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Rider: Weight,Level (beginner,intermediate,advanced)
Style: Freeriding, Surf, Wake, Freestyle
Weather: ?-? knots
Build Quality: ?/10
Satisfaction: ?/10
Disclosure: (e.g. work at a shop/team rider etc)

My Comments:
Hey folks think twice about buying a Griffin Argonaut kite. I bought an 11.5, it pulls like a 10m, its flacid in the air as it only has 4 struts, it turns not all that fast either. I wasted $1200 on it
Eamon

Ive never flown one, but your title to this thread is out of line on this forum (IMHO). Maybe next time you will demo before you hand over your money.

Hi, you sound like a troll but I could be wrong.

the 2012 Argos arrive tomorrow and are already half sold and there are heaps of great reviews on many forums.

Also anyone has ANY problems with there Argo or Griffins they can contact me the designer directly and I will sort out the problem or do a full refund.

Total number of refund requests in the last 5 years = 0

Re your comments about the 11.5 let me know the serial number and where you purchased it from.

The 11.5 pulls like a 12 and turns like a 10.5 from what I have heard from other riders.

Here are a few less suspect reviews:

2012
kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2372384

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/Review/2011-10M-Griffin-Argo/
Rider: 85Kg's, Intermediate - Advanced
Style: Surf, Freestyle
Build Quality: 10/10
Satisfaction: 10/10

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/Review/2011-Griffin-Argo/


www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/Review/2011-Griffin-Argo-What-size/

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/Review/2010-Griffin-Argo-wave-riding-made-easy/

Hey eamon107 your either a "Troll" or a dreamer who wouldnt know a good kite if one bit you on the ass,go and learn how to kite then write a review,idiots like you give forums a bad taste,what a dickhead.

I'm not on the forum to bag people or brands.

Everyone just try before you buy then we wont need online slamming.

cheers

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CheeseStick said...

I'm not on the forum to bag people or brands.

Everyone just try before you buy then we wont need online slamming.

cheers

your earlier post that you deleted seemed to "slam" griffin kites pretty hard.

Had mine 2 years my argo, strapped surfing ,havent rode a better kite ,and thrashed it and still going strong.

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bennie said...

CheeseStick said...

I'm not on the forum to bag people or brands.

Everyone just try before you buy then we wont need online slamming.

cheers

your earlier post that you deleted seemed to "slam" griffin kites pretty hard.

hence why i deleted it.
I rethought my actions.
I'm happy with my kit, I have mates that arn't so happy with theirs. Brands will remain anonymous. Just beware of cheap imitations!

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arsa said...

Ive never flown one, but your title to this thread is out of line on this forum (IMHO). Maybe next time you will demo before you hand over your money.

Okay it could be a troll, but... if not, why is his opinion 'out of line'?? Surely reviews can go either way, it's an open forum right??

...so eamon107 are you a troll?

If you don't reply to this, we can assume you are and how lame! The internet community is somewhat more mature now, you can't get away with trolling around here.


but if you are not, explain how you arrived at these conclusions please. I have only good things about these kites, by some crew I respect, but we can always learn more...(I don't ride them obviously).

Hey eppo dont hold your breath mate seems an obvious troll,was out last night testing a 2012 proto and my mate was on a 2010 11m Argo 120 kg in 14-18 absolutely ripping so this guy either had his lines back to front or he's a troll just out to try and discredit a proven brand,just another

Totally agree with Eppos comment's. My personal experience has been nothing but positive with the griffin argo, I really rate them as fantastic kites for there targeted use- freeride/waves, and really can't fault them. People who ignorantly label them as nothing more than cheap kites are really way off the mark. Anybody who has a good look at them next to one of the big brands and compares construction/materials, plus flying characteristics/performance is always pleasantly surprised at how good they are.

On to the 2012 argo, I saw this pic on kiteforum last night. Chris is this the 2012 bar? It looks like you have gone with an above bar cleat with a pvc covered depower line. Whats the thinking behind this and are there any other changes?

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bennie said...

Totally agree with Eppos comment's. My personal experience has been nothing but positive with the griffin argo, I really rate them as fantastic kites for there targeted use- freeride/waves, and really can't fault them. People who ignorantly label them as nothing more than cheap kites are really way off the mark. Anybody who has a good look at them next to one of the big brands and compares construction/materials, plus flying characteristics/performance is always pleasantly surprised at how good they are.

On to the 2012 argo, I saw this pic on kiteforum last night. Chris is this the 2012 bar? It looks like you have gone with an above bar cleat with a pvc covered depower line. Whats the thinking behind this and are there any other changes?

re the bar with above bar depower.

1) Some riders love below bar depower and hate above bar depower.
Below bar has less stuff in the way and is always easy to reach

2) Some riders hate below bar depower and love above bar depower
Below bar depower can be tougher for learners, and less natural to reach and depower in strong winds,

So i designed 2 bars.

