A few weeks ago I bought a second hand Lotus 130 (custom size) with the Lotus MAX line trim on it. I load it at 1.23:1. I've got enough jumps on it now that I think I can give a fair review of it.
First thing, above all else, is that I am VERY impressed with this canopy. I would agree that this canopy does fly a good bit like the Sabre 2, but I would say it flies a smidge smaller. Everything seems to happen a little sooner in the toggle stroke (flare, turns...) and the riser pressures seem to be a bit lighter. The flare is similar to a Pilot or Sabre2, with great shut down. Landings in no wind can usually be walked out. Add a little headwind and you can easily park the thing in a hover. I have not done any HP landings on it, but the front riser dive up high does seem quite aggressive. It definitely dives faster/longer than the Pilot, and probably a bit more than the Sabre 2 as well.
The only thing that I'm not totally sold on are the openings. My canopy has a pocket slider on it, and I think this is pretty much necessary. The canopy always comes out of the bag right on heading and snivels for a long time, right on heading. Once the slider makes it half way down the lines, the outboard cells "pop" open, and the canopy has a tendency to dive to one direction or the other. It is not an overly aggressive dive which can be leveled out with opposite rear riser, and if you've jumped a Sabre 2 you would probably agree that the opening are more consistent on the Lotus. Ive found harness shifts during the deployment work better for keeping it on heading than rears, and if you're really on top of it it can be kept more or less on heading.
Airlocks.... well, I'm not going to say that this is the reason alone to buy the Lotus. They are cool, and the wing is definitely very rigid, more so than a non-airlocked canopy, but I would not say that it is carte-blanche to go jump in stupidly turbulent conditions. Yes, they do make gathering up the canopy a bit tougher in a windy landing area, but it is no reason to not buy the canopy.
So in closing, if you're in the market for a semi-elliptical or tapered canopy, I would whole heartedly recommend this canopy. It is by far my favorite of this class, and I've got a number of jumps on similarly sized Pilots, Sabre 2's, and Safire 2's. The Lotus is a little quicker and ground hungry than the rest, but it is still very comparable as a middle of the road canopy.
Lotus
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in Main Canopies
First thing, above all else, is that I am VERY impressed with this canopy. I would agree that this canopy does fly a good bit like the Sabre 2, but I would say it flies a smidge smaller. Everything seems to happen a little sooner in the toggle stroke (flare, turns...) and the riser pressures seem to be a bit lighter. The flare is similar to a Pilot or Sabre2, with great shut down. Landings in no wind can usually be walked out. Add a little headwind and you can easily park the thing in a hover. I have not done any HP landings on it, but the front riser dive up high does seem quite aggressive. It definitely dives faster/longer than the Pilot, and probably a bit more than the Sabre 2 as well.
The only thing that I'm not totally sold on are the openings. My canopy has a pocket slider on it, and I think this is pretty much necessary. The canopy always comes out of the bag right on heading and snivels for a long time, right on heading. Once the slider makes it half way down the lines, the outboard cells "pop" open, and the canopy has a tendency to dive to one direction or the other. It is not an overly aggressive dive which can be leveled out with opposite rear riser, and if you've jumped a Sabre 2 you would probably agree that the opening are more consistent on the Lotus. Ive found harness shifts during the deployment work better for keeping it on heading than rears, and if you're really on top of it it can be kept more or less on heading.
Airlocks.... well, I'm not going to say that this is the reason alone to buy the Lotus. They are cool, and the wing is definitely very rigid, more so than a non-airlocked canopy, but I would not say that it is carte-blanche to go jump in stupidly turbulent conditions. Yes, they do make gathering up the canopy a bit tougher in a windy landing area, but it is no reason to not buy the canopy.
So in closing, if you're in the market for a semi-elliptical or tapered canopy, I would whole heartedly recommend this canopy. It is by far my favorite of this class, and I've got a number of jumps on similarly sized Pilots, Sabre 2's, and Safire 2's. The Lotus is a little quicker and ground hungry than the rest, but it is still very comparable as a middle of the road canopy.