Best BOW Kite to Buy In 2006?

[kitekarl]

I got in about 60 days last season on my xbows however, for the last week I've been riding my new 12M waroo. Some observations: the xbow seems a bit more stable on the LE and both turn equally fast. The bar pressure is quite a bit higher on the xbow as the stock setup. I like the feel of the waroo better as the bar has no pulleys. The large inflation valve on the xbow sucks. It has a weak piece of plastic holding the cap on and can twist the bladder if the tab isn't pinched while tightening. The stopper ball on the xbow is a joke and needs to be re-designed. It's very tight to start and then quickly wears and doesn't hold at all so needs to be replaced often. Cabrinha has a subcontractor handling their warranty claims and are not expedient in handling them. There is an appeal process that needs to be done and it took me a couple of months and some correspondence to get some poor stitching warranteed and to get the replacement xbow. I find Best's warranty much easier to deal with but I was riding Best C-kites since they started and their customer service has always been forthright even though at times they don't seem that well organized. Quality on Bests kites has never been a problem except for the obvious hellfish fiasco. I did break a Best bar that was a year old a few weeks ago and notice that they haven't redesigned the weak point where the plastic leader connection screws onto the bar. That remains a point of contention on the waroo bar. That said, for price, quality, performance and customer support I'd still go with the waroo. I did get to take a look at the Ozone instinct today and it looked like a real solid kite in terms of build quality and stability in the air so I'd love to give that a try too.

[robertovillate]

Bottom line IMHO:

I've used and taught with many of the bow kites: Naish, Cabrinha, Caution, GK Sonic, Waroo, Flexifoil...

I personally have 7-9-16 Waroos and 12+15 Flexifoil. The Flexi's may be better for an experienced rider who likes "C" kite feel, otherwise I cannot come up with any logical reasons not to go with a Waroo...they are pretty awesome. The waroo bar is great, the bag is nice and simple and functional, they relaunch stupid easy and fly great too.

[jmayot]

I own a xbow and do not need to go the gym anymore! I love my xbow for that, it is great exercise and keeps me in shape. Happy bar pressure everybody!