I just read a post by Gorgo where he mentioned a Concept Air kite and it made me start thinking of the worst kites ever.

Here's a list of some of the worst kites I can remember, some which never made it to full scale production, and worse, some that did :

Concept Air Wave-X - Just plain bad at everything
Airush Cross Fire - So bad it never made it out of retail (Auswind cut many up a few years ago at a loss but did the right thing )
Flexifoil Nexus - The worlds first inflateable foil - total disaster!
Gaastra GXR/G-Spot/Phoenix - Gaastra have just had some shockers over time.
Naish X10 - The concept hangtime kite - only a few ever sold.
Peter Lynn Water Foil - The worlds most dangerous foil ???? Maybe
Slingshot Link - A true shocker. Some salvage through new bridle
Wipika NSK - A flying shopping bag - Poly hessian WTF were they thinking?
Best Hellfish - The claimingest kite ever became a flaming ruin

Please discuss your misery?

Good winds,

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Kitehard said...



Here's a list of some of the worst kites I can remember,

Concept Air Wave-X - Just plain bad at everything
Airush Cross Fire - So bad it never made it out of retail (Auswind cut many up a few years ago at a loss but did the right thing )
Flexifoil Nexus - The worlds first inflateable foil - total disaster!
Gaastra GXR/G-Spot/Phoenix - Gaastra have just had some shockers over time.
Naish X10 - The concept hangtime kite - only a few ever sold.
Peter Lynn Water Foil - The worlds most dangerous foil ???? Maybe
Slingshot Link - A true shocker. Some salvage through new bridle
Wipika NSK - A flying shopping bag - Poly hessian WTF were they thinking?
Best Hellfish - The claimingest kite ever became a flaming ruin

And most are still available on Ebay

you are so onto it,

I have the video of the launch of the nexus uploading now.

the 5.7 waterfoil has full power all the time but the 2.4? was so good fast and so so powerfull. I liked it.

what about the cabrina's bows ? they don't turn very well so heavy and don't respond. but so many people love them ??? who am I to judge??

Now the Wipika Classic 6.5, I learnt on was a gem!! and who couldn't love the simplicity of 2 lines, fixed loop, wrist leash Yep what a Classic!!

Rebel 09 and Naish Helix, both disasters.

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Alex sanz said...

you are so onto it,

I have the video of the launch of the nexus uploading now.

the 5.7 waterfoil has full power all the time but the 2.4? was so good fast and so so powerfull. I liked it.

what about the cabrina's bows ? they don't turn very well so heavy and don't respond. but so many people love them ??? who am I to judge??

the cabs are great.. what are you flying a 14 or 16?
the bar pressure is extremly light now and they respond very well

Slingshot turbo diesel. Dropped more than the share market

Peter Lynn N-GEN foil kite would have to get a mention.

e kites, came in black garbage bag, need i say more.

The ConceptAir WaveEx is a great kite, it's just the world's worst water kite. The valves made it almost impossible to launch but didn't keep the water out. If you remove the valve flaps it inflates quite well and flies great.

The Water Foil was truly the kite of death but sooo powerful for it's size. I keep wondering how one would go now as a light wind kite.

I'll give a vote to:

- Slingshot Turbo Diesel. The only modern kite to actively try to kill it's owners and to succeed in breaking bits off.
- Slingshot Link. Possibly a good kite but they built it wrong and handled everything badly.
- Peter Lynn Bomba. All the bad points of a foil kite with none of the good points.

best waroo. what more needs to be said.

Thanks for the warnings!! Maybe people could also include kites which don't live up to the hype! Every kite today seems to be 'just perfect' for everything.

The Flysurfer Warrior was quite a good kite but had the incredibly stupid pulley depower system. Once the chicken loop fell out you were tea-bagged all the way to the beach.

The 2006 GK Sonic is the best kite I ever flew but a design flaw caused wrinkling in the LE which would split with monotonous regularity.

what do you think of this kite? nobody has actually flown a nexus in good conditions , we should give it a go ?? I still have it . The Launch of the Nexus.

[Video removed]

we had so much fun..

^^^^KN LUNATIC^^^^

Slingshot Link - A true shocker. Some salvage through new bridle

sounds to me like you didn't ride one of the smaller links,
7 and 9 metre are awesome kites, big ones i heard were a problem

ok ok .... the Walland air-aqua foil - 8 meter....
3 line

impossible to go up wind on ! , good relaunch though

alex u sound like a nutter

definatly the best waroo would have to be the ****est kite out there

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Alex sanz said...

what do you think of this kite? nobody has actually flown a nexus in good conditions , we should give it a go ?? I still have it . The Launch of the Nexus.


we had so much fun..

And you wonder why people get annoyed with you? You seemed to be going out of your way to piss the guy off

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dachopper said...

ok ok .... the Walland air-aqua foil - 8 meter....
3 line

impossible to go up wind on ! , good relaunch though

I had the 6m Walland Air, was my first kite in 2000 and managed to go upwind with it after about a month of trying, wasnt so bad but only worked between 19-22 knots though and was blown out after another month.


The vid clip is a shocker though, why would any one post that sort of stuff?

Turbo Diesel has got to be one of the worst.

Alex you give me a migraine.

Slingshot main line from chicken loop - they always break.....They don't even last a season now! Very disappointed multiple slingy owner Fuel / Fuel / Fuel / Rev / Rev 2 / Fuel

Has anyone else also noticed a fast degrading of the bearing inside the main chicken loop housing??

Has anyone else had similar issues? or is it just bad luck?

Cheers

Southy

anything from naish, slingshot, north rebels

Cab Switchblade 2 felt like a warthog to fly. so slow through the window.

yea i have an 09 fuel best kite i have ever had, my saftey line has broken and my rope from the chicken loop(depower strap) broke too. i have noticed there is a weak spot in the saftey line, but the slingshot strings and the best strings u could have compared to the cabrinha strings.

My 12m Link works well with the new bridle.
Good post though, the 07 equivalent cabrinha and North kites are better.

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Kitehard said...

Gaastra GXR/G-Spot/Phoenix - Gaastra have just had some shockers over time.

Holy bejeeezuz that takes me back. I once had the displeasure of being given a GXR to try (thanks). Felt like I had an oversized rabid rabbit attached to the end of the lines.

A true elevator though, send it and it got you some serious hieght... shame it was out of control by the time you hit the water...

My least favourite - Flexifoil Storm 15m. So heavy it was impossible to relaunch in under 15 knots.

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Kitehard said...

Best Hellfish - The claimingest kite ever became a flaming ruin

What's wrong with bringing a bit of the mardi-gras to kite boarding?

Well I've still got a crisp new Hellfish, 13M we will have to get it out one day.

Its not a bad kite, but it sure was overhyped and underconstructed!

WallendAir foils, true death machines.
F-One foils, similar to the above.
Mosquito condom foils, hmmmm my life is flashing before my eyes again.
Naish AR5's
Flexi Storms
Flexi Nexus, once described as a ground percussion device.
PL Watefoils, much better with the water relaunching valve cut off.
C-Quads, - once marketed as water relaunchable!!!
2 pump North kites, 04 leading edges.
Slingshot Torque
Early 2000-2003 Liquid force kites.
Wipika tarp kite.
Wipika Classic
Naish V4
There are a lot more I could add, but need to do other things.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

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Kitehard said...

Gaastra GXR/G-Spot/Phoenix - Gaastra have just had some shockers over time.

I was told Gaastra is Dutch for seagull