North Vegas as first kite

baypirate · Post by **baypirate** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:30 am

Wow, guys, looks like I elicit fierce loyalties! Thanks for all the insights. To throw more gasoline, it also looks like there are a few (used) Cabrinhas 06 for sale (Switchblade/Contra), I'd love to play the rookie part and take old gear of people's hands!

I figure my priorities as beginner would be depower, forgiveness, relaunch - points you guys touched upon. Bar pressure is probably a big no-no for a newbie, from my experience with other sports having to muscle for control develops bad habits.

Great inputs, thanks again!

michael · Post by **michael** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:00 am

Check out the classifieds on this forum, I saw a brand new BEST bar for a ridiculous price of $125:

https://www.bayareakiteboarding.com/ads_item.php?id=524

Also, keep in mind BEST kites come with 90-day warranty and 30-day money back guarantee.

adamrod · Post by **adamrod** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:42 am

you're talking about really different kites here. Vegas, Switchblade, Waroo . . . they all have their pros and cons. and you'll learn OK on any of them.

I would actually recommend basing your purchase on yet another variable. of the kiters you know and ride with, what do they ride? Often, a big issue newbies have is tuning their gear, so for instance, if everyone you know rides Vegas' and you get a Cabrinha, they're not going to be able to help you out as much and vice versa.

also, what type of kite did you learn on? If you took all your lessons on a bow kite and get a C kite as your first kite, you might have some issues. Dave touched on this- he learned on C's and switched to SLEs and had some troubles.

I usually recommend people get a kite really similar to what they learned on. that way they already know the intricacies of how to relaunch it, and they have some experience on how it flies. having friends riding the same kites helps too, because like it or not, all kites have their issues, so it's handy to be able to ask more experienced kiters for advice.

elli · Post by **elli** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:15 pm

I am not sponsored, but I do have a kite for sale, so I am kind of in one camp.

The best safety system is let go of the bar. That it what you get on SLEs/bows, this is what you should get as a beginner.

5th line: The disadvantages overweight the advantages by a fair margin, and I would be all over the North Rebel if it had 4 lines.

Yuri is right on the point of safety, some 4 line kites go nuts when released on a single line, but not all of them do it. Stay away from the ones that do.

Bar pressure is a plus for a beginner, not a problem. We are not talking about something that requires you to go to the gym of use a lot of force, it is more of a feel thing. I don’t know what your idea is about bar pressure. There were only few kites that the bar pressure was high to the point it was a problem, like earlier crossbows and even those normally had fixes.

Re Waroo, it will be fine for learning. I haven’t flown the 08 but flown and owned previous, there are definitely a lot better kites out there performance wise. Construction is on par with the price. Just realize that. Do not come complaining later that you kite blew up like many beginners do. Best bar is probably the lowest quality bar out there (at least from what I have seen and I have seen a few). I would be very careful about getting it new and for sure stay away from it used unless it is near new condition.

I switched from Waroo to switchblade, best kite move I ever did. Fell into the Waroo hype, turned up not to be true. Tested the switchblade, 10 minutes all it took, it is what it says on the box.

dz · Post by dz » Thu Jul 17, 2008 6:40 pm

I'm a beginner learning this year and very happy w/ '06 Vegas as a kite to learn on. I was confident in buying the Vegas because I had done a lesson on one, and also so many people recommended it to me as a beginner kite.

(I also got an 07 Vegas, I don't think there is much difference EXCEPT be very careful to check the T-Valves, as the early batch were defective and easily crack w/ age, North will replace them for free but good luck contacting North.)

also tried Slingshot Turbo2 and Rev: very nice for beginners because very easy to water relaunch, and on beach you can just park them on edge of the window w/ kite sitting on the water your hands free to adjust anything. But for self-landing I think the 5th line on Vegas may be better for beginners because the kite is more easily managed when Safety-released to the 5th-center-line, I think this matters more in higher winds, but it may be a consideration both in terms of safety and not trashing your kite while learning?

also tried an Ozone SLE, also thought it was good, stable kite, good for beginners.

super_monkey · Post by **super_monkey** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:15 pm

Haven't read all the responses but my GFs first kite was a 06 7m Vegas and after flying others in between she said 'They suck' because they are 'sooo slow'. I think the Vegas is the best kite EVER! I sold my 06s to a friend of mine who learned on them as well and he loves them.

baypirate · Post by **baypirate** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:07 am

guys, much food for thought, thanks.

To answer an earlier question, I took my lessons on Hypertype II (RRD) and I've been pitched this as a kite that I won't outgrow for a while (i.e. better upwind calability once I get there etc.). However, it's x1.5 what I'd pay for my budget options (and $400), I figure by the beginning of next season I can make a proper choice with the difference.

Layman's interpretation seem to be that the Vegas is an acquired taste (addiction?! nothing wrong with that, don't get me wrong) and the Waroos are pretty much poor man's kite. I guess I'll have to take the plunge one way or the other and report back progress.

bobbyboom · Post by **bobbyboom** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:49 am

disclaimer, I too am a local north rider. I guess everyone is. Hee hee. :)

I have not flown the 08 Vegas so I'm not sure if the 06 bar will work on it. i don't see why not personally, but you may want to ask one of the other Vegas riders.

I did ride/test the 07 Vegas and I simply did not think the kite was stable. yes, I'm a team rider and yes i think North is the best and I'm not just saying that. I think they were smart to go back to the 06 and innovate on top of that kite to get the 08 Vegas instead of trying to improve the 07.

I agree with Zev that the Vegas can be just as a beginner kite as any other. Once you start throwing kiteloops you will notice the Vegas has MASSIVE power in the loops, but it could be quite a LONG time before you start throwing this kind of trick. Enjoy!

-BOOM

jjm · Post by **jjm** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 1:42 pm

... but it could be quite a LONG time before you start throwing this kind of trick. Enjoy!

-BOOM

Intentionally :P

al-kite-a · Post by **al-kite-a** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 1:48 pm

Does anybody ride North that is not a team rider :)

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North Vegas as first kite

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