No frills kite gear

[plummet]

Yeh I've had enough of this.

Recently I rode a 10m N5 back to back with my rebel 10m 2016. No comparison. Turned slower, heavier bar pressure and the nitro loses its power through the zenith just like the nitro 4. It is a bit smoother compared to the nitro 4 must admit but it shouldn't be discussed in the same sentence as the rebel.

I've been at it for 16 seasons now, owned and ridden more kites than I would like to admit.

Hey if you guys are stoked that's cool, but comparing it to a kite like the rebel, you are deluded. The difference is night and day so I will be stronger in my words and even say you are full of shit.

That's how different they are in performance.

Probably won't do any good saying the above and honestly a lot of riders wouldn't know shit from clay anyway. Not sure why I'm even saying this to be honest and I vowed I wouldn't but someone has to say something.

WestOzz is an experience guy who is a prolific kite demoer. He has a vast knowledge on many kites and says it how it is without bias. He is one of the few guys on the forum I would believe advice from.

So if he says the nitro ain't as good as the rebel I believe him.

For your sake I hope he's not full of shit....things could get dirty

Nope. West tests and buys kites based on their performance. He does not have an agenda against or for any brand. So he is one of the few people on this forum who is experienced, can test multiple brands and does not have a financial interest to slur his opinion to any one brand.

I trust his opinion.

[Westozzy]

Look fellas I have really gone against my own main rule to never bag out a kite on a forum here, so it wasn't an easy thing for me to write. The reason is simply every person has their own perspective on how good their kite is in comparison to others, I don't like spreading bad news (it kills the Stoke) and in the end each to their own.

But just recently the number of posts glorifying switch kites at the expense of other brands was just giving me the shits.

Don't you think I would want something like the nitro to exceed all expectations of what I ride now? I pay full price for my gear (and I'm not rich, wife, two kids and a huge mortgage on a teachers salary) and would love the nitro to be as good as most of you are banging on about.

That's why I've tracked down and ridden every nitro since the second gen.

The build quality is exceptional. The performance though does not match what I keep reading about.

And when I read people comparing it to the very kite I'm on now, (after riding a brand new N5....that's right straight out the bag) just as I get off the very kite someone is downgrading it against ....well I lost it.

But for the guy whose kite it is, the nitro is fine enough, but it still has some way to go to match an 8 or so generation kite, sorry but that's what I felt. In fact I didn't like one thing about the nitro for big boosting board off freestyle. Not one aspect was nearly as good as the rebel 2016, not one.

To give balance, I fcking deplore north lines and their stupidly complicated plastic shithouse bar. Give me an ozone bar and their lines anyday of the week. every time I layout those fcking north lines, sticking together, all furry ...ya half way up, stuck there with this interlocked web of damn lines...I swear profusely.

I say it as I see it and I wouldn't be saying any of this if some of you switch boys didn't calm the hell down and stop spruking this brand like its the second coming of Christ!! Ya like annoying born again Christians. Settle the f*** down.

[windfreak74]

Westozzy,
Do you think the build quality of the nitro diminishes its performace?
would a lighter version of the nitro improve its flight caracteristics?
what makes the rebel lighter bar feeling? and what it translates to a better riding?
how does the zenith loss of force affect the ride qualityof the nytro compared to the rebel.
can you describe you rebel experiences?
im interested!!

thanks,
Pedro

[Westozzy]

Nah man I've said enough negative stuff for one year. Email me for my theories (and that's all they are).

build quality / weight little difference between the nitro and the rebel. although time will tell. My 2011 rebel is still going strong. But that's not a factor I don't think.

I will say the spider bridal does make the kite far more smoother and provides a much better 'connection' between the back and front lines and how they interplay with the canopy itself. Kite is much more stable, it is an improvement over last years for sure I felt. Kite doesn't feel like it's 'flying off the front lines' as much. That's all I have to say publicly on this matter.

Be stoked, but don't bullshit.

[tautologies]

What I would love to see...is a no compromises for anything but lightweight and flying, no extras, no screen print, no warranty, NO STRUTS!, light fabric kite.

http://boardridingmaui.com/

Am I wrong?

