I've been riding core kites for the last 5 years and before than most of the main brands (Cab, Sling and Naish). I think Core is very under rated, awesome speed and pull... and I love the fact that not many people on the water have Core.... but there is my conundrum.

They are very difficult to sell in Australia! Has anyone else experienced this?

If so, I might just buy the new Naish pivtos. Tested a lot of kites last year and they were by far the best of the lot for wave riding and should have better resell value.

no you should not not buy core anymore

Well that girl from Maroochydore area that never returned my call or messages when I replied to her Gumtree ad in less than an hour!!!

She managed to sell it, for $50

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/maroochydore/surfing/kite-11-meter/1117760509

You make your own bed now sleep in it.
I don't buy a kite for resale value !
I always think that I will never get anything back on most purchases.
Use it until it dies or give it away.
Why don't you see how many years you can get out of it.
A new kite wont change your skill level wheras an old kite to throw around might.

CORE run the same model for 2 years and for this reason they hold their price better than most kites. Their build quality and materials used certainly give them a long life. I have never been told that they are hard to sell second hand.

Core hold price better??? In what world are you living?

Fact is that smaller brands (yes also Core) are harder to sell even though some of these make awesome gear. However you often get a better discount when purchasing new gear. So as long as you buy it at $150 less than larger brands it equals out.

In the end just ride what u like. For freestyle I have a quiver of North Vegas but for waves I have 2 Ocean Rodeo kites. Just because i love how they fly.

ill swap them for my ozone edges, then youll appreciate the build quality of your core kites,
purchasing the latest models will always bring bigger losses, i have always stayed a year behind the new releases and chose superceeded stock, for example action sports have got your kites new at $ 1000 for a 7mtr upwards to $1200 for a 12 , imo no brands hold a decent resale especially after a seasons use, ive a 8/10/12 set of hadlow id 2014, sweet kite but possibly worthless

Good quality and lasting long yes. Is this reflected in the resell price, no. Sold at discount compared to high market share brands, nope. Resell value is crap simply as there is less demand for Core kites. Which is most likely a result of the smaller market share. I sold an as new (3 times used for a short session each) GTS3 10m at 1200$, bought at 2200$. A similar kite from one of the main stream brands would have sold at 1400-1500$, 1200$ after half a season or even a short season. Been there, done it. No big deal I knew what I get myself into and what risk I am taking.

Thanks for the feedback.

I agree with most of the points above. Core does last long and I tend to keep my kites for 2 years before renewing. However, I got in at the wrong end of the cycle and normally buy new the GTS a year after release Truth be told, I bought cores in another market where I used to live after reading great reviews about Core on this forum They just turn incredibly fast, drift reasonably well and are well build (fast turning is key for me)., but apparently good wave riders do not turn their kites as often

I might go Naish Pivot even though the new wave riding kites from Core look sick One of the kiteshops from Northern beaches had a demo day at Hawksnest last year and it was awesome to test.... no pressure to buy kites and all the kites pumped up on the beach with lines attached to test. I thought it was a great way to test kites adn not have the "do you want to buy one now" feeling.


Ps. If anyone wants to buy a 6 meter Core GTS 2 not used for the last 1,5 years ....let me know.

I'm looking for an 11m or 12m XR4 or XR3. The only one I can find is asking $2000 for a used one season old XR4. If it sells for that it would be extraordinary resale value!

It's mid 2 year cycle for a new one. If I bought a new one now it would essentially be a 2016 model kite for a 2017 price. That's putting me off a bit.

Maybe it will be a Pivot for me too. I love my 7m Pivot

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holgs said..
I'm looking for an 11m or 12m XR4 or XR3. The only one I can find is asking $2000 for a used one season old XR4. If it sells for that it would be extraordinary resale value!

It's mid 2 year cycle for a new one. If I bought a new one now it would essentially be a 2016 model kite for a 2017 price. That's putting me off a bit.

Maybe it will be a Pivot for me too. I love my 7m Pivot

nigel at east coast has an as new 10 for 1100 which is a perfect size for wa conditions, also hit up the action sports crew as they may have demo / school or last years stock
the one for 2000 im afraid is influencenced on purchase price, saying that i carnt see why youd look any further than a different kite that you already enjoy, dont believe in mixed quivers

Dose anyone know where core is made?

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kemp90 said..
Dose anyone know where core is made?

In a factory

(Dad's joke #35)

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cauncy said..

holgs said..
I'm looking for an 11m or 12m XR4 or XR3. The only one I can find is asking $2000 for a used one season old XR4. If it sells for that it would be extraordinary resale value!

It's mid 2 year cycle for a new one. If I bought a new one now it would essentially be a 2016 model kite for a 2017 price. That's putting me off a bit.

Maybe it will be a Pivot for me too. I love my 7m Pivot

nigel at east coast has an as new 10 for 1100 which is a perfect size for wa conditions, also hit up the action sports crew as they may have demo / school or last years stock
the one for 2000 im afraid is influencenced on purchase price, saying that i carnt see why youd look any further than a different kite that you already enjoy, dont believe in mixed quivers

Thanks cauncy. 10 is too close to my 9 but I will check with action sports.

