wings from switchkite

[Regis-de-giens]

Hi all,
Have some of you tested the wings manufactured by switchkite ? they have two models ("Vision" with transparetn panels or "Drift" without), have one compared both ?

I am thinking of them to replace my aging F-one Swing; I am a beginner in wing, but well experienced in kitefoil. 1750 cm2 foil, 60 kg.

Thanks for your lightenings

[rtz]

Grab both and post up a review/comparison.

[Faxie]

Will probably cost 500,- in shipping

[OzBungy]

Executive summary, cheap, good quality wings. Buy them on sale and when your currency is strong. They're roughly half the price of name brand current model wings, about 20% cheaper than name brand run out sale models, and a quarter of the price of the ultra-premium products.

I started wing foiling with 5m and 4m Surf wing (version 1) a few years ago. I bought a 6m Drift wing (version 2). I tried a PPC wing and sold it because I hated it. Bought a 2022 Cabrinha Mantis 3.5m which I quite like, but don't love. I progressed fairly quickly because of 8 years kite foiling experience.

Recently I destroyed my 5m Surf (smashed in the surf, foil through the strut, strut fabric and strut bladder shredded) so I bought a 5m Drift wing. I managed to re-build the badly damaged 5m so now I've got 2.

Cutting to the chase, they're excellent. They're quite a "soft" wing which gives them a massive wind range. There's really no such thing as being overpowered on the Surf or Drift wings.

I chose not to buy a Vision (version 3) because I'm not a fan of windows.

I'm a high-level intermediate/low level advanced rider. More experienced than the crowd but behind the hotshots in skills. There's nothing that others at my level can do that I can't do no matter what their gear. The hotshots can do stuff I can't do, but it's more due to skill than gear.

PS While repairing the 5m I compared the construction detail of the Switch vs the Cabrinha wing. Essentially the construction is identical. Same structure. Same kind of seams. The Cabrinha has much finer sewing along the strut/canopy joint and uses heavier dacron fabric. The Cabrinha looks gorgeous. The Switch works just fine.

[Regis-de-giens]

Nice review. Wanted to buy but shipment costs are beyond 200 euro ... Ouaou, what a pitty it kills the deal. Plus a risk of custom fees... No no no.
Shame ...

[rtz]

Switch had a thing at first with the free shipping. Now with these high shipping fees; that's really going to impact their sales.

[OzBungy]

When I bought my most recent wing I was expecting to get free shipping, but had to pay ... lots. It was still cheaper than any premium/name brand wing on sale.

I messaged Switch and they said freight prices had gone through the roof. I guess that's reasonable with covid and all the other crap going on. I saw a news item that said global freight prices were dropping and now down to pre-pandemic levels. It will be interesting to see if Switch drop their freight prices or bring back the free shipping.

[nothing2seehere]

Back when Bill H and Marc J were still working with them, they used to have post depots in multiple regions of the world (europe/asia/etc). This allowed them to cut import duty fees and swallow the postage fees into the price. I understand they closed the post hubs and with it went the free shipping