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getfunky said...

bjw said...

They suck like a Thai pro.

And like a Thai pro they are better on the beach, and they don't cost a lot. And they are good for old blokes.

Ive already got a kite so I don't need to fly one. But I am happy to comment.

Was my advice useful?

pedleym said...

Big eeeZeee said...

switch kites suck.

have you flown one???

Upwind is not a huge thing for me on my downwinders.

quote of the year funky!!

After riding the combat for less than 6 months I can say I'm done with Switch. The Combat is a nice feeling kite and I will continue to fly my 13 but, if anyone wants an 11 hit me up I'll make you a good deal. These kites have had nothing but issues. I've sunk about $200 into repairs after owning my combats for about 6 months and I've moved onto another brand. Been kiting since 2008 and never had issues with any other brand. Flown SlingShot, Flexi, Best, Cabrinha... Maybe Switch will learn how to make a top quality kite but, so far I haven't seen it in the Combat.

Recap of my issues: Kite deflates upon crashing hard( first session on 13, 5th on 11m - retaining clips pop off of the LE connectors), batten pockets torn out (1st session on 13m), 3-4th on 11m, 11m center strut nearly torn off of the kite (this was blamed on me crashing the kite in the waves) I sent them the forecast for the day (0-1ft), bar is now tearing up on the grip, center line snapped after not showing much wear. Oh and my leash snapped on the third session.

The batten pocket is a known issue, they send you these plastic inserts to try to fix it. It won't, the force of a crash will be directed away from the plastic and out the side of the batten pocket. Instead of paying for the repair (or replacing my defective kites) switch just offered me a store credit. Hard to want to spend a credit when the gear is falling apart.

I used to be a team rider, I quit. I can't successfully rep a brand when all my buddies on my beach see me swimming in with a deflated kite, rescuing my kite after lines snapped, rescuing me after the kite deflated.

Goodbye Switch Kites, hope you get it together at some point. Really wanted to like the underdog but, quality is just not there.

Buyer beware. You get what you pay for.

Hey Steve (if that is your name) you already told us the same story earlier in the day, did you forget?

Where abouts do you kite, does anyone on seabreeze or in the kiting world know you?

Hi All

2c from another team rider, as always there is a little balance missing from this and a second side to the story, though I am also sure what is public is still not the full story.

Steve is based in the US, despite his location indicating Australia (Surprise). Has been posting many forums multiple times with his story.

There is a 2 page thread in the Switch warranty area which covers his story in as near as possible as you are going to get on the web, if you are really interested then PM me and I'll send a link. But suffice to say that despite the heavy crashes being admitted Switch still supported their product.

Personally I've owned one other kite which had wingtip battens (from a major manufacturer), I got it second hand and it had clearly had the same issue and infact the owner told me at the time that he now flew the kite without the battens and couldn't tell the difference (not suggesting this is the case for the combat which I have no knowledge of) but clearly a small diamtere carbon rod will go through most things when slammed into something solid at high velocity.

The Method, Nitro and Element all have no battens. I got my first method not long after Tightlines, I have not spent anywhere near the time on them that he has personally but i have also shared them around a fair bit and done my own efforts at hard crashes and as yet have not had any issues with the exception of a small bridling mistake on the first one which was a pre-release kite (kite flew straight and safely just didn't match the description of the way it was meant to fly, the team helped me identify where the issue was and supplied the parts to repair in a timely fashion). I've also never flown the Combat or Nitro so know little about them.

Not trying to be inflamatory just adding another opionion to the mix and pointing out that there is always more to the story than what you read on the web (yes I realise that applies to my post also).

If you are interested in the kites then try them and decide for yourself. I may be a team rider for Switch but I enjoy reading peoples experiences (yes even the pages of BWS and Rebel love ) of different gear regardless of brand and it wouldn't stop me buying another brand if that's what I wanted.

Plummet and Mywisdom, loved the vid also, saw the first one of those loops and thought, geez this isn't going to end well....

Right about the "underdog". Mention a positive word & expect the wrath of the multitude.
It says something about them that they've managed to attract some sort of alliance with a brand like FIREWIRE!
I'd be very interested to give a Method a go, but they're just so scarce on the ground.
BTW impressive avatar pic Tightlines
Col
PS is there any chance a devoted Rally kiter could be content with a Method?

SteveR has been posting this verbatim everywhere under various pseudonyms. I have had no issues with my Combats but I let go of the bar when I realise that I won't make a move rather than grabbing hopefully and tomahawking the kite full speed at the water.

