bjw said..
Kiters are all pimps.

It's rare that anyone tells you that their 6 month old kite is rubbish. Everybody is stoked on their equipment and happy to tell you how their gear is better than yours. It's an equipment sport. It started out that way because every year the gear improved so much.

Now really all the gear is good, whether you have a chicken loop, a slider or a little ball. At the end of the day the gutsyest Kiter has the most progression. They probably would do the same on a 5 year old kite.