This thread kind of went from "Are Switch kites getting any better?" in two directions ...
1) a global review of all switch kites, ...not a bad thing I might add, ..but I think it was aptly put by a number of people here and is so true, ...ALL kite reviews are distorted and only really relevant if you know and trust the rider, ..and are aware of their riding style.
I rode Torches for 10 years, ...I have recently switched to Switch and the Combat2's ....they are great kites, ..they are completely different to the Torches and I am not going to bore you with a lengthy review, ..if you want to know you can contact me privately, ..but the important thing to note is that only a small percentage of you will ride in the same style as I do and want and feel the same things from I kite as I do, ....so to 90% of you anything I say about how I feel about the kite is irrelevant, ...except for the quality and durability (and even that is subjective to how well I treat my kites both off and on the water).
2) Is the brand getting better, ....without insulting the nature of the thread. ...yes. Is the Latest kites from North, Naish etc better than 3 years ago? (that is rhetorical ...we don't need to start that discussion here
).
What is important however is whether the Switch model of business is getting better, ...and more than getting better, .getting more widely excepted as viable and working. ...and this stems across more than the kiting industry, as new companies embody the technology driven opportunities available and more utilise the direct-sales model.
Bill Hansen seems to be the best at articulating this ....so we interviewed him about it, ....of course he is biased, ..he works for Switch, ...but he makes some interesting points especially about obstacles faced by direct-sales, ...touched on in this thread earlier when it was mentioned about removal of Switch reviews and posts before advertising was paid for, and lack of Switch exposure in Magazines.
http://www.kitesista.com/kitesista-talks-switch-kites/ ....read it before you accuse me of hijacking the post