Hey all i was wondering if anyone has had experience with kites made in china. I have a 12m bow kite well at least i think it is anyway so am looking for advice Im a newbie

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junglejim1971 said...
Hey all i was wondering if anyone has had experience with kites made in china. I have a 12m bow kite well at least i think it is anyway so am looking for advice Im a newbie

About 80% of the kiting population

That's right, the vast majority of kites are made In China with some factory's doing close to 30 different brands under the same roof. If your kites were made in countries such as Australia they would be unaffordable (twice the price ).

Only big brand names such as North, Core, Cabrinha etc have their own factory and in some cases use better quality materials and may have better quality control...

These days the quality of materials between kites is very similar if not exactly the same from brand to brand. As I said there are some exceptions with bigger brand names, some use better quality canopy, valves, etc. still the average newbie wouldn't see or feel the difference..

cool i read both reply s and yeah you are right im a newbie so i wouldn't know the difference the one i have is a 12 metre bow kite its of a Chinese brand lol but it is still a bad boy from what I can tell and only cost me 250 brand new

Yeah sweet 2 fitty for something link this 7 strut high aspect weapon

Slight canopy tension problem by the looks???????

7 strut, good luck turning it!

please forgive my ignorance, Im a newbie lol why is it harder to turn a 7 strut flyer compared to a say 5 strut flyer im thinking you are going to say weight wouldn't you get a reduction in fluffing (flapping), I think that's the right term because of the shorter canopy distance between struts?

250 is cheap for a kite maybe worth trying I paid 1800 for a new switchblade

yeah i got great news and reviews from the instructor who flew it on my lesson day last tuesday @ kite republic in St Kilda Melbourne its a Wind Gator 12m hybrid SLE

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junglejim1971 said...
please forgive my ignorance, Im a newbie lol why is it harder to turn a 7 strut flyer compared to a say 5 strut flyer im thinking you are going to say weight wouldn't you get a reduction in fluffing (flapping), I think that's the right term because of the shorter canopy distance between struts?

Ride a crossbow and you'll understand.

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NickT said..

junglejim1971 said...
please forgive my ignorance, Im a newbie lol why is it harder to turn a 7 strut flyer compared to a say 5 strut flyer im thinking you are going to say weight wouldn't you get a reduction in fluffing (flapping), I think that's the right term because of the shorter canopy distance between struts?

Ride a crossbow and you'll understand.

Lol, nice help.
Yes its because of the weight. 5 struts is plenty in a kite, nowadays some kites are able to use no struts or 1 strut with very little flapping.
removing one strut take around 0.5kg from a kite, consider the extra material, bladder, stitching, seams, and inflation hardware. so going from 7 struts to 3 struts would take 2 kg from a kite.
But its not just the weight, the extra rigidity reduces the amount the kite twists when you turn it, reducing the speed at which it can turn.

They are trying to sad that this kite is probably piece of crap. And having no experience with that kind of equipment, looking on photo i would also say that.

But it does not prevent you to learn something new in this nice sport. As soon after you try some good kite, and check it's quality you would see that it's not perfect but way better that your current kite. Maybe some time you will find that kite perfect for some conditions.. Who knows :)

Kite equipment cost quite a lot. Thinking about current price, I would say it should be priced at least half for current quality level.

but there is a catch. "The Stoke" ..when you start riding around it just pays off somehow

Ride what you like but there are a lot of advantages in supporting your local kite shop particularly when your cheap kite needs repairs or you need advice or a piece of equipment. Remember, we are a community and should support each other. Your local kite shop is run and owned by kiters who you will meet on the beach and develop friendships with.

http://www.kiteboardingasia.com/buy-equipment/

<EDIT> Prices are not much cheaper. In fact they are more expensive than local as they too have to pay wholesale prices like anyone else, plus import duties.

If your trying to bye direct from China
They are mostly wholesale and in most cases you can't just order 1 kite most have a limit of no less than 5 kites . Don't think I would be getting five of those kites .

