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pilotpete said...

I asked the question and got this reply from SCOPREGA re: where they are made.
BST 12 PUMPS are designed and Made in Italy (they are produced here, not in our factory in Ningbo).

Personally, I think thats part of the problem with the Bravo, plastic conrods, with bronze bushes for bearings, they get some wear and slop in the bush/bearing, and bam it stops working, or sand gets in the regulator and it stops working.

The Island inflator has metal conrods with proper roller bearings, metal cylinders and the regulator is a sealed electronic unit. Any faulty units with the 12 month warranty period have been replaced no questions asked.

Good luck getting that sort of service from Italy, although I have heard that Bravo have sent parts to customers... I just gave up, the design is flawed.

My Bravo pump is still kickin, had it 18 months now BUT, the transformer for tha charger has shat itself. Was fun while it lasted but not sure if i'd bother to replace it.
With the Bravo I always felt like I was guessing how much air I had in the kite, using a manual pump (gasp!), you know because you can actually feel it.

Who is everyone trying to kid. Nobody likes to pump up their kite, it is a necessary evil to do the sport we love. If someone has a spare $300 and can buy an electric pump then good for them. The 5kg weight is perfect to attach to my kite, pumping it while I lay out my lines. Don't be afraid to try something different sometimes change is good. I love mine.

Just an observation re: metal V plastic parts, well designed plastic parts do not suffer from the beach salt air environment like metal parts do. Plastic will be more durable unless the metal parts are ALL 316 stainless steel in which case you may find the weight unacceptable.

If you don't have a high-flow valve on your kite, I can understand the electric appeal, but with the low resistance of the newer valves, manual pumping is really fast and easy.

I love this sport's simplicity, and a $20 pump that lasts for years with minimal maintenance fits well with that ethos.

i go through manual pumps like crazy, i have the electric one and its lasted very well. its good because if im pumping my kite, my wifes kite and then we change a size it can take it out of you. then people like to try it and never complain about less effort to get on the water!

the best part about the electric pumps is they pump to the same pressure everytime, so you dont get lazy and fly an underpumped kite which is like a soggy blanket!

at the end of the day its choice, i can run my lines and have a quick stretch while the electric pump does the hard work :) yes a i have a manual pump that i use in secluded spots, yes i swing between pumps!

Have had one of these pumps for 3 years , it's had 2 rebuilds due to the plastic gears and components wearing out and I've just thrown in it's 3rd battery , just as well I can get the batteries from work . Couple of things to be wary off , read the instructions , the pump should not be run lying down , those people who hook their kite to the pump tether , start it up and run their lines out there 2 problems with this . 1 the pump will most likely fall over on it's side , 2 I've seen many of these clips on the tether come off and the kite goes cartwheeling down the car park.
Also read the sticker on the case max of 15 mins on then you need to let it cool down for 30 mins . This is where I think mine crapped it's self the 1 st time , you usually get down the beach and pump your kite up then your mates , who are usually the ones giving you sh1t for using an elect pump want to borrow it to pump their kites up . Next thing you know it's just pumped 4 kites up one after the other.
Would not say it's any quicker than a hand pump ,but it's easy and you get the same pressure every time , meaning you kite behaves exactly the same every time you use it.

Whilst my battery operated pump is doing that really really hard physical work for me,

I have a coffee latte from by battery operated latte machine.

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lotofwind said...

Whilst my battery operated pump is doing that really really hard physical work for me,

I have a coffee latte from by battery operated latte machine.

Sipping my latte from by battery operated latte machine I use my battery operated wind-meter to check the kite being pumped up by my battery operated pump is the right size, while my battery operated massage machine gets me nice a relaxed for a kite. Hey maybe we could build a battery operated automatic line 'layer-outera'.

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lotofwind said...

Whilst my battery operated pump is doing that really really hard physical work for me,

I have a coffee latte from by battery operated latte machine.

i lol'd! nice one :)

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Berg K1t3r said...

