They have some really good deals going on right now:

http://www.cautionsantacruz.com/

Had one once, couldn't sell it fast enough. Slow, no grunt , just plain bad...

They're awesome kites. I've been using them for years exclusively. I mostly use the higher wind ones; 7m & 9m. They're quick, responsive & I've banged the hell out of mine for 2 years & it's completely in tact. Only thing I would change is use a Slingshot bar or center line setup with them-the one with the below the bar depower & single center line running to a ring. It's a great combo.

I wouldn't hesitate to pick one up. They have a HUGE following in Santa Cruz, where they are based. All you need to do is go to Waddell Creek to see guys ripping hard on them. By far, on average, the largest concentration of great waveriders (meaning the average level of waveriding talent) is higher in Santa Cruz than any where else on the Mainland U.S. AND most of them are on Caution Kites. It's always been that way & it will probably always be that way. They get the best waves & best wind on the Cal Coast so they know what works.

Good Luck,
JD

Don't know about how good they are in long term, but i've just got a barely used 2007 Answer II 19m and in all honesty it's the best 200$ i've ever spent on y any piece of kiting equipment! Caution kites also have a huge presence on Cape Cod's beaches and guys are really ripping on these.

Ditto on that. Forgot to mention I bought my 7 and my 9 used AND put 2 more years worth of water-time on them. Took 'em to Maui last winter & had a freakin blast in the surf on them

I'd throw this bar on there or you can buy the only the center line configuration if u wanna save some dough.

Being the cheap scape that I am, I still regularly use Caution kites that are 4-6 years old. They have held up to the abusive surf quite well.

The 1st yr Answer 1 = super fast kite would rush to the edge of the wind window and had some issues hindenburging if you did not know how to fly that kite or in super light wind days. I still use that kite because it is such a racehorse and is awesome for high wind days.

The second kite Answer II = same fast kite but more stability was designed in. This is where I would start recommending their kites.

The third kite Mayhem = Even better. This kite had great reviews. In fact, I remember hearing that some of the kite reviewers from the Kiteboarder Magazine actually chose this kite as their personal kite for that year when they could have had any kite to choose from. This is probably the kite I have used the most. Super fast, stable and durable. Not a kite for freestyle in my opinion (not a C feeling kite) but awesome for wave riding and freeriding.

The Zombie = Simply the best kite that I have ridden from Caution. This kite is sooooo stable that I have fallen and tumbled in surf under water unhooked only to come back to the surface of the water to look up and see my kite waiting for me in the air to pull my leash and retrieve my bar. I would confidently put this kite up against any kite on the market. There are a lot of great kites out there and I try to take advantage of those free demo days when I can. The zombie is definitely a top ranked kite. This kite also unhooked better for me.

I don't know much about the kites beyond the Zombie though there are some similarities. I tried a 2012 Spitfire last week on a nuking day but would like to try it on a normal day before I say anything.

I have tried a lot of kites over the past few years, and always keep coming back to Caution as my favorite. I mainly ride a surfboard, but still throw in a twin tip every once in a while to mix things up. I've been kiting since 2001, and used to be a C-kite guy... Their kites over the past few years seem to be the best mix of a C kite feel with the advantages of a SLE(or whatever you want to call it). Currently riding the new Spitfires. Absolutely love the 11, 9 and 7m's... great power, fast, stable, etc.. . The 14m is a powerful as hell, but is a little slow for my liking...

Great kites, great quality!
My oldest and most used kite a Mayhem 08 is the only kite with more than a year that i never had any problem with, leak, rips etc.
I will never sell or stop using it, its got 0 grunt and will easily Hindenburg if you are not used to it, but it is perhaps the best kite ever made for over powered jumps, you can almost depowder it infinitely by edging the board hard.
But thats the 08, the newer ones are more user friendly and better in general I guess.

Very good kites.

Brilliant kites!

The comments above have covered most of the older models. As for the 2012 Spitfires, they are simply outstanding and I have yet to find anything else that works as well in as wide a range of conditions as the 2012 Spitfires.