Interesting...
Although my Shadow was one of the first half dozen or so kites that arrived here in the States a few years ago.
After a few months of some pretty intense flying.... I too managed to "loose one of the plastic stoppers. However I got on the phone and contacting HQ.
In a short time I received a two free sets of stoppers in the mail.
Since that time...I haven't lost any of those Yo-yo stoppers again.
Bottom line:
These stoppers actually are beautifully designed and work amazingly well.
The curved trailing edge of the stoppers install with very little effort if you simply just position the edge of the stopper onto leading edge and just carefully "ROLL" it onto the leading edge.
Since then I have used those HQ stoppers on 3 of my other kites including their little Breeze kites.Naturally it goes without saying that the leading edge rod diameter match the HQ stopper.
Doing roll ups with any light wind kite in my bag (at least for me) especially with my Shadow...is quite a challenge.
Even the slightest change in my Shadow's Bridle settings...such as flying line weight (my choice 50lb max), and the length of the flying lines themselves seem to effect a light wind kites ability to perform consistant roll ups.
Also equally important is both the weight mass of the kite and the ever present WIND SPEED ITSELF?
Is it safe to say that most SUL kites are not ROLL UP MONSTERS anyhooo?
Years ago (humm 10years ago)...as a Boeing Phantom Works wind tunnel flutter modelmaker we did extensive tests on "UFO flying objects. One test we over-spent weeks of precious budget $$$ was a wind drag test in which we would cast out out lengths of extremely long and thin dia. multi strand steel, kevlar, and even spectra lines off the trailing edge of the vertical fins of a high flying aircraft.
At then end of these often mile long lines..were attached small aerodynamic towing electronic sensing devices...that would suddenly for some strange reason would suddenly flutter or fly out of control...and would have to be jettisoned. What a risk both to $$$ bugets and security and danger from falling UFO objects out of the skies.
(Not to mention the damage to one old Caddy convertible's hood...just NE of Yelm that brought in both the military, and the FBI)
WHAT N' EYE OPENER just how much wind drag from even the smallest dia. lines effected the flight path of these extremely small and light weight sensing devices that were towed behind flying aircraft.
Equally interesting was the recordings and readings of the "strain-guages" that were positioned along the length of the tow planes vertical fin. The final results were so dramatic, (although still unconclusive) these test were repeated numerous times.
The perplexed test director and engineering staff concluded the drag caused by the long lengths of these thin tow lines...and NOT the aerodynamics of the tow planes wake or the sensing devices at the end of the tow lines that was responsible for the radical flight path.
Shadow yo-yo stopper conclusion...just order a six pack of HQ STOPPERS.
SORRY..FOR THE RANT!!!

: It must have been the StarBucks Java-jive hit this morn and

OK! GOOD IDEA...I WILL GO FLY MY SHADOW KITE however it won't be at my beloved CANNON BEACH OREGON!