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Are Switch kites getting any better?

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sijandy
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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby sijandy » Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:19 pm

switchkites wrote:
sijandy wrote:I did... answer $1300 for an 11m which according to google = 950euros. Prob kite only tho.

Hi sijandy, Not sure exactly which '11m' kite you were after - we have three current models in an 11m. None of these sell for more than €755.00 incl VAT and shipping.

Please be sure that the correct location is set and the correct currency is showing - if you are not seeing these figures then we would certainly be interested in hearing from you so we can track down the problem.
err....11m Naish Park, doubt you stock that one ha ha. I think you misread the post - i was responding to a comment about the naishkites website that was all. :)

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby Bain » Wed Jan 15, 2014 4:50 am

dimip wrote:
Faxie wrote:
dimip wrote:Well the "cut" became too small for this year at 1000 euro for a complete Nitro 10, is the same price naish, blade and other retail brands around here...
An example for Park naish 2014http://www.naish.gr/kiteboard/kites/park-14-complete.html
Select the size in the drop down menu and see what happens....

the difference is 100 something did also a more fair compare with the 9 element 933 euros 1090 the park... Look everybody can sell at the price they think, but the slogan ''we cut the middle man'' exits only for the company profit not the customers............
I can see your point. Those of you in Europe don't get as good of a deal as we do in the US.
Using your example of a 9m Park vs 9m Element, Europeans see a savings of $365 usd, where we in the US save $634 usd. That's almost double. I'm sure it has to do with taxes and what not, but it is considerable.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby dimip » Wed Jan 15, 2014 6:43 am

Comparison was for a complete package, but you see my point... I followed your example with $ the price came the same in dollars, but $ and € isn't the same.. 1000 $ doesn't make 1000 €. Switch should look into this, because at the prices they sell in Europe there are a lot good alternatives.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby Faxie » Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:09 pm

dimip wrote:
Faxie wrote:
dimip wrote:Well the "cut" became too small for this year at 1000 euro for a complete Nitro 10, is the same price naish, blade and other retail brands around here...
An example for Park naish 2014http://www.naish.gr/kiteboard/kites/park-14-complete.html
Select the size in the drop down menu and see what happens....

the difference is 100 something did also a more fair compare with the 9 element 933 euros 1090 the park... Look everybody can sell at the price they think, but the slogan ''we cut the middle man'' exits only for the company profit not the customers............
I don't think their kites have bars... some '9 and '10 models are waaay too cheap for that.

And on the same site, a 2010 bar is 310,-.... bit strange isn't it?

Searching on some other sites, I see prices in the 1100-1200 range for an 11m without bar... with bar I see prices more like 1400.
Last edited by Faxie on Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby Faxie » Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:15 pm

dimip wrote:Comparison was for a complete package, but you see my point... I followed your example with $ the price came the same in dollars, but $ and € isn't the same.. 1000 $ doesn't make 1000 €. Switch should look into this, because at the prices they sell in Europe there are a lot good alternatives.
Taxes... 20% on top of the US price.

And yeah, you can get some better deals, but those kites are old models. The older models from Switch have a big discount as well.

And they're still cheap so I couldn't care less where the cuts are.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby UKSurf » Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:36 pm

12m Nitro 3 is about £660 delivered. I guess you are looking at £900-1000 for a similar kite retail so in the UK you are talking about a 25-30% discount, which is probably the shops markup. It is still fairly competitively priced but you can ofcourse get deals from retail outlets where you buy last years kite for a similar amount that switch sell their kites for - although that wont cover the shops overheads and it would eventually go bust if it sold alot of stock at close to Switches prices. In the UK Flexifoil seem to have moved to selling direct, however their direct prices are the same as retail so they are obviously looking to make a large profit per unit rather than sell in quantity.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby Jinx » Sun Jan 19, 2014 11:47 pm

I don't care how good the Switch kites are I wont support them as their business model cuts out the local store who is there to help you out with repairs, backup and service when you need it. Where are switch when you need a part, a hand or even some friendly advice?? Yep in NZ far away not with the slightest care.

Cutting out the local shop means there will be less events in your area as most stores run demo days, clinics etc etc. Direct business models only hurt the industry, we don't want to grow the sport too fast with cheap kites and have out of control beaches either.

Think about the bigger picture not just saving some bucks.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby Bob Marley » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:22 am

Id say the quality of switch is average. Not top construction but good enough if you like the kites. I did crash a combat from 12 o clock after a bad jump while using 32m lines and it split the canopy in half but thats a hard crash from so high.

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby felixp » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:40 am

Hi BobMarley


Switch has taken great care in using high quality materials and construction. In the phase of product development, Switch also extensively tests each model for a long time in many different conditions to detect and correct possible deficiencies in the building before production begins. Our production is exclusive to Switch and we have very experienced staff in the control of each step in construction. We also carefully inspect each kite by two individual inspectors before shipping.

From our experience, canopy failures like yours are exclusively caused by prior canopy damage. We are purchasing the best canopy material available (Teijin T9600) and the same material is used by many of the other top brands. All our seams are stitched and glued for maximum strength. It is highly unlikely that Teijin will give way without any prior damage such as a small cut caused by a shell, the fin of your board or any other hard or sharp object.

These very small cuts can remain unnoticed by the user for quite some time until the kite eventually and suddenly fails. We do understand your frustration as you were probably not aware of any prior damages and only saw the end result.

If have any other issue please take it up with switch directly. It is company policy that they get back to you with in 24-48hrs.

Regards Felix

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Re: Are Switch kites getting any better?

Postby Bob Marley » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:48 am

That or it was just a hard crash. I was running long ass lines and lost power in the kite on a jump, kite crashed and right before it hit the water it powered up slamming extra hard. About the hardest Ive ever crashed a kite. Shit happens. :kiff: Probably would have split any kite. Still good kites but I prefer the overall construction quality of my Naish kite but switch makes a better c and the prices are a bit better.


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