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Are Switch kites getting any better?

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BWD
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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby BWD » Fri Dec 15, 2017 6:59 pm

To the person slagging BRM above, if you have some experience with kites as you wrote you should know that making more small panels instead of few big ones is:
More sewing (possibly a pain in the neck I guess)
More accurate shape if done right
Less stretch over time
More reinforcement without adding heavy patches
Fewer materials to buy for production
So plenty of good reasons to do it that way if you want a really light kite without heavy reinforcements, that will keep shape and have durability.
My old fuel c kites had many narrow panels and were super durable, so this idea/technique is not new or lmited to strutless -or even lei kites in general.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby norcom » Mon Dec 18, 2017 3:37 pm

Does it look like the new Element is a single strut in that pic to anyone else?
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1500x600_all_new_e6_4.jpg

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SparD
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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby SparD » Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:02 pm

Depends on the size I think.

I've seen pictures on instagram of a 4m² one-strut and 7m² three-strut flying.

Your pic looks like a 3m² !

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby norcom » Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:19 pm

SparD wrote:
Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:02 pm
Depends on the size I think.

I've seen pictures on instagram of a 4m² one-strut and 7m² three-strut flying.

Your pic looks like a 3m² !
Ah that makes sense. Their site also says a new Helium is coming out. Hoping that's something to rival the Ultra or BRM at a reasonable price.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby Jelle_vw » Mon Dec 18, 2017 5:00 pm

SparD wrote:
Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:02 pm
Depends on the size I think.

I've seen pictures on instagram of a 4m² one-strut and 7m² three-strut flying.

Your pic looks like a 3m² !
Dog for size.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby SimonP » Mon Dec 18, 2017 8:47 pm

That's Marc Jacob's dog, and he is not very big. I guess the 3m is for high wind foiling or small children.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby Faxie » Mon Dec 18, 2017 11:18 pm

norcom wrote:
Mon Dec 18, 2017 3:37 pm
Does it look like the new Element is a single strut in that pic to anyone else?
It's a 5 strut with very small sidestruts. Like the Rally (maybe it's an altered Rally, who knows... ) Completely unrelated to the E5. It's a new design.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby alford » Tue Dec 19, 2017 2:18 am

That's what concerns me, is this just a rebranded kite? Or worse a generic design?
The old Switch biz model was there own shit, for better or worse, it was their own. The green kite in the background of the dog photo looks like a Rally. Good kite but if it is why not simply buy a Rally on closeout? This is all very murky and unsettling to me.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby Tightlines » Tue Dec 19, 2017 10:24 am

The E6 3 and 4mtr kites are single strut.

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Jelle_vw
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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby Jelle_vw » Tue Dec 19, 2017 11:55 am

The canopy says cleary "Element" en "3". I don't know which version it is.


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