Im actually very happy with my budget brand kite, I was at st kilda yesterday and there was this guy on a 12 who weighed 100, his branded kite as fully depowered and he was struggling and also nervous. at the same time i launched my 12 and i weigh in at like 75/80 and i had heaps of depower left and im also a newbie as in still cant ride and felt comfortable. Also today at altona i was loving it but by 7 i was fully depowered and this budget kite worked like a charm i some how think this 12 could handle stronger winds but i wouldnt go much past 25knots.

Im so happy i brought a budget 9m this arvo too lol

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junglejim1971 said...
Im actually very happy with my budget brand kite, I was at st kilda yesterday and there was this guy on a 12 who weighed 100, his branded kite as fully depowered and he was struggling and also nervous. at the same time i launched my 12 and i weigh in at like 75/80 and i had heaps of depower left and im also a newbie as in still cant ride and felt comfortable. Also today at altona i was loving it but by 7 i was fully depowered and this budget kite worked like a charm i some how think this 12 could handle stronger winds but i wouldnt go much past 25knots.

Im so happy i brought a budget 9m this arvo too lol

Not trying to be rude here, but I don't understand what you are trying to say regarding the power of the two kites?

The way I'm reading it is that your budget kite had less power than a comparable sized top brand kite. IMO this would be a (slight) negative rather than a positive.

Glad to be corrected if I'm interpereting it wrong.

thanks for the ? I am still trying to work it all out for my self all I know atm is the wind range for my kite from the paper work i got with my kite is from 7 to 25 knots and being a newbie i have tried to get my kite up in 7 knot winds and she does get up but i have to admit it fairly pointless.

the other guy whos kite brand i cant remember was fully depowered as i was saying and his arms were fully extended too.

I think if this big guy were my size he would have struggled just to hold the bar due to the extention so to me this spells danger where I was quite comfortable with my bar being in the sweet spot. as for my kites actual power i think the only way to establish this in comparason to other kites is to do some kind of test with fluid dynamics.

There are no reviews for my kite so i guess im trying to say is am happy lol

Hey could u post the link in where u brought the kite cheers

Sorry Mate, your story does not add up. You post a photo of kite stamped Nov 2014, ask all for opinion over 3 months later, and when you hear that it does not look promissing, you declare that you like the kite regardless of what anybody says and that you bought another one. You also say few things that clearly demonstrate that you have no clue about kitesurfing - I am not able to keep 17m Ozone Zephyr in the air at 7 knots and I am at the top range of power on my 9m Wainman Smoke at 25 knts - you have a $250 kite that can do 7-25knts ????????

When you are able to ride on a board and stay upwind on your kite, and after you try other people kites, you can report to us all if it is possible to get $250 kite that is just as good to learn on as much more expensive brand name kites - many would welcome more afordable options. Especially the newbies who find it hard to fork out a lot of money for equipment for sport that looks cool but they are not sure if they will like it, be able to learn it, etc.

I bought some old beaten up kites to start with because I decided to give it a go after I lost my job. It was a waste of money - the kites did not fly well and got damaged easily. If you are trying to get into this great sport for less money, go to a kitesurfing beach and talk to kitesurfers to show you what to look for when buying a second hand kite. Then do on line research to decide which are good all around kites ( ones that are good for most type of riding but do not excell in anything in particular). Once you know few models that fit the bill, buy them second hand but not older than 3 years old and looking fairly new ( ie currently not older than 2013 models). Try to buy a quiver of 2-3 kites as a package - people tend to give you a deal when they sell the lot.

Alternatively you can try brand new $250 no-name kites from China. Looking at the photo of what you bought it does not look promising

Good luck mate, tell us what you think once you are able to ride, perhaps it is a viable option....

Jim, until you post a proper pic of YOUR kite (that pic above is from another member), and links to where you got it from it's almost impossible to give you our views.

