What's the thing with Duotone?

[alford]

picking a kite from one brand ,a board from another,lines from another it s like seeing the tree and not the forest,you see the entire range of products and there is no brand that can come even close to duotone.

I have the utmost respect for those who effectively mix and match gear that best fits their style, fits budget or literally fits best, regardless of brand. I think in general we are all too matchy-match, gotta have matching brand X kite, bar and board even if there are better options for possibly less money. Imho it takes knowledge and guts to go piecemeal.

[Faxie]

Faxie I cannot believe how full of shit you are. Just when I think you can’t possibly dribble more shit, somehow more comes out....

Been at this 20 years. Flown them all over the years. Still think duotone are the best flying kites on the market - the smoothness and feel across the range can’t be beaten ... yet (apparently something “fundamentally wrong with their designs”...you really are a complete numbnut faxie saying such utter crap. I hope no one ever takes your bullshit seriously).

Lines suck, sort it out duotone. Been saying this for years now and finally crew are catching on.

That being said ride ozone reos on my foil though, superb wave and foil kite. My boy is on the new Ozone Amp C kite which is a really good wing.

Now .... duotone have a massive corporate cheque book for team riders and sponsorship across the globe. So that is a major factor for sure... they can offer some really good team rider deals (as my boy was offered) for unknown local rider. Most brands can’t afford that.

F one is the big mover last year though. Watch out for them. They are being aggressive as well with their local tram rider deals etc in Australia’s anyway... probably the same worldwide. Make good quality kites though so in the end the wings have to be good to stick around.

You mad? Maybe try some arguments.

Then please explain why there were numerous kites -without cambattens, wingtip battens, pulleys, thinner LE's, bridle attachements not on the weak seam points due to poor arc shape losing structural rigidity (hence the thicker LE too) to compensate for that- that outperformed any single North/Duotone kite on the market? With a lot of design aspects they were among the last to change to the new standards. If you don't fix those fundamental flaws, you will never ever have the best performing kite in the end, period. They are improving though... as one of the last brands to do so... but the line issue is indicative of how they regard the market.

I've flown numerous models from different years, good but not the best. You're right with the last part though, about Ozone and the checkbooks.

[Faxie]

picking a kite from one brand ,a board from another,lines from another it s like seeing the tree and not the forest,you see the entire range of products and there is no brand that can come even close to duotone.

Naish comes to mind.

[Faxie]

Faxie I cannot believe how full of shit you are. Just when I think you can’t possibly dribble more shit, somehow more comes out....

Been at this 20 years. Flown them all over the years. Still think duotone are the best flying kites on the market - the smoothness and feel across the range can’t be beaten ... yet (apparently something “fundamentally wrong with their designs”...you really are a complete numbnut faxie saying such utter crap. I hope no one ever takes your bullshit seriously).

Lines suck, sort it out duotone. Been saying this for years now and finally crew are catching on.

That being said ride ozone reos on my foil though, superb wave and foil kite. My boy is on the new Ozone Amp C kite which is a really good wing.

Now .... duotone have a massive corporate cheque book for team riders and sponsorship across the globe. So that is a major factor for sure... they can offer some really good team rider deals (as my boy was offered) for unknown local rider. Most brands can’t afford that.

F one is the big mover last year though. Watch out for them. They are being aggressive as well with their local tram rider deals etc in Australia’s anyway... probably the same worldwide. Make good quality kites though so in the end the wings have to be good to stick around.

Totally agree with this about Faxie..

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Been reserved with replying on your bullshit posts here and there, but I guess that's over now.

[marten87]

Teabageppo, Faxie

Come on guys, take it easy. Anyway, this conversation here makes me convince to go for Duotone, even if the lines are not the highest quality. I've been thinking, about going for 3 Evo kites, which I'm gonna share with my gf. After reading your opinions, I'm quite convince it's a good choice. Thanks!

