Looking for a nice all round kite

[Turtle Duck]

I took the appropriate lessons and have been looking around for a nice all round kite but i can't really make up my mind about what i would like to get, since i will be using them on and off land as i also like to do some kite flyboarding / landboarding.
These are the kites I'm debating about getting right now:

- North Rebel
- Cabrinha Switchblade
- Epic Renegade 4G (heard some things about a 5th gen coming soon?)
- Flysurfer Boost (not to certain if this is a decent all rounder)

I'd like to hear what others have to think and say about these kites and whether or not they've used them.

as for some personal information i weigh about 60 kilo's which was about the same as my tutor who advised me to look for 12m kite (which i could in about 9 to 20 knots wind) and live in the Netherlands.

[PeterB]

I was 65kg when I started and bought a 10m 2011 Switchblade in the UK.

I found it really forgiving and the wind range got so much better as I used it. Overall, I had it out anywhere from 14-25 Knots and have been really happy with it, (I could've probably got out in less but I didnt have a light wind board) .

I've crashed it on almost everything and 2 years later only had one large hole and a few pinholes, really nicely built. I cannot personally comment on the other brands but if they're global: they're guaranteed to be really good anyway.

I'm not a big fan of the cabrinha bar, but it is functional and does all you could want. North bar is awesome, not used the other ones.

Where I am cabrinha gears also holds its value well, as does north and flysurfer. Epics I do not think they do anywhere near as much, (or so I have seen - not hating just saying).

Cabrinha and North are easy to get parts for where I am. Don't know about the rest.

[soul19]

I cannot say enough good things about the Renegades and they will progress with you all the way. It is easy to use but has the ability to do all things well. Try one out.

James

[KiteCulture]

Hey Turtle. I couldn't agree more about the Epic Renegade. I use mine on water and snow and its perfect. It has a nice and refined low end making it ideal of land based riding, but is also forgiving with amazing depower so when you do fall, you won't get dragged all over the place on land. The 4G version is awesome and the 5G has a little more jumping ability and hang time. They should arrive in about 2 weeks (I've already pre-ordered mine!). I've spent a lot of time on the 4G 11 meter Renegade and can say that it really has an impressive wind range. Not sure what your weight is, but the 11 Renegade acts more like a 12 with the power delivery, but is as responsive as most 9 meters on the market. So you get a stable, forgiving, responsive kite. You can just cruise with it, or pound it with wake style and freestyle moves.

If you want...Geronimo on here is an Epic rep in the Netherlands and may be able to get you a demo kite to try. Otherwise, Epic has a demo program and can send you one. You can reach out to Dimitri, one of the owners at dimitri@epickites.com

let us know where you land!

[windsuks]

Epics I do not think they do anywhere near as much, (or so I have seen - not hating just saying).

This is not what we are seeing!?

One week after advertising our ex demo kites here in the UK 5 out of the 8 have sold. We could have sold a few of these several times over.

http://www.blastkiteboarding.co.uk/secondhand-kites/

The demand for Epic really is growing and since they are not sold in the numbers or immediately reduced by stupid % etc they retain their value well.

The new 5G Renegade is such a sweet kite, we loved the older models too but now that the 5G has a dusting of the Screamer in it making it a real one kite for all disciplines....and still super easy to use so still suitable for beginners.

[Laughingman]

I took the appropriate lessons and have been looking around for a nice all round kite but i can't really make up my mind about what i would like to get, since i will be using them on and off land as i also like to do some kite flyboarding / landboarding.
These are the kites I'm debating about getting right now:

- North Rebel
- Cabrinha Switchblade
- Epic Renegade 4G (heard some things about a 5th gen coming soon?)
- Flysurfer Boost (not to certain if this is a decent all rounder)

I'd like to hear what others have to think and say about these kites and whether or not they've used them.

as for some personal information i weigh about 60 kilo's which was about the same as my tutor who advised me to look for 12m kite (which i could in about 9 to 20 knots wind) and live in the Netherlands.

