Katana vs Crossfire 2

[nhuard 0]

I currently have 800 jumps on a stiletto 135. I love to swoop it, but I'm looking to change it. My tow choices are PD Katana 120 or Icarus Crossfire 2 119. Could you give some feed back about those two canopies? what are the opening, landing

Thanks

[trigger 0]

I'm sure you've seen from the reviews they're both good canopies and certainly in a class of they're own for non crossbraced.

Try to demo both and see what you prefer.

.CHOP WOOD COLLECT WATER.

[deadbug 0]

I love my Katana 107 loaded at 1.95. No jumps on the x-fire. Demo them both and see what you like. The Katana seems to like to be loaded between 1.7 and 2.0. Beyond 2.0 the surf seems to suffer.

Doug

[billvon 2,991]

Both will give you good openings.

The xfire will have a somewhat steeper glide than what you're used to. The katana will have a MUCH steeper glide than you're used to.

Katana gives amazing performance during the flare. Xfire is similar but doesn't have quite as much lift. (Not a big difference.)

Overall I'd get a xfire over a katana just because it's a bit more versatile, and will get me back from longer spots more often. But you'll probably be happy with either one. As others have said, demo both and see which one you like. Be VERY careful on the Katana because you will lose a lot more altitude during your pattern and your swoop than you are used to.

[mikempb 0]

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Overall I'd get a xfire over a katana just because it's a bit more versatile, and will get me back from longer spots more often. But you'll probably be happy with either one. As others have said, demo both and see which one you like. Be VERY careful on the Katana because you will lose a lot more altitude during your pattern and your swoop than you are used to.

[headoverheels 333]

I went from the ST135 to a Katana. As others have said, expect to come down a lot faster, and to lose a lot of altitude in a turn. It will also feel like it is still going down fast after you finish the turn (because it is!). For stepping down one size to a 120, I think you will find that the flare is enough better than the ST135 that your landings will be a better/softer/slower, after enough jumps to get used to the difference. I had better openings on my Stiletto -- the Katana is more off-heading than on, and I have had line twists on several occasions, whereas I went the last 1200+ jumps on the ST135 with zero line twists.

The control range is much longer on the Katana than on the Stiletto. i.e., if you flared as deep on the Stiletto as you would on the Katana, the Stiletto would stall.

I don't have any jumps on the Crossfire2.

[Glandu 0]

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I currently have 800 jumps on a stiletto 135. I love to swoop it, but I'm looking to change it. My tow choices are PD Katana 120 or Icarus Crossfire 2 119. Could you give some feed back about those two canopies? what are the opening, landing


Try the katana 135 first. It's always a good idea to demo a model of the same size as the canopy you are familiar with. Thus. you can feel the difference!!!! Be aware though that the Katana doesn't recover from a dive as fast as the stiletto. So, be cautious .
Blue skies

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[USPA 0]

demo'd both for 10-20 jumps (not alot) and agree with almost everything which you said, except the openings. The X-fire clearly wins here in my opinion. It just always opens soft and nice, without diving. The katana slamed me once and dived every 2-3 jumps. From with I've heard from other jumpers, this is a consistent difference.

The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

[Vectracide 0]

Nhuard,

In true form, you cant always trust what you read here on this site when it comes to advice. Here are my experiences with both canopies as an owner.

Xifre will open much nicer and be more predictable.
Katana has much more dive than the Xfire.
Katana will go further at the same loading with the same techinique, Every time. No question.
The Xfire has more bottom end, no question. Much more end flare and pop. This is where the Katana suffers comparatively.

Alot of people have said that the Katana is a Velocity that lacks the distance and bottom end. This is coming from several that have owned both. Chat up Ian Drennan on here.....

Do a search on these canopies and you will find alot of info, and you will find what I have stated above over and over.

Of course, you could just demo both and find out what you like.

------------------------------

Controlled and Deliberate.....

[Shark 0]

I went from a Stiletto 135 to a Katana 120. I've read the other posts, but my Katana opens up much nicer and on heading than my Stiletto. In fact I feel it is the best opening PD canopy.

Careful when doing your front riser turn to final. If you are used to the "lower" turn of the Stiletto you will find your self stabbing the Katana or worse. The Katana has a lot more stopping power than the Stiletto, but since it has a steeper glide it can be difficult to make it back from longer spots.

[phoenixlpr 0]

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but since it has a steeper glide it can be difficult to make it back from longer spots.

Why is a steeper glide a factor?

[deadbug 0]

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but since it has a steeper glide it can be difficult to make it back from longer spots.

Why is a steeper glide a factor?

Not sure what you mean by above, but Katana is trimmed for a steeper steady state glide (trimmed nose down). If you find yourself long and are trying to get back while upwind, flatten the glide with rear risers.

Doug

[phoenixlpr 0]

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but since it has a steeper glide it can be difficult to make it back from longer spots.

Why is a steeper glide a factor?

