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Slingshot Raptor kite

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james
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Slingshot Raptor kite

Postby james » Sun Jun 09, 2019 7:12 am

Saw this yesterday at Portland in the UK, don't remember it as an an old model,

Something new on the way? Looked like a Rev humped an RPM

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Re: Slingshot Raptor kite

Postby |wave| » Sun Jun 09, 2019 7:52 am

It would be a new 2020 model. Tried for twenty minutes last weekend and it seems great for big air, I was really impressed.

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Re: Slingshot Raptor kite

Postby james » Sun Jun 09, 2019 8:34 am

Thought it was new, guess it’s not meant to be under wraps, 30 other kites out and a busy beach won’t keep it secret for long lol

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Re: Slingshot Raptor kite

Postby kitenight11 » Sat Jun 15, 2019 5:49 pm

Could you post the picture of the Raptor again?
Any other news about the new 2020 Slingshot line?

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Re: Slingshot Raptor kite

Postby CaptainCore » Sat Jun 15, 2019 6:21 pm

Is it 30% off yet?

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Re: Slingshot Raptor kite

Postby BillyGoatGruff » Sat Jun 15, 2019 8:56 pm

Is it 30% off yet?
.... said the disgruntled ex-slingshot dealer.. hey GRF :wink:

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Re: Slingshot Raptor kite

Postby james » Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:03 pm

BillyGoatGruff wrote:
Sat Jun 15, 2019 8:56 pm
Is it 30% off yet?
.... said the disgruntled ex-slingshot dealer.. hey GRF :wink:
Said anyone that had seen slingshot bring sold in season at stupid discounts ruining what was once a strong brand

You only have to look at the number of shops that now don’t sell it in the UK to see it’s being run into the ground.

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Re: Slingshot Raptor kite

Postby Matteo V » Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:02 am

james wrote:
Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:03 pm
Said anyone that had seen slingshot bring sold in season at stupid discounts ruining what was once a strong brand

You only have to look at the number of shops that now don’t sell it in the UK to see it’s being run into the ground.
So..... If I can't find Core at a local shop, does that mean Core has been run into the ground?

Slingshot is still king in most of North America. Only one model that I really like, but I don't own any of their kites. Their customer service is second to none that I am aware of. I Have been hearing good things about customer service from Liquid Force too. So that would be SlingShot's competition for me. No other brands really sell well enough for me to buy into. And that is because I fly a few sizes to death, and I want to have the same year/model available for purchase at a reasonable price down the road when I am trolling the used market.

What brand do you think has replaced SlingShot across the pond on your side, james?

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Re: Slingshot Raptor kite

Postby Matteo V » Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:13 am

CaptainCore wrote:
Sat Jun 15, 2019 6:21 pm
Is it 30% off yet?
No, they are usually full price most of the way through the season. Then from the end of the season through most of the next one, newbies and price conscious kiters can pick up 1 year old brand new gear for a reasonable price. This helps SlingShot get their brand name out there in places where there is no support from shops. It also gets a bunch of highly skilled kiters riding SlingShot gear in front of aspiring kiteboarders of every level. That is why SlingShot is pretty much the most used and available brand on the market. - Affordable if you are ok with not being on this years kite, and lots of used options.

There are other marketing strategies, like charging a premium for the same kite so that there is some appeal to those kiteboarders that think using the most expensive gear will give them some street credit with other kiters. Direct to market, like Switch, just skips the sale at the end of the year. Cabrinha did a dump of kites back in 2011-2012 and lots of kiters moved from North or Naish to them. But lots moved away again as soon as the availability of closeouts was restricted after 2013. So it is a chess game where changing strategies is more risky than sticking with a strategy that is already risky.

Again, SlingShot has a good strategy, along with good kites and customer service. Think about it - you can look like you are rich enough to afford Core by just getting this years model of SlingShot and changing out each year. Or you could buy SlingShot on closeout and still have new kites for an affordable price. Or you could buy used and have more choice of model, year, and condition, than from any other brand on the used market. No other brand, that I am aware of, has that many segments of the market covered.

Given the above, think about this - when you see some kiter on a Slingshot kite, they could be from any market segment. Rich, poor, A-- hole, friendly, stupid, conscientious,..... typically the SlingShot kite brand does not define that kiter to any measurable degree. But SlingShot mostly attracts dedicated kiters who don't give much credence to showing off how much they spent. And most would rather just kite and get better without relying on how much of a loan they had to take out for their gear, to speak to their status as a kiteboarder. SlingShot gear owners tend do define themselves with their skill and progress in the sport.

The bottom line is that any kite company could lose market share if they changed strategy given that many loyal customers rely on that strategy.

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Re: Slingshot Raptor kite

Postby james » Sun Jun 16, 2019 11:10 pm

Matteo V wrote:
Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:02 am
james wrote:
Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:03 pm
Said anyone that had seen slingshot bring sold in season at stupid discounts ruining what was once a strong brand

You only have to look at the number of shops that now don’t sell it in the UK to see it’s being run into the ground.
So..... If I can't find Core at a local shop, does that mean Core has been run into the ground?

Slingshot is still king in most of North America. Only one model that I really like, but I don't own any of their kites. Their customer service is second to none that I am aware of. I Have been hearing good things about customer service from Liquid Force too. So that would be SlingShot's competition for me. No other brands really sell well enough for me to buy into. And that is because I fly a few sizes to death, and I want to have the same year/model available for purchase at a reasonable price down the road when I am trolling the used market.

What brand do you think has replaced SlingShot across the pond on your side, james?
So you deliberately ignore the bit where I specified the UK? And no the cure comparison doesn’t work here either, prior to Graeme getting the brand it had very small coverage, dedicated but not really a retail brand, you might dislike him but GRF has seen the growth of Core in the Uk, by dealing with a few established stores, growing schools and not supplying winging little kids with a website working from their bedrooms or the biggest discount store in the UK

The fact is that the current sling rep could barely kite when he took it on, he can now apparently, chased quick volume at the expense of solid dealers and now discounts it so heavily there is no brand value in the UK for it

As for what has taken up the slack? A mix of brands from ozone, airush, duotone, Core


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