Call the industry to unify inflation valves

[StellaBlu]

Boston is lighter and simpler, but I find Halkey to be the most reliable, clean and solid. Boston inevitably gets sand fowled with tiny valve leaks (until capped), or threading issues. The issues are minor, but I haven't encountered them with a Halkey.

North is not the standard Boston. Its a slightly different size. Less compatibility and same issues - hard pass.

[andylc]

Agree Halkey works well and also deflates quickly, plus easy to replace if it fails. Still don’t understand why F-one changed it from a standard one to their own slightly different version, so you can only get spares from them. I assumed they were standard so got spares from Decathlon only to find F-one had swapped the seal
and thread positions so that standard replacement versions don’t fit.

[Faxie]

I never thought much about valves until I pumped someone elses kite and discovered how much bulkier and heavier that thing was from Naish. I would never go back to Boston.

I went from years of Boston to a Halkey now, and I'd rather go back.

On a five strut kite it doesn't stick out as much but on a small one strut, Boston feels like a brick.

Boston can be pretty flat. Harder to grip with gloves though.

[Faxie]

Boston is lighter and simpler, but I find Halkey to be the most reliable, clean and solid. Boston inevitably gets sand fowled with tiny valve leaks (until capped), or threading issues. The issues are minor, but I haven't encountered them with a Halkey.

North is not the standard Boston. Its a slightly different size. Less compatibility and same issues - hard pass.

Yeah, very reliable... push them in a bit too hard and you risk them not staying open because the plastics pins on the inside have broken off...

It's a real joy to fold your kite when it's in that state...

[marlboroughman]

Boston is lighter and simpler, but I find Halkey to be the most reliable, clean and solid. Boston inevitably gets sand fowled with tiny valve leaks (until capped), or threading issues. The issues are minor, but I haven't encountered them with a Halkey.

North is not the standard Boston. Its a slightly different size. Less compatibility and same issues - hard pass.

Yeah, very reliable... push them in a bit too hard and you risk them not staying open because the plastics pins on the inside have broken off...

It's a real joy to fold your kite when it's in that state...

They are not for people with wooden hands nor for those who don't understand how shit works. They brake pins by twisting the hose off instead of pulling it away. There is a tool to unscrew the valve and change it but I guess you haven't figure it out either if you went home with air in the kite.

[Faxie]

Boston is lighter and simpler, but I find Halkey to be the most reliable, clean and solid. Boston inevitably gets sand fowled with tiny valve leaks (until capped), or threading issues. The issues are minor, but I haven't encountered them with a Halkey.

North is not the standard Boston. Its a slightly different size. Less compatibility and same issues - hard pass.

Yeah, very reliable... push them in a bit too hard and you risk them not staying open because the plastics pins on the inside have broken off...

It's a real joy to fold your kite when it's in that state...

They are not for people with wooden hands nor for those who don't understand how shit works. They brake pins by twisting the hose off instead of pulling it away. There is a tool to unscrew the valve and change it but I guess you haven't figure it out either if you went home with air in the kite.

I'm talking about the pins that twist the valve when you push it in, so it goes from the open to closed state. Those pins are inside this little plastic ring that sits around the pushpin, and they are very fragile.




Wait.... unscrew the valve so the air gets out? Like.... a Boston valve? Which doesn't have mechanical parts that break easily and where you can still have the sand issue?

[Faxie]

Btw, apparently there's a more sturdy redesign being tested at the moment, and ofcourse it's not compatible with the older ones. Because why would you use the same screw, the only part that seems to do it's job properly?

[andylc]

The point about SUP style valves - if that is the kite companies actually used standard ones - is that they are easily replaceable in literally a few seconds with the right tool. If you look after them they are very reliable in my experience.

[Faxie]

So are Bostons, and you don't even need a tool.

Also, when you have to be very careful how you detach the hose (good luck with that in 40 knots, and the modern stiff pumphoses) or you risk breaking something, your design sucks.

[marlboroughman]

You can only brake the pushpin by twisting the hose against it. I had it figured out the second I looked at it. Never had a problem. Naish gives you a spare valve and a tool to remove it in case you brake it. If you brake it the second time go back to Boston. I put high miles on my car and interior is mint. Friend of mine destroys everything on the inside. So yeah, it is not for everybody.