I have flown a 10M nitro. Doesn't fly to bad with some pretty good pop and lift. Once it comes down in the water it is very hard to relaunch. Not sure if I was doing something wrong or if its just the design of the kite but it takes ages to roll over and fly again. I tried everything! Have flown a few different kites now and I've never had a problem with relaunching like I did with the nitro. Anyone else have this problem? The kite was a friend of mines. The only thing I can think of is that he didn't have it pumped up quite hard enough although it seemed to be fairly hard maybe just a little bit softer than what I would normal inflate too. He has now sold the kite and wants to get a SS Rally as he has seen how effortless it relaunches.

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getfunky said...

bjw said...

They suck like a Thai pro.

And like a Thai pro they are better on the beach, and they don't cost a lot. And they are good for old blokes.

Ive already got a kite so I don't need to fly one. But I am happy to comment.

Was my advice useful?

pedleym said...

Big eeeZeee said...

switch kites suck.

have you flown one???

Speaking of suck like a pro - shouldn't you be contributing to (yet another) BWS thread somewhere?

Method wasn't my cup of tea (not stable enough), but keen to try Element. Personally I like stable kites that sit deeper. Upwind is not a huge thing for me on my downwinders.

bjw, I guess if you have to bag the type of rider (ie old blokes) when they find a kite that suits them - stable or otherwise - then it says more about your feeble and narrow mind than someone open to finding gear that suits them, rather than the rent-a-crowd of sheeple.

TTs are bollocks, strapped surfboards are weak, stable kites for old buggers.. blah blah blah.

Get out and ride for your own enjoyment instead of comparing your.. ahem.. package.

Getfunky... I haven't ridden one.. Don't take me too seriously.. My package is always underpowered ;o(

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samokta said...

I have flown a 10M nitro. Doesn't fly to bad with some pretty good pop and lift. Once it comes down in the water it is very hard to relaunch. Not sure if I was doing something wrong or if its just the design of the kite but it takes ages to roll over and fly again. I tried everything! Have flown a few different kites now and I've never had a problem with relaunching like I did with the nitro. Anyone else have this problem? The kite was a friend of mines. The only thing I can think of is that he didn't have it pumped up quite hard enough although it seemed to be fairly hard maybe just a little bit softer than what I would normal inflate too. He has now sold the kite and wants to get a SS Rally as he has seen how effortless it relaunches.

Was flying in around 15-17 knots on my 10m Vegas along side a 9m combat the other day and while they seemed equally powered in the air (the kid was maybe 8kgs lighter than me) every time he dropped his kite after a failed trick (not wind lul) he absolutely struggled to get it up again.. I dropped my 10 a few times and did not share the same problem at all, the kid was able to stand and no rookie either so I'm sure he was trying everything he knew including 5th line tension. The combat is a pretty extreme shaped kite so I'm thinking this contributes to its poor relaunch?

I fly a 7m Method. My friends fly Rallys. My kite is able to pull me into waves when the 6m and 9m Rally are flying. For my tight budget this makes it a good deal. My friends can afford to fly what they want, and they love those Rallys. They don't like my Method, too demanding. I agree, it is much easier to fly the Rallys. They turn one-handed, I love that in waves. When I borrow the Rally 6m or 9m on it's day I get spoiled. It's easier on my tendonitis. But my 7m Method is getting my out in the same conditions for a 3rd of the money. And if I do drop it in a punchy wave and it rips, I won't be crying as hard as they would, and any kite will blow out if a solid wave hits it square, and I am always in waves. For the money I did the right thing and will upgrade to another Method when they release the next version of it. I just can't afford to go Slingshot. But flying them is pure love, if I only had the millions$$$$. (I am a Switch Team rider).

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COL said...

Right about the "underdog". Mention a positive word & expect the wrath of the multitude.
It says something about them that they've managed to attract some sort of alliance with a brand like FIREWIRE!
I'd be very interested to give a Method a go, but they're just so scarce on the ground.
BTW impressive avatar pic Tightlines
Col
PS is there any chance a devoted Rally kiter could be content with a Method?

Regarding this guy claiming his Combat kites failed. He doesn't seem to exist. It sounds like bull****. I haven't flown a Combat, just a 10m Nitro and my beloved 7m Method. I don't crash my kites hard trying tricks, and I don't tomahawk kites anymore. These Switch kites hold up fine during normal wear, the bridles are wearing through at the pulleys though. And this brings me to my main beef with most all kites: why pulleys? Beaches are made of sand. Sand ruins pulleys.

The Rally is now the best kite in waves for most kiters. It turns so easy and has huge range, and it does all this with a fixed bridle. It is time for all you kite makers to follow suite and eliminate pulleys and the potential dangers that come when they fail and burn through the bridle. If the Rally can do it so can you. Good on Slingshot for raising the bar.....also Caution, for devising a one piece pulley that doesn't fail, the next best compromise to a fixed bridle. Where I kite the waves near Santa Cruz in California, a self rescue due to a failed bridle puts you in a very compromising situation due to the shark presence. I guess we have nothing to complain about in view of the recent attacks in WA. Either way, it is time for fixed bridles to become standard equipment....we don't need to be swimming around out there do we? In all fairness to Switch, they have a system where the kite still flies well even when the bridle breaks at the pulley. My previous Naish kites would always have me swimming when that happened.

