All the hype and awesome videos makes one believe you have to have the latest and greatest kites. Is a 4 year old kite going to suffice and last for another year or two?

Im not sugar coating old craped out kites im talking design aspect and safety. Of course a 4 year old kite back to back with another 4 year old kite will undoubtedly have a lot of variables.

Thoughts?...

A four year old kite in good knick should be perfectly fine.

Plenty of great bargains out there.

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bigtone667 said..
A four year old kite in good knick should be perfectly fine.

Plenty of great bargains out there.

+1 on that

Better boost every year - we should be hitting the moon already

Better hang time - We should be landing jumps at Capetown.

Some 10-12 year old kites are fine and very safe to use. Now some companies copy and reproduce very similar designs with very different colors and graphics....
Being such a huge industry everyone wants to make a buck out if suckers!

Some 10-12 year old kites are fine and very safe to use. Now some companies copy and reproduce very similar designs with very different colors and graphics....
Being such a huge industry everyone wants to make a buck out if suckers!

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reolover said..
All the hype and awesome videos makes one believe you have to have the latest and greatest kites. Is a 4 year old kite going to suffice and last for another year or two?

Im not sugar coating old craped out kites im talking design aspect and safety. Of course a 4 year old kite back to back with another 4 year old kite will undoubtedly have a lot of variables.

Thoughts?...

Sounds like you've already answered your own question.
Different year kites can fly very differently even within the same brand and model kite; new or old. Power delivery, bar pressure etc. bandits, switchblades etc come to mind as kites that have evolved changed not always for the better. There were some dud years in some models..... and as someone pointed out earlier they can revert to tried and tested kite and design. You need to choose a kite that suits your riding style with the right attributes. It's a personal choice dictated by your own performance and what fits. Doesnt have to be new. Also re second hand, although a kite may look in good condition second hand, there can be bridal or canopy stretch, pinholes, valve issues etc......... or it can just be a dog on a leash! ( no offence to dogs )

if i have cash to burn a new kite quiver are good. i have Neo from 2015 and i hope they will last many years. there are lotsvof good buys in the internet used and new. when you buy used kites they could give you a lot of problems good luck

Switch kites are the best value by a long way. Around half the price of the big name brands. You can get almost any kite you want for under $1000.

You only get a draw string bag for the kite, but that's a good thing when you get used to it. I have just packed the car for a trip down the coast and three kites fit in the space that one large one would take.

The range is a little limited. They don't have any very high performance kites, but their surf, free ride and free style kites are very good. The construction details are often far superior to some of the name brands.

The bars are a little agricultural but they do everything you could want. Some of the fittings are identical to bars costing 2-3 times the price.

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reolover said..
All the hype and awesome videos makes one believe you have to have the latest and greatest kites. Is a 4 year old kite going to suffice and last for another year or two?

Im not sugar coating old craped out kites im talking design aspect and safety. Of course a 4 year old kite back to back with another 4 year old kite will undoubtedly have a lot of variables.

Thoughts?...

What's that song again?

$290 for a ozone reo is pretty good me thinks even if it is off ebay. Could use it for first year then chuck it.

Haven't looked at switch kites yet but coming in under 1k is exy for me as im on a budget.

The kite surfing market's future is definitely in the under $1K range. People just have other things to spend their money on. That's life

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reolover said..
$290 for a ozone reo is pretty good me thinks even if it is off ebay. Could use it for first year then chuck it.

Haven't looked at switch kites yet but coming in under 1k is exy for me as im on a budget.

The Naish park for $150 is even better me thinks

Without a doubt Griffin kites are the best value and nothing about them is agricultural including the bar which is as good as any at about half the price. The latest AX kite would satisfy any kiter.
Griffin kites are possibly the most under rated kite on the market with the latest AX version a real standout.
Positive coments welcome as well as negative comments but only if you have had a serious session on the AX version.
Yes I am a Griffin kite supporter and have happily kited them for several years.

