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Re: Caution Kites?

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:29 pm
by sisky
SMILEY FACES!!!! AMAZING!

Re: Caution Kites?

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:16 pm
by Slappysan
What I love about my Caution kite is the super short bridal that makes the kite always come up without any inversions or tangles. If you want a wave kite they are great.

Re: Caution Kites?

Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 4:51 pm
by cdnkiter
Great kites, great price... No bull s$&t :angryfire:

Re: Caution Kites?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 9:06 pm
by cautionsantacruz
HI All,
Caution is still alive and well!
Although we have been designing kites since the early days, second only to Bruno/Wipika, we are still beginners in the media side of things. Obviously, we do not participate much in forums, as you can tell by this threads topic :-) This is mainly because we tend to have the same view as "Dr Makani", "it's 'industry standard' having these semi-honest-user posts..." But I will be 100% honest, S.A. does sell Caution at his shop (but one of his smaller brands). But he is also our harshest critic! His review is 100% honest, trust me.

It's a catch 22;
- If we post, you have "Dr Makani" calling us out for pimping and being "semi-honest".
- If we don't post you have "Thor SFBay" saying we're going under.

We do not like to pimp our own product. Instead, we would like the riders to do that for us. But we also realize we need to let people know what is going on at Caution, and help out our domestic beach ambassadors and international distributor as well.
Worse yet, we do not want to bag on others brands to get ahead... Like a number of other brands team riders do. I.e., "screwfootsc" used to be a rep for Caution, until he found a better deal from another company... We had no bad feelings, actually were good friends, and thought we had parted on good terms. But reading his posts, obviously there is more to selling kites then just making a good product.

We did go to a more direct sales approach, but still have a margin in there for a shop to sell to someone off the street, and still make a descent cut, without having to carry the product and or have any risk.
We have basically extended our "Friends and Family" pricing for the entire USA... as there is no middle man at all.

We are also not "anti-shops" by any means, but when other brands are dumping kites at ridicules pricing, we can't compete. And we can't blame a shop for buying the lower price (higher margin) product either. And it is only natural, that when a shop is getting smaller margins on a product, they will not push it as hard as the "higher margin" product. And in the end, they will buy fewer units of the lower margin unit.. then end up sitting on the product for the season.
At this point a brand becomes hand cuffed, because they can not sell in that area either, due to the fact that they will be undercutting the shop that is sitting on that particular brands, "bought" product.

We have always been a "grass roots" company, for lack of better words. We are not trying to take over the world, but just make a good living doing something we have a passion for. However, we do see the need for more visibility, not only for our current resellers, but also our new domestic and international sellers. We will be putting out a more conscious effort in 2013, to let people know what is going on at Caution... for good or bad, :-)
I can tell you right now, kites are better then ever, the new 2013 bar is great (will have 2013 bar up on website soon). Pre-orders for the next batch of kites (mid Feb) are being taken now.
We do trust 100% in our product, and are sure you will be stoked when you ride it. As ThorSFBay so kindly pointed out, we need more demo's as well... We will be putting a Cali Demo tour together, closer to April, but are also constantly looking for local beach ambassadors.. Please get a hold of me at poul@cautionkites.com, if you have any questions at all.

Thanks,
Poul

Re: Caution Kites?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 9:07 pm
by cautionsantacruz
Sorry forgot to address these concerns;
- We come out with a new kite line, when the new kite line is ready. Not just because some magical date appears on the calender. Yes, we would like to stay on somewhat of a schedule, for our distributors. But we will not introduce a new line, with out every piece being thoroughly tested.
- We have gone back to one kite line due to the fact that our last two kite lines started to morph into one. So there was no real benefit to buy one over the other. Originally we started our second line (Zombie), to be a slower, more stable kite that could be used in schools as well. The 2013 Spitfire is now the perfect combo between the two... It is the kite we all want to use.
- We still toy around with Twin-Tips, but they have never really been our market. Our twin-tips used to be made in SD, which made it easier to get small runs... until the manufacturer closed. However we did just get 20 in, from a South Africa manufacturer. Might start it up again.
- Yes, we do sell SUP's now as well... hopefully that is not part of the reason ThorSFBay feels we will be gone next year? It is another way of getting time on the water... People are loving the boards.

Thanks again,
Poul

Re: Caution Kites?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 9:11 pm
by cautionsantacruz
Oh ya,
sorry about the "brutal" look... cant win them all. :-)

Re: Caution Kites?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 9:47 pm
by mike dubs
Poul,

Good response, keep doing your own thing and stick to what you think is right. Sticking to mainly one kite hasn't done F one any harm either.

Always read good reports of your kites and know you develop them in hard core conditions, would love to try one in the UK one day.

As long as you are making a living and enjoying yourself, thats as good as it gets, bigger isn't always better or more enjoyable.

mike

Re: Caution Kites?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:16 pm
by Thor SFBay
Very thoughtful response, Poul. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to diss you guys. Just from my perspective it looked like you guys were fading away. I've tried to start small businesses before and marketing is the hardest part. Word of mouth is great, but sometimes you have to reach out a little more than that. Websites are great communication tools, you guys should use it a bit more. Hopefully you will do some demos at 3rd Ave and Sherman Island this year - that would be great (post them on Bayareakiteboarding.com please). And as far as SUPs go... I'm a sweeper myself during the off season, so I've got no problem with that.

Re: Caution Kites?

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:13 am
by Dr Makani
Good answer, point taken.
Had friends in Aptos, surfed in Santa Cruz - I can say I know this area well, never owned or tried a Caution kite tho. Santa Cruz and its surfer are a sworn in community. So sometimes I had to bring my Tomahawk dressed in full war paint to get my spot in the line-up.

Good kites (or good gear for that matter) deserve good reviews. Period. That sells best in the long run. Biased and long reviews like S.A.will not help. My advise: Put a lid on it. Seriously.
Have a beach party, set up a waterproof laptop and let all test rider write two or three lines while they get their picture taken. I bet my right pinkie toe that will rock your boat rather these bla-bla reviews.
Like a number of other brands team riders do. I.e., "screwfootsc" used to be a rep for Caution, until he found a better deal from another company... We had no bad feelings, actually were good friends, and thought we had parted on good terms. But reading his posts, obviously there is more to selling kites then just making a good product.
Good riddance. He's the reason I went with Naish. I had the pleasure to 'deal' with him a couple years ago - maybe three? He had the mindset of a car dealer. I think he's with Switch now (Good luck with that). If he was a SoCal rep, I think his map must have run out north of Oceanside. I've never seen him on any of the relevant spots where the deals are brokered.

Anyway ...

I think you guys make a good product, but the marketing cracks the shell. Here's my promise: If I ever get my hands on a Caution kite, I'll write a clear and honest review. My word and pinkie swear

peace

Re: Caution Kites?

Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2016 10:57 pm
by alford
Okay, are they dead or alive? Have asked for prices several times....nothing