Try before you buy. Right.

[peterheirman]

@OceanAdventures: the problem with shop keepers and their staff is that they speak marketing stuff: as where else can they get all the info. And as such you end up with buying a kite from one of the big marketing brands.
I doubt they have actually tried all the kites (brands times models times sizes > 60kites at start of each season) they sell.

[Laughingman]

@OceanAdventures: the problem with shop keepers and their staff is that they speak marketing stuff: as where else can they get all the info. And as such you end up with buying a kite from one of the big marketing brands.
I doubt they have actually tried all the kites (brands times models times sizes > 60kites at start of each season) they sell.

Offering an opportunity to exchange gear pretty much negates what ever hype anyone is selling so if I was the owner of this shop I would be sure that all my staff are well informed and have good knowledge of everything sold by that shop.
Used gear is not easy to get rid of so you can't have a bunch of it come back....

[OceanAdventures]

@OceanAdventures: the problem with shop keepers and their staff is that they speak marketing stuff: as where else can they get all the info. And as such you end up with buying a kite from one of the big marketing brands.
I doubt they have actually tried all the kites (brands times models times sizes > 60kites at start of each season) they sell.

Actually this is pretty far from the truth when it comes to shops that have been around, especially since the beginning.

The yahoos who become a "team rider" or run an internet shop and only sell one or two brands, yes they will give you the marketing info to persuade you.

Me and my instructors do our best to fly every type of kite we can get our hands on, and my recommendation are always based on that, what I know from flying them and comparing them. Now can I ride every kite, no. And if you call and ask about a kite I haven't ridden I'll say that first, but from other customers experiences and looking at the kite design I can usually give a decent assessment of a kite.

I wouldn't be running a shop that's been around since 1999 if I sold kites that were horrible. The cream does rise to the top, and that's usually the brands that I keep in stock.

There are a bunch of great shops with great guys who love to help people find the right kite, and enjoy it when someone says thanks, your advise was right and I love my kite. And those are the guys who will bend over backwards to help make sure you don't waste money on a kite you don't like.

If you want to be an internet shopper and buy a cheap kite you see to save a buck, then yes you may have a lot of disappointments. Find a shop with a guy whose opinion you trust and you will have much less heartache.

[Okinawa Kiter]

Hi OceanAdventures
The 100% guarantee try before you buy shows that the company is a good one, but still no one wants to send gear back and deal with all the headaches, so ultimately would be best to narrow down to a couple models for your style of ridding and compare back to back on the same day.

So up to now the two kites for free riding that have impressed me are the Ozone Edge and flysurfer 12m (Bigger sizes no) Edge did everything well, besides turn fast for the 17m. If they improve turning speed in the future by a bit, then they nailed it. Flysurfer had the biggest range and could be a 1 kite quiver great to travel with, also never got upwind any better besides a Peterlynn kite back in the day, maybe. Anything else that you feel is near the Ozone Edge?

[Jbrook]

Man sometimes the shop guys are honest. Many times they have many brands they can choose from and choose what they like the best, many times they are able to try before they decide, unlike many other people . But also as you know is a business and sometimes they can be jaded.

[OceanAdventures]

Hi OceanAdventures
The 100% guarantee try before you buy shows that the company is a good one, but still no one wants to send gear back and deal with all the headaches, so ultimately would be best to narrow down to a couple models for your style of ridding and compare back to back on the same day.

So up to now the two kites for free riding that have impressed me are the Ozone Edge and flysurfer 12m (Bigger sizes no) Edge did everything well, besides turn fast for the 17m. If they improve turning speed in the future by a bit, then they nailed it. Flysurfer had the biggest range and could be a 1 kite quiver great to travel with, also never got upwind any better besides a Peterlynn kite back in the day, maybe. Anything else that you feel is near the Ozone Edge?

We were always fans of the Cabrinha Crossbow. I haven't gotten to ride the Edge, but it's always been in the same category as the Crossbow, which is now the velocity. My instructor, who just rides hooked in and loves the big air, loves the 13m velocity and me being smaller likes the 11m, as it's almost been a one kite in almost every wind condition, minus surfing. If your worried about durability I would stay with the edge as the velocity has been stripped of any extras to make it as light as possible. Now that the crossbow is gone we may start to look at the Edges more, but man the velocity is the only kite that I have really scared myself jumping. (Takes some getting used too, tried a darkslide and turned into a failed megaloop.... Crazy lift on this kite)

If I personally had to pick one kite for the rest of my life it would be a Wainman.

[Okinawa Kiter]

How is the 18m as a light wind kite? Have to have the extra big 65cm bar though as the standard bar would make it too slow and was told really need to use the race bar. Has anyone tries the 18m with the regular cabrinha bar? Also how is the low end?

[OceanAdventures]

How is the 18m as a light wind kite? Have to have the extra big 65cm bar though as the standard bar would make it too slow and was told really need to use the race bar. Has anyone tries the 18m with the regular cabrinha bar? Also how is the low end?

The few times we have tried an 18m with a twin tip it just pulls you down wind and gets overpowered too fast. I'm my opinion unless your on a race board you don't need a kite bigger than a 17m (Core 19m being one exception). Have not flown the new velocity in the 18m size because of that reason. Even the biggest guy on the beach was riding the 16 if it was rideable. Once again person opinion there. Any big high aspect kite is going to be relatively slow.

For safety reasons we don't use foils around here. Light wind has a good habit of disappearing, and most of us agree if we can't float on it back we won't go out on it. Light wind lei kites have gotten really good over the last few years so were not missing much forgoing a 21m kite.

[Okinawa Kiter]

Agree I don't like big foils. My Edge 17m has got me going in the lightest wind no whitecaps and kite almost falling out of the sky light. Was thinking of going for a 19 but not bothered. The 12m Speed is great though. I never kite where I need to float back. Max is 2 KM out to the reef and can walk it half the time and side on shore. Never had an incident in 13+ years.
I did an island to island jump on my 17m before though with 2 other guys, so was happy to have the inflatable but even then wind would have blown me back to shore in an hour or two.

[Kamikuza]

[Core 19m being one exception

That good, is it? Shame I'm so iffy on the bar