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plummet wrote:

Faxie wrote:
Why should I justify the low price? The quality and performance is not imaginary

And you don't have to buy the kites to test them. If you do, that's a risk you take.

But they shouldn't keep raising the price, I agree. That way they will lose their benefits compared to other brands.

The CL of the bar is repainted (maybe lighter as well, but I'm not sure about that yet), and I think the organiser is the same as well. The rest is all brand new...

On a sidenote: An online only brand that still offers guarantee can't afford to sell crappy kites, because the costs for al the returns would be skyhigh.

And I like high bar pressure. Low pressure is for pussies

Are you a "team rider" faxie? or are you a stoked guy who paid full retail for the kites? you sound like a "team rider".

I'm not a teamrider. I'm just very satisfied with the kites. And other kites didn't really convince me that much yet on demodays. Only one I really liked was the C4. The rest was good but not great, or didn't like them at all. Build quality wise and performance wise.

Thanks for the review on the V3!
I was afraid it might still have that crazy pull. That was my biggest quip with the V2 and the reason I sold it so quickly. It would't allow me to ride oldschool and kept yanking my off my edge.
Hows the depower improvement on it?
Looks like I'll be sticking with edges for another year but I'll probably get myself a new switch bar since they flag to single front line now.

Plummet's original post asked about a performance gap.

How a kite flies and how it behaves at the bar, is by far the major consideration in what kite model I want.

....everything else is very secondary.

Build quality is pretty darn good on twenty different brands, so that is pretty much a given these days.
There are only two brands that I thought were poorly constructed in the last four years of trying different stuff.
I think Switch is making very well constructed kites.
I've had some challenges with the V1 Switch bar, the new one looks heaps better.

Price is a consideration, but I would rather buy a good flying used kite, than a bad new one.
It is shocking how much a few expensive brands ask for kites that fly pretty mediocre.

I look forward to Westozzy's upcoming Element 2 and Nitro 3 demos.

Oh that's right you want me to get on the element as well, thanks for the reminder man. Yeh can't wait to try the nitro. Just got off the new 9m evo and VX, but at their low end. Very interesting indeed. Trying to get inside the designers head is the fun part as you fly. I then got on my mates 12 dice just to get my dice fix. Couldn't have ridden three more different kites lol!!!

got some opposite view than some people here

the element v1 I tried had such a light bar that feel disconnect, my feeling is Switch target this model to a too wider audience and then fine tune bar pressure to a too much of extreme

also on the weight side think it does take a toll on the bigger sizes and I like solid kites that many people may call´em slow, not mosquitos fast ones, but then there is a difference between solid and slugghish. I wouldn´t buy a sturdy/heavy kite on sizes +10m

by other hand also do not believe a sturdy/heavy construction necessarily mean the kite will last longer, in occasions guess it could be actually worst - thinking all those times I tomahawk my gear


i was close to get a Combat V1 but not only was not able to find a team rider close by for a demo, as well as was put off by multiple reports saying that the battens tend to rip through the pocket on a hard crash (and knowing this was a bit of disappointement, to be honest, it is one of those things i see as a design flaw that should had been catch during development)

in any case if switch keep developing their gear and keep prices low i will probably get something somewhere in the future

Im curious if as previously stated that their good enough for marc jacobs and team crew... nice chop hops in the pics too

Are they responsible for my 8m Nitro 2 I tried once and left in the garage ??

Interestingly enough I demoed back to back with the 2013 7m Edge in 25knots - the Edge easily did everything better...

The Nitro V3 better live up to its hype adds as the 'Crew' creds dont mean jack!

P.s Switch - whatever you do, Dont make the 12 and smaller kites lighter !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I find it very interesting that none of the kite magazines include Switch in their kite review sections. It is almost like if you don't play the game like the other company's you don't get any recognition. But it doesnt matter. It is so easy to demo one that Switch doesnt need a kite magazine to push their gear. It is awesome how Marc Jacobs is #2 in the world on pkra tour. This free advertising and cred has to piss off the big manufactures. Not only does Switch make it easy to demo their kites they also make the sport more accessible by price. Now with the Nitro v3 money back guarantee, its hard to not give one a try. I am a team rider.

[quote="toddalbinson"]I find it very interesting that none of the kite magazines include Switch in their kite review sections. [quote]

There's an easy answer to that. Switch don't advertise in their mags, So they don't review the kites.

Its the same reason why toby removed all switch reviews on the forum when they began. They didn't pay for advertising on the forum and where trying to get free advertising by brand reps posting reviews. Once they started paying for advertising they where free to have team riders post reviews.

[quote="ShaveTheWhales"]Im curious if as previously stated that their good enough for marc jacobs and team crew... [quote]

Marc Jacobs could fly a plastic bag attached to a couple of broom handles and still do well. As could all of the top competitors. For wake style I honestly don't think you need a really high perfoming kite to do well. its far more about the rider than the equipment in that discipline.

Now course racing is more equipment dependant. If your kite is crap upwind you will loose no matter how good you are.

toddalbinson wrote:I find it very interesting that none of the kite magazines include Switch in their kite review sections.

From what I understand companies have to pay magazines to review their kites. Basically kite reviews in magazines are a waste of time.