Not sure what you mean by above, but Katana is trimmed for a steeper steady state glide (trimmed nose down). If you find yourself long and are trying to get back while upwind, flatten the glide with rear risers.
Doug

It matters as much as much time you spend with preparation before hitting breaks or risers.

[freakyrat 1]

I've had both a Stiletto135 and 120 and I have to say my Katana 120 opens better than either of these canopies. I haven't jumped a Crossfire2 but did put a jump on a demo Crossfire119 a few years back and the Crossfire did have a flatter glide than the Katana and opened very soft.

I really like how the Katana does contnue to dive during the turns. Actually I would call it maintaining its airspeed as opposed to the Stiletto sort of levelling off or climbing after a turn. The Katana just feels more modern to me. The canopy is coming down though and a little bit quicker.

Yes you can extend the glide with the rears or brakes when coming back from a long spot but always make your cutoff point higher on the Katana if you have to make a 180 to set up for final. In other words, give yourself plenty of outs cause the Katana does loose altitude quickly in turns.

The Katana does have a lot of toggle range when it comes to shutting it down for landing and if you time it just right and with a little wind it has a very soft landing.

After about 30 jumps on mine, I'm still getting the feel for it but I feel much better under it than I did when I had one or two jumps on it.

Demo the X-fire2 and the Katana and see what you think.

Have fun and be safe.

Chris

[Conquest150 0]

i was in your same boat a couple years ago. I was jumping a stiletto 135 and i had the choice of a katana or a crossfire2 119. I demoed both canopys and now i have a crossfire2 119 that i have about 600 jumps on and i am loving it.

The Katana is not a bad canopy it just was not what i was looking for. Out of 10 jumps that i put on it, the heading on opening was very eratic. And i believe if i remember correctly 4 of those openings had linetwists. It did dive longer and harder than the xfire. The landings were longer and held alot more speed but i was having to run the landings out.

On the xfire i put 6 or 7 jumps on it and every opening was soft and on heading. It didnt dive as much as the katana but it still dove very nicely and carried alot of speed into the landings and i wasnt having to run them out as bad as i did on the katana.

The main thing i was looking at was opening because i was doing and still am doing alot of video. All in all i believe the crossfire is the better canopy for an all around canopy.

[cderham 0]

I went from a stiletto 150 to xfire2 129 then Katana 120. And LOVE the Katana!!! The Katana I demoed kept spanking me a couple line twists out of 30 jumps I think I had 5 nice on heading openings with it. I ordered a new one anyway after discussions with a few friends that had them. My Katana has been great for 50ish jumps now. opens great!!! on heading 80-90% of the time. nice and soft even softer then my xfire!!!! on my xfire I rarly heard my pro track go off during a swoop not with my Katana it is rare if I do not hear it. Don't always put your faith in the demo canopies. I know they are supose to be just like what you order but it was not for me. If you see something on a canopy you demo that is not charateristic. Talk to someone that flies one and ask them over a beer. This sometimes gets you a bigger picture.

Chris
It's Jimmy Time!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Fast-As-Fuck/6099474213

[billvon 2,991]

>Why is a steeper glide a factor?

Because a canopy with a steeper glide will not cover as much distance from a given opening height. Therefore, a canopy with a steeper glide may not make it back from a bad spot whereas a flatter trimmed canopy will.

[tetra316 0]

Ok this is the exact comparison I was looking for. Someone tried to tell me this weekend that a crossfire 2 is without a doubt a higher performance canopy than a similar sized Katana. I thought they were in the same class, perhaps the crossfire 2 being slightly less in performance than a Katana. I have a 107 and 120 Katana but only have put a couple jumps on a crossfire 2 119.

From reading these posts it sounds like a Crossfire 2 might be a step below a Katana but only slightly....



Some people actually do a search before posting

[TaylorC 0]

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Ok this is the exact comparison I was looking for. Someone tried to tell me this weekend that a crossfire 2 is without a doubt a higher performance canopy than a similar sized Katana. I thought they were in the same class, perhaps the crossfire 2 being slightly less in performance than a Katana. I have a 107 and 120 Katana but only have put a couple jumps on a crossfire 2 119.

From reading these posts it sounds like a Crossfire 2 might be a step below a Katana but only slightly....



Some people actually do a search before posting

Definetly agree the xfire is a small step below the katana. Got about 30 jumps on a katana 107 and 300+ on a xfire 2 119. As Vetracide up there said the katana dives longer and will go further than the xfire. I add about 150 feet to my 270 when i jump the katana.

[skyflybabe 0]

I have about 1300 (ish) jumps on a Crossfire2 109 (I am loading this about 1.5...sometimes I feel it needs more weight but I like the extra square footage for deep spots)...I have done a few jumps on a Katana 107 and my first impressions were that the Katana comes down very quickly (steep glide)... I think some people who want to swoop will love this canopy but if you want a versatile canopy I prefer the Crossfire2...I am not a swooper but I am glad to have tried both canopies...
The Crossfire openings I found were a bit more predictable. Both canopies flared nicely. The best advice would be to try both...I would recommend not to buy either until you have done this. :-)