The new above bar depower has a plastic tube covering, so no having to replace center lines, the leach goes inside the plastic tube so no wearing center leash lines. The depower strap is cloth so no harsh plastic maces flying around hitting you in the head and the depower strap Velcro's behind the cleat, so no depower chord flapping around. It als has a sliding stopper ball so if you let go of the bar it wont depower all the way if you dont want to.

The stopper ball has velcro also, and its clean and minimal, no straps and crap in your face.

So above bar or below bar depower, your choice.

below is a earlier proto bar

^^^^dosent look like theres anything wrong with the way that argo's going,looks like its rippin to me.

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eppo said...

arsa said...

Ive never flown one, but your title to this thread is out of line on this forum (IMHO). Maybe next time you will demo before you hand over your money.

Okay it could be a troll, but... if not, why is his opinion 'out of line'?? Surely reviews can go either way, it's an open forum right??

...so eamon107 are you a troll?

If you don't reply to this, we can assume you are and how lame! The internet community is somewhat more mature now, you can't get away with trolling around here.


but if you are not, explain how you arrived at these conclusions please. I have only good things about these kites, by some crew I respect, but we can always learn more...(I don't ride them obviously).

Of course ARSA is right. 'Griffin Argonaut' under 'gear reviews'. It's nothing like a review, just unsubstantiated critisism.
"think twice about buying a Griffin Argonaut" What value does that add to a review?
11.5 pulls like a 10m? That's just plain wrong. I ride Rally's but the Argo's I've tried have a good deal more power than mine. "flacid in the air as it only has 4 struts" I luv less struts, 3 is better still. It makes for a lighter kite, floats better, less inertia. Although, I would say Argos aren't too responsive & don't have great feel. "I wasted $1200 on it" Well that's not a bad price for a kite.
If you're going to write a review Eamon, that's not the way to do it.
Col

True, but if he wasn't a troll, he deserves to give his opinion. Forum is a forum, open to all. but we can then self regulate by adding such comments as yours.

You may be right, but I'm just contempletative about freedom of speech. You don't make the rules, nor do I.

If someone thinks a kite is Shyte, they have every right to say so, to make some consumers aware. But it should be backed by reasonable justification to why.

hey Chris I like the look of the new bar. I'm quite happy with the 2011 bar, but have always been a fan of the maintanence free plastic covered depower lines. I also like the look of the streamlined bridle for the 2012 argo, I'm guessing that reducing the number of pulleys will improve the direct feel of the kite. I am looking forward to taking one for a spin.

Have you got any news your willing to share about the 2012 chimera?

Hey bennie theres big things in the pipeline for 2012 Griffin but i've been sworn to secreacy,but its biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig,nudge nudge wink wink say no more.

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eppo said...

True, but if he wasn't a troll, he deserves to give his opinion. Forum is a forum, open to all. but we can then self regulate by adding such comments as yours.

You may be right, but I'm just contempletative about freedom of speech. You don't make the rules, nor do I.

If someone thinks a kite is Shyte, they have every right to say so, to make some consumers aware. But it should be backed by reasonable justification to why.

I think most people would guess, that some one who is affiliated with another brand, and sees griffins poping up in there area from a competing shop would find it usefull to post fake reviews bashing brands they dont sell.

I get calls from people who have questions and sort them out, I have never received any feedback like the above in 7 years, so I can only assume he is a brand basher and taking advantage of being anonymous on forums.

Agree, with eeverything you have said, this eamon107 alias needs a quick swift kick up the ass, and the funny thing is, it has actually grabbed forum time where the riders of Griffin kites have been able to support their brand!! Ha HA - maybe he's a griffin troll playing reverse pyschology on each other - and if it is not, just blew up in his face I gather by all the positive posts.

Anyhow Radman uses a CB wave (truly great product), so i trust anything he would say about the griffin !!

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GriffinKites said...

eppo said...

True, but if he wasn't a troll, he deserves to give his opinion. Forum is a forum, open to all. but we can then self regulate by adding such comments as yours.

You may be right, but I'm just contempletative about freedom of speech. You don't make the rules, nor do I.

If someone thinks a kite is Shyte, they have every right to say so, to make some consumers aware. But it should be backed by reasonable justification to why.

I think most people would guess, that some one who is affiliated with another brand, and sees griffins poping up in there area from a competing shop would find it usefull to post fake reviews bashing brands they dont sell.

I get calls from people who have questions and sort them out, I have never received any feedback like the above in 7 years, so I can only assume he is a brand basher and taking advantage of being anonymous on forums.

As for try before you buy....you can,t do that in Darwin..we are so far away.......My 10 yo Naish kite ****s on the Argonaught...........As for kiting i have been kiting for 10 years and as for the accusations of "Troll"... looks like there are some kite salesmen running scared......My old Naish Aero could go from 13 to 40 knots.and handled perfect...not this Griffin kite...

