Anyone had trouble with these straps?

I have a Duotone Select and the strap snapped where it passes through the foot bed. I go hard but so do stacks of other guys.

Unfortunately for me the board is about 13 and a half months old. I was told no warranty. I was also told by a dealer this has happened before. Looks to me this is a weak point on these straps.

I reckon it's BS that you get a failure so soon.

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hosh said..
Anyone had trouble with these straps?

I have a Duotone Select and the strap snapped where it passes through the foot bed. I go hard but so do stacks of other guys.

Unfortunately for me the board is about 13 and a half months old. I was told no warranty. I was also told by a dealer this has happened before. Looks to me this is a weak point on these straps.

I reckon it's BS that you get a failure so soon.

Yep ..On going issue here in Europe too..Had my 2018s about 15-20 sessions and they broke in the same place...14months and the shop sent me another 2019 model under warranty but they are showing signs of the same problem too..Few other lads here all broke in the same place also. Could cause a bad accident or even maim someone...Ive hear the 2020s have been beefed up a little more but at 220 euro its an expensive chance...

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hosh said..
Anyone had trouble with these straps?

I have a Duotone Select and the strap snapped where it passes through the foot bed. I go hard but so do stacks of other guys.

Unfortunately for me the board is about 13 and a half months old. I was told no warranty. I was also told by a dealer this has happened before. Looks to me this is a weak point on these straps.

I reckon it's BS that you get a failure so soon.

Select to expand quote

Dials said..

hosh said..
Anyone had trouble with these straps?

I have a Duotone Select and the strap snapped where it passes through the foot bed. I go hard but so do stacks of other guys.

Unfortunately for me the board is about 13 and a half months old. I was told no warranty. I was also told by a dealer this has happened before. Looks to me this is a weak point on these straps.

I reckon it's BS that you get a failure so soon.

Yep ..On going issue here in Europe too..Had my 2018s about 15-20 sessions and they broke in the same place...14months and the shop sent me another 2019 model under warranty but they are showing signs of the same problem too..Few other lads here all broke in the same place also. Could cause a bad accident or even maim someone...Ive hear the 2020s have been beefed up a little more but at 220 euro its an expensive chance...

hosh said..
Anyone had trouble with these straps?

I have a Duotone Select and the strap snapped where it passes through the foot bed. I go hard but so do stacks of other guys.

Unfortunately for me the board is about 13 and a half months old. I was told no warranty. I was also told by a dealer this has happened before. Looks to me this is a weak point on these straps.

I reckon it's BS that you get a failure so soon.

I had a strong feeling I wasn't the only one.

As you say it's a safety issue.

I still have my 2005 Liquid Force Drop Limited with the original Pads and straps. Don't ride it now but flogged the hell out of it for years back in the day without a problem.

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hosh said..

Dials said..

hosh said..
Anyone had trouble with these straps?

I have a Duotone Select and the strap snapped where it passes through the foot bed. I go hard but so do stacks of other guys.

Unfortunately for me the board is about 13 and a half months old. I was told no warranty. I was also told by a dealer this has happened before. Looks to me this is a weak point on these straps.

I reckon it's BS that you get a failure so soon.

Yep ..On going issue here in Europe too..Had my 2018s about 15-20 sessions and they broke in the same place...14months and the shop sent me another 2019 model under warranty but they are showing signs of the same problem too..Few other lads here all broke in the same place also. Could cause a bad accident or even maim someone...Ive hear the 2020s have been beefed up a little more but at 220 euro its an expensive chance...

hosh said..
Anyone had trouble with these straps?

I have a Duotone Select and the strap snapped where it passes through the foot bed. I go hard but so do stacks of other guys.

Unfortunately for me the board is about 13 and a half months old. I was told no warranty. I was also told by a dealer this has happened before. Looks to me this is a weak point on these straps.

I reckon it's BS that you get a failure so soon.

I had a strong feeling I wasn't the only one.

As you say it's a safety issue.

I still have my 2005 Liquid Force Drop Limited with the original Pads and straps. Don't ride it now but flogged the hell out of it for years back in the day without a problem.

Had a good look at these straps. Design fault IMHO.

The 2 lugs in the green circle take all the load. The area in the red box only servers the purpose of positioning the lugs. It takes no load.

The load from my perspective if borne solely by the 2 lugs so therefor constitutes a load bearing area of around 20% of the end of the strap.

Observation..... 1 post, you're not a competitor to duotone are you?

I'll suggest a mod for you Duotone. Retool and make it the same as the other side and spread the load across the end evenly.

If you can get some old not in use velcro models and take the piece like in picture and sow it on ...Temp fix I suppose but the older velcro straps did not break in the same area as the plastic is much stiffer and stronger. I also added double sided super sticky tape to strength the 2 pieces together and dyneema Braid fishing line, Been good so far .

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Dials said..
If you can get some old not in use velcro models and take the piece like in picture and sow it on ...Temp fix I suppose but the older velcro straps did not break in the same area as the plastic is much stiffer and stronger. I also added double sided super sticky tape to strength the 2 pieces together and dyneema Braid fishing line, Been good so far .

