Buying used kites?

[Waerhild]

How much a problem are kite repairs, leaks rips etc to you? Would you buy used equipment? And specifially what about the quality of Erik hertsen and Switch?
Thanks

[knotwindy]

Sorry but Who is Eric hertsen?

[rogue_kiteboarder]

If possible, do a thorough inspection looking for tears, cuts and wear spots on the canopy, LE and struts. Then pump it up and let it sit for a couple hours. If it looks good and holds air, go for it.

[waynepjh]

Used market is saturated with deals. A used kite from someone who lives at the beach will usually have more wear and tear than a kiter from utah, montana or Wyoming. We use are kites mostly on the snow.

[seaplus]

I won't pump or bash any brand but buying used kites obviously depends on whether its a good deal or not.
Professional repairs are fine as long as the repair isn't on the fabric over a bladder or strut...friction from the stitching will wear thru a bladder.
Older kites will most likely need valves replaced or re-glued...not a big deal but there are more than just the inflate and deflate valves...
each strut has 2 valves. A 5 strut kite would have 12 valves...that could be a real pain.

Yet again...if it's a smokin' deal on a kite you really want and don't mind putting a little sweat equity into it. Go for it.

Like waynepjh stated...kites from coastal location will have more wear from sand and sun.

[L0KI]

Sorry but Who is Eric hertsen?

EH Kites. Very old kites.

[edt]

Used kites are like anything else used. If you are a raw newbie buying used equipment who knows what you'll get. Could be garbage could be awesome. If you are an expert with 10 years of kiting under your belt all it takes is a glance at the photos and maybe one or two questions for the owner and you know exactly what you are getting. It's not a bad idea for a newbie to buy a new kite or one that is very lightly used (only 1 or 2 years old) because then you'll be pretty sure it's going to be fine.

[Alysum]

How much a problem are kite repairs, leaks rips etc to you? Would you buy used equipment? And specifially what about the quality of Erik hertsen and Switch?
Thanks

Switch kites are very good. Bomb proof and you should be able to find some cheap deals on their forum for used kites http://switchkites.com/headquarters/for ... m.php?f=11

[Jzh_perth]

We constantly buy and ride used kite here in Western Australia - there is so much good quality equipment available it's hard to justify paying new prices.

I don't know about your location but we figure 50% depreciation per year of age - ie a brand new $3000 kite is $1500 after 1 season, and $750 after 2 seasons and so on. Old kites (say 2010 or older have no value ). Quite often you'll find 3 kite quivers with 2 or more bars come up, some guys clearly turning their whole quiver every season or so.

Our season runs from October to March, after which you find the seabreeze.com.au buy and sell section heat up !

[dylan*]

if your budget only allows for choosing between used kites and switch, I would just go with the switch just because you're going to get something you know works and won't have to worry about, have a warranty and support. it's still kind of crazy to me that people still try to sell used kites for more than what you can buy a brand new switch kite.

but if you can get a significantly better deal on something used, i think the best way is to go through a shop that does inspections before they will sell gear, like Real and Windance (have bought a whole used quiver from windance before). They put gear through a multi-point inspection so you know if the bladders will hold air and if there are rips or repairs. I was really happy to get 3 kites with two bars from windance for about $1000 in great condition, only a year old.