^^^^^ now i know your full of **** an old aero 13-40knots!!!! wake up and smell the coffe your still dreamin, have sold hundreds of Griffins Argos Chimeras over the years with 100% satisfaction and just about all returning customers,with over 50% coming off well established brands.
You only got bagged mate cos instead of discussing how to get the best out of the kite,( if you actually really have one )you came out swinging spouting bulls**t.
How about entering into a discussion on how to get the best out of your kite rather than having a slag fest, theres plenty of guys out there who have been riding these kites for long enough to know.

& there I was thinking your 1st post was a wild rant.
Col

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eamon107 said...

As for try before you buy....you can,t do that in Darwin..we are so far away.......My 10 yo Naish kite ****s on the Argonaught...........As for kiting i have been kiting for 10 years and as for the accusations of "Troll"... looks like there are some kite salesmen running scared......My old Naish Aero could go from 13 to 40 knots.and handled perfect...not this Griffin kite...

Chris the griffin designer has already offered for you to contact him directly to sort out your issues. What other company can you do that with?. you obviously havent taken him up on that offer, as you are still posting these rants. That really makes no sense to me, surely you just want to get you kite sorted .Maybe we can help .

I'm guessing it's a 2011 model as I don't think there was a 2010 11.5 m
did you get the kite new or 2nd hand? if 2nd hand what condition was it in?
are you using a griffin bar with it?.
Have you tuned your bar and lines?(when I got my argo my outside lines were 10cm too short, easy fix)
What setting are you flying it on? the argo has multiple setting options which affect how the kite flies markedly.

Give us this info and we can get to the bottom of your issues. If that fails and you really do have a lemon, then I'm sure chris from griffin would sort you out, because thats the kind of service you get from griffin kites.

EAmons back. Hi dude. Took you a while. Follow up on the help from griffin then come back with an educated opinion that really tells the reader what you think and more importantly why? Your post was somewhat viscous which always rings alarm bells. But when you post an naish areo can go 13 to 40 unless you can justify this ( been around 12 years and no kite back then could that lucky to get a 10 knots range) you still sound like either a troll or someone who really has no idea what they are talking about or maybe even both. Get back to us but explain your reasoning with a little aeronautics please.

The argo is a pig of a kite compared with other kites i have flown.....Commercial interests reign supreme on this forum as with other forums....The kite sales people are running scared of negative and truthful reviews by riders who nothing financial to gain.....
I have flown many kites over the last 10 years and i am disapointed with this one....
This is an open forum about gear reviews, if you cant handle an open forum with opposing views get off.
I bought the hyperbole on the Griffin website, and it turned out to be just that- hyperbole!

I too bought a 9 mtr Argo, secondhand. What a pig of a kite, just wouldn't work.

Then I found the previous owner had stuffed up the settings, had the rear lines on the fast turning position (right at the tips) but other settings on default. How the previous owner ever flew it I don't know, but he sold it cheap so my win. On the setting he had it the tips kept curling in and the kite would backstall anytime you pulled the bar in. Now, set back to default this kite is great, love it in the waves.

So make sure you check your settings before you complain, I couldn't believe moving the backlines 2" fwd would make such a difference.

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eamon107 said...

The argo is a pig of a kite compared with other kites i have flown.....Commercial interests reign supreme on this forum as with other forums....The kite sales people are running scared of negative and truthful reviews by riders who nothing financial to gain.....
I have flown many kites over the last 10 years and i am disapointed with this one....
This is an open forum about gear reviews, if you cant handle an open forum with opposing views get off.
I bought the hyperbole on the Griffin website, and it turned out to be just that- hyperbole!

Ha ha what exactly don't you like about them. Again you are just stating some opinion without am educated outline of why? How many hours. What winds. What size. Your weight. Your board. Your own style. Clean or gusty wind. What aerodynamics did you hate. And how did the kite behave during this. Justify your opinion or you get off this forum. Too many kiters with a lot of knowledge should be getting frustrated with your lack of info. Or is that it mate. They fly like pigs. Wow come again.

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eamon107 said...

My old Naish Aero could go from 13 to 40 knots.and handled perfect...not this Griffin kite...

Mate, do you want to buy my 16m Areo 1 $100

eamon107

I am a bit of an outsider on the detail of this thread BUT why have you not taken up the offer to get your money back?

Thats what I would do.

It seems real obvious eaomon is a troll,just out to bag the kite,sounds to me like your the one running scared eaomon, whats up to many griffs popping up on the beach,get used to it mate,you wont obviously back yourself up and your just out to bag the kite,seems strange that you've been kiting for over 10 yrs and have only made a few posts on seabreeze,2011 Argo is rock solid and wont bend in the tips no matter what setting you put it on,i fly my argo on a different setting than quite a few other riders i know my setting suits me and theirs them,what i like is the ability to dial the kite in to suit the individual,although you've got me looking for an old Aero at the moment,might as well sell my current quiver cos the Aero can do it all, sounds like its the bomb ,YEA RIGHT!!!!