I think kites are improving every year myself. Gradual improvements for sure, but noticeable enough.

Can you inspect either. @ under 250 assuming u can get a season or two out of it that's fair price for age provided they hold air. I've looked at a lot of second hand stuff setting my kites. U can get good kite and bar for under 650 down for anything under 14 meter. Over you will most likely pay 800-900. You have to haggle as many are way overstated as such don't sell. Age range I'm looking at is 2014 or earlier. 2015-2016 if they want to sell quick

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reolover said..
So which would you say is the better kite??

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/kitesurfing-kite-naish-park-11-meter-2012-kite-only-/222493662244?hash=item33cda7dc24:g:o2IAAOSwONBZBcYY



www.ebay.com.au/itm/ozone-reo-12-mtr-kitesurfing-kite-/182560904698?hash=item2a817a55fa:g:gGAAAOSw7XBY8CYT

2012 Reo 375 delivered, 2012 Park 170, both have no bar/lines which is issue/cost/hassle, old set 100 min, so 475 vs 270 presuming no one out bids you eBay style (last minute) then not worth it, defo park for price if no bids, get 2014 reo complete for 500+, think reo easier kite to learn on and ride

Latest kites better? mostly yes but sometimes no, for beginners they need the used popular models for their riding style, maybe up to 3-4 years old max if poss safe complete undamaged condition, may sell my 2015 12m reo V3 soon for a cheap price complete, loved and undamaged, been an awesome easy to use all round no probs beauty (only to upgrade to V4)

The biggest difference in the last couple of years would have to be industry-wide max-flow valves, some brands took until 2015 to get on board with that (Blade I think) and once you go max flow you can't handle 9mm ever again, it's like watching paint dry waiting for it to blow up.
ok yeah we got quad-tech and wavey trailing edge shapes, but that's less noticeable IMO.
I rode a 2006 5-line Ozone Instinct with velcrow and pin quick release the other day and it was fine in the sky. **** drift down wind in it's lower range though. 9mm multi point inflation Was lame but still sets up in under 15 minutes.
$90 on ebay and a crisp canopy haha

Reolover - Im in my 8th year of kiting and have always bought other peoples cast off kites - there is absolutely nothing wrong with a well looked after 2 to 4 yr old kite ! I agree with most of the above - there are dogs and one that springs to mind that my mate has tried is a Dice (2014?) and the wing tips turn in - weird as to see fly in the sky and just plain wrong !
Do a search on any brand and model 2nd hand kite before buying but seriously if you are like me and struggle with kids education, house hold bills etc etc then you can enjoy this amazing sport on less !!
I'll admit Im a big fan of the F-one Bandits and have been flying them since the B3 and slowly upgrade as the cash allows - my latest kite upgrade is a B8 and I can tell a slight difference in a number of ways to the earlier versions so newer is better - but do I have a bigger WOW factor with the B8 compared to the B6 - not really !!
Luckily for the kitesurfing community there are those that have to have the latest kite - and can afford it - and then there are the rest of us ....... and we can enjoy this awesome sport at a discount with very little performance trade off Im of the opinion!!

Ah sorry to all of the amazing Kite shops around Aus that support our sport and try to make a living from it - we do appreciate you !! Its just that some of us simply cant afford the price of a new kite!!

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NorthernKitesAUS said..

reolover said..
So which would you say is the better kite??

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/kitesurfing-kite-naish-park-11-meter-2012-kite-only-/222493662244?hash=item33cda7dc24:g:o2IAAOSwONBZBcYY



www.ebay.com.au/itm/ozone-reo-12-mtr-kitesurfing-kite-/182560904698?hash=item2a817a55fa:g:gGAAAOSw7XBY8CYT

So buy it already! Your frothing is making me sick

I think Reolover is actually the one flogging the reo on ebay, looking at another post he did highlighting that kite yesterday.

a bit of marketing maybe.

got to say love recent add I saw stated, No damage EXCEPT a professional REPAIR DONE.
Sorry that's damage lol!