Postby marina » Thu Aug 01, 2002 2:19 pm
TRUTH has helped educate many people on this forum about general info re: material and construction of today's kite. Knowledge is empowerment and is almost always constructive! However IN MY OPINION his/her information is tainted with great animosity toward Gaastra which I really don't understand. There are over 25+ kite brands on the market MANY with a lot more to pick on re; quality control, materials, construction than Gaastra, a company that has withstood the test of time and has established itself as an industry leader in windsurfing, and soon, kitesurfing. TRUTH said that Gaastra uses it's own propiartary materials because it's cheaper, yet doesn't it also make sense that this is perhaps more expensive for the company as they don't buy from a bulk source that supplies many brands? Perhaps it also makes sense that a company that has produced windsurf sails/boards for years would also have the infrastructure and experience in mfg that could only benefit it's kitesurfing operations? And perhaps the company being led by a former Wipika senior executive and engineer (two people) might also bring some good experience to the company and have some bearing? TRUTH pointed out that Airush, Cabrinha, North, RRD are made of superior grade materials yet I have seen all these kites that were relatively new rip, tear, burst at their leading edges/seams/canopies etc. for no apparent reason (just last week North's,cabrihnas, a Wipika, Naish, etc... we run a kite repair so this is FACT.)... I'm not saying these kites are inferior in any way whatsoever, just that kites are not bomb proof, regardless of materials used. I think the best thing that kite buyers can do is to, look/feel material, inspect construction, research, post questions in forums expecting a wide variety of replies, figure out what kind of performance/feeling you prefer from a kite, test kites if possible, and perhaps most importantly, find out what companies (dealers and mfg's) stand behind their products and offer great customer service.
marina, kitexcite