Are Switch kites getting any better?

[tkettlepoint]

I have been kiteing for 14 years now... I have been a REP for a couple of other brands. I sold a lot of kites to shops and Now I ride Switch and pay for them like everyone else.

Local shops hmmmmmmm the closest one to me is 3 + hours away... getting parts If I break a part on a sunday and order it that night will have it before the next weekend 99% of the time. Demos All switch team riders are people that do demos. If they want to be a team rider that is part of their job.

For build they are equal or better to anything I have flown in the 14 years and yes I have tested a lot of kites. Were else to you see the designer open to everything on the models he has designed? Where to you see people like Felix help others out with problems.. I have crashed my kites in the surf and should of got worked but they came out alive and I kited for the rest of the week while on vaca. I crashed a kite on a island full of thorns and it relaunched then blew apart while in the sky. ( no kite would of took that crash) but it only ripped from leading edge to trailering edge and was fixed for 100 bucks.

the service from switch is second to none that I have deal with. I can always get a hold of the owners anytime, felix or bill. They look after my problems as well as other problems that people have that came to me because they know I am a switch team rider.

The shops in my area ( or province) that sell kites package below anyone else prices. They buy every last kite the manufacture has and dumps them at 599 or 699. SO the other shops have a hard time selling kites and making a dime.

Switch sells a great product and at a great price. If you don't like them don't buy them or bitch about them... The only people that really bitch at people that have something to do with a shop.


Don't be afraid of Switch, You may Switch TOO.

Terrie

Each and every model just get better and better, for being out for just under 3 years from starting with nothing to now they have done everything people asked for.

I don't care how good the Switch kites are I wont support them as their business model cuts out the local store who is there to help you out with repairs, backup and service when you need it. Where are switch when you need a part, a hand or even some friendly advice?? Yep in NZ far away not with the slightest care.

Cutting out the local shop means there will be less events in your area as most stores run demo days, clinics etc etc. Direct business models only hurt the industry, we don't want to grow the sport too fast with cheap kites and have out of control beaches either.

Think about the bigger picture not just saving some bucks.

[longwhitecloud]

I have enjoyed my switch kites that i ride between naish, slingshot and north kites.

I support them partly because I see a path for many younger riders wanting to get into kiting. Price is the the main reason that there are not more younger riders enjoying kiteboarding.
Olympic pitch was a farce as far as introducing a more affordable option for the olympics youth as IOC had said they wanted to do.
Attract youth = affordable, but no affordable one design. No logic in that.
Freestyle = attractive to youth, less expensive boards, so choose the niche discipline of racing with $3-4000 boards/ fin sets and higher average age group. No logic in that.

Has the person saying "They will be in NZ not giving a 5hit about after sales support" actually had that experience?

[Faxie]

Has the person saying "They will be in NZ not giving a 5hit about after sales support" actually had that experience?

How many people do you see complaining on the Switch website? And you know almost every customer has acces to the site, it being internet only.

That should tell you something

[eree]

Has the person saying "They will be in NZ not giving a 5hit about after sales support" actually had that experience?

How many people do you see complaining on the Switch website? And you know almost every customer has acces to the site, it being internet only.
That should tell you something

well may be it is because not all of the switch kite buyers had a chance to try better kites?
luckily i had...
first i asked about the problem with their kite by the email. but as usual first response was are you a beginner? they just refuse to admit that their kites are really that...less good...than the others.

i don't have to search people complaining about the switch. all i need is my own experience and my observations of the so called team riders behavior. the first of the team riders are already abandoned switch, and i did not find any signs of activity of the new ones (even if they marked on switch kite map)

so for me question "Are Switch kites getting any better?" is purely rhetorical. like "are we alone in the universe?" or "is there a life on the mars?"

[eree]

I have been kiteing for 14 years now... I have been a REP for a couple of other brands. I sold a lot of kites to shops and Now I ride Switch and pay for them like everyone else.
Local shops hmmmmmmm the closest one to me is 3 + hours away... getting parts If I break a part on a sunday and order it that night will have it before the next weekend 99% of the time. Demos All switch team riders are people that do demos. If they want to be a team rider that is part of their job.
For build they are equal or better to anything I have flown in the 14 years and yes I have tested a lot of kites. Were else to you see the designer open to everything on the models he has designed? Where to you see people like Felix help others out with problems.. I have crashed my kites in the surf and should of got worked but they came out alive and I kited for the rest of the week while on vaca. I crashed a kite on a island full of thorns and it relaunched then blew apart while in the sky. ( no kite would of took that crash) but it only ripped from leading edge to trailering edge and was fixed for 100 bucks.
the service from switch is second to none that I have deal with. I can always get a hold of the owners anytime, felix or bill. They look after my problems as well as other problems that people have that came to me because they know I am a switch team rider.
The shops in my area ( or province) that sell kites package below anyone else prices. They buy every last kite the manufacture has and dumps them at 599 or 699. SO the other shops have a hard time selling kites and making a dime.
Switch sells a great product and at a great price. If you don't like them don't buy them or bitch about them... The only people that really bitch at people that have something to do with a shop.
Don't be afraid of Switch, You may Switch TOO.
Terrie
Each and every model just get better and better, for being out for just under 3 years from starting with nothing to now they have done everything people asked for...

that is just reminds me the famous words:
"then i found Thighmaster!"

