Why are Kites so damn expensive

[Onda]

Am I the only one who noticed that orange "Young Capital" stickers on Kevin´s boards?!
Guess why that stuff is high-priced

[dice]

I don’t disagree. Although 90% of kites probably come out of the same two or three factories. Maybe I am wrong, but this is so often the case.

This happens very often with all kinds of products.
But that still doesn't mean anything.

It could be that one brand has no quality control at all and another has the highest standard of quality control.
So the first brand is like the lottery, you could have a very good product or a very bad product. While for the second brand, you always should get a very good product.

It could be that one brand does 2 rows of stitching, but another does 3 rows. That could be done in the same factory or even the same production line, with just an added step that's simply being skipped for the first brand.

Or they use different quality of products, or ... Etcetera etcetera.
There are a lot of differences possible between different products coming from the same factory.

[Havre]

In theory yes - but it is not necessarily so that the more expensive brand is going for the "higher" quality.

I know a wheel builder (bikes) who sells his (or theirs now) internationally. Components produced and sourced from China. Their reputation has been for a while being "China". Funny thing is that for for example the bearings they are using are more expensive than one of the best known high end wheels you can get are using - also sourced from China, but branded as Italian.

It is a nightmare to try to find some sort of "objective" truth to this.

The same way you might buy a premium Mercedes built at Nissan plant. You can argue that you are still getting more with the Mercedes, but not sure how that carries more weight than both cars being built at the same plant.

[Robsw6]

The same way you might buy a premium Mercedes built at Nissan plant. You can argue that you are still getting more with the Mercedes, but not sure how that carries more weight than both cars being built at the same plant.

lol... reminded me of seeing a mid 2000 stripped Aston Martin V8 & all the electronics were from Volvo.... lets face it, all Rolls Royces are just BMW chassis & drivetrains in fancy dress....but the best examples of the are the McLaren F1 (the holy grail of road cars) with tail lights from a Bova Futura bus & my favourite, the Pagani Zonda with a Rover 45 climate control unit

So all manufactures, irrespective of perceived quality do resort to a parts bin, every now & again. The Reedins do feel nicely made, but for build quality, I would rate the V1s as good, but the current Norths do seem slightly better made/quality.

[downsouth]

So all manufactures, irrespective of perceived quality do resort to a parts bin, every now & again. The Reedins do feel nicely made, but for build quality, I would rate the V1s as good, but the current Norths do seem slightly better made/quality.

lots of Kite brands make use of a parts bin.

Most kites come from the same factories, most of these guys make use of the same suppliers. e.g. Teijin .... The companies that can make a better quality are the companies that have the capital and know-how to provide specifications to the factories or own a factory in theory Ozone.

Reedin most certainly has the know-how, not sure if they have the reach and volume , like North Duotone,
to convince the factories/supplier to do something special at a reasonable price.

North is not being built by "north" but still be Aqaudynamics

[dice]

In theory yes - but it is not necessarily so that the more expensive brand is going for the "higher" quality.

Indeed, I'm definitely not denying this. I just don't believe this is the case for all the more expensive kite brands.

lets face it, all Rolls Royces are just BMW chassis & drivetrains in fancy dress....

They have BMW parts, yes that's true.
But a BMW does not have hand-made parts. A BMW does not have the possibilities of the endless exclusive parts that a Rolls Royce can have.
Your comparison is very short sighted here.
It's almost like saying a KIA is the same as a Formula 1 car, because they both have 4 wheels. But less extreme

[Havre]

Quite funny reading about when Rolls-Royce sold their rights to their cars (brand) and factory. The old factory doesn't even belong to BMW. Volkswagen bought it. So not sure what you are getting when buying RR these days. If you buy a Bentley you are actually getting a car from the original RR factory.

Slightly off topic I guess.

[Robsw6]

Lol... dont work in Goodwood do you If you do, you should know that a chassis & drivetrain are fairly significant “parts” - fyi current phantom is only now no longer based on a 7-series, the Wraith is still a last gen 7-series & the Cullinan eyesore is an X7 chassis - yes they can be customised/hand made trim, but they are just that.. with the exception of the phantom, sadly long gone are the days of coachworkers hand fabricating anything significant in the manufacturing process.. Years back I went to Newport Pagnell and saw what a hand made chassis meant, even saw an engine being pushed over the road from the engine works to be put in a new chassis,,,, no wonder they were so unreliable.

Anyway back to the subject, its all mass /semi mass produced gear - unless you spend serious $$ on a pagani & even thats got an AMG lump in it,,, but the factory is v special.... even makes Goodwood seem a bit pikey

[elguapo]

pretty sure Bentleys are also own by Volkswagen (as are lambos and Bugatti, and partially porsche)

the W12 engine in a Bentley Continental GT is the same engine in a an audi A8 W12, Phaeton and Toureag W12..
(and your audi s8 has a tuned down Lamborghini Gallardo SE engine)

food for thought

[Kitemenn]

And back to the original topic...

I also have a hard time understanding their high end prices, look at brands like Fluid or Ventum in the Netherlands. They are able to offer kites for almost 50% of the prices of the big brands. Quality is par or even better on some parts. Also produced in same factories to the highest standards in quality and high end materials (no maybe not the lightest as is the latest trend but probably stronger)

To come back to Reedin:
- Marketing costs is low (mainly through his KevLogs)
- Dev also in-house (and really close to the pivots)

On the other side since Covid Kitesurfing has been booming and I have seen my spots have an increase of kiters of at least 25%, supply is limited with lack of raw materials shipping rates from Asia are through the roof (as well by boat as plane). This creates scarcity and pushes prices up, but tbh Reedin set their prices before

Probably thye just opted for their popularity and if people are paying apparently it's not too expensive...

I think the current prices are absurd and I rather support the small companies.