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Stevie ss said..
just putting it out there ...any one had any dealings with returns with switch kites ....

Yes unfortunately a bad experience.

I wanted to return a kite and they wanted me to send it back to the USA - cost about $250 - then they said they would not give a refund for 30 Business days (6 weeks).

Switch make it as difficult as possible to return even if the problem is theirs -

Its a kind of scam saying you can return it when they don't make the conditions of return explicit on their website -

Hammer them then they offer you a great deal to buy more cheaply made and poorly designed kites in bulk to clear their old stock.. Not the real deal when it comes to construction n quality from what I've seen in guy's buying them and having issues then returning them.. I've never had an issue with the kites I choose... That's the difference between brand's that are rock solid.

I can concur with Shi Houses description of the Nitros design fault. It has happened on my 9, 12 and 14. The fix was simple. A Little reinforcing on the canopy that sits against the stitching. Cost me around $180 for all three kites to be done. Although this is a problem I was lucky enough to have it repaired before the canopy just tore apart, especially the 12 - my oldest and most used kite. Anyway still really like this kite. Ticks most of the boxes I look for in a kite. Just have to reinforce the canopy on my next purchase and it still comes in way cheaper than the big brands

Unless switch do something about it.......

I rode Switch Nitros 5 and 6 for a season. Huge boosting kites that needed to be flown in the mid to upper of their wind range to perform. Light wind I found they were too heavy i.e. the 14m really struggled in anything under 15 knots.

I also bought the board which was fast but a bit of a knee breaker as it was really stiff so not suited for me.

I had a warranty claim on the bar that was handled professionally and quickly but the controller 3 was still a piece of crap. I bent the hook on the safety leash, though to be fair I have heard of that happening on North and Naish too.

I didnt really hold on to the kites long enough to test their durability though I did attempt a warranty claim on my N6 too after there was a lot of fraying of the dacron which was rejected. This was more cosmetic and easily fixed but an annoying quality control issue.

My friend had a quiver of the switch c kites, new model. I could not get those things to kiteloop, so on a positive note, Marc Jacobs must be a legend rider cause he makes them look awesome.

I think the quality is ok, maybe slightly below par. For me it's the performance that keeps me away from the brand. I'm just an intermediate kiter but I felt my progression was being held back and limited to just big air jumping on the Nitros.

Was the seam rubbing on the canopy only a prob on the Nitro 6's? I have a Nitro 4 that I have flogged for 3 seasons and its still going strong. As I said in an earlier post my N6 is still all good too after 2 seasons and I cant find that rubbing, feel like I'm missing out!

Hey Chris

Saw the pic you posted earlier. Try looking further under close to where the canopy actually meets the LE. In particular look at the points where the canopy seems come together and near this LE connection.

If you tether launch your kite look at where these specific points come into contact/pressure with the ground.

Yes the same issue has occurred with a couple or mates Nitro V5's as well. I also have the V4 and have found the issue to be not as bad. That said this particular kite is a number of seasons old and has had plenty of use. That said the material is becoming very soft and lost all crispy feeling. Problem solved now though as I have recently updated it with a new XR5.

I have seen and ridden the new Element 6 and they have not included this design flaw into this kite. Will be interesting to see if they also remove this issue from the Nitro V7 when it comes out.