0
atticus

Stiletto vs. Vengence...

Recommended Posts

I am planning on a new rig. I am 6'4" and my exit weight is about 260.
I have been jumping a stiletto 190 (1.36lbs/ft). I am leaning towards a vengence 170. I want to pep up the performance a little bit but not too much. I like the flare and glide ratio of the vengence. I know the airlocks are a pain to collapse after landing and the openings need some riser input, but I am willing to deal with it in exchange for better longer swoops. Those of you that have experience with both canopies please give me some advice. Also i want to get a container that holds a 170 but leaves me the option to downsize to a 150 later. The vengence packs larger than other canopies. Will this be a problem? Last but not least I am considering a wings container. I spend all my dives freeflying. Please feel free to leave any suggestions. It is greatly appreciated thanks!;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I am planning on a new rig. I am 6'4" and my exit weight is about 260.
I have been jumping a stiletto 190 (1.36lbs/ft). I am leaning towards a vengence 170. I want to pep up the performance a little bit but not too much. I like the flare and glide ratio of the vengence. I know the airlocks are a pain to collapse after landing and the openings need some riser input, but I am willing to deal with it in exchange for better longer swoops. Those of you that have experience with both canopies please give me some advice. Also i want to get a container that holds a 170 but leaves me the option to downsize to a 150 later. The vengence packs larger than other canopies. Will this be a problem? Last but not least I am considering a wings container. I spend all my dives freeflying. Please feel free to leave any suggestions. It is greatly appreciated thanks!;)



I've got about 7000 jumps on Stilettos and a few on the Vengence. Without going into huge amounts of details, I'd say that the Stiletto is livelier in the air, and the Vengence less susceptible to washout on landings, meaning that you'll have a longer flare. They are both good canopies, but you may find the pack volume the same or slightly larger than a 190 Stiletto. If you have the experience, you might want to just stay with the Stiletto when you downsize. I just did that myself by going down a size. It took about 50 jumps to dial it in just like the last one.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If you want airlocks, get a Samurai.

If you don't want airlocks, I can't imagine why you'd even think of a Vengence. It just isn't that good of a canopy. The only reason anyone ever bought a Vengence was because they wanted Airlocks made by PD.

I don't think either the Vengence or a Stiletto is a great canopy for swooping. The recovery ark is to short, so you end up having to do your turns way too low. There are better canopies for swoopping.

I would look at a Sabre2, or Safire 2. Both will dive longer than a Stiletto or Vengence and give fun, fast landings. If you insist on going Eliptical, I would look at a Crossfire 2 or Samurai. Their longer recovery arc not make you turn too low.

I've got 500 jumps on a Stiletto, about 20 on a Vengence, and 200 on a Samurai.

_Am
__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

If you want airlocks, get a Samurai ... The only reason anyone ever bought a Vengence was because they wanted Airlocks made by PD.



I'm sure you know this, but for everyone else, it's worth noting that non-Signature-series Samurais are manufactured by PD.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

If you want airlocks, get a Samurai.

If you don't want airlocks, I can't imagine why you'd even think of a Vengence. It just isn't that good of a canopy. The only reason anyone ever bought a Vengence was because they wanted Airlocks made by PD.

I don't think either the Vengence or a Stiletto is a great canopy for swooping. The recovery ark is to short, so you end up having to do your turns way too low. There are better canopies for swoopping.

I would look at a Sabre2, or Safire 2. Both will dive longer than a Stiletto or Vengence and give fun, fast landings. If you insist on going Eliptical, I would look at a Crossfire 2 or Samurai. Their longer recovery arc not make you turn too low.

I've got 500 jumps on a Stiletto, about 20 on a Vengence, and 200 on a Samurai.

_Am



Euh? Vengeance short recovery arc? 20 jumps on a vengeance and you know this?
The vengeance is a different canopy from the stiletto and you need more than 20 jumps to fly the vengeance like a vengeance and not like a stiletto.

How do know that the vengeance has a short recovery arc?
When I did a 180 with my vengeance at 500 ft, it was to low (and it is not a slow carving turn, but an aggressive hook turn).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
The only input i can give is that my Vengeance 135 packs into a Javelin J1 just as firm as my previous Safire 149,
And that when you've landed, it's like walking back with an Air Bed! It doesn't deflate easily

Nigel
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
Sponored by NZ Aerosports, CYPRES 2, Tonfly & L&B

Team Dirty Sanchez #232

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If you want a great canopy buy a Samurai or a Katana (bigger sizes coming soon).

If you like airlock buy a Sam, if you like the way PD canopies fly, wait for the Katana.

I've got ~100 Stiletto jumps, 10 Vengeance, 50 Katana and 500 (at least) on a Sam.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Gonna have to disagree with you Andy.

I've got over 400 jumps on my Vengeance 107 (loaded about 1.7), and I absolutely love it. Long swoops, holds a dive well, powerful flare, and very stable in turbulence. For the most part the openings are excellent, but I've had a few scary spinning ones that I managed to recover from.

As for pack volume, it's slightly higher than a same-sized stiletto, but my rig is pretty small so I really don't care. I can pack it in under 8 min, so again, plenty fast.

Compared to a same size stiletto, it will dive longer, dive harder, and give you a slightly more powerful flare. It also has a slightly steeper glide in full flight. I personally don't think the recovery arc is short at all, but that could just be me. I start my turn pretty high, about 600 ft, and try to make a long, slow turn with a smooth start and finish as opposed to a snappy turn. I'm not exactly a pro swooper though so ask the big boys more about that stuff.

Anyway, the Vengeance is not for everyone, but it can be a great canopy for some people. Here's PD's article about it's flight characteristics--I tend to agree.

http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/Veng_Flight.PDF

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0