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Any changes to the 2012 Slingshot above-the-bar front line swivel?

On my 3 kites, it takes two hands to turn the swivels. Sometimes they freeze tight.
I started rinsing off the salt and sand, but it was too late to save them.
Rust is dripping out from the China stainless.

Back in 2012, I contacted SS Customer Service.
They told me swivels cost $100,
but they would give me a "special deal" at their cost of $50.
No thanks, I think the truth is more like $14.

So here we have a major brand, who won't stand behind a defective part.
And I just lost a buyer for my used kite, because of it.

Yeh likewise, both of mine are fucked. $100 haha, thats retarded! Unless i can replace them for less than £20 i prob won't bother. I hear the switch/wainmans are a lot more reliable equivalent.

Haven't you heard ?! Slingshots are bombproof
After my 2006 Fuel practically fell apart I decided never to buy anything from Slingshot again.

They need dismantling and fitting with a ceramic Bearing, but I can't see any way of doing it.

Makes me think of my time in Bogota Colombia. I lived there for close to 2 years teaching English, and the metal fabricator down the street worked out of a garage, and could make me pretty much anything I needed out of stainless, really cheap. Tiny parts for remote control cars to auto parts. I never knew how he did it.

He could probably whip that part up in a couple days, for about $20.

windyway wrote:...I started rinsing off the salt and sand, but it was too late to save them.
Rust is dripping out from the China stainless.

Back in 2012, I contacted SS Customer Service.
They told me swivels cost $100,
but they would give me a "special deal" at their cost of $50.
No thanks, I think the truth is more like $14.

So here we have a major brand, who won't stand behind a defective part.
And I just lost a buyer for my used kite, because of it.

Yeah, if you don't rinse those things regularly they will bind up on you. Every season 2 out of 3 work well for me but that 3rd one is always binding up, even though I rinse it. I think the manufacturing tolerances are just too lax and you get some bad ones.

That said, SS has replaced them for me. Maybe since yours occured after a time of admittedly not rinsing out the sand/salt? Either way I think after 12 months you are on your own.

Have any companies developed a center line swivel that doesn't bind up?

If you have no other option than paying $50/ bar to get a new one, I'd pay it. Sounds like you lose a lot more if you don't sell the kites, right?

I think any line swivel is of little value anyway because they won't spin with any tension on the lines. The lines will twist before the swivel moves, no matter how nice the swivel. Better to have it on the loop so you can deal directly with the inevitable twists.

Flight Time wrote:I think any line swivel is of little value anyway because they won't spin with any tension on the lines. The lines will twist before the swivel moves, no matter how nice the swivel. Better to have it on the loop so you can deal directly with the inevitable twists.

or just learn to do whatever it is that you do to put the twist in your lines the other way!

i have 5 spare ones for sale if you want 30 $$ each

I thought the cost of the slingy swivels was kind of high as well, but when I looked into the price of non kite specific commercial swivels that were rated for the kind of weight you would want, the price was the same or more. There are plenty of cheap swivels out there, but when you look at the specs, they are usually rated for only 40 or 50 lbs. Not what I want to hang my butt from.

I like having the swivel, so I guess I will stick with the slingy OM. Oh, and I hope to buy a couple from kitenake at that price.