Absolute BS. Duotone should replace these straps no questions asked. They're obviously not up to scratch. Should be velco adjustment both sides, locked in by the solid lugs. Same as the adjustable side.

You shouldn't have to do these types of repairs and defiantly not 1 month out of warranty.

Agree ..I did get a replacement set already but they are showing signs of weakness already..but this is where we at right now..Load of ****e.

I was able to fix mine using a dyneema rope (same width as the North/Duotone safety line). I've used them for a year without problems now. Previously I also used a velcro strap but I think the dyneema solution is cleaner:

Good idea....Never looked at doing it that way...Can u post more up close photos so I can see exactly the way u have done it...Would act as a preventive measure before they even break and foe safety also if the plastic pops uve got the rope to hold either way...

Hi Dials, here are a few more photos. I drilled two holes into the plastic base:






The dyneema is wrapped in a figure 8 around the side of the bindings.






The knot is at the bottom and the (broken) plastic piece is stuck in one of the two slots (as before). It seems more robust to me than the original setup and, as you say, it's probably also a good prevention against the piece breaking in the first place. The dyneema doesn't move much so chafing isn't a big problem.

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grouchytiger said..
Hi Dials, here are a few more photos. I drilled two holes into the plastic base:






The dyneema is wrapped in a figure 8 around the side of the bindings.






The knot is at the bottom and the (broken) plastic piece is stuck in one of the two slots (as before). It seems more robust to me than the original setup and, as you say, it's probably also a good prevention against the piece breaking in the first place. The dyneema doesn't move much so chafing isn't a big problem.

I love your work but why the hell should we have to resort to repairing, what's obviously, a faulty design.

I made this public because it snapped on me landing a jump. This sport can be dangerous and the gear has to be top shelf.

I understand the companies make mistakes in design, car producers have their hickups but commonly put out recalls because a part may fail and potentially cause harm. I recall Best doing the right thing years ago.

You both should get replacements.

It should be FOC.

hosh, I definitely agree with what you say. If anyone hears anything from Duotone regarding a replacement please let me know.

I broke my 2018s and got replacement of 2019..Same just different colour..They will break again no doubt and my Mate got his replaced too , free under warranty. Dono about the 2020s breaking but ive heard they beefed up yhat area this year..

Great to see you've been looked after Dials. I was unlucky with the timing, Missed by 6 weeks. I hope these 2020's are better.

IMHO they should go to velcro both sides like Naish Apex.

I hate Velcro man..Never seem to hold tight for me..Always opening and annoying...I purchased board with straps Sept 2018 and they broke about 4-6 weeks after the full year and they still covered me..Dono what exactly the warranty time is but I got the replacement..Im gona just put on some dyneema rope now before they even break just for security and hope they alst longer the the 2018 with that rope in place..Sucks to say the least..

Hi Breezers,

I wasn't going to wade into this as I am all for free speech. To complicate matters, Hosh is a friend and also team rider/brand advocate for Action Sports WA and has been for many years.

We sold Hosh the board on 17/11/2018, so technically, the product is 6 weeks out of standard Australian warranty period, however, if Hosh filled out his warranty registration card, Duotone extend the warranty by a further 6 months from the store where it was purchased. I believe it is still under warranty until May 2020. I really don't understand the anguish that is going on, but context is missing from this thread, hence this reply.

Firstly, I agree, the straps should not have broken so soon. In the past North/Duotone straps have worn out long before they had the chance to break. Out of the hundreds of straps we have sold from 2017-2019 we had only heard of two instances of this breakage, one being Hosh's, and oddly enough, the other being only a week earlier from a European customer.

Secondly, there is a warranty procedure with any product you purchase.

How warranty works
When a part or product fails prematurely, it needs to be brought in for warranty consideration. The warranty is not with the retailer. It's a manufacturers warranty and the manufacturer deems whether it is a valid warranty claim or not. To be fair to Duotone (Boards and More), they are VERY good with their warranty replacement. If warranted, the retailer is given either a credit for the purchase price of the item, or replacement product.

The warranty procedure begins with the retailer photographing the product, gathering as much supportive info as possible, and emailing this to the brand representative in Sydney, Australia. They usually make a decision within a day if it is an obvious product fault, or withing a few days if they have to go back to the manufacturer in Germany. Often, product out of warranty, but deemed reasonable claim, is also warranted or at least credits or repairs authorized.

Details
Hosh came in on Friday afternoon around 4:30pm, well after the east coast had gone home, and was explained we can't just break a retail set which we have allocated for retail board sale until we have authorization for it to be replaced Free of Charge under warranty. Hosh was upset with the situation and left the shop before we could get photo's to begin a normal warranty claim.

The Outcome
We had sent an email on Friday afternoon to the reps in Sydney explaining the situation and they agreed to replace the straps under warranty despite not having supporting photo's. A replacement set of straps was added to an airfreight to replace the straps from our full kits (which we would cannibalize) to replace the broken straps. Hosh refused the offer and by the looks of it, has bought some Naish Apex (Nice straps btw).

