I have had a Slingshot Surefire spreader bar FOR YEARS and have never had a problem with it. I first had the version with the long leash that attached to the outside line safety, but moved to the new version which took into account the shorter below the bar safety leash attachment. In that move I also got the upgrade on the hook which had been beefed up. I think on the initial product release the hook to spreader bar attachment was bending. That problem went away very quickly once people upgraded. (though I never saw the issue)
The point is, this system has been solid for me for many years and many sessions, but I have been looking for a replacement since Slingshot has not revised it in several years and does not seem to be actively marketing the product. Even though I rinse it with fresh water after each session to prevent rust, metal does fatigue and I should be buying a new bar after so many years.
It is nice to see this new Mystic KRS system and I am curious to hear how other kiters like it.
One thing I don't like about the KRS is that the safety deployment causes a part (the hook in this case) to completely detach from the bar. This is seems very odd. Is this correct?
I know this is key to their design, but
when things detach, they get lost. If you activated this in the water when you did not have it locked to your chicken loop (for instance you were practice unhooked tricks) you could very easily lose this spreader bar hook in the water. And THEN, it is not "
with a simple handling (3 clicks) you can reset the hook and continue your kite session." That's bullshit. If the safety activation causes a part to detach, and that part is lost...you are shit out of luck, son! You'll be walking up the beach asking everyone if they have a spare spreader bar.
I hope I'm wrong. I haven't seen this system. I want to hear feedback and I hope Mystic and other companies continue to design spreader bar release mechanisms.
The simplicity of my Surefire system has me testing it EVERY session. As soon as someone catches my kite on the beach, I hit my Surefire button and release the CL. I'm now protected in case the catcher let's go of the kite, but more importantly,
each time I kite my emergency release gets tested and I know it will work when I need it. If safety activation caused parts to fall off, I wouldn't go through the trouble of exercising it so much...
Mystic is 100% correct with it's marketing, however- safety releases are different on every kite and it is best to have a constant you can rely on attached to your harness.
No matter what kite you demo or fly, if your safety release is always the same it will become 2nd nature.
In an emergency you will reach down and release your kite without confusion.