Buying new vs. used?

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Post by Guest » Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:10 pm

If you get lines for a used kite get Q-Line. Thats another insurance policy (read the thread about worst wipeout)

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OliverG
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Post by OliverG » Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:29 pm

Anonymous wrote:If you get lines for a used kite get Q-Line. Thats another insurance policy (read the thread about worst wipeout)
I've got a set of 30m q-line that's brand new and am open to offers. It's good stuff and these can be cut down to anything less than 30m....

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Post by whitecap » Mon Jun 06, 2005 9:27 pm

If you want good stuff, and want to save a buck, find someone who gets new gear cheap and needs to turn it each year. I did that for years with a windsurfing rep, and I always knew the guy using the gear, and I would pick it up for less than half of retail with one season on the gear. I think there are plenty of folks in the kiting world that fit the same mold.

Pick your brand, and find your rider. Be open minded, as there is a lot of good gear out there, if you look for '04 kites. North, Slings, RRD, Naish....it is all good...

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Post by whitecap » Mon Jun 06, 2005 9:29 pm

If you want good stuff, and want to save a buck, find someone who gets new gear cheap and needs to turn it each year. I did that for years with a windsurfing rep, and I always knew the guy using the gear, and I would pick it up for less than half of retail with one season on the gear. I think there are plenty of folks in the kiting world that fit the same mold.

Pick your brand, and find your rider. Be open minded, as there is a lot of good gear out there, if you look for '04 kites. North, Slings, RRD, Caution, Naish....it is all good...

Pablito(guest)

Post by Pablito(guest) » Tue Jun 07, 2005 9:38 pm

There's a good question!! What older kites should people NOT buy? And why? It's rare to see an objective negative review of a kite, instead of just a brand-loyal slagging.

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Post by OliverG » Tue Jun 07, 2005 10:50 pm

Pablito(guest) wrote:There's a good question!! What older kites should people NOT buy? And why? It's rare to see an objective negative review of a kite, instead of just a brand-loyal slagging.
Not true! Don't get a 2003 Flexifoil Storm or any Naish Aero's. They're big fat unruly pigs! Aero II's were more reasonable.

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Post by Guest » Tue Jun 07, 2005 10:51 pm

There's a good question!! What older kites should people NOT buy? And why? It's rare to see an objective negative review of a kite, instead of just a brand-loyal slagging.
Those dragon kites from china town. No upwind, don't relaunch, no safety. Even their 05 models suck (same as the 1905 models).

Chicks dig them but its always the ones that have kids.

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Post by sflinux » Wed Jun 08, 2005 3:06 pm

Not to plug a brand, but I think Slingshot has been making great kites since the get go. Most old kites seemed to have oversized leading edges which made for poor aerodynamics. I have a 2001 Fuel and even back then it had a small leading edge. The tips are smaller and had no battens, which made for slow turning. 2002 they introduced battens for a better kite. My buddy Sander is still using a 2002 14M for his 1 kite quiver. I picked up a 2003 11M and the stearing is much faster than my 2001 thanks to the battens and much wider tips. But if you put the 2003 and 2001 next to each other pumped up or not, the tips is the only difference. 2004 Fuel went one pump. 2005???
IMO the trend for newer kites seems to be stiffer leading edges (like ww rapture) or more bridles to help keep the kites shape (cabrinha contra, rrd's, 5 lines, etc), and wider tips for fast turning and extra stability (05 North).
I've heard the cabrinha rep say to stay away from 2003 cabrinha nitros.
I've heard 2002 Naish Aero2's had bladder issues.

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