I am sure that Switch is already onto this. I have total confidence in them. Go Switch!

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Septic said...

I fly a 7m Method. My friends fly Rallys. My kite is able to pull me into waves when the 6m and 9m Rally are flying. For my tight budget this makes it a good deal. My friends can afford to fly what they want, and they love those Rallys. They don't like my Method, too demanding. I agree, it is much easier to fly the Rallys. They turn one-handed, I love that in waves. When I borrow the Rally 6m or 9m on it's day I get spoiled. It's easier on my tendonitis. But my 7m Method is getting my out in the same conditions for a 3rd of the money. And if I do drop it in a punchy wave and it rips, I won't be crying as hard as they would, and any kite will blow out if a solid wave hits it square, and I am always in waves. For the money I did the right thing and will upgrade to another Method when they release the next version of it. I just can't afford to go Slingshot. But flying them is pure love, if I only had the millions$$$$. (I am a Switch Team rider).

COL said...

is there any chance a devoted Rally kiter could be content with a Method?

Thanks Septic, that's a great and honest reply to my question.
The Rally pulleyless bridle is great, no maintenance and works well. However there is an issue with it I believe. The outer-most front line attachment is quite heavily loaded and causes fatigue failure of the leading edge at that point. Every leading edge failure I know of was at that point, and it can look fine pre-session and be at the point of failure at the end. Hope the new model has addressed this.
cheers Col

I had never considered that there might be some unseen benefit to the pulley system bridles. I have had quite a few good solid waves hit my kite, dragging me along pretty good and each time I expected to see my kite explode. It never has, and shows little sign of wear other than those pulley lines. I had to rebuild/replace the pulley-worn bridle lines recently and so I was grumbling about why the pulleys? But if it spreads the stress-load over a wider area rather than being torn apart then I guess I will stop complaining now....the kite is built really well and still flies really well, it just takes a lot of effort compared to some others (namely the Rally). There are returns as well from all that direct power. For the money it's the best wave access option I know of. If I knew of something better at that price I would be flying it.

Hey Septic I have the first Switch Methods that arrived in Oz about 18 months ago, I doubt very much that there would be a Method in Australia that has seen more hours than my 7mtr and the bridles and pulleys are still fine.
There is a slight bit of wear/fluffing of the bridles but nothing at all to be concerned with yet.

A few years ago I had some issues with pulleys/bridles on another brand of kite and learnt that sometimes the pulleys were not secured properly, they were not hanging straight down and so the bridles were not running smoothly over the roller but catching on the side.

I now make sure all my pulleys are secured and hanging correctly and that the bridle is not catching anywhere and make it a habit when hooking up my lines to run the bridles backwards and forwards through the pulleys a few times to make sure they are running freely, if you make a habit of doing this you should get very good life out of your bridles and pulleys.

I do like the idea of no pulleys though as they are just another thing to keep an eye on and that can fail however I believe there is a good reason most kites still have them, I read a good article about it once but can't really remember now what it said, it was something to do with changing the shape of the canopy through the turns for better performance.

quote Tightlines: "A few years ago I had some issues with pulleys/bridles on another brand of kite and learnt that sometimes the pulleys were not secured properly, they were not hanging straight down and so the bridles were not running smoothly over the roller but catching on the side.

I now make sure all my pulleys are secured and hanging correctly and that the bridle is not catching anywhere and make it a habit when hooking up my lines to run the bridles backwards and forwards through the pulleys a few times to make sure they are running freely, if you make a habit of doing this you should get very good life out of your bridles and pulleys."

Thanks, I have now made your preflight pulley check a habit. I had not been very diligent about checking the pulleys, I get so frantic to get on the water now when it's blowing 7m Method! Several times I have even managed to get the bridles crossed up and twisted on my Nitro, not noticed it and wondered why my kite was flying poorly. That is actually one of the reasons I burned through them, just me being negligent again. I am sure I must have often let the pulleys jam when I got the kite wet and sandy. I am not blaming the kite, I am suggesting they make the bridles idiot proof in the future for us lazy people. In fact I think thats already in the works, as I mentioned it to them.

There was a spanish guy on another forum who ditched the pulleys on his RPM and somehow fix-rigged it, I believe he claimed it worked better but he posted in Spanish.

i have the 9m combat and i must say its the best kite i have ever flown. i have also flown the element and loved it.