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443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone mad?

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peterheirman
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Re: 443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone

Postby peterheirman » Mon Aug 27, 2012 9:26 pm

We can stop these price increases easily:
If we all start buying online brands like Switch, Mutiny, .... Then the big brands will have to change their pricing policy fast. (I'm not related to Switch kites but as soon one good kite surfer shows up on his spot with a Switch kite soon others will follow because the man performs greatly on his Switch kite - just like it happened with best kites about 6 years ago).

North, Cabrinha and Naish mainly sell their brand name and people want to pay the price (like they do with cars: BMW, Mercedes and Audi)
Don't worry as the world recession will kill this trend of expensive stuff soon as the big spenders are likely to get extincted.

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Re: 443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone

Postby JamesVegas » Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:45 pm

peterheirman wrote:We can stop these price increases easily:
If we all start buying online brands like Switch, Mutiny, .... Then the big brands will have to change their pricing policy fast. (I'm not related to Switch kites but as soon one good kite surfer shows up on his spot with a Switch kite soon others will follow because the man performs greatly on his Switch kite - just like it happened with best kites about 6 years ago).

North, Cabrinha and Naish mainly sell their brand name and people want to pay the price (like they do with cars: BMW, Mercedes and Audi)
Don't worry as the world recession will kill this trend of expensive stuff soon as the big spenders are likely to get extincted.
The Mutiny bar is one of the best bars on the market without question. Really well thought out and excellent quality but it's £300 so it's not exactly cheap. I think the Switch bar is somewhat cheaper.

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Re: 443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone

Postby Jono 111 » Mon Aug 27, 2012 11:13 pm

Peter - I hate to break it to you, but the impact of the recession on the big spenders hasn't been particularly significant...the guys who took most of the pain are the normal folks working in normal jobs who are entirely divorced from the US housing market, the banking industry and the euro crisis....thats whats sad, they're not the ones who deserved to take the pain.

Audi et al are enjoying fantastic sales growth, as are most of the premium car brands, but in fairness, they do make decent cars that are streets ahead in terms of quality versus your average honda / toyota / gm (well, universes ahead in that case).

North makes quality products, but you pay for it. Maybe too much, maybe not. But in any case, they are well designed and at the front of the field...typically those are attributes that people will continue to gravitate to.

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Re: 443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone

Postby keviene » Mon Aug 27, 2012 11:17 pm

300 pounds are around 365-370 euros, not near 199 euros of the switch bar...so i don't think selling via internet is the only way to go, for example Core kites, if you want you can buy directly from their website, the bar 500 euros, a 9m kite 1400 euros!!!! :o :o :o WTF!!

i love the north bar, and my north kites, but right now i can't afford to buy new ones,and mines are 09 and 10 models.

if north (or any big brand, slingshot, cabrinha,airush,naish...) sells for example the bar at 300 and new kites around 750 i would buy them over switch ones (i think expending 100 more on a bar and 200 more in a kite could be acceptable)

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Re: 443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone

Postby Caesar » Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:25 am

Olá,

This Mutiny bar looks interesting.
Anyone here tried it or has it and can confirm what they write on their website?

Also: "The price (UKP300) includes 20% VAT. All customers outside the EU please contact us first as you are not required to pay this. This price also includes free shipping anywhere in the world."

So that price is actually ok for me.

Cheers
Caesar 8)

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Re: 443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone

Postby SBBeachbum » Tue Aug 28, 2012 3:54 am

Jono 111 wrote: Audi et al are enjoying fantastic sales growth, as are most of the premium car brands, but in fairness, they do make decent cars that are streets ahead in terms of quality versus your average honda / toyota / gm (well, universes ahead in that case).

North makes quality products, but you pay for it. Maybe too much, maybe not. But in any case, they are well designed and at the front of the field...typically those are attributes that people will continue to gravitate to.
I hate to break it to you but Audi and BMW have way more quality issues than then Honda. Are they more fun to drive, you bet. More reliable? For sure not.

North does good branding and made guys like you believe they are a "premium brand" whereas in all reality they are just an expensive brand.

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Re: 443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone

Postby L0KI » Tue Aug 28, 2012 4:17 am

I guess you would really have to qualify the term "quality".
I will add to SBB's Honda, ...the GM Trucks and any Toyota.
I've owned two Chevy trucks back to back, my new one is a 2003 and has 175,000 miles on it and I've had to do almost nothing other than a few of the scheduled items. Nothing has broken on these trucks.
My wife is driving a Passat currently, Jettas before that, Audi before that and Volvo before that.
She's been driving European cars for twenty years, my Chevy trucks have been more reliable.
Toyotas are more reliable than Audi, have been for many, many years.

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Re: 443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone

Postby JamesVegas » Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:23 am

Caesar wrote:Olá,

This Mutiny bar looks interesting.
Anyone here tried it or has it and can confirm what they write on their website?

Also: "The price (UKP300) includes 20% VAT. All customers outside the EU please contact us first as you are not required to pay this. This price also includes free shipping anywhere in the world."

So that price is actually ok for me.

Cheers
Caesar 8)
Hey Caesar. Drop Marc at Blast Kiteboarding a line as he stocks Mutiny. I have used the original bar from Mutiny, it is right up there with the North bar in terms of quality in my opinion. Really tough lines. The grip on the bar is fantastic, super grippy and comfortable, probably the best I've ever used. The spinner works brilliantly. I believe they have improved the new bar but I haven't seen it yet.

I think a good way to see assess the quality/desirability of a brand is to look at the second hand value of the gear. 2012 North Vegas kites are selling for £650 on ebay in the UK atm. You could buy a new kite for that much, my 2012 bar sold for £180.

It's not all about branding either. People are not stupid, they won't blindly buy something because a company has created a nice image or an appealing video. Quality, design, innovation and function will ultimately be the reason people pay top prices for the premium brands.

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Re: 443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone

Postby BigPaul » Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:42 am

+1 for the Mutiny Bar, I trialled their P series. great kite, but the best think about the Mutiny was the bar and presentation of the whole package. you get loads of little extra's.

+1 again for Blast good reliable shop.

P.S. again not affilated to anyone but I do fly and love my StarKites :-)

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Re: 443 Euros / 550 USD / 349 GBP for a bar? Have they gone

Postby longwhitecloud » Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:50 am

years ago my friends went to new cal - forgot his bar and lines, went to a chandlery and made one using everything they sold - was pretty cool!


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