After a hard days work dont really feel like pumping up, i just want to kite, i know how to pump up properly, im pretty fit and probably hell of a lot more co-ordinated than you judging by your stab in the dark....ever think the back problems are caused by something else and pumping up just adds to it, like crawling through ceilings or under houses, up and down ladders, all day, everyday....your probably just a pen pushing pussy. at the end of the day your prob just to poor to own one or to much of a tight ass.

tightlines said...

the walks said...

another product for the unfit and unco-ordinated
try pumping properly, no back problems even when you do it every day and the thiefs have one less target

Lindsay, your lack of years made me wonder if i should reply or not, after a seconds thought
i,ve been a plasterer for 28yrs, 175 cm, 80kg and not many people i know would match my stamina, enough said cuz my ass is tight and my mummy warned me about males like you

a plasterer, not exactly anything to be proud of really, not even a trade actually
would explain why u have so much "stamina" to pump up after work....since all the plasterers i know do sweet fa, all day, everyday.

before you post in a topic about something just to have a stab at people just for the sake of it....maybe have something useful to say instead of accusing people of being lazy, unfit, unco-ordinated etc.....just because they choose to use something that make their life a little easier.

and if you dont like what ive written in reply, tough.
An eye for an eye.

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Berg K1t3r said...

a plasterer, not exactly anything to be proud of really, not even a trade actually
would explain why u have so much "stamina" to pump up after work....since all the plasterers i know do sweet fa, all day, everyday.

before you post in a topic about something just to have a stab at people just for the sake of it....maybe have something useful to say instead of accusing people of being lazy, unfit, unco-ordinated etc.....just because they choose to use something that make their life a little easier.

and if you dont like what ive written in reply, tough.
An eye for an eye.








Mate I'm Upper school maths teacher, but I have plastered for a week before and there nothing easy about it son. Maybe you need to live a little, you had right of reply of course, but your comment is farqin stupid.

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Berg K1t3r said...

a plasterer, not exactly anything to be proud of really, not even a trade actually
would explain why u have so much "stamina" to pump up after work....since all the plasterers i know do sweet fa, all day, everyday.

before you post in a topic about something just to have a stab at people just for the sake of it....maybe have something useful to say instead of accusing people of being lazy, unfit, unco-ordinated etc.....just because they choose to use something that make their life a little easier.

and if you dont like what ive written in reply, tough.
An eye for an eye.

Wow from that comment alone I'd profile you as bitter, friendless, superfluous, lazy, not much if any of any real idea and a bit doughy around the mid section...

Don't like what I've written then tough

That escalated fast!

so its ok for one to have have a go, but as soon someone retaliates they get flamed for it....
I dont cop **** from wankers trying to glorify themselves putting others down in one way or another.

thedoctor the amount of time u spend on here you really think its wise to call me friendless lol.

no offense eppo but diy isnt for everyone....some would think its hard.

Ill tell ya what ill delete my seabreeze account and leave all you 40yr old + kooks to talk crap and pretend you have a half a clue about kiting.
Since im obviously to young to post on here....
isnt it funny how older ppl always use the "Im older than you" card, to try and empower themselves. pathetic

that attitude will be missed

How old are ya berg ?

Yeh seems kind of dumb us getting fired up in a post about electric pumps. No offense berg, think we are all getting a little nutty with no wind.

Classic, makes for an interesting read.

I don't have an battery pump and like many others use the inflation of my kites as a warm up (with my back straight to avoid strain).

I am fit and have a physically demanding job at times, lesser so at others.
I would happily use a battery one if offered, but usually the connections are wrong.

It takes me about the same time, sometimes less than a kite being inflated at the same time with a battery pump, and dependant on the person I am usually out on the water before them also.

I'll stick with my foot pump, not because I don't have the money or don't deem myself to not be lazy or better than others, rather I don't mind having to pump the kite up, its light, easily maintained and when travelling where weight restrictions are everything, I can happily say that nearly 25% of my allocation is not a battery pump.