Best BOW Kite to Buy In 2006?

[BrokenDC10]

Sonic is a must try............I'll leave it at that.

- Mark

[charlie]

ALL RIGHT MuGs
how about the anwer...?
and the north vegas? it flys so good, and has just about the same depower...BuT has less area then the bows..?
you might just throw it in there too .

[Bob]

North Vegas is my kite of choice this year.

[AntiJF]

Hey, Wop. Good luck in New orleans, I just moved from NO to the bay area in jan.
The Good news: You won't have to wear a wetsuit 'til october, and sometimes not even then.

The bad news: get it while you can, b/c it will shut down BIG TIME right around june, and maybe you'll get a puff in sept. No kidding, one year it was so calm and hot that an algae bloom went from one end of the lake to the other, that's 26 miles across.

Get a light wind kite and a light wind board, something really big. People think 18 is windy that part of the gulf coast.

Mississippi gulf coast will deliver, and is better beach, from east -> south -> west. Look into henderson point. Have you met any locals yet? (small crowd) I'll try and track some people down for you, if you need me to.

Good times,
Jeff

[Proparoo]

Interested in GK Sonic impressions...

Rich

[KillaHz]

Id have to agree with Yuri's assessments on the Bows... except to add the Switchblade, which I think is probably the most stable and has much lighter bar pressure. I have heard good things about the waroo, alot of it hype, but the concern I have heard multiple times is its construction... I should get to ride one later this week and I'll have a more complete view. I have tried the Shockwave 16, Switchblade 9 , Crossbow 9,12,16 (modded and un-modded), LF Assault 12, and extensively the Turbo Diesel 8,10,12 and 14. My favorite of all time is the 10m STD... but I will agree with yuri that it takes slightly more skill to fly.... but man does it turn quick and has great low-end...

To be upfront, I do work at Kitewindsurf (www.kitewindsurf) as an instructor and we currently sell North, Cabrinha, and Slingshot.

Andy, the construction/build concern cracks me up. When you say that the only thing that you have heard, do you mean read on forums from people who have interest in other brands and are looking for anything bad to say about the Waroo. They are grabbing at straws. When you do see a Waroo for yourself, you will realize that is right up there as one of the toughest built Bows on the market. People will keep looking for ways to knock down the Waroo...people who haven't seen one...people with other interests...people who work for a shop that doesn't sell them for instance.

That is why I keep encouraging everyone to try all the bow kites then try the waroo. That's pretty much what I did and it's pretty clear to me which kites I want to fly...one of the reasons I took the job with Best...they have some hot kites this year.

as to the Cabs...get in the gym and do some forearm strengthening if you plan to ride one of those this year.

[andyandmarlys]

The construction concern that I heard was from people I know here in the Bay and from friends in Washington. ( I am leaving today to go visit them) I have never even seen a Waroo yet, so like I said, I'll know better myself in few days... And yes, I have heard concerns on the forums too about construction quality of the bar and kite... but anything on a forum I read with skepticism.... I'll just have to see for myself...

Honestly I'd really like to try one (or a couple) out myself. Should get to while in WA...

As for the Cabrinha bar pressure... the Switchblade bar pressure is not heavy, and the Crossbow can be lightened up significantly with an additional pully... If I flew the crossbow, i'd do the pulley mod... If I flew the Waroo, I'd probably do the new waroo bridle mod too.

Andy

Id have to agree with Yuri's assessments on the Bows... except to add the Switchblade, which I think is probably the most stable and has much lighter bar pressure. I have heard good things about the waroo, alot of it hype, but the concern I have heard multiple times is its construction... I should get to ride one later this week and I'll have a more complete view. I have tried the Shockwave 16, Switchblade 9 , Crossbow 9,12,16 (modded and un-modded), LF Assault 12, and extensively the Turbo Diesel 8,10,12 and 14. My favorite of all time is the 10m STD... but I will agree with yuri that it takes slightly more skill to fly.... but man does it turn quick and has great low-end...

