synergy Deca A1 Construction
- Synergy Deca 6/15/A1 Manual [PDF Scan of original manual]
- Guildworks (current site) [e]
- Guildworks (Archive from 2003) [e]