KITE LINES - what are Spectra and Dyneema

This guide aims to answer the question "is it worth paying extra for Dyneema or Spectra kite flying lines?

Both these materialsare widely regarded as the best materials for Kite flying lines due to their:

high strength
low weight
high abrasion resistance
and most importantly low stretch

They are superstrong polyethylene fibres produced using a patented gel spinning process. These remarkable fibresare up to 15 times stronger than steel and, weight-for-weight, is 40% stronger than competing fibers.They havehigh energy absorption and minimum stretching andare extremely resistant to abrasion, moisture, UV rays and chemicals. As a resultthey provide maximum strength and security for minimum weight.

So what does this mean for the kite?

The low stretch gives both more responsiveness and feeback from thekite. You can feel directly the slightest effect of the wind down the lines.

While the small cross section of the lines reduces drag and "line sag", and hence increases kite speed and all round performance.

Whats the difference betweenSpectraand Dyneema?

Both Spectra and Dyneema are HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) fibres. However, Dyneema (Manufactured in Europe and Asia), is generally thought as being of a slightly lower quality than the American version "Spectra". The individual filaments that make up a Dyneema yarn are smaller than individual fibres in a spectra yarn; this translates to better abrasion resistance for Spectra.