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psychojoe said..
Ikon is local and cheap
they do a great 7m. If they made an 8 I would have bought it

We do all sizes from 5 to 15 on the new PEAK 3.
Check it out.

It's been a while since I'd read a good SB banter thread. I miss the trolling from a few years back. Good work!

Just wondering, in comparing a leading expensive brand's kite to a cheaper brand - kite only. What's the diff in quality?

I bought a Switch Element recently - in the 14m size and it isnt a nice kite to fly - strangley I sold it 2 months later !! Didnt drift, hard bar pressure and simply couldnt boost - you might love all of those apects ???

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Lambie said..
I bought a Switch Element recently - in the 14m size and it isnt a nice kite to fly - strangley I sold it 2 months later !! Didnt drift, hard bar pressure and simply couldnt boost - you might love all of those apects ???

What bar were you using?

I use Switch Elements for foiling and waves in sizes 5,7,10m. They are excellent kites. Really nice construction. Fantastic prices.

I don't use them much for boosting. I think you want something higher aspect for that. They're ok for foil jumps and surfboard pops and air gybes.

I can afford much more but I would feel stupid giving people money for no benefit. All my kites have been under $1000, one was only $450. The trick is to watch for special deals and sales. I don't see anybody doing anything on more expensive kites that I can't do (except for foilers on race foils and foil kites).

The Controller 3 bars are functional, but basically crap. You can't really complain given the prices. They're no worse than bars from major manufacturers using very similar designs. The Controller 4 looks to be right up there with modern bar designs. They're a lot more expensive than the Controller 3 but much cheaper than the name brands.

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JohnyMc said..

wishy said..
Kiterboy - if I owned a shop you would be last on the list for any killer specials. Need to learn how the world works, rather than how you think/hope it should work.

Wow talk about killing the messenger. What a stupid comment Wishy.
Your opinion about how the world works is rather myopic. How about looking at how it could work better for the majority who wish to part with their cash? And ultimately better for the Seller.

The more money/time the shop owner has to spent on maintaining his website for the convenience of the internet shopper the more expensive the kites become. What I like to do is go to a shop, rummage around to find stuff the shop team have forgotten about and ask how much, It's usually a bargain! The shop guy will be changing his mind about prices every day depending on mood, amount of business, weather. The easier you make it for the shop team to give you a good deal, the better chance you have. That's how I think the world works.

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posko said..
I have just purchased a couple of gongkite.com kites. Buying more in larger sizes later this year! (I use their strutless kite)

I broke a kite line (manufacturing fault) sent it back to them, they sent me back a whole new bar... Not bad customer service I say.

They're based out of France.

They would've been happy you weren't threatening to sue them for the manufacturing fault that could've gotten someone killed...

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bjw said..
It's been a while since I'd read a good SB banter thread. I miss the trolling from a few years back. Good work!

Those bloody strapless sb riders are the boogy boarders of kitesurfing. Constantly falling off and getting in the way of my purist mutant riding and super advanced foiling.

Just bought 2 x 2017 Dice. Paid a fraction of what I would have paid for new gear which may or may not have been 1% better. There are good deals to be had at this time of year

I think I will just wait until Aldi has their specials catalogue with kites

Switch element 14m. I ride reos but bought this kite for gnarloo trips a few years ago as a last resort, guess it was a 2013. I ride unhooked mostly here and it drifted like a dream. Never flown a kite that big and was stoked to get out before the pooleys each day. Also was on a 45cm bar. Dont get too caught up in new kites hype, they dont make you a better kiter. The biggest consideration in buying kites for me is resale value v cost. Switch fail here. Ill post a vid when im back from the desert.

Mmmmm, Switch don't make a 14m Element - only 11/13/15m in the bigger sizes. Maybe they did way, way back ?
I thought cost vs resale was great on the E4,s I had.
Bought my 7m new for $750 (kite only) used it for 2 seasons & then sold it for $400.
$175 loss per season, that's the best bang for buck I've had.
I used to loose up to $1000 per kite per season when I was riding the big brand kites.

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toppleover said..
Mmmmm, Switch don't make a 14m Element - only 11/13/15m in the bigger sizes. Maybe they did way, way back ?
I thought cost vs resale was great on the E4,s I had.
Bought my 7m new for $750 (kite only) used it for 2 seasons & then sold it for $400.
$175 loss per season, that's the best bang for buck I've had.
I used to loose up to $1000 per kite per season when I was riding the big brand kites.

My friend got a new 7m FUEL delivered for AUD 523.40. $351.20 USD + freight.. You paid too much.
EBay, Gearshed Sports! ??

Here you go mate, you'll get a great kite and bar for around $700 US, free shipping worldwide.
This guy sells ****loads of kites!
ADI Kites: www.adikites.com/
Every man his dog has them in Mui Ne, bargain!