Who Bought WMFG?

[droffats]

I don't know who bought the company and when they will resume shipping product. Anyone know?

Thanks,
Stafford

[Kuwaiti]

i just bought one from https://www.realwatersports.com/
go it today

[grigorib]

NSI makes great pads. Everyone else makes pumps (cough...which don't milk customers $$ for proprietary hoses). Competition is good, but for proprietary hoses and non-standard diameter nozzles they might just better stay out of business.

"Life is too short for proprietary solutions"

[K wade asl]

Hey Everyone. My Name Is Kevin Wade. I am the Owner of Action Sports Logistics. We distribute Eleveight Kites and Brunotti Accessories in north America. I, along with a couple of partners, recently purchased WMFG. Looking forward to continued success with the brand!

[apollo4000]

I did, felt silly then got rid on eBay. Good luck though.

[Toby]

Hey Everyone. My Name Is Kevin Wade. I am the Owner of Action Sports Logistics. We distribute Eleveight Kites and Brunotti Accessories in north America. I, along with a couple of partners, recently purchased WMFG. Looking forward to continued success with the brand!

Thx for the info Kevin, good luck with all

[GregK]

... Everyone else makes pumps ...

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I believe it was WMFG that first introduced the vastly-improved kite pump ( taller, ergonomic handle, filtered air inlet, built-in higher-quality pressure gauge, hose tips/adapters that fit snugly and don't leak air, etc ) that most kite brands are now selling as well.

The stiffer hoses of these pumps tend to easily twist out of the bayonet 2-pin connection of the hose to the pump in the middle of kite inflation, so WMFG introduced a hose that screws onto the pump handle, eliminating this problem. One major kite brand has made this change to a screw-on pump connection on their pump.

And at least WMFG make replacement hoses available.

Now here's hoping they will address the lack of strain relief at the transition from flexible hose to stiff end insert, where most hoses tend to crack, particularly on the pump side of the hose which moves/flexes heavily during kite inflation.

[grigorib]

... Everyone else makes pumps ...

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I believe it was WMFG that first introduced the vastly-improved kite pump ( taller, ergonomic handle, filtered air inlet, built-in higher-quality pressure gauge, hose tips/adapters that fit snugly and don't leak air, etc ) that most other kite brands are now selling as well.

The stiffer hoses of these pumps tend to easily twist out of the bayonet 2-pin connection of the hose to the pump in the middle of kite inflation, so WMFG introduced a hose that screws onto the pump handle, eliminating this problem. One major kite brand has made this change to a screw-on pump connection on their pump.

And at least WMFG make replacement hoses available.

Now here's hoping they will address the lack of strain relief at the transition from flexible hose to stiff end insert, where most hoses tend to crack, particularly on the pump side of the hose which moves/flexes heavily during kite inflation.

Yes, WMFG introduced these great improvements, got pumps significantly better, and I’m thankful this is a standard now, but that damn hose...
And it’s not only the screw-on connector and overly stiff hose - the diameter of bayonet nozzles is non-standard either and to my mind it’s marketing greed. I just can’t see how guys who made such nice improvements would “unintentionally miss” such details.

I’m still curious how Slingshot and other brands make almost identical pumps. Is it a Chinese factory which had a great product which span off WMFG success, or is it WMFG engineering and some level of patent/licensing to others

[oregonkiter]

The SS and LF pumps are nearly identical to the WMFG. I currently have one of each--3 pumps. They all work well. All three of them suffer from hose breakage. I keep a knife and contact cement handy. The hoses get shorter but the pumps live on. I buy the tallest pump at the lowest price as needed.

[CorradoWest]

TIP: When I bought my WMFG pump, I got a very good piece of advice from the widely respected local "Murph". He told me to go buy some hockey stick cloth tape and run it around the six inches of each end of the hose. I did and it has served me well so far. Thought I would pass on this wise wisdom.
Cheers!