Postby Dan-at-Duotone » Mon Oct 14, 2013 6:20 pm
Whoa. I'll try to address some specific questions but before I do please take extra time to read the following 3 sentences, which should address most of the (suprisingly emotional) complaints I've seen on this thread...
Every 2014 North kite will work with pretty much every pump out there, no adapter needed. The initial batch of 2014 Rebels will work with pretty much every pump out there without any adapter, but you will need the free adapter to improve the fit with the new North pump. Our new pump will work with every kite out there, with or without an adapter. And worse comes to worse, if you find yourself alone on a beach with one of the few first Rebels and an unadapted new North pump, it is possible to inflate it, it's just annoying to use, as you'll have to hold the hose into the valve (or pump through the dump valve).
Now for those who want the whole story, I'll answer Heinzbush's question:
Yes, the initial batch of Rebels have a slightly different valve than the later ones, but the difference is not visible to the naked eye and is not in the mechanics of the valve, but simply in the size or positioning of the tabs to lock in the hose. The valve was designed around the hose connection we've used in the past, which most other brands also use. Around the same time that we designed the valve, we changed the source where we get our pumps. The connector at the end of the hose looks identical to the old one and as far as we knew they were completely interchangeable. After the first batch of Rebels was produced (the valves were not ready by the time the Vegas was produced, so they got the old valves), we realized that the new pump connector allows a bit of air to leak out when inflating. We slightly tweaked the valve, and after the first couple hundred Rebels came out, all subsequent kites come with the new valve and should work with just about all pumps. That first batch of Rebels works with just about all pumps and we have an adapter that you can glue onto your new pump so that it will work perfectly with the new pump. Using the adapter will not affect the pump's ability to work with everyone else's kite.
Babel- I've seen a couple of the one-way valves hiss when closed... Remember that the one-way valve is just a simple flap and is meant as a convenience to keep the air in until you screw the cap closed. The large screw-on cap is airtight. Think of it like you would the old type of one-way valve... When you'd pull the pump nozzle out, the flap would hold the air in, but you'd always put the cap in before riding.
FabsPH- you may be getting a connector with your pump but it won't be necessary as they are really meant to make the initial batches of Rebel match the new pump. Your Dice inflation should be compatible with your old pump or our new pump straight out of the bag.
As far as why we reinvented the wheel, the truth is that the new inflation system is REALLY nice. It makes pumping very noticeably easier than with the older style pump. Many brands have moved to a similar system and there was pressure from schools, dealers, and consumers to do the same thing. We could have continued to use the old system forever, but if everyone went with that mentality we'd still be on 2-line kites, or worse, we'd still be using masts and booms.
We actually have been testing this valve system for years. We almost put an earlier model of the valve on our 2013 kites but we wanted to test it for a year so that we wouldn't have any confusion or problems when we finally brought the valve to the market. Everything would've worked perfectly if it wasn't for the fact that we switched pump sources at the same time.
Finally, a big caveat... I've been told by the designers that our valves work with all pumps out there, and I've found this to be generally true, but I've found that our old (2010 or so) green pump hisses when I go to pump up a Dice. All the other pumps I've tried with it (including our new one, and a SS, Naish, Cab, and LF pump) work perfectly. But the fact that there's at least one model of pump that doesn't match makes me suspicious. If you find a particular model of pump not matching well with one of our kites, please feel free to chime in here. I'm working with limited information, and its possible that North and/or I are misinformed. But please don't jump on here to bitch without having tried the valve... I've heard lots of positive reviews from people who actually have the kites, even some from people who had the initial batch of mismatched pump/valve who had to order the adapter separately and use someone else's pump in the meantime.
Feel free to PM me if you have any other specific questions about this or if you have one of the early Rebels and are looking for an adapter.
-Dan