-Joey- 0 #1 October 21, 2012 Has anyone here flied both? What are the biggest differences and pros/cons of each? I have heard the crossfire2's have more reliable openings, yes?Skydiving is serious business Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #2 October 21, 2012 QuoteHas anyone here flied both? What are the biggest differences and pros/cons of each? I have heard the crossfire2's have more reliable openings, yes? Yes. A lot and I wouldn't say that the openings are more reliable. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=katana+crossfire&search_type=AND&search_fields=sb&search_time=&search_user_username=&sb=score&mh=25--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-Joey- 0 #3 October 22, 2012 Thanks... I guess I wasn't the first to ever think of comparing the two...Skydiving is serious business Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,008 #4 October 22, 2012 >What are the biggest differences and pros/cons of each? I have heard the crossfire2's >have more reliable openings, yes? Katana - steeper glide XF2 - on heading openings are rare That's not to say the openings are bad. I use an XF2 109 for camera and it gives me great camera openings, the canopy just never opens the direction I'm facing when I pull. Both are advanced canopies and are not the best general purpose wings; the Katana isn't a good canopy to have if your spots are long, and the XF2 isn't a good canopy to have if you are doing bigger skydives. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-Joey- 0 #5 October 22, 2012 Off-headings I don't really care about to be honest. I just hate line twists! When I search YouTube for Katana openings, I get a bunch of videos showing line twists and cutaways. But that's not the case for the XF2. I know that isn't the most scientific way to compare them, but it must say something...Skydiving is serious business Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #6 October 22, 2012 IMO it's much more to do with the pilot than the canopy. I get some off-heading openings, but have had line twists only once on my KAs."The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
erdnarob 1 #7 October 22, 2012 Openings can be various on Katana but if well packed and if after having launched the pilot chute, you resume your box position while looking at horizon, you have more chance to get an on heading deployment. Katana's are very sensitive to asymetrical loading when deploying. OTOH, if a Katana starts to spiral on the right side for instance, just get your right knee up. That makes more loading on the left side and it's generally enough to stop the spiral. If not, take the toggles.Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joellercoaster 6 #8 October 22, 2012 Quote on my KAs. *ding* -- "I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan "You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #9 October 22, 2012 Quote Quote on my KAs. *ding* So what....that wasn't a relevant detail in the post?"The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdog 0 #10 October 23, 2012 I have flown both... The KA feels a lot faster, both in forward speed, and "ground hungry-ness". You definitely have to be in the game to fly a KA, otherwise it will get ahead of you. (Landing pattern, knowing when to use rears to get home on a long spot, etc.) When I jumped a Crossfire after hundreds of jumps on a KA, it felt like I upsized... With over 1000 jumps on a KA120 loaded nearly 2:1 - I have had 1 line twist experience, which I cut away. It was a very angry canopy, but my friend with a Crossfire has cut his away more often... My stats are 0.1% line twists on my KA... I have had more line twists on my BASE canopy and Sabre2 170 and my old Pilot 210... The KA can open beautifully on heading, and it can open off heading... I choose not to jump it on anything larger than a 15-20+ way... But that is mainly because the speed in which it flies is so much faster than the other canopies that will be in the sky... I just rather be more conservative on those jumps, especially when other canopies also open off heading. I have not had enough jumps on the Crossfire to judge if it has more propensity to line twists, because it would take over 1000 jumps to get enough data to be statistically significant against a 1 in 1000 experience with my KA.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
inkogneetow 0 #11 October 31, 2012 It depends on how heavily you load the canopy too. Things just happen faster with a higher WL no matter what the canopy is but they also happen faster with an elliptical. I fly a xfire2 139 @ 1.5 I've had off heading openings up to 180 but at my WL it is SLIGHTLY forgiving. The xfire2 comes with vectran lines so it will not go out of trim. I believe the KA's have spectra which will go out of trim. Something not always considered is twists in the brake lines. Make sure you get them out after EVERY jump. It only takes 4 twists to shorten a line 1/4" which will considerably affect openings. They also develop a memory so the longer you leave them the more they will want to twist back up especially with spectra. Just be smart about things and have some respect for how fast things will happen and be ready to react quickly and appropriately. Have fun and remember, a correctly executed 90 will kick the shit out of an incorrect 360 every time!!"If I can't be my own, I'll feel better dead." Layne Staley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trigger 0 #12 October 31, 2012 I believe the Katana originally shipped with spectra but PD quickly remedied that and switched to HMA. You're spot on about Wl been jumping XF2's between 1.6 (129) and now a 109@2.1-2.2 now that can be a wild thing .CHOP WOOD COLLECT WATER. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hchunter614 0 #13 November 13, 2012 I would like to buy some bounce bingo numbers now please. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krip 2 #14 November 13, 2012 Hi Save your time & money. I'm guessing Joey is one of them.Here a link to his first post on DZ.com. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4389785;#4389785 One Jump Wonder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #15 November 13, 2012 Quote I would like to buy some bounce bingo numbers now please. Haha! That's very amusing! It's like you're saying he is going to hurt himself but using a clever form of words which sounds like it's a game! Hysterical! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #16 November 14, 2012 Quote Quote I would like to buy some bounce bingo numbers now please. Haha! That's very amusing! It's like you're saying he is going to hurt himself but using a clever form of words which sounds like it's a game! Hysterical! Been discussed ad-nauseum~ http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1759796 It's a term that's been around the sport a lot longer than I have so don't get your panties in knot...It just an easy way to either make a buck on a DGIT, or hopefully get said walking-divot to take a hard look at what they're doing. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
champu 1 #17 November 14, 2012 QuoteWhat are the biggest differences and pros/cons of each? The people I've known who flew katanas before they should have all broke their femurs and/or pelvises and the people I've known who flew crossfires before they should have broke tib/fibs, back, and or neck. ...strange but true... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #18 November 14, 2012 Quote It's a term that's been around the sport a lot longer than I have so don't get your panties in knot... I know! It was sarcasm."The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
