FUEL flyers: do you want stopper ball valves in 2004 ?

[Foxi]

obviously there are various opinions on this issue and my personal one - as I was used to WORKING stopper ball valves in previous kites - is, that they are missing at least in the smaller struts, a Fuel 11 needs them in all valves apart the center one. Left handers should be concerned even more, girls can hardly make it and pressure applicable varies each time !

your thoughts and wishes for 2004 - Slingshot is listening - for sure !

aloha

HT

[slashy]

I fly fuels as well, and 2 gto's (7 and 9) there are stopper balls on all the struts (not on leading edge) on the 7.
I think it would be interesting to put stopper balls on the smaller struts of the kites, but only putting them when really necessary.on the 11 only the 2 exterior struts would need stoppers (to my taste), because deflating is less comfy then. but with the one pump system perhaps we won't be needing all this anymore.

[Johnny TBKS]

What makes ya so sure that SlingShot is listening?

I vote NOT to the stopper balls. I have no issues with inflating and find the stopper balls more headache than remedy.

I have seen child and women trying to pump up Fuels with great difficulty at the beach....because of No Balls. BUT....I have also seen time and time again where I can spend and entire 2 or 3 minutes with these women and children, and when I walk away, even they can inflate their ball-Less valves with losing very little to no pressure.

Your hands will become trained to deal with this without even thinking about it....so long as your brain is not too lazy to train said hands.

I wouldn't try to push the ball issue. Whoever you think may be listening, I dont think you are ever going to see the balls in the SlingShots.

Johnny
SlingShot Boss

[chicagokitesurfer]

Good answer, Johnny. I would agree. No balls. I got two already. Don't need a third, or more!

I can squeeze the valves so no air leaks, and I still gotta wait for my friend with his Naish to deflate his damn kite so we can go home.

Anyway, I'm looking to find out more about onepump....sounds like a better solution than balls.

[Foxi]

my girl friend thinks different and where we go kiting, there´s often no one available to assist - apart from the question if a sport tool is properly constructed if not accessable to parts of its potential users ..
Seemingly the stopper balls already had access to smaller sizes as noted in a post above, so I´m not yet dropping hope to stay with SS for 2004 !

aloha

HT

[rolltide]

Good answer, Johnny. I would agree. No balls. I got two already. Don't need a third, or more!

I can squeeze the valves so no air leaks, and I still gotta wait for my friend with his Naish to deflate his damn kite so we can go home.

Anyway, I'm looking to find out more about onepump....sounds like a better solution than balls.

Man if I had 4 balls I'd never leave the house again!!!!
Seriously..
If you want a kite with valve balls, go buy a Naish.
Forget the onepump gimmick too.
Watch and see the inflatable kites will be obsolete in a few years..
Closed cell foam or other lightweight materials will be used to give the kite shape, support and relaunchability.. Thats where I'm bettin my money.

[Johnny TBKS]

I have a 5m GTO that has NO BALLS. I have 7m Fuels that have NO BALLS. SO I dunno about above posts, but I do know what I have.

Your girlfriend has the strength to do this without the balls, just not the knowledge.

Balls are a joke. They waste time IMO, they make breaking down much more timely than need be....and they dont always function properly.

One Pump is no joke or gimmick. It's real, it works, and it WILL be seen on other brands too in the very near future.

Pea's!

[rolltide]

So say one of yer struts blow.. You gonna replace the whole damn bladder ?? If so that is great news to the bladder makin folks.
The price of an aftermarket, even stock bladder is ridiculous and someone is laughing their asses all the way to the bank at our expense...
One pump is prolly gonna be the big thing for awhile, but from where I see thangs a smart business man/woman will create a strut/support system outta a lightweight material that will revolutionize kite performance..
WHY?
Because they will own the patent for the new technology- thus saying goodbye to payin $$$ to some French guy across the pond for the patent rights. There is a group of tech geeks at MIT working on new kite designs as we sit here readin this rant and others..
If you dont believe me than you call the psychic friends network yer own damn self..

[slashy]

one thing the people in warm places tend to forget. now it's warmer around here. 20 degrees centigrade. stopper balls are useless then.
But at 10 degrees centigrade (don't know if that happens in Florida) the valves become stiffer and are harder to pinch. plus your fingers tend to have less feel.

and my 7 gto doesn't have stopper balls, it's is a sort of a one way valve you have to pinch to release the air.

[sq225917]

alright for you boys inn the states but you want to try pinching the valves on a 9fuel in 5 degrees with 25mph wind cutting it down to zero. no way Jose especially if you have already been out for a while.

i don't prefer the stopper balls though, i think the one pump will sort this out anyway and the leading edge is always the easiest to close