I've already got a mixed quiver. I like trying different kites. Besides, I find that different sizes of the same kite often don't feel the same anyway.

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kemp90 said..
Dose anyone know where core is made?

in Sri Lanka

That depends on whether you want to update your kites every year!
My current 7m GT is an 09 model .......bought second hand ...and not even looking like giving up the ghost!
I would suggest that Core are if not the best ,amongst the best quality manufactured kites around !
While there are a few bells and whistles that are missing in terms of drift compared to 2016 kites it still
performs pretty well and to be honest when i use a 7 the wind speed is such that it doesn't matter too much
Super long bridles are about the only complaint as they get caught on posts /bushes when carrying it down to the local launch point after inflation
The GT in my mind is pretty well the 357 Magnum /Harry Callaghan of kites ,,,,,,,
Worlds most powerful 7m....!

Buy whatever you like, core kites are awesome though. I fly XR4s these days and love them. Well made, well designed and amazing freeride or airstyle kites. I can't fault them, I rate them well above ozone which I used to fly and still really like....The core just suits me better and feels more robust. I have an xr3 with a lot of hours on it too, still performs brilliantly.

I'm not really fussed about resale on them, I'll fly them till the die then upgrade.

Anyone have experience with the first generation core bar and lines? All good? The release is slightly different. A twist type ? Bought a second hand set which hasn't been used. Haven't got it yet.

All core bars are twist release, it's a good system you just have to commit it to muscle memory. Nice clean, simple bars. Check your depower line before you use it, they have a tendency to fray because of the way the setup detangles the lines.

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samokta said...
Anyone have experience with the first generation core bar and lines? All good? The release is slightly different. A twist type ? Bought a second hand set which hasn't been used. Haven't got it yet.

1st sensor bar or the old ESP bar? The ESP bar wasn't all that good from all accounts but the sensor bar is great. I replaced all the lines last year after 2.5 seasons and the bar is holding up really well. Core make replacement parts for 6 years or something and ActionSports carry spare parts.

The twist release makes perfect sense to Core riders but no one else i'd imagine.

Eugene get new Naish Wave Kite - Slash! I will get them for sure .

Hi Peeps,

The Core kites sell same as any other kite .... so long as the model you bought is what people are looking for. Try buying a second hand XR4. These are one of the finest kites I have flown, they are so good and last so long. If you purchase a GTS style model you significantly shrink your market to sell to. The GTS is for aggressive freeride and freestyle riders. This market is fairly small so you will have to drop your price a fair bit to make it attractive. Selling the XR4 which is in high demand will return you excellent resale as it is a very desirable kite.

No kite lasts longer than a Core and yes, I believe them to be very underrated in terms of market acceptance for quality/performance vs value. Some of the big names may produce good performance for a short while but they are "done" in just a year or so depending upon rider and usage.

DM

Hey mate. IVe just bought the new GTS 4 and loving it. Ive been kiting for 16 years now and this kite has topped them all. Yes not many people have them in oz but they will soon.

Germany

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EugeneZA said..
I've been riding core kites for the last 5 years and before than most of the main brands (Cab, Sling and Naish). I think Core is very under rated, awesome speed and pull... and I love the fact that not many people on the water have Core.... but there is my conundrum.

They are very difficult to sell in Australia! Has anyone else experienced this?

If so, I might just buy the new Naish pivtos. Tested a lot of kites last year and they were by far the best of the lot for wave riding and should have better resell value.

EugeneZA what was your final decision ? Did you end up back on Core ?

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cauncy said...
ill swap them for my ozone edges, then youll appreciate the build quality of your core kites,
purchasing the latest models will always bring bigger losses, i have always stayed a year behind the new releases and chose superceeded stock, for example action sports have got your kites new at $ 1000 for a 7mtr upwards to $1200 for a 12 , imo no brands hold a decent resale especially after a seasons use, ive a 8/10/12 set of hadlow id 2014, sweet kite but possibly worthless

Wait, waht? Didn't you just....

Eugene was in the news

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kemp90 said..
Dose anyone know where core is made?

Core headquarters is in lehmarn Germany.
I am agree with Woott, vegan for freestyle is awesome + OR make killer kites. Razor is similar to Gts, the prodigy is the freeride/wave kite I like best.

core are ****

north are better

the question you need to be asking yourself is why did you ever buy core

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MDSXR6T said...
The ESP bar wasn't all that good from all accounts but the sensor bar is great. I replaced all the lines last year after 2.5 seasons and the bar is holding up really well.

Not doing so well now However given that it's a 12m kite in 20-30knt's with a super heavy weight rider, i think it's testiment to how strong their stuff is.

Maybe Core might send me a free XR5 and Sensor bar 3 to test given the opposing forces of nature at work. Perfect reliability testing

Bars snap sometimes, at least it wasn't a 7m in 30knots flinging an unhooked kiteloop. Been there do that.

Iv flown the gts4, and it was an absolute pleasure. A proper nice kite. I would like to see some changes but still amazing!!!