Switch kites

1surfer · Sun Aug 03, 14 7:12 pm **Switch kites**

Need some clarification. My buddy from South Florida rides for Switch. He is trying to tell me that Switch kites makes kites that are the same quality and performance of premium kites like Ozone and North, Slingy etc for 1/2 the price. I think he is on crack.... Thoughts about Switch ? ? I just don't see it as a quality product. At least not on the level of the above mentioned. Interested in hearing what people think.

I weigh 230 and kite in a pretty windy place. I ride my 8 Reo ( sometimes my 6 ) about 100 days per year so Im pretty familiar with high wind performance and the kites that I see handling the big winds. I don't see many switch kites in those conditions.

Weaz · Since 23 May 2012 360 Posts Beaverton Obsessed

Switch is a smaller company, I ride them and love them. Bill Hansen is the designer for their kites and has been designing them since near the beginning of the sport. I've abused mine and have had only one bladder repair (slow leak). But hit up a team rider and ride their kite to see if you like them. As to the build quality, it is top notch on par with the big names.

WindSki · Since 14 Dec 2012 402 Posts Portland Obsessed

Good question, here is my 2 cents worth. Or 1 cent

I stared Kiteboarding three years ago. Now have 150 days in.
My first kite was a small, not a known brand from the Caribbean. This was an 11m and I liked the kite. This was a used 11m and was reasonably priced. Then purchased a new 9m from the same company, no problems. Then purchased a 7m. WO, now the 7m would invert all the time when the kite landed on the water. Also very hard to re-invert. Out of 8 days Kiteboarding 7 days the kite inverted. The kite flew with no issues other than the inverting when sitting on top of the water after a crash. I purchased the new kites for $800 each. Good price, but was pissed off about the inverting. Sold all three !! for ½ of what I paid. The lesson in the big picture was not that expensive

The lesson I believe is small companies do not have the time and money to test all their kites and each kite size in all wind condition / speeds. Just because the companies 9m works well and has no issues does not mean they then should not test the other sizes fully. This is kite model, to kite model. Every size, every model needs testing fully.

Now my 7m was not the rider. I purchased a full set of kites, local brand, right after I sold off the Carrabin brand of shit. With the new brand, over 100 days on the water, I have only inverted once.

Another potential issue. All our stuff is made in Chine. Chine manufacturing companies are not trustworthy. They are notorious in changing materials, swapping lower cost parts and materials, and changing specifications without approval from the brand company. This more or less applies to Chinese owned plants, not ones owned by none Chinese or Hong Kong / Taiwan. Large brand companies are less likely to have these issues because they provide larger profit potential to the end manufacture. Small companies are NOT treated equal. THIS does not matter if the end plant is making kites for 10 different kite companies, the small brand company needs to watch out. Small brand companies need a much higher level of quality checks, and this cost money.

For the above two facts I would only buy from one of the large, well know kite brands. In fact, given what I have read even they have issues. I would only buy a kit model after its been out a year or two!!!!

Kiteboarding can be deadly, it's not worth the price. Would you save money for an airplane part or rock climbing part. No way man !

WindSki · Since 14 Dec 2012 402 Posts Portland Obsessed

The Chinese have knock off kite line, nylon fabric, they have everything. If the brand has specified a top quality component such as an EU manufactured line or ext. What prevents the China manufacture from switching to a knock off? Even switching to a knock off for only one shipment? This personally has happened to me. And if you think this does not happen, let me tell you, this is a major issue with even Boeing!! This is my firsthand knowledge, for Boeing has issues with this subject concerning foreign part suppliers all the time. If this happens to Boeing then it happens with a large kite brand and I’m sure even more so with a small no name brand with no money

OG · Since 07 Jun 2011 537 Posts Addicted

i had elements 7 & 9, they were made really well and were killer. They were the open c 3 strut that is pretty popular these days. I've flown a lot of the other open c kites made by other manufacturers and would say that the switch element is at peer level in terms of quality and performance. I saw recently that they have a money back guarantee too.

Oh ya, had the method 12 wave kite too. was also well made, did all of the fundamental stuff well (rig/launch/relaunch/upwind) but had a lot of bar pressure as in A LOT!. i did the drift thing well and had a lot of range, but i didn't dig it that much. But, mainly just because the bar pressure was pretty big time.

Alll that said, Id get the elements again if i was in the market for kites and the performance style of the open c stuff.

FR8 · Since 09 Feb 2010 5 Posts indianola wa Kook

I am a team rider/rep/friend of Switch peeps

Got hooked up with a kite while visiting home on Oahu. Felix put a 10 Nitro in my hands and I have been riding Switch Kites since. I have bought 8 kites over the last 3/4 years. I started on Nitros, switched to the Method V2 for the surf and just recently got the Element 3. I been very satisfied with the quality. I did get one kite with the wrong bridal and was once shipped the wrong kite but the customer service is top notch and both issues were taken care of promptly. I guess that's a risk you take with online ordering, but for the price break and customer service I received I am willing to put up with these nuances.

Their business model of shipping direct from the factory is what lets them keep the price down. Take a look at their website to get the specifics of the materials, construction methods as well as the lab testing they put the gear thru.

If you see one on the beach go check it out for yourself you may be surprised.

Your friend in South Florida may be on crack but hes right about the kites Wink

Weaz · Since 23 May 2012 360 Posts Beaverton Obsessed

That and one of the top wake style pro's tide switch.

Wind Slither · Since 04 Mar 2005 2575 Posts The 503 METAL

If you've tested a kite that runs as nice as the Reo's I would like to hear more!