[Faxie]

Has the person saying "They will be in NZ not giving a 5hit about after sales support" actually had that experience?

How many people do you see complaining on the Switch website? And you know almost every customer has acces to the site, it being internet only.
That should tell you something

well may be it is because not all of the switch kite buyers had a chance to try better kites?
luckily i had...
first i asked about the problem with their kite by the email. but as usual first response was are you a beginner? they just refuse to admit that their kites are really that...less good...than the others.

i don't have to search people complaining about the switch. all i need is my own experience and my observations of the so called team riders behavior. the first of the team riders are already abandoned switch, and i did not find any signs of activity of the new ones (even if they marked on switch kite map)

so for me question "Are Switch kites getting any better?" is purely rhetorical. like "are we alone in the universe?" or "is there a life on the mars?"

Well, even more people have had bad experience with the 'better' brands, or with local shops. That's not really an argument there. It's not like it was all that great before Switch hit the market.

The team rider system Switch uses has it's flaws offcourse. People became team riders for the discount, and won't oblige to their duties. You should report thore team riders to Switch so measures can be taken.

Team riders take a risk as well by buying a kite blindly. It's pretty logical that there is a chance they won't like the characteristics and move on to something else. Same would apply if the big brands used a system like that. But there are a lot of people as well who came from the big brands and like the Switches better.

Switch is working on a new team rider system btw.

And if you call a internet provider helpdesk, first thing they will ask is 'did you reset the modem?' That's pretty normal imo. Because it matters whether you're a beginner or advanced rider.

[eree]

...

when brand claims they had a year for extensive testing of their gear on their web site, they have to have some responsibility for their claims. and spare me about the risks. nowadays it is all plug-and-play. you chose the profile, AR and the outline and the kite is practically done! only idiot does not know what he is designing.

and if you designing the kite without the lift-creating wing profile you should warn the potential customers about the consequences, like crappy low end, poor performance for riders heavier than 90kg, lousy performance in the choppy water and very slow turning speed.

so, if you sell your gear on internet only, and your so-called team riders are sheep-weight early-intermediate kiters with almost no experience with the other kite brands, and you are not warning your potential customers about your kites "peculiarities", it makes you a liar.

you made me lose my money, and i'll try to warn your potential customers. are we square?

[bigcane]

My 2 cents. I switched and bought a quiver of Elements and Methods last summer and also just got the V2 bar. Very happy with the gear and the service. Been kiting since 2000, 80kgs and am not a team rider. Never tried the Nitro 2, but the Element 2 and Method 2 fit well with what i like and i have no plan to sell them. One thing I really appreciate is their focus on upwind performance, the Method really gets you back up to the peak fast.

[Hansen Design]

Eree:
No one 'made' you do anything.

Other than you, not one person has called the Nitro1 gutless. One of the early testers still using a Nitro1 12sqm today is a 250# Honolulu policeman. Before their release, there were plenty of pics and vids of the Nitro1 clearly showing the AR, canopy curve and wing profile. Being educated in the matter of design and the Nitro1's obvious design deficiencies (according to you) brings to question your decision to buy one. Your continuing to bash Switch for three years also questions your motives and it isn't public service...

The most positive men are the most credulous. - Alexander Pope

you made me lose my money, and i'll try to warn your potential customers. are we square?

[tkettlepoint]

Eree you need a tissue? I can send you a box for the tears you shed.

When I started to kite I rode a wipika bag. 2 line kite which was convertible to a 4 line.

No I haven't found the no master anything... Switch does everthing I am looking for and a price a can afford with out breaking the bank.

One question when was the last time you tried a Switch kite? A current model I am asking? a v3 ? of any model? I had OR ONEs was suppose to be the best thing on the market from OR where just not what they were made out to be.

If you tried the first year kites from switch and tried the v3 there is a big difference in kites. Every brand of kites on their first year need improvements. Naish improves, slingshot improves, LF improves, North improves. Just each year bigger , faster rule happens.

Bitching on a open forum doesn't do anytime. Everyone knows that people bitch for no reason at all on forums. You do not really hear about good things of forums. Then when you do someone like you has to bitch... What a circle hey?

Shed the tears and try a new SwtichV3 and them come back here

Terrie