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Hi All,

just wondering if someone has some knowledge on the differences of type of materials that the various manufacturers use! Is it mostly "marketing buzz" or are there really some significant differences between the brands!?

Just a few examples.:
Core XR3 - TRIPLE ripstop
Best - Double ripstop since 2013
Cabrinha - Double ripstop at trailing edges, 52GSM Polyester at canopy

I had 2012 and 2013 Best kites, and the difference was quite significant on how the material felt (not necessarily how the kites were flying)! The canopy of my 2013 Naish Parks in comparison felt very soft and vulnerable (although I never had an issue with pinholes or tears)...

So whats the deal here? Something to look out for when deciding between brands or are they by now all up to a level where it doesn't really make a difference...

something like 80% of all kite canopies are still made from tejin technoforce t9600, cabrinha uses this stuff you described and best seems to use a mix of materials.

There's definitely a difference! Some of the material is thinner some is thicker, some is woven different there are coatings used, of course it is all polyester fabric but how it is prepared and woven makes a big difference in how well it will wear.

Only time will tell if the cabrinha fabric will wear better or worse than the t9600 we'll see.

Hey Heinzbush,

Actually Best had a change (upgrade) in materials between 2012 and 2013. The Double Core ripstop was used in all 2012 kites, and carried over into the 2013 Kahoona Standard (multi point inflate). For all other 2013 kites, Best is using Quad Core RS (4 way ripstop) which is actually even stronger than the double core (although I do not think its exactly twice as strong.) This is probably the difference you are noticing. The 2013 kite material has been holding up amazingly well, even in the tropics and areas with tons of UV exposure. I am not sure if any other brands have tried to buy/create this on their own but its definitely something to look for.

Cheers,
D

DeeTron508 wrote:Hey Heinzbush,

The Double Core ripstop was used in all 2012 kites, and carried over into the 2013 Kahoona Standard (multi point inflate). For all other 2013 kites, Best is using Quad Core RS (4 way ripstop)..

Cheers,
D

Interesting, I didn't know that! The Best homepage says that double was introduced in 2013... and doesn't mention 4 way ripstop or "Quad Core" anywhere:

http://www.bestkiteboarding.com/ProductNews:
"For 2013 we've taken this one step further by introducing Double Core RS, the ultimate double Ripstop canopy fabric."

The pages of the kites also mention "Double Core"... check: http://www.bestkiteboarding.com/TS-v2

DeeTron508 wrote:Hey Heinzbush,

Actually Best had a change (upgrade) in materials between 2012 and 2013. The Double Core ripstop was used in all 2012 kites, and carried over into the 2013 Kahoona Standard (multi point inflate). For all other 2013 kites, Best is using Quad Core RS (4 way ripstop) which is actually even stronger than the double core (although I do not think its exactly twice as strong.) This is probably the difference you are noticing. The 2013 kite material has been holding up amazingly well, even in the tropics and areas with tons of UV exposure. I am not sure if any other brands have tried to buy/create this on their own but its definitely something to look for.

Cheers,
D

And probably why the cost went up 25 percent and some!

coatings plays a huge part in material elasticity, tearing strength and resistance to UV/water/abrasion damage.

I switched to Cabrinha kites last year after coming to the conclusion they use the best canopy materials available. T9600 is readily available and really good but I have found it stains easily, fades quickly and seems to form pinholes and tears much faster then the PU coated products on the market. I think North and Cabrinha started using coated materials around the same time however it looks like Best is getting pretty carried away with proprietary materials including heavier ripstops now which may or may not be actually making an improvement.

I still think its funny the double core ripstop hype from best. All it means is there is an extra thread in there. They do have some nice kites though. Hopefully they don't switch to this rumored quad thread stuff. Sounds like that kite would be a dog with a canopy material that heavy.

hmm... interesting topic. So, since we have all these proprietary materials, what do independent kite shops use to fix leading edge and canopy repairs?

Me, I have been fixing my own kites and friends' kites with high quality nylon ripstop and woven dacron used on sailboats. I find it difficult to find sources for OEM cloth. So far, I have not seen any major issues. I live in Northern California, so heat is not much of an issue.

The problem with nylon ripstop and dacron is not strength and wear resistance but that they are too stretchy to use in the entire canopy. If you made a kite out of nylon it would be baggy and drag downwind. It's fine for even major repairs tho.

Cabrinihas cloth is better than Tejin? Really?

fdvj wrote:Cabrinihas cloth is better than Tejin? Really?

Anyone who says it's better (or worse) is just guessing give it a few years.