But if you're happy with it, what ever it is, then all good for you and enjoy!

Correct me if I am wrong fellas, but if most kites are manufactured in China, then why do Chinese made kites have a bad reputation compared to known brands? It seems it comes down to who designed it and where? I've been to China and seen amazing kite technology in Shanghai but I wondered why aren't these guys making and promoting their kites around the world? Shame.

EDIT. Ok. it's a windgator SLE. Hmmm yeah they are slowly getting noticed. The guy you got it from Jim, does he import them or you got it 2nd hand off him?

One well-chosen 2nd hand reputable brand kite at $500 beats 2 cheap china kites any day.

he imported about 30 of them along with bars, lines and boards he was hoping to sell just the kites for around 400 each but couldnt move them because they are not popular. not long ago this guy whos name is Jude had a board on ebay, at the time the highest bid on it was 80 and i was the highest bidder. I contacted him to see if i could look at the board as he was only in point cook. when i got there he told me about the kites we had a look at a couple they looked good for the money and i i wound up buying

This is what it cost me on the day

New Kite board (Santa cruz caution) $80 he was hoping to sell it online for 150 but as i was buying he was happy to let it go

New 12m hybrid bow SLE (Windgator) $250

New Bar and lines brand $100

Total cost 430 for a brand new set up not bad hey

He offered for me to buy from him and then onsell my self but i know i cant move them at 400 either

although I dont actually know how much he paid he has told me that 250 for a 12 and 200 for the 9 are being sold at less than half the price of what he paid for them. when i think about it that is a dirt cheap price. the only part i dont understand from him though is if he paid 400 for say a 12 and was hoping to sell for around 400 then how was he planning on making any money there is no way he would have paid 400 for a kite and sell for 400 maybe he was thinking more like 800 but there is no way he would have got those type of prices still he is a good guy.

After i payed for it all i took the gear to KR to let them have a look and they said it was all cool. the only thing they told me was I needed at least an 11m and the one i brought was the nine so i contacted Jude and he let me swap it over for the 12 because i hadnt used it but had to hand over an extra 50 cause they were more

the kite was flown and ridden by an instructor from KR last Tuesday week and they said its very smooth and stable

May I also add i am a single dad so cant afford an expensive kite any ways

Sounds like a very good price for your board!

You paid $350 for complete kite, something like this would probably bargain to $350 and be newer in terms of development, and better quality in every aspect./just my 2c

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing-Kites/~t83cl/2011-Cabrinha-Switchblade-11-metre.aspx?search=dGwB0wElmDMD9POq!Acv9YI5qEMiBae5tSU7frlyyc0=

Seriously if your happy with it dont worry about what anyone has to say about it good on u for trying something different

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Rob83 said..
Seriously if your happy with it dont worry about what anyone has to say about it good on u for trying something different

But we don't know what it is?
His something different is a mystery?

that does look good pitty it wasnt available 2 months ago when i was hanging to get out lol

yep i am happy with my kites esp for a newbie, no point spending up big because of me being keen only to smash a good kite apart because i cant fly it not that im saying i cant fly it im actually quite comfortable with my 12 in 20 plus knots maybe next season when im fully sick will i think of a 2000$ beast. thank you for your comment Rob83 and kiteboy dave

If you had a kiting instructor using your kite and he said there was nothing dodgy about it, then it must be all good, enjoy your new kite !!!

I wonder what the bar, chicken loop and depower looks like on these kites. Care to post pics Jim please?

I am having trouble uploading pics for some reason what i can say it the chicken loop doesn't have a pull up and off system what it has is very well put together Velcro grab on either side of the loop and when you yank it it comes apart easily enough I had to use it on Wednesday lol when it is not engaged its a strong hold the bar is a 2010 caution nothing seems to interfere with it, for me at this stage all that is important is that it has plenty depower when needed which is unlike the dangerous days of no depower