2016 Cabrinha pads and fins problems + short review

[Geko]

I am new here but not a troll. I have been looking for 2016 Cabrinha gear reviews and there are not that many, so I decided to post some impressions and ask a few things.
I have been riding since 2001 and have owned a number of Cabrinha kites and boards over the years but this year I decided to treat myself with new boards and kites. I got an 8m and 11m Switchblade, a 15m Contra and Stylus and Spectrum boards. The kites are absolutely fantastic - very smooth, forbidding, amazing build - nothing to complain about. The boards themselves seem really great too. However the fins, handles and the new pads are very bad.

Fins

I am used to the green fiberglass fins and opaque white handles which were pretty indestructible in the past. However to my surprise these boards came with transparent plastic fins and handles which look as if made of material more suitable for plastic kitchenware. Without any overtightening all fins developed tiny cracks along the brass inserts on the second day. They have still not shattered, but this is quite unacceptable. The upper plastic "washers" have almost disintegrated too after a week of riding. The handles are still fine and crack free, but being made of the same plastic I have no unrealistic hopes. It will crack too - sooner or later. And I repeat, I never overtighten. From what I read I understand that these transparent fins have been in use for a couple of years but I am genuinely surprised that there are not a ton of negative reviews about them. Folks, examine closely your fins along the inserts. Even if they stay on, you will find them cracked.

H1 Bindings

My other issue is with the H1 bindings and it is along similar lines. On first glance the bindings look almost identical to the old ones I have, which were white. However, the new ones, which are black, are made from different materials and for some hard to determine reason perform much worse. They are either too tight, or too loose, and the new rubber does not provide enough friction - I ended up using rubber boots to be able to ride. A few friends who tried them had the same reaction.

In conclusion, something is not right there - these things are obviously cheaply made in contrast to the excellent workmanship of the boards and kites. It looks like an attempt on part of Cabrinha to shave some cost from the final product, which does not make any sense on any level. This gear is already expensive enough.

So... any Cabrinha guys here who would care to explain, or any other riders who have an opinion about these pieces of gear - I would love to hear impressions.

[NorCalNomad]

Yeah Cabrinha seems to be having some quality issues as of late. Know a guy who got his cab foil with one of the holes of the body misaligned and not tapped

[Geko]

Yeah Cabrinha seems to be having some quality issues as of late. Know a guy who got his cab foil with one of the holes of the body misaligned and not tapped

Hmm... strange thing is they do not even seem to reply to inquiries from their website now. I sent several questions to them a week ago about some bar/kite comparabilities, they did not even bother to answer. I hope it is not some kind of a trend with them, as they used to make truly great gear and their new kites I enjoy a lot. Especially the new 15m Contra - unbelievable in light winds.