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Where do kites come from?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 9:48 am
by mighty
I assume most of them are made in China... where are they designed, which locations are they tested at regularly? I have some associations, valid, wrong, and/or outdated:

Slingshot - Gorge
Naish - Maui
Cabrinha - Maui
Caution - Santa Cruz
Ozone - ?
North - ?
RRD - ?
Wainman - Maui?
F1 - Somewhere in France?
Core - Somewhere in Germany?
Best - ?
Airush - ?
Liquid Force - ?
... - ?

Re: Where do kites come from?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 9:51 am
by cliftoncutshall
the Fed Ex man

Re: Where do kites come from?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 9:56 am
by turbinedude
06 Cabrinha Crossbows come from China.
Communists have been making impressive aerial --* devices for years now.

Re: Where do kites come from?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:11 am
by Yoda
mighty wrote:I assume most of them are made in China... where are they designed, which locations are they tested at regularly? I have some associations, valid, wrong, and/or outdated:

Slingshot - Gorge
Naish - Maui
Cabrinha - Maui
Caution - Santa Cruz
Ozone - ?
North - ?
RRD - ?
Wainman - Maui?
F1 - Somewhere in France?
Core - Somewhere in Germany?
Best - ?
Airush - ?
Liquid Force - ?
... - ?
Cabrinha/Neil Pryde - Hong Kong
Ozone - France
North - Austria
RRD - Italy
Wainman HI - Poland
Best - N Carolina
Airush - S Africa
Liquid Force - California
Most of these brands test their kites globally through their athletes, ambassadors and designers.
Most are made in China, but some are made in Thailand, Vietnam, and I believe Sri Lanka. ;-)

Re: Where do kites come from?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:30 am
by Yoda
!

Re: Where do kites come from?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:33 am
by Yoda
!

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 1:59 pm
by jwest21
Well, when a bar and a kite love eachother, the bar sticks it's lines inside the kites bridal and 9 months later out pops a new kite!

Re: Where do kites come from?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 2:01 pm
by shred_da_gorge
North has a kite designer in Austria (Evo) and the Gorge (Rebel, Fuse, Dyno) that I know of. Ken Winner lives in Hood River and tests his kites there, Australia, sometimes here, and all over (last year he brought the Dyno to Alameda for light wind testing during the Nationals but it ended up being windier than usual). I know he's worked closely with Sky Solbach in the waves of Australia on the Rebel and Fuse. I've owned both those kites and the RPM through the years and have seen dramatic improvements; tried a 2012 Rebel not long ago and was blown away. Kite design is such a fine art! (Then again I threw chunks of cash at better and better windsurf sails and boards through the decades too, for a brief time as a team rider giving feedback).

I've met Slingshot's kite designer before in Padre and the Gorge and he travels all over as well (just returned from Maui for the winter when I met him). I believe he lives in Stevenson with his wife and child, but don't quote me on that.

Re: Where do kites come from?

Posted: Fri Jun 14, 2013 12:00 pm
by sflinux
I'd be interested to see the name of the actual (lead) designer(s) associated with each brand.

Re: Where do kites come from?

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 8:22 am
by adamrod
uhh, LF kites headquarters and R&D is in the Gorge.

I'll forgive you for the mistake, as it WAS San Diego up until a few years ago...but anyone who has tried to kite in San Diego can understand why they moved.

The wake side is still in Socal I believe...