Your reason for wanting another LF because the bar will only work with it is not quite right – your LF bar will work with any other brand of kite that uses 4 equal lines and flags to a single front – there are heaps. However - as a beginner I would recommend staying with the same brand/model, it makes it easier to swap between the two kites as they will have the same flight characteristics.

The Envy is by far the best LF kite for a beginner – Furthermore, if thinking 2nd hand, keep in mind the Envy has changed. The 2012 & 2013 fly exactly the same (ultra stable and beginner forgiving) and seem to have better low end (you might not want low end in a 8m), 2014 is more responsive/less forgiving and the 2015 is a completely different beast, far less forgiving than the earlier years but once the skills are there you’ll get a lot more out of it. Power: the 2015 is significantly faster through the air, initial power is the same but once apparent speed increases the 2015 just generates more power and speed because its quicker through the air (smaller LE & new wing tips??). The 2015 also continues power delivery during a hard turn where the earlier models don’t. If you have a 2015, you may be disappointed with the older ones.

As a beginner you would want your kites closer together (8 & 10.5), the wind range you can handle on each kite will increase quite quickly and in my experience as you progress you will wish the gap was bigger (7 & 10.5) to allow the upper wind strength. That’s what I found; I’m 90kg 12-28kn. I started with a 15 & 12m and soon found I was maxed out @ 23/24kns but after a while I could fly the 12 down well into the range of the 15 and the 15 rarely came out. I’ve since swapped the (2012 Envy) 12m for a new 10.5 Envy and find my usable range has increased and because my skills allow me to fly the kites in a big wind range, I’m yet to want anything in between.

What’s your relationship like with your local seller??? My local shop gave me a 10.5 for a day to see if it would suite; it was a 2013 he grabbed out of the school fleet, but it gave me the confidence on what size I wanted; I’ve since discovered the 2015 generates more power but needs the apparent wind to generate it – it is still happy to be parked when the wind picks up.

If you can’t try – I would get a 2015 7m OR a 2014 8m, but be aware you may need to change kites on some days but you will be comfortable in the stronger winds. If you want some overlap, go 1m bigger. It is easier to generate power with the 2015 as they keep pulling through the turn - IMO they really do have a bigger range. (different tips?).