At the end of the day, it's all linked to supply and demand.
Like most, I used to buy the latest kites every year, eventually realized it made absolutely no difference in my fun factor. Some years I actually found the new kites to be a step backwards IMO.
Vote with your wallets people. 
Select to expand quoterollo19 said..
Yeah these days what role does a distributor play other than adding margin? kites weigh nothing (even with bull**** airline volumetric conversion), it's not like you need to ship stock in a container, land it, clear customs then send on to the retailer cost plus
if I was in retail I would be looking for the brands to send me demo stock, taking punters money in advance and freighting them in as required. Removes the holding cost, customer gets local expert advice and support/parts, manufacturer does not have to sell to the general public
With that sort of model you could conceivably retail for under $1,000.. but if the desperate tax man drops that limit to $20 then we will get shafted for customs handling fees on everything!
Surf boards are different I guess.. Container
Ok then....
If this was to occur, would you expect the retailer to pick up all of the roles of the distributor, whilst keeping the costs lower?
Things such as:
- Advertsiing
- Sponsoring Events
- Sponsoring local riders
- Warranties
- Stocking a full range of spares for the past 5-10 years ranges.
- Demo Tours
- Funding International Riders to come out to keep everyone stoked
- Deal with Customs and freight companies.
- Keep all retailers happy and working together.
???
It quickly adds up.
Select to expand quotePlummet said..Chris_M said...
I know many people seem to be a but dubious about Switch, but their business model seems to deliver pretty dang cheap kites to people.......
Seeing quite a few of them around these days
It's opposite here. There were a few when switch first came out. Now they are all but gone. There might be one couple that have one or 2 kites. The rest are gone. Maybe the first gen put a lot of the locals off?
There are quite a few guys riding new Elements up on the Hibiscus coast. Had a good chat with a fella the other day and he was rating it as a decent wave kite. Said he was pretty happy with his gear, also had a board by the same company, looked pretty nice actually. Was the Element 3, and the Comp 2 board. But said he wasn't that stoked on the bar, reckoned it was ok till you pulled on the depower then the rope flapped around too much and tangled things up a bit. He went back to using his Ozone bar.
I have read a few negative reports on the switch2 bar but it's the same for most bars out there.
Like the Ozone magnet that stops the trim rope flapping around rusting.
I have Switch Nitro4 10m and 7m and Helium 18m kites. Nice kites and they are built well. I like the switch business model and would buy from them again. The bar is good for the price ($300). Lines are good and affordable spare parts for everything on it. The two main issues i have with the bar are the stopper ball didn't secure easily when trimmed and bounces around (I attached some velcro to it and it's fine now) and the bar is built heavy.
Select to expand quoteBletti said..
I have Switch Nitro4 10m and 7m and Helium 18m kites. Nice kites and they are built well. I like the switch business model and would buy from them again. The bar is good for the price ($300). Lines are good and affordable spare parts for everything on it. The two main issues i have with the bar are the stopper ball didn't secure easily when trimmed and bounces around (I attached some velcro to it and it's fine now) and the bar is built heavy.
Hey Bletti, whats the Nitro like compared to say a C4 or a vegas?
I am considering a Switch kite, but am too lazy to find the local demo guy right now!
I haven't used either the C4 or vegas so I couldn't give you a great answer, but I've used other 5 line C kites and I'd say the Nitro would boost better, better upwind, and is worse for unhooked. If you are looking for something closer to the Vegas they are coming out in a month or two with the Switch Legacy, a 5 line C kite that looks good (If you check out their forum, you can find out more about it on the post"kite used by MJ in PKRA Tarifa: legacy ? What is that?" I tried linking it but seabreeze has links to there banned). I'm guessing the Legacy will be about $800-850 for a 10m. Switch is based in New Zealand so I think if you emailed them up they'd help you out locally. They are pretty good at responding to emails.
Cheers Bletti, saw that Legacy on here, cant remember the thread, but like the look of it.
I also prefer to hear from people not working for a company when I ask review questions, ya know, just in case they are paid to say good stuff and nothing else.
I have contacted them a few times and was impressed with their rate of response etc.
I really should get around to teeing up a demo, but it just feels like hassle when you have to take somebodys personal kite out for a spin (which is what the demo arrangement is with Switch - you get a discount, but you gotta let randoms meet you and fly your kites)
Yep Switch are a lot less expensive compared to other brands , a mate of mine swears by the nitro's , build quality is comparable to most of the leading brands and he gets two kites for the price of one . Chris_M and Bletti found a link that might give ya some more info on the Legacy
Sorry guys tried to post link to the above online forum but it gets blocked , seems that this website doesn't like Switch Kites 
