Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Best bankrupt? Not bankrupt!

Forum for kitesurfers
robisibo
Rare Poster
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 1:20 pm
Gear: Kahoona V6+ 5.5, 7.5, 9.5
Liquid Force Solo V3 15.5
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby robisibo » Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:15 am

On the official German Best website they do announce that they will shut down :(

https://www.kiteboarding-best.de/

User avatar
Peert
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 513
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:38 am
Local Beach: Kijkduin, IJmuiden, Schellinkhout, Wijk aan Zee, Marina, Mirns.
Style: Freeride
Gear: Best Roca 4m, Naish Boxer 6 and 9m, GA Pure 8m Naish Trip 10m, Gong strutless 11m Modded Waroo 14m.
Mako 135x38 Mako 140x40 & Mako King 165x45, Crazyfly Bulldozer, T40 Moses Vorace Hydrofoil + Gong Wings
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Amsterdam
Has thanked: 13 times
Been thanked: 23 times

Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby Peert » Fri Dec 22, 2017 2:30 pm

robisibo wrote:
Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:15 am
On the official German Best website they do announce that they will shut down :(

https://www.kiteboarding-best.de/
I am not a native speaker in German, but I believe they state they won't be selling Best anymore. Not that the brand itself will stop. Could still be that Best is going through significant changes in strategy and will be a direct sale formula again.

halloi
Medium Poster
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 12:23 am
Gear: kites and boards
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby halloi » Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:28 pm

Tone wrote:
Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:58 pm
I've seen so many QRs go pop for no reason means I have nothing good to say.
what does the best bar have to do with their kites?
I fly my Best Kites with BWS Undertow Bars since day one just because I dont like the Best bar diameter.
pretty easy fix no? :naughty:


thick diameter, soft bar ends (no dings) , adjustable chicken loop, thicker lines :thumb:
Image



...now ask me why they discontinued it to replace it for a click bar type game changer :angryfire: :redangry:

User avatar
Flyboy
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2715
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2002 1:00 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 157 times
Been thanked: 288 times

Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby Flyboy » Fri Dec 22, 2017 7:39 pm

Tone wrote:
Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:58 pm
I remember when they had the Waroo on a 3 for 2 deal and at the time that kite was amazing! all that depower meant it went to the moon! The last kite I owned by them was the Nemesis, I think 2008/9. Great kite. Since then they were a shit shower for kites. The latest TS seems good but the fact that I've seen so many QRs go pop for no reason means I have nothing good to say.

They were once really cutting edge but as soon as the business model cut in, they went to shit.

What QRs went "pop"? Are you talking about a specific year? I used older Best bars (ca. 2009 I think) for a few years - I don't remember the QR ever releasing accidentally. My daughter has been using a 2014 bar for a couple of years - it's never released accidentally. The thing is every brands have had issues with one thing or another over the years: CK loops, depower systems, kite valves, stitching etc. The "big brands" no less than others. Also I'm not sure what you mean by:
as soon as the business model cut in, they went to shit

Matteo V
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby Matteo V » Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:04 pm

Flyboy wrote:
Fri Dec 22, 2017 7:39 pm

What QRs went "pop"? Are you talking about a specific year?
2010,2011 bars had a MFG defect where the ball stopper at the end of the CL loop was not chamfered. This put the CL line in a sharp 90° bend over a sharp corner that cut through the line making the CL impossible to reload after several sessions of normal use. In 2012, they had decent enough quality control, given the number of instances of the line failing on prior bars to ignore this issue on the 2012 bar which was very similar to the 2010 and 2011 CL release.

For 2010, 2011, and 2012 (2012 had a different cuff but same internal parts) the design was defective entirely due to a piece of plastic being used in tension where deformation (elongation) resulted in "phantom" releases, and eventually a complete inability to stay loaded. Realization of this engineering mistake was why Best likely abandoned the design in 2013. If you have this bar, and weigh over 200lbs (90kg), it will not hold the forces you will generate with any kite you use it on. If you are less than 170lbs (75kg), the CL would last a long time but eventually fail. If you weigh significantly less than 170lbs, there is a chance the CL would not go out of tolerance within the life of the rest of the parts on the bar.

The 2013-2015 bar also had a similar issue that I did not experience personally to the same degree I did with the 2010-2012 CL release design. Apparently the tab would break off and render that model unable to reload. Best did warn customers about this, but did not issue a recall, nor did it offer any warranty as Best would just claim "the kiter was bending it, against Best's warning".

In 2016, Best started using a North CL release that was just re-branded with the Best logo. This release is one of the industries first near 100% reliable releases with no quirks or well known issues.
Flyboy wrote:
Fri Dec 22, 2017 7:39 pm
Also I'm not sure what you mean by:
as soon as the business model cut in, they went to shit
Here is what Shannon Best said when leaving best - though more info came out later as to the shady dealings of the company on top of this.
As the company expanded, our controlling investor’ priorities shifted and a new management team was hired. I never got involved into the finance or management of the company and had little to say at the time but the dwindling bottom line became the most important thing and the bean counters stepped in, attempting to control not only the business but also the design and development of our products. This was catastrophic and their involvement led to poor quality and failed designs resulting in a collapse of the sales. Although touting his Harvard degree and proclaiming to be the only one qualified enough to manage a company of that size, the new CEO proved to bring about the collapse of Best Kiteboarding from a $21 million a year of sales to less than $4 million last year.
From this link: https://www.air-head.com/2013/08/shanno ... urf-brand/

User avatar
jumptheshark
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2169
Joined: Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:36 pm
Local Beach: Shhhhh
Favorite Beaches: Nude
Gear: The good stuff
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 387 times
Been thanked: 707 times

Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby jumptheshark » Fri Dec 22, 2017 10:30 pm

halloi wrote:
Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:28 pm

I fly my Best Kites with BWS Undertow Bars since day one just because I dont like the Best bar diameter.
pretty easy fix no? :naughty:


thick diameter, soft bar ends (no dings) , adjustable chicken loop, thicker lines :thumb:
Image



...now ask me why they discontinued it to replace it for a click bar type game changer :angryfire: :redangry:
So true, BWS refine to a truly sweet bar, and drop it for the new thing.

