Switch Kites any real reviews??

[felixp]

Hi BiteMe and others in Southern Cali,
I will be in your area starting 13th july thru the weekend depending on where its blowing.
Will keep you posted on locations.
Test fly a Switch kite or Firewire board.
Stay tuned
Felix

[jkrug]

Finally got to try the Nitro 10M. My background is coming from Wainman's (WH), which i still fly. But my 9M Smoke is a bit damaged and given the delay in the 2011's, I decided to try the Nitro. Yes, the Methods are a closer match for the WHs, but it's been a while since i flew higher aspect kites, and was mostly curious as to where they've gone over the years since i last flew these types of kites.

the conditions were 18-26, avg 23 and choppy. at 210 lbs, i felt a bit underpowered on the 10M though not in the gusts. Overall, I'd say the Nitro 10M doesn't quite have the low end of the 9M Smoke. For my weight i think this kite will excel in the 25-35 range. The Nitro jumps/glides a bit better than the Smoke. It turns slower, but that is to be expected and was actually something i was looking for in stronger winds so as not to get punished so much for my errors. The Nitro is smooth and showed no signs of jellyfishing...i pumped it pretty hard. The loops are more punishing than w/the Smoke...again, expected. I didn't purchase the Switch bar, so was using my Smoke bar. It worked fine. I was actually pleasantly surprised how quckly i adapted to this kite. it just didn't feel that much different to what i'm used to, and i consider that a huge compliment to Switch.

Overall...pro's: smooth kite, nice jumper, nice glider, my guess is the bridle will not wear out as quickly as it does on the WHs due to the fact the single pulley (per side) isn't under as much load.

cons: one pump (don't like them, period), the configuration of connection pts at the kite make these kites somewhat incompatible with any standard set of flying lines, which IMO is stupid. this is done to accomodate their 'kook proof' flying lines...if you cannot figure out which lines to connect where, you probably shouldn't be kiting. in other words, there should be knots on the lines off the kite, not combo of knots and loops.

Given that i paid $670 for this kite (which is about half of what i paid for my Smoke), it's a pretty remarkable deal for a very nice kite. I also had to deal w/customer service (given a screw-up by the US postal service), and I give them an A++ for service...there is no need to worry about that aspect of this company.

[alexeyga]

Finally got to try the Nitro 10M. My background is coming from Wainman's (WH), which i still fly. .......................................

Thanks for the review!

It's funny, I remember that back in the days, Thruster was pimped as the fastest-turning kite on the market and now, according to reviews Nitro seems to be on the slow side, while having the exact same shape, but claimed as "100% new design"... strange....

That said, as far as the bridle goes, with some minimal maintenance (blowing out the sand from pulleys after every session, waxing the pulley line every once in a while) both pulleys and the pulley lines will easily outlast the rest of the kite... And even if you don't maintain it, when you'll start noticing some wear on the pulley line, just flip it around to extend it's life.... So as such it's very trouble free...

As for the lack of power for the kite's size, that's fairly normal given the Nitro's pedigree... Owning a full quiver of Thruster's I always found my-self riding larger-size kites than most other folks on the beach that day... Yes I do weight ~200lbs, I prefer flying them on 20m lines and my favorite board is a 127cm TT, but even with a light-wind board it sucks big time when lighter riders are having fun on 12m other-branded kites and I can't even tack up-wind with the 14m... Should've gone with the 16/12/8 instead of 14/10/8..... Although the 14m on 32m lines is a whole different beast to fly....

[Hansen Design]

Krug:
Glad you liked the kite (except for the Quik pump and kook proof connections.)

...it's a pretty remarkable deal for a very nice kite.

Alex:
Some things to clarify:
1) Smoke and Nitro are not the same so obviously they are different.
2) Later model Thrusters were undersized so they had less power and turned fast for their stated size.
3) Nitro and Thruster are not the same so obviously they are also different. Nitro is true to size, has different profiles, planform, tube diameters/construction, has more power and goes upwind far better. Plenty of reviews now around the web stating this. It is misleading to tell others seeking real information to get a larger Nitro based on your premise that they are the same kite and your Thruster experiences.
Thanks for your help!
Cheers!

[alexeyga]

Alex:
Some things to clarify:
1) Smoke and Nitro are not the same so obviously they are different.
2) Later model Thrusters were undersized so they had less power and turned fast for their stated size.
3) Nitro and Thruster are not the same so obviously they are also different. Nitro is true to size, has different profiles, planform, tube diameters/construction, has more power and goes upwind far better. Plenty of reviews now around the web stating this. It is misleading to tell others seeking real information to get a larger Nitro based on your premise that they are the same kite and your Thruster experiences.
Thanks for your help!
Cheers!

Sorry, it's hard not to draw some parallels between two kites that look exactly the same laid-out back to back and in the air... Though I promise to resist any further urges to share my experience with T's... that is until getting my hands on a Nitro...

Problem is, i'm too much of a careful rider, can't destroy these damn T's to justify ordering new ones already... Not to mention that some idiot was kind enough to destroy the company's name, so these are un-re-sellable these days...

[screwfootsc]

[eree]

so, Nitro 16R is out of stock for the second time!

review?

somebody?

[windmanic]

I recently purchased a 9m Method, and so far only flew it without a board to see how it behaves.
In 10 knots (gusting to 15 knots) conditions, it was a very lively and fast turning/flying kite. It also pulled strong when in the power zone, and had no problems lifting me clear out of the water (175 lb weight), during gusts. In lulls it drifts back in the window, and is predictable and recoverable. Construction of the kite is quite good. There is one pulley that is shared between the front and rear lines.

[snorr]

Hey I'm new to this forum. I just wanted to say that I've been watching this thread because I like the idea of saving $1,000 on a new two kite quiver. I've pretty much convinced myself that I should drop the coin on a 9m Method/14m Nitro combo.

Ontario summers mean fairly long periods of light/moderate winds and thus the 14m Nitro. When the wind is more lively, I'm thinking that a little extra stability from the Method would be more to my preference.

I was also considering a bigger name kite (starts with O, ends in E), but is the price premium really going to be worth it in the long run? Hmmm, not sure about that.

Also was looking at the web reviews for the BWS Noise. Seems like more of a wave kite rather than an upwind pulling machine.

Whatcha think?

[johnlcostillo]

Im glad you brought up that question dub. I need answers too.