The Cloud looks very unique compared to what the masses use. Is it fair to say this is strictly a Foiling / Surfing kite? Are any one using twin tips on the Cloud?

Not strictly a foiling kite IMO. I sold my foils many years ago and I use the cloud for waves and flatwater messing around. I am sure it would work fine with a TT too.

[kitepilot]

Wow Westozzy I didn't know that you had exclusive rights to the supreme opinion. To me it's like what is a hot chick? What turns you on might not do it for me.
To actually say that someone is full of shit, just because they prefer one kite over another is a little off balance to me, sounds more emotional. It's not like we are talking about your wife of something.
Maybe you need to get out and kite a little more, chill bra.
There are a lot of good kites out there.
The context of this whole thread is based on performance to cost basically. And on that premise Switch comes out ahead, because they sell quality high performance kites at very reasonable cost. The last time I checked North kites were very expensive.
Like you, I've been kiting a long time and have gone through tons of gear. That is the only way to experience the differences in performance that kites have built into them.
I'm not brand loyal, I'm driven by kite performance. I think it's funny that some people somehow get affiliated with a brand and get offended when you mention something about the kites they ride.
And all of the comments here are based on opinion, and everyone has one. If we all thought exactly the same the world would be a very boring place.

[Hansen Design]

Isn't this mostly a free speech forum?
Switch customers come on here and praise them. Great!
You like your non-Switch kite. Great!
Posing that you are an authority on which kite is best is presumptious.
No matter how long you've been at it.
No matter how much you pay.
No matter how many posts you make.
Makes you a bully. No one likes a bully. Simple. Right?

Why do supporters of other brands get upset with Switch?
The quality is proven.
The performance is proven.
They are affordably priced.
Even if you don't like them.
Thousands of Switch customers do.
Again, simple. A good thing. No doubt.

Switch-Direct-Sales.jpg (61.89 KiB) Viewed 923 times

[foilholio]

Exactly Mr Hansen!

It's funny how with a little investigating you'll often find someone with a conflict of interest rubbishing some brand or another.

Switch locally has undergone a secret hate campaign by a distributor. LOL. Keep trucking like you are. They hate you less now than before, soon they will start to like you and want you to sell through "shops". Well BEST and BWS both went that path and now both are about down the tubes.

Self appointed kite experts need to spend more time learning to ride and less posting rubbish.LOL.

[hongchew]

Quite like the dude who bashed Epic, sometimes it actually gets people interested in checking out the kite.


I for one, has "switched" to Switch, and I'm staying there. That Hansen dude knows a thing or two about kite designs

Wow Westozzy I didn't know that you had exclusive rights to the supreme opinion. To me it's like what is a hot chick? What turns you on might not do it for me.
To actually say that someone is full of shit, just because they prefer one kite over another is a little off balance to me, sounds more emotional. It's not like we are talking about your wife of something.
Maybe you need to get out and kite a little more, chill bra.
There are a lot of good kites out there.
The context of this whole thread is based on performance to cost basically. And on that premise Switch comes out ahead, because they sell quality high performance kites at very reasonable cost. The last time I checked North kites were very expensive.
Like you, I've been kiting a long time and have gone through tons of gear. That is the only way to experience the differences in performance that kites have built into them.
I'm not brand loyal, I'm driven by kite performance. I think it's funny that some people somehow get affiliated with a brand and get offended when you mention something about the kites they ride.
And all of the comments here are based on opinion, and everyone has one. If we all thought exactly the same the world would be a very boring place.

[plummet]

Isn't this mostly a free speech forum?
Switch customers come on here and praise them. Great!
You like your non-Switch kite. Great!
Posing that you are an authority on which kite is best is presumptious.
No matter how long you've been at it.
No matter how much you pay.
No matter how many posts you make.
Makes you a bully. No one likes a bully. Simple. Right?

So its a free speech forum. If you praise Switch that's great.
But if you give negative feedback based on an actual back to back test you are a bully?
Seems a bit bias to me.

Who here has tested back to back between the 2016 nitro and rebel that can refute westozzy's claim?