Massivemick
Rare Poster
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2017 8:20 pm
Local Beach: Bantham, UK
Style: freeride
Gear: Best TS 7 & 8m
Best Roca 10 & 12m
Best Armada TT
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 0

Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby Massivemick » Fri Dec 22, 2017 10:50 pm

Peert wrote:
Wed Dec 20, 2017 3:42 pm
Peert wrote:
Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:06 pm
I have also updated my quiver with 2017 Best Kites.

4m Roca (250€) + a 2017 BLK bar(180€) via Kitemana.nl (delivered the next day) + two cool t-shirts :D
7 & 9m Cabo via Surfpirates.de (together 853€) (delivered two days later)
11m Roca + Red Bar (Together 700€) via the Best site.... ordered on Black Friday, nothing delivered to date :roll: :x :o :oops: :angryfire: Best does respond quickly when I send mails and report they have shipped the kite (SEUR /DPD). The tracking worked for a day or two but since then the kite disappeared from the tracking system. So probably not Bests fault but.... bad luck... lets see what happens. I will keep you posted..

A quiver of 2017 kites 4,7,9,11m plus two bars for just under 2000€ not too bad I would say... but that last package....
My order directly from the best website has arrived!
So i can confirm Best is still alive.

I think the delayed delivery was mainly due to DPD the logistics provider they use.. I must say that Bests response to emails was fine. From their side they did their best to find out where the package was hanging out.
excellent, hope you're enjoying that new quiver, i'm loving my new 2017 kites.

I can't comment on what's happened behind the scene but i can comment on their 2017 Roca's and TS and i think they're great kites (build quality & handing) as are their 2016 / 2017 bars.

oh and In my recent experience, i have also found their customer service / comunication etc to be spot on. :D

Massivemick
Rare Poster
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2017 8:20 pm
Local Beach: Bantham, UK
Style: freeride
Gear: Best TS 7 & 8m
Best Roca 10 & 12m
Best Armada TT
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 0

Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby Massivemick » Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:00 pm

Massivemick wrote:
Fri Dec 22, 2017 10:50 pm
Peert wrote:
Wed Dec 20, 2017 3:42 pm
Peert wrote:
Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:06 pm
I have also updated my quiver with 2017 Best Kites.

4m Roca (250€) + a 2017 BLK bar(180€) via Kitemana.nl (delivered the next day) + two cool t-shirts :D
7 & 9m Cabo via Surfpirates.de (together 853€) (delivered two days later)
11m Roca + Red Bar (Together 700€) via the Best site.... ordered on Black Friday, nothing delivered to date :roll: :x :o :oops: :angryfire: Best does respond quickly when I send mails and report they have shipped the kite (SEUR /DPD). The tracking worked for a day or two but since then the kite disappeared from the tracking system. So probably not Bests fault but.... bad luck... lets see what happens. I will keep you posted..

A quiver of 2017 kites 4,7,9,11m plus two bars for just under 2000€ not too bad I would say... but that last package....
My order directly from the best website has arrived!
So i can confirm Best is still alive.

I think the delayed delivery was mainly due to DPD the logistics provider they use.. I must say that Bests response to emails was fine. From their side they did their best to find out where the package was hanging out.
excellent, hope you're enjoying that new quiver, i'm loving my new 2017 kites.

I can't comment on what's happened behind the scene but i can comment on their 2017 Roca's and TS and i think they're great kites (build quality & handing) as are their 2016 / 2017 bars.

oh and In my recent experience, i have also found their customer service / comunication etc to be spot on. :D
download/file.php?mode=view&id=81509
Attachments
IMG_5881.JPG

User avatar
purdyd
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2298
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 1:00 am
Has thanked: 281 times
Been thanked: 345 times

Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby purdyd » Sat Dec 23, 2017 8:47 pm

I rode best kites from the first Waroo up until this year. Best as I knew it is gone. The people that made it a great brand have moved on.

User avatar
pixelpedro
Frequent Poster
Posts: 469
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:01 am
Local Beach: not telling
Favorite Beaches: So far: Santa Cruz, Pismo, Hood River
Style: lil this ... lil dat
Gear: The one that flies and floats
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: South Florida
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 2 times
Contact:

Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby pixelpedro » Sun Dec 24, 2017 7:03 am

halloi wrote:
Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:28 pm
what does the best bar have to do with their kites?
I fly my Best Kites with BWS Undertow Bars since day one just because I dont like the Best bar diameter.
pretty easy fix no? :naughty:

thick diameter, soft bar ends (no dings) , adjustable chicken loop, thicker lines :thumb:
Image

...now ask me why they discontinued it to replace it for a click bar type game changer :angryfire: :redangry:


Totally agree! I was just thinking the same thing the other day, I noticed that seems like the dude @ tona (Tonalife.com) are getting ito the kite biz or @ least toying with the idea and notice on one of Jake's videos that they're using this same bar, I hope they do cause ima snatch me one. BWS if ur reading this ... that undertow bar rocked!


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Abaltasis, airsail, Bing [Bot], Blackened, bshmng, DanielorDani, decay, elrizo, FunOnTheWater, gl, Indulang, jjm, joop, Manxman, omg, SENDIT!, Vivo3d, Xtream and 417 guests