Ozone edge V8 stitching on leading edge

[corbett]

Matten wants to know how much he should pump his kite. Don't be embarrassed son, the Dutch should be used to being ridiculed!

P.S What do you find more tiring, pumping your bicycle tire or kite?

[marlboroughman]

There is another issue here in addition to lack of reinforcement strip. By the way, the one Ozone used in the past, light weight adhesive dacron tape was just fine. OK, the second problem is they went to thicker thread. This is a mistake that not only Ozone is making, other manufacturers are adding webings and thicker threads. Once you use thicker thread you need to use thicker needles. This dacron has low tolerance for big holes, it starts to run. So in Ozone case you have no reinforcement and big holes = disaster. Ozone had it right before, except when they made a mistake circa 2007 of sticking reinforcement away from the edge of a dacron so the stitching went trough just one layer, fixed few of those back in the days.

[teabaggin]

Thanks for your post Hannay , I really do appreciate it because now all the facts can be shown . I am very impressed with the performance of the Edge V8 but the build quality has really let me down.
Here is how the timeline happened
1 : When I first pumped new V8 13m edge up to specs on gauge I noticed that the LE bulged out a bit either side of segment join and thought that must be how the kites are .
2: After 3 mths I noticed the material minimally torn at stitching on LE just outside of first struts off centre shown in previous posts
3: Another local guy had bought same kite as mine edge V8 13m 4 mths after me and when pumped up LE looked same as mine as in 1 and both of us felt that it must be how they are.
4: After 6 -7 mths I noticed other local guys V8 13m edge had similar issues
5 : After 7 mths this area of stitching on LE got worse and that is when I claimed warranty at Kitepower . They took photos and said your ok to keep using the kite in the meantime.
6 : I then put post up on Kiteforum to ask if there were any other Edge V8 out there that had similar issues because I knew of 2 that did which is why I put claim in
7: I was then told from both Ozone Country Managers that Ozone denied the claim and the kite has been enormously overinflated not by me but I had left it on hot sand until it nearly exploded, but as a goodwill gesture from our shop Kitepower we will repair that area near the struts. I told Kitepower that I had put a post up on Kiteforum asking if there were other kites out there with similar issues
8: I felt as though I should have persisted with the claim but if that seam tore open I would have had more problems so I accepted to have it repaired.
9: The Sailmaker that Kitepower uses I have known for 15 years so I knew he would do a quality repair.

These are the photos that Kitepower used to determine that my kite was overinflated

This is the kite Kitepower compared it to which isn't even a V8 but a 2014 10m edge

These are photos of other locals V8 13m edge taken whilst my kite was being repaired at Sailmakers

IMG_4617.jpg (104.19 KiB) Viewed 2056 times

IMG_4618.jpg (44.14 KiB) Viewed 2056 times

Next photo is serial number of other locals V8 Edge which just happens to be 1 number after mine

CAM00280.jpg (56.88 KiB) Viewed 2056 times

I asked the Australian Country Managers to pump up another new V8 13 Metre edge that they have in there shop to have a look at its shape but they refused.
So Ozone you say my kite has been overinflated proven by the photos above yet I see another kite bought 4 mths after at my local that looks the same .
Could the factory have made a mistake on the diameter of LE where the segments are joined which I did ask the Country Managers to look into but they dismissed it
The repaired kite flys fine . There are areas on LE along the closure seam further along from the repair that I am concerned about but they aren't as bad as the repaired area was.I feel that the whole closure seam along entire LE should have been repaired.

[Kamikuza]

IMG_4618 is either an over-inflated kite to the point of absurdity or something is seriously wrong with the manufacture of it.

[flybykite]

Based on the images, Could it be a problem in the 13m v8 size only? I've been flying edges only for the past 4 years and currently. I don't own a 13m edge but I have 15m 2014, 11m 2013, 9m 2013, 2x 9m v8's and 7m v8. None of the kites show this buldging problem near the stitching.

I've never had a warranty claim but I will absolutey echo the poor claims of durability and longevity from my personal experiences. V8 did change the canopy this year to D2 ripstop which was a nice touch (2 ripstop threads running each direction).
Both my 9 and 11m 2013 kites started going through numerous repairs (almost weekly) after 1.5 years or approx. 120-150 sessions each. Leading edge material gets weak and starts to split while pumping even in areas without any scratches or damage at all. I did experience a stitching failure on the LE in this time also while pumping but simply paid to have it repaired so I could kite that day. Both the 9 and 11 2013 kites were torn completely in half (including the bladder) at the end of their life after dropping them in very small mush (the kind of mushy waves near shore a mother would take her toddler into for some action). I'll take responsibility for these as I didn't release completely with either but I was quite surprised by how little effort it took.
Now I sell my edges just before 1 year comes and get new ones. I'm on my 2nd 9m v8.
I can't praise the wing design enough, I absolutely love it but........ I know that I'll need to shell out over $1000 USD per kite/per year to continue riding ones that I trust not to fail.
Right now if I found a kite comparable to the edge with build construction to the likes of Switch or with their pricing, I don't think I'd hesitate to jump ship.
I'd personally be willing to sacrifice a bit more weight in the kite for a beefier build. Now that the chrono is taking the spotlight in race and most edge riders are using the kite for boost/free ride, perhaps you'll consider this as constructive criticism.
All respects, I would not be at my current level without this great wing.

[thetrash]

The only time I had a warranty issue with Ozone for a broken kite they replaced it very quickly. Im still going to buy them

[mattenzuchtig]

Do I capture it right, that once a kite has been blown up too hard, the deformation along the seams stays?
thx
Matti

[Cees Kerkmeijer]

Another interesting post regarding LE issues of the Ozone Edge:

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kite ... rs/?page=1

[Kamikuza]

Another interesting post regarding LE issues of the Ozone Edge:

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kite ... rs/?page=1

Seems Ozone owners are a careless, ham-fisted lot.

[mattenzuchtig]

I was thinking in buying a set of Ozone Reo's 2016...but really it is making me doubt if this would be the right choise, I have flown the reo's and really liked them...but with all these quality issues, and the reluctancy in warranty handling I am seriously doubting.
My Ozones are pretty old now and had no problems...but the Reo's seem also to be build lightly...and not one waverider I know has not been grabbed by a wave and crashed his kite...so if this happens to a reo?
Matti