[GraemeF]

It's a result of marketing. Now I'm not sure what I'm about to tell you remains as true to day as it once was, but the key to Boards & More's early success comes from what we used to joke as 'state sponsored commercial terrorism'. It goes like this, they have a facility in Molne in Austria, which used to be the old windsurfing F2 facility, when the brands, North, Fanatic, F2, Mistral were all merged the facility remained, why was this, there was a lot of rivalry between the mainly German North and Fanatic teams and the Austrian managed F2. Well the story goes as follows the Austrian Government supports the Molne facility to guarantee jobs in a depressed region (Molne is half way up some valley in the middle of nowhere.) Part of this guarantee I believe were export credit guarantees, in which the government 'insure' the export debts. Now the rest of us suffer tremendously with bad payment from lets call them 'enthusiast' dealers who more enjoy kitesurfing than keeping their businesses on the straight and narrow and after the financial crash not only has bank credit dried up, so has our ability to extend long terms. Yet the one thing North and I guess Duotone still offer, is lets call it extravagant 'terms'. Our market was dramatically affected last summer as first there was a flush of North products dumped into the market, but this was then followed by the army of schools, team riders and ambassadors being 'persuaded' to switch their kit. I can only imagine something on this scale, had to enjoy credit terms, are they still supported by the Austrian Government, I do wonder, is it Government or corporate finance, I don't know, but they are preparing for a battle with the new North, who have now 'acquired' the Mystic Distribution, this will be less likely to flood the market with cheap kit, but there will be a well funded 'push' when the new products launch, either way, it won't be because of any 'superiority' of the product, it's a turf war simple as that and it will bring mixed issues, and the big losers? Old North customers having the value of their kites trashed and some won't forgive that.

[Matteo V]

It's a result of marketing. Now I'm not sure what I'm about to tell you remains as true to day as it once was, but the key to Boards & More's early success comes from what we used to joke as 'state sponsored commercial terrorism'. It goes like this, they have a facility in Molne in Austria, which used to be the old windsurfing F2 facility, when the brands, North, Fanatic, F2, Mistral were all merged the facility remained, why was this, there was a lot of rivalry between the mainly German North and Fanatic teams and the Austrian managed F2. Well the story goes as follows the Austrian Government supports the Molne facility to guarantee jobs in a depressed region (Molne is half way up some valley in the middle of nowhere.) Part of this guarantee I believe were export credit guarantees, in which the government 'insure' the export debts. Now the rest of us suffer tremendously with bad payment from lets call them 'enthusiast' dealers who more enjoy kitesurfing than keeping their businesses on the straight and narrow and after the financial crash not only has bank credit dried up, so has our ability to extend long terms. Yet the one thing North and I guess Duotone still offer, is lets call it extravagant 'terms'. Our market was dramatically affected last summer as first there was a flush of North products dumped into the market, but this was then followed by the army of schools, team riders and ambassadors being 'persuaded' to switch their kit. I can only imagine something on this scale, had to enjoy credit terms, are they still supported by the Austrian Government, I do wonder, is it Government or corporate finance, I don't know, but they are preparing for a battle with the new North, who have now 'acquired' the Mystic Distribution, this will be less likely to flood the market with cheap kit, but there will be a well funded 'push' when the new products launch, either way, it won't be because of any 'superiority' of the product, it's a turf war simple as that and it will bring mixed issues, and the big losers? Old North customers having the value of their kites trashed and some won't forgive that.

[Faxie]

Teabageppo, Faxie

Come on guys, take it easy. Anyway, this conversation here makes me convince to go for Duotone, even if the lines are not the highest quality. I've been thinking, about going for 3 Evo kites, which I'm gonna share with my gf. After reading your opinions, I'm quite convince it's a good choice. Thanks!

Go ahead, they're not bad kites. But you can get similar performing kites, with better lines for a whole lot less.

[bigtone667]

I wanted to do some boosting (and having watched Toby's stream of flight) and bought one 13m Rebel with 24m lines. It was a really awesome revelation how well these things fly and handle.

Since then I bought a few more with 27m lines. Wind blows .... BOOST!!!!

[caduo]

picking a kite from one brand ,a board from another,lines from another it s like seeing the tree and not the forest,you see the entire range of products and there is no brand that can come even close to duotone.

Is that an argument for buying every piece of kit from the same brand ?

of course not,
but it is one of the reasons the duotone is the most selling brand