To be upfront, I do work at Kitewindsurf (www.kitewindsurf) as an instructor and we currently sell North, Cabrinha, and Slingshot.

Andy, the construction/build concern cracks me up. When you say that the only thing that you have heard, do you mean read on forums from people who have interest in other brands and are looking for anything bad to say about the Waroo. They are grabbing at straws. When you do see a Waroo for yourself, you will realize that is right up there as one of the toughest built Bows on the market. People will keep looking for ways to knock down the Waroo...people who haven't seen one...people with other interests...people who work for a shop that doesn't sell them for instance.

That is why I keep encouraging everyone to try all the bow kites then try the waroo. That's pretty much what I did and it's pretty clear to me which kites I want to fly...one of the reasons I took the job with Best...they have some hot kites this year.

as to the Cabs...get in the gym and do some forearm strengthening if you plan to ride one of those this year.

[Yoda]

You sound like a real salesman! It's always hard to tell the truth when a rep. is boasting their own goods. But I have heard alot of great things about it. Of course my source on the waroo comes from someone who doesnt sell best kites, so who to believe? Of course I would love to try one but that hasnt been a possibility yet here at Alameda. So far the slinghots is my overall favorite, but I havent flown any that dont use pulleys like the waroo,nova and sonic. Damn that one pump is nice though.

I want to say that the creditablity of a most sales reps is generally good. Many sales reps (like me) are independent contractors. Generally we are very particular about what we sell. We have to believe in the products we handle, so we tend to scrutinize every company that approches us. I try out everything I'm considering selling and give it my own tests, just like a consumer at a demo day. If it doesn't meet my expectations then I don't waste my time with it. For me, it's all about the quality and performance of the product(s) and my trust toward the mfg.
My enthusiasm for the brands I sell is no different than a consumer that just had a good experience with a product and wants to spread the word. I never slam the competition, but I'll point out what my brands are doing better and I'm never misleading.
All this being said, I'm the local Ozone rep. I'm very proud to be working with such a reputable company. We are currently the market leader in the foil kite business. Our quality and performance is renowned. In May we will be launching the new "Instinct" LEI. This is Ozone's first water specific kite, but with their kite building background and true R&D (not rip-off and dulplicate) with the bow design, I have no doubt this kite could be the "best bow kite to buy in 2006". I'm looking forward to many demo days this season... I want everyone to fly the "Instinct".
I can tout this kite all day long for its innovative concepts for a bow kite (no pullys, no bridles, no inversion, 5th line), but untill I and all of you have had a chance to fly it and come to our own conclusions, all I can say is hold out on a kite purchase untill you can demo this kite. Trust your "Instinct" and give it a go before purchasing "not the best bow kite to buy in 2006"! Cheers
Check these links -
https://www.bayareakiteboarding.com/about2819.html
http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2325814
http://www.flyozone.com/kitesurf/ksframe.htm

[elli]

People will keep looking for ways to knock down the Waroo...people who haven't seen one...people with other interestsÖ

as to the Cabs...get in the gym and do some forearm strengthening if you plan to ride one of those this year.

The switchblade does not have any significant bar pressure. You probably know that.

What is the purpose of this comment? You really think that people are looking for reasons to say something bad about the Waroo here? Its not kiteforum, it's a local forum. Many people here know each other, so I guess that they think twice before they write something. The nice thing about this forum is that it did not have the type of pimping that you see elsewhere. The shop owners that post here to push gear do it in good taste and they are pretty creditable.

Lets keep it this way.

[OliverG]

I think that Best has taken so much crap in the past, some of it deserved, some of it not, that it's easy to be on the defensive when it comes to comments about the company or products. I don't know anything about the construction, but starting in Baja in January I've heard nothing but good things about it so far. Once we've seen if they are of solid construction we will know. If so, then everyone will just need to accept the fact that they've got a winner and give credit where credits due. I don't think we really see it here on this forum, but elsewhere people have and probably will continue to be more critical of Best than they would be of other companies. But as they say, the proof is in the pudding!