To be fair to Duotone, we had the complaint on Friday afternoon, and an authorization on Monday by 8:16am by email before we open.

Like I said, I think the product failed prematurely and should have been replaced under warranty, which it was. The design has been changed, so perhaps there was a known issue with Dutone which we weren't aware of. Duotone is the worlds biggest kite brand and sells thousands of boards and straps every year. There is always going to be exceptions where things break or fail, that is why there is warranty in the first place. If the problem showed in more than a couple of percent of user experience, they would recall or send out an information sheet to all retailers making us aware of the issue. I think the problem is quite rare but has obviously happened a few times. Duotone dealth with the issue in a very timely manner and offered a free replacement. Do I think they are faulty? No, there are hundreds of riders who ride every day without problems.

Just for perspective. Carry on.

DM

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Dials said..
Yep ..On going issue here in Europe too..Had my 2018s about 15-20 sessions and they broke in the same place...14months and the shop sent me another 2019 model under warranty but they are showing signs of the same problem too..Few other lads here all broke in the same place also. Could cause a bad accident or even maim someone...Ive hear the 2020s have been beefed up a little more but at 220 euro its an expensive chance...

Can you post some pictures of the signs of wear from the new straps? How many sessions until you noticed? Thanks

I do believe that they are faulty...My 2 Mates who have the same 2018-19 have both broke within the 12month or there about and there is also another link on Kiteforum.com where plenty of others have broken too...I did register my board with Duotone for extended warranty but I dont know did that include the straps also but they did send me a replacement anyway...Seriously though ,the plastic is like cheese and no where as robust as the older velcro models in that area...Someone is gona get into difficult or very hurt with these straps and I think they should be recalled...Ive got a feeling they will be plenty more showing up in the next 12months with the same problem...Its just a matter of time that the will all break in the same place..They are by no means cheap. If I were to sell on my replacement straps before they break which I know they will well then Im passing the problem to another innocent kiter with no warranty and that person could end up in a serious situation,be it in water or injury...Duotone should recall all their 2018-19 Entity straps ASAP...IMHO.

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bootsandloops said..

Dials said..
Yep ..On going issue here in Europe too..Had my 2018s about 15-20 sessions and they broke in the same place...14months and the shop sent me another 2019 model under warranty but they are showing signs of the same problem too..Few other lads here all broke in the same place also. Could cause a bad accident or even maim someone...Ive hear the 2020s have been beefed up a little more but at 220 euro its an expensive chance...

Can you post some pictures of the signs of wear from the new straps? How many sessions until you noticed? Thanks

Take of the straps and u will see a tiny hairline crack or indention line right on top of the widened piece that grips into the pad..

I had a set of replacement straps but decided to send them back and get a full set of 2020's. Couldn't see the point as the risk of failure would defiantly be on your mind when conditions were like yesterday 30+ knots.

They have strengthened the end of the strap, the material is noticeably stronger and the strap is wider, however still using the 2 lugs to take the load.

See how these go. Time will tell.

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hosh said..
I had a set of replacement straps but decided to send them back and get a full set of 2020's. Couldn't see the point as the risk of failure would defiantly be on your mind when conditions were like yesterday 30+ knots.

They have strengthened the end of the strap, the material is noticeably stronger and the strap is wider, however still using the 2 lugs to take the load.

See how these go. Time will tell.

Please keep me posted on the 2020s...Interested to see will they last.

Have you spoke to Duotone ?? The shop could be fibbing

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THE PIN PULLER said..
Have you spoke to Duotone ?? The shop could be fibbing

Have you read Darren's post?

No it looked to long. Have had it before where parts were deemed out of warranty according to a shop, when I spoke with the brand they covered the faulted part no dramas.

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Dials said..
Take of the straps and u will see a tiny hairline crack or indention line right on top of the widened piece that grips into the pad..

I have two pair, one is 2019 and one is 2020. Made some pictures and they look fine, have a look at the pictures. Both straps had 50 sessions probably each.

I suppose it comes down to the type of riding you are doing and if you like your straps tight or loose...But either way they should not break period.

HOSH, for ease of mind and safety just go buy a set of Naish Apex Footpads and straps, most around here got sick of having spare Plastic straps. We have had years of hard use out of the Naish straps, like anything always check for wear and tear as time goes on. Enjoy.

This German brand does really produce some quality gear with insane durability at great value and the after sales support is where it all comes together.

Nothing like blowing your footstrap out and ripping your groin coming down from a kl in 25+. The warranty is really appreciated in these instances.

Here I have added some rope incase the replacement straps break again ...I dont want to injure myself. Kinda safety precaution...No holes drilled..

Young bloke has the Naish Apex on his 2020 Select. Nice setup

I got the 2020 Entity pads and straps on my 2019 Select. That will hopefully last me a few years.

As they say, time will tell.