Heard the new b4 mite be a real weapon...
3 struts
Faster and more aggressive than b3
Media release in about 10 days
Thats all I heard.
I hope they go to fixed bridle I reckon the Bandit would be awesome with more direct feel........?
Fone have quite a few different kites coming out this year i dont have any more info on them yet . but as soon as i do ill give you a post
Have Fun George
Apart from the bridle (that most people hate), this kite doesn't resemble a Bandit delta kite. I wonder what has changed at fone? they were so focused on getting the best delta kite on the market working on a single design for a year before releasing it, then when it really only needed some minor tweaks they change it completely? Strange things happening at fone sup kite etc......?????
The thing that is annoying is that most companies release a kite and if it is ok and sells well they keep improving it a little each year so that the people that like the kite can easily add a new kite in to there quiver. Customers would appreciate the changes etc but know basically what they are getting. But with Fone it seems that nearly every year, you have a completely different kite????What gives, are they trying to put off people that already like there kites and attract others??? Why not just add another kite to the range, like other companies would.
If that really is the bandit 4^^^. maybe they should think about renaming it. Im not saying it wont deliver and be better at some things etc. But after owning all of the other bandits, i could just about guarantee that it wont fly or feel the same(The other bandits don't), Doesn't look the same so does the Bandit Model name really fit?
One thing you can guarantee from Fone this kite will perform, but only time will tell if it is any good.
Waxy my friend I feel your pain, I was hoping that they would bring out a C kite with a fixed bridle with the trim cleat below the bar or just that bit lower so it is easy to adjust.....
I guess when you look at it is more C than the Bandit 3 and they are squaring it off at the ends not sure what he performance gain or makes it more C but when you compare it to the Slingshot Rally and the Wainman range three strut seems to be the way forward.......
The bar is new for the bandit 4 not sure what changes but will be interesting?
Perhaps the SUP kite might be project in the making and eventually make it way into the hooked in range?
Lets hope this one is the cash cow then maybe they can expand the range as I think a lot of people were shy to upgrade to the Bandit 3 even though it was better than the DOS hoping that the 2011 was going to be the ONE………. ??????
The battens near the wing look interesting, its like they have gone for a quick fix rather than address the issues they must have been having with there canopy. The only problem with that is the issue is probably still there. One of the things i hate on kites is battens, every kite i have had with them has had issues. Lets hope this isnt the case with Fone.
It would be good if they gave us some tuning options on the kite this year, to be able to speed up or slow down steering, or adjust the bridle etc to affect how far forward in the window the kite will fly. Like the Wainman, lots of options on that kite. can suite different riding styles and therefore be more popular. IMO.
When you look at the bridle and compare it to the Bandit and the Dos the lines are almost right at the end, there is a huge void in the middle..........looks like the leading edge has the standard multiple points that all the prototypes have but the outer has three points lets hope they stay...........
I guess we will have to wait and see what they end up like when the hit the shores. Time will tell, I really hope they are good.
It could be anything, last year they made 50 prototype 9m kites until they were happy and then a handful of each size to get them right. Im sure they change kite design and line configurations non stop until they get it right. 2 line 4 line 5 line who knows what they will actually release will just have to wait and see.
You would think that with the official launch in September they would be fine just tuning the bridle points, last year they already had the graphics down on the kite but still had all the bridle points even on the launch day. I read a post from a little English Croissant who had a test fly of the model in the pics and basically said it blitzed the Bandit 3 in all areas !!!!!!!!
Cant wait, I will put it through its paces. If it can hold up to what we do with our gear in Whyalla, it will be a good kite. If its still in one piece at the end of the season even better.
If that is a recent pic of the bandit, lets not hold our breath on it being durable. They don't spend enough time testing the final product. I haven't seen to many bandits that have lasted more than 1 to 1 1/2 seasons without falling apart. Makes them hard to sell.... Its sad when cabrinah kites last longer........
On the brite side, looks better than the new cabs, even before they get printed.
Yeh I agree they are chopping and changing each year instead of improving the base platform and adding experiment kites as new models...
Wow. Looks nothing like the previous Bandits, **** thats not even a Delta is it??
Similar sorta design to the Slingshot Rally but the Rally looks way more Delta
3 struts, little squared off tips and are they pulleys in the bridle 
Pulleys are so 2010 
Cant wait for the graphics, Fone always do some pretty rad designs
The FINAL product can be seen here on page 3-4:
www.iksurfmag.com/issue22/
Looks like a three strut Vegas...
Dacron doesn't have enough stretch, so when extra force is applied to it it will either split or pull apart the stitching. So i don't see it being a big plus. 90% of the issues i have seen on all of the bandits has been related to dacron????
We had kites last year that after only 3 months had to be sent for repair. Not to many people bother trying to get warranty as you would normally loose your gear for the rest of the season. So most kites were sent for repair locally. If you knew where to look most kites had the same defects. The bars are there other weak point, i haven't had a bandit bar that hasn't tried to shed the grip after a small amount of use, and the B3 bar had issues of trying to cut off the side lines. I did get warranty issues sorted last year it just took a lot of time.
And yes we do get a lot of use from our gear, some weeks i would get 20-30 hours on the water, and i do spend a lot of time riding the kites in the higher end of the wind range. So even after a month we probably would have kited more than most people kite in a season. So defects always appear on our gear early on.
They were made aware of the problems, some people just like to only wait a week to get there gear back. It took over 2 months for me to get a new set of lines from M8, and that was after only 6 weeks of me getting the kite.(3 weeks of ridding, 3 weeks of work). At that time most of the stitching issues and material issues were already there. I think it was december when i sent some pics to them, got a bar with no lines about 4 weeks latter, then some lines around 4+ weeks after that, then the kite issues were dealt with maybe April?
The kite was one decent gust from being in the rag bin. They did say all of the damage/issues on the kite were not warranty which was BS. I got a reply back form FOne saying the same thing, but they would be improving the areas i had issues with? go figure!
It is good to see the pic above isn't the new bandit, the Bandit 4 has a more swept back wing tip and does look a lot like a bandit, also noticed it doesn't have the battens
Realistically F One are progressing their Bandit to be their premium progression kite. For those of you who love the B1 & Dos, they have the Revolt & it has continued to slowly progress with the same delta style. The 2011 revolt is basically smack bang in the middle of the B1 & Dos for grunt, depower & slightly lighter bar feel but with even better relaunch than them both.
The F One B4 we will get to demo soon & when we do we will give you a run down of how it has changed, the delta is still there, but it will be moving forward with market demand for lighter bar pressure & ease in the surf etc.
F One have driven the market with their last 2 new product developments, the Delta which has set the bench mark for nearly all new kites in 2011 & the Bamboo Tech which is now being released in North & Slingshot & probably more for the 2011 season. So we doubt they will disappoint with this years B4, but who knows, so stay tuned. For the next new thing in Fone technology (or is it bringing back the old, we are not sure) check out this link.
www.m8kite.com/?a=75
Just remember I ride vegas so this is just a market view not my