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What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

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RideLow
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Re: What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

Postby RideLow » Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:58 pm

If you really want a good answer to your question, ask a big repair shop about their experiences..

I have been on the water kiting for 10 years and it all depends on how you treat your kites.
Most companies use Teijin ripstop and dacron and if you look at what kites are produced where it might shred som light aswell.
Placement of reinforments are also important but they dont count for anything if you dont take care of your kite.

In my eyes all the big brands are good going. If you dont take care of your pulleys they will eat the bridles no matter what logo is on the kite..

In my eyes Cabrinha, Ozone and slingshot are the ones that hold up the best.
I still have a 2007 Contra that has been to hell and back with no issues at all.. Will never sell it.
These days i got some smaller sized cabrinhas, a Fuel 13 and a Generator they work perfect for me without any issues but the cabrinhas has got more use that the c-kites and still look mint!

Aslong as you dont leave you kite in the sun, wind and sand all day it will hold up well.. Fly what makes you most happy. I dont see any brand with less issues then Cabrinha exept the strange thing that happened to your depower rope connection thats being replaced on warranty. (still dont understand what happened there cause that has never been an issue for me)

But, whats most important to me is a cool local shop that knows its kites and is in it for the passion, that helps out and make u feel welcome!

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Re: What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

Postby stig31 » Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:16 pm

Tiago1973 wrote:i would look for flexifoils as well, the bladder is thicker than usual, dracon on the leading edge, over the ribs and on the trailing edge as well (some models). The canacopy is solid as well, no decolouration or such on my Ions4.

love them on the smaller sizes

the down-side is that they feel heavy in the bigger sizes, my opinion.
I would second this iv'e have a 9m / 12m 08 Flexifoil atoms I have ridden them on average 2 to 3 sessions per week plus 2 months solid/every day in Ecuador.
That's 4 years use and never washed them all I have had to do is get the wingtips resown but they put patches over the section of the wingtip from the 09 models onwards.
a mate has a Ion 2 from 07 and its still going strong
+ you can fix Flexifoil bladders with pushbike repair kits
And the new Hadlow ID looks like the evil big brother of the RPM, the Hadlow ID is the only reason I am buying new kites

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Re: What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

Postby plummet » Fri Nov 11, 2011 9:20 pm

Foil kites last the longest hands down. twice as long as the comparable sized inflatable.

but if your not into foils for the water then maybe look for a kite without pullies.

I also think how you solo launch and land makes a huge difference. I went from drag launch to teathered launch and my kites are looking crispy alot longer. no more do i have that leading edge sliding on the sand.

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Re: What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

Postby William Munney » Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:23 am

plummet wrote:Foil kites last the longest hands down. twice as long as the comparable sized inflatable.

but if your not into foils for the water then maybe look for a kite without pullies.

I also think how you solo launch and land makes a huge difference. I went from drag launch to teathered launch and my kites are looking crispy alot longer. no more do i have that leading edge sliding on the sand.
North Rebels have no pullies. They seem pretty reliable to me.

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Re: What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

Postby Caesar » Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:30 am

Thanks everybody for your input.
I learned kiting on a 5 liner and will never go again onto one of those things. Once they inverted, they are a pain in the a** to get back.

I saw many valve issues on North kites. Don't know if they are resolved now?

I will have a session on a 12m Flysurfer on Nov. 20th, so I will see how they are. So far I have only seen "grandpas" going up and down with these things.

How about Blade, Switch or Epic kites? Nobody mentioned them. :?:

Cheers
Caesar 8)

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Re: What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

Postby shaper » Sat Nov 12, 2011 2:26 am

Caesar wrote:How about Blade, Switch or Epic kites? Nobody mentioned them. :?:

Cheers
Caesar 8)
I ride Switch Methods, they are tough, no doubt about it as I have definitely given them a workout. They are well made using the same materials that most brands are using (Teijin etc.). Given that most brands are using the same materials it just comes to workmanship really and they certainly do this well.

At the end of the day though it's a trade off, you can make a kite totally in destructible but it most likely won't fly well due to weight, this is something I think Switch have done very well in building a great flying kite that is still plenty strong, the trick is the balance, at the end of the day your not going to buy a kite that doesn't fly the way you like.

I guess the reason you haven't had many replies on them comes down to that they have only been available to most people for about 6 months (I've been lucky enough to have some of my Methods quite a bit longer than this). Ask the question again in a year and you'll see Switch in there no doubt what so ever in my mind.

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Re: What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

Postby moppet » Sat Nov 12, 2011 2:37 am

I think the new Epic Kites are very well built and the North Kites as well.

My 2009 Cab is looking very tired but it gets lots of use, the 2011's look better and are holding up well but you said no CABs

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Re: What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

Postby tautologies » Sat Nov 12, 2011 3:00 am

RideLow wrote:If you really want a good answer to your question, ask a big repair shop about their experiences..
No, that will not be the right way to do it. The kite the repair shop sees the most popular kites simply because there are more of them, and maybe if they get form a few of the local stores etc. Point is it is not a good way to estimate which kites are made well.

OP:
If you are looking for a kite with no pulley Torch, or if you are looking for a well built kite that can handle a beating I'd say Park, it has super strong pulley, with safety on it. I have not killed any of them. .

What types of kite are you looking for?
In any case, the kites are well built for sure.

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Re: What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

Postby Geronimo79 » Sat Nov 12, 2011 3:21 am

Are there any brands that are not well build these days?

I ride (and work) with epic kites. And i think they build very well. very strong materials and features.

Blade is done nicely aswell. Waiman looked good aswell. and i always like Naish build. (although i heared some storys that beg the differ.)

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Re: What are the most durable/reliable kites these days?

Postby TommyDuotone » Sat Nov 12, 2011 3:24 am

I've owned Naish, Slingshot, North and now Epic and Blade. The Epics look as well-built as any kite on the market, actually a little better IMHO. I did upgrade the plastic pulleys to metal ones and it seems to "eat" at the bridal less. You can also use rings if you don't like pulleys. Also, the section of line that the pulleys run are just a piece of amsteel line and are really easy to replace as is the depower rope(I keep a few spares I purchased at West Marine in each bag).
The only Blade kite I've owned is the Fat Lady. At first glance, the light weight of the kite and the skinny struts made me nervous cause I drop my kites in the surf, especially in light wind. Today was the first day I actually dropped it in heavier surf(head high) and it stayed inflated with 9 psi and no rips. :D . At Billie: I had my 2010 Rebel repaired three times in the same area(floating strut) caused by waves much smaller than today. After the third repair they finally got it right tho, all warrantied. :thumb: Even after the issues with the struts, I still think North is built solid though, just bad strut design that year.


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