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How is Switch going?

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plummet
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How is Switch going?

Postby plummet » Tue Jan 03, 2017 7:43 pm

Haven't seen any conversations about switch kites on the forums of late.

How are they going? Are people seeing more of them at there local?

Here there is no change. One couple has a set of switch kites and that's it.

How are the latest kites flying?

Bushflyr
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Re: How is Switch going?

Postby Bushflyr » Tue Jan 03, 2017 7:47 pm

Plenty of guys at Kailua are flying the new Switch Element 5. I flew the Element 4 and thought it was a total dog, but locals are claiming the 5 is totally different. FWIW.

felixp
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Re: How is Switch going?

Postby felixp » Tue Jan 03, 2017 8:11 pm

Lot of guys here on the North shore of Oahu loving their Element5. Crew from Guam also holding the flag super high.
Some really cool things in the works for 2017.
Come over to Oahu sometime plummet would be nice to ride with you.
Hope you have a windy 2017.
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Faxie
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Re: How is Switch going?

Postby Faxie » Tue Jan 03, 2017 8:20 pm

Depends on the beach... I have around 6 spots that I visit regularly, and you can definitely tell what the nearby dealers are selling. One spot a lot of Best, 2 others a lot of F-One and Slingshot, one with a lot North/Cab/Naish and one with a lot of Airushes. Don't really see al lot of Switches on any of those spots, but every few sessions there's a Switch rider. Most of the times Nitro's.

But you don't see any small brand on a regular basis over here. 90% Cab/North/SS/F-One/Ozone/Naish/Best. And Zian is going strong too.

Still haven't flown anything convincing enough to make me ditch my Elements. Similar to Reo's if you ask me. Bit more punch. Love them!

plummet
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Re: How is Switch going?

Postby plummet » Wed Jan 04, 2017 1:43 am

felixp wrote:Lot of guys here on the North shore of Oahu loving their Element5. Crew from Guam also holding the flag super high.
Some really cool things in the works for 2017.
Come over to Oahu sometime plummet would be nice to ride with you.
Hope you have a windy 2017.
Thanks for the offer man, but i'm highly unlikely to be in Hawaii any time soon, or any time long term for that matter.

So far 2017 is 100% windy!

Do-it
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Re: How is Switch going?

Postby Do-it » Wed Jan 04, 2017 2:59 am

I'd like to get my hands on a legacy or even better a legacy 2

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jeromeL
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Re: How is Switch going?

Postby jeromeL » Wed Jan 04, 2017 4:04 am

If you go on switch website they have a demo program where you get rewarded points for demoing your gear, you can see if anyone in your area has any switch gear to demo.
My friend has a legacy 1 12m. There are a few nitro here and there too.

Almost got a legacy 2 9m but ended up getting GP instead, couldn't wait for the 2 to come out..

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Re: How is Switch going?

Postby OzBungy » Wed Jan 04, 2017 5:01 am

Switch have recently brought out the Element 5, and more recently the Nitro 6. Apparently in early 2017 they're bringing out a single strut kite that would be suitable for foiling. Those are signs of a healthy company so far. None of the usual silence that you get when brands disappear.

I have a couple of Elements and they work just fine as surf kites. Really good construction and materials. The kites like a bit of back line tension. The Element 4 is a bot nasty at the top end of its wind range. It tends to flutter and luff and buck around a bit. It doesn't do anything bad but it's not as comfortable as my Cabrinha kites.

The bar is a bit agricultural but it works well. It's no worse than any bar from a major manufacturer from a year or so ago. It needs an update to be comparable to the current bars with plastic coated centre line, padded ends and integrated floats. Again, it hasn't done anything bad but the potential for tangles is not confidence inspiring.

My only real complaint about Switch is that all the kite marketing focusses on TT freestyle and strapless wave riding. There's no information to help in decision making for strapped surfboard and foil riding. We have a few people riding Elements with foilboards (including me). I have no idea if the Nitro would be a better board for foiling and lighter winds.

Similarly, the Helium 2 looks like a nice lightwind kite but all you see is TT riding on the web site. The specifications and requirements of a lightwind kite are very different for TT and foiling.

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Re: How is Switch going?

Postby felixp » Wed Jan 04, 2017 6:11 am

Hi Oz.
Some very valid points and I can help you with a few.
With my many years of riding waves behind a kite. Todays kites out on the Market that are wave specific work well if you are riding strapped or un strapped. Drift and turning speed being key.
There are a few that have a good drift but do not react making it hard on the strapped guys that tend to want to fly the kite more to get the power. The Element5 has both of these making it a great strapped and strapless kite.
The only reason we have not featured strapped guys in our Element footage is that they are a little hard to find in our locations.
They are out there loving the kites.

We have had some great feed back regarding foiling on our gear having a mixed bag of preferences regarding Nitro and Element.
Lot of guys enjoying the Elements due to their great drift.
The Nitro6 has also stepped up in the foil world getting some great feed back..

A little feed back I received from a Demo Center in Melbourne Australia.

Happy New Year.

"The people who tried the Nitro6 just loved it. Feedback from riders is the beautiful colors and noticeably fast turning speed, easy to ride.
I had a go with my hydrofoil and was just amazing looking other kites from the top when jumps. No matter how high I was the kite keep the tension in the center lines and glide nicely without loosing its position.
In my opinion, the Nitro6 has reached a very good stage.it feels really light,fast and easy to control and still powerful.
I noticed that on a brand new bar, to balance the tension of the center line. I set the rear lines on the top knot and boosts even more."

Also some foiling action in the Caribbean Nitro6

https://vimeo.com/197828825

Lot of stoke out there. Awesome to see.
Cheers
Felix.

plummet
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Re: How is Switch going?

Postby plummet » Wed Jan 04, 2017 7:02 am

A single strut foiling kite in the 4m size would be interesting.


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