first off plan on having more then one kite. I understand its not always affordable but one kite will limit your progress and the wind you can get out in.
I can't speak about North or the Flysurfer as I have never owned either except to say North seems to have a pretty good track record. Personally I don't think I would buy a tube kite from Flysurfer simply because their specialty is ram air.... its like an after thought to capture more market share and frankly I am not interested in being a test subject...lol
I have owned a few switchblades and I currently own a bunch (5) of EPIC Renegades 4g.
The SBs are fine kites, but in comparison the R4gs are my choice, I sold my SBs to buy Renegades because...
1...at the time cab didn't have a single center line flag system, so when you deployed the safety the Cabs would not always rollover as they should, the Renegade 4gs do exactly what they are supposed to each time.
2...The Renegades had much less bar pressure
3... The Renegades have a freeride and a wave setting, we travel a bit so having options with the same quiver is nice.
4.... the Renegades out performed the SB in relaunch, my wife progressed much faster once we started using the Renegades simply because she spent more time with the kite in the air instead of struggling to relaunch it.
5... The EPIC customer service and Dimitri as the owner/rep/promoter floored us... so we were in the Outer Banks and we were shopping for a eventual quiver purchase... Dimitri came to our house everyday for a week, dropped off what ever kites he thought we would need, pumped them for us, took pictures of us kiting, let us try whatever we wanted and left kites behind in case it was windy before he returned. Seriously I would be out on one of his kites and he'd be getting another one ready for us to try.

We went back home after our week and decided to purchase 5 kites even after the buzz wore off... now we just got back from another week down in OBX, Dimitri could not be around that week he was in France, but his wife met us at their house, with 2 boards and 7 kites for us to take for the week to test, mostly R5gs... we feel like a part of the family.

We really like our R4g quiver, and I bet you can find some good deals in the used market, but if money is not an issue I would wait a month for the R5gs, they made some changes we really like, all the good things we liked about the 4G but with a bit of Screamer added. We are considering swapping out our 4gs for the 5gs.

I am not a team rider or anything like that, I buy 5 kites at a time so obviously I expect some consideration, I would expect that from any brand, what I never expected was the owner of the company would personally take time from his life to give us a chance to fly his kites, no pressure, no questions ask... just please try my kites and tell me what you think. We thought they were awesome and still do.

One thing I would caution you about, as a new rider you will likely buy a Kite and a bar together, while choosing a kite that will help you progress is important and you can basically use any bar on any kite, the likely hood is you will buy these together, make sure you can live with the features of that bar... it is as important as the kite but often overlooked.

Cheers
Pete

[PeterB]

Epics I do not think they do anywhere near as much, (or so I have seen - not hating just saying).

This is not what we are seeing!?

One week after advertising our ex demo kites here in the UK 5 out of the 8 have sold. We could have sold a few of these several times over.

The demand for Epic really is growing and since they are not sold in the numbers or immediately reduced by stupid % etc they retain their value well.

The new 5G Renegade is such a sweet kite, we loved the older models too but now that the 5G has a dusting of the Screamer in it making it a real one kite for all disciplines....and still super easy to use so still suitable for beginners.

I saw a 2014 Screamer 4g, well used and few pin holes, go for £250 about a month ago. Maybe it was a convienent bargain; I dont know.

When I was in the market for a new 10m last year, on ebay going I only saw Epics from 2011-12 (Kite only) go up to around £250.

As a dealer I'm sure you know it better. .. I can PM you the ad of the £250 to prove im not lieing, but where there isnt many sold: I was just going on what I've seen.

I'm sure they are fantastic kites, as many modern ones are.

[Dimitri M]

Hello Turtle Duck,
All you have to do is ask to demo and EPIC kite and will do my best to get you one because I know the end results once you demo one of these kites.
You can always email me directly via email at: dimitri@epickites.com so I can get more info about your riding style, the board you are using, your weight and the conditions you ride in.
All these info will help me determine which kite is best suited for you to demo.

And yes I am the owner of EPICKITES.COM

[KiteCulture]

laughingman.... very well said - nice, honest note. Hope to catch you at a local this year.
b

[Turtle Duck]

Thanks for the great replys, i see the epic's are very much in favour here so far. But things haven't exactly gotten any easier.

first off plan on having more then one kite. I understand its not always affordable but one kite will limit your progress and the wind you can get out in.

I guess i could agree getting more than one kite would be ideal but that would mean postponing the purchase of a kite board and i'm always sceptical on purchasing 2nd hand. What my plan was initially was to purchase a kite and a board and go cruising on my Ozone Octane on a turbo bar once the wind is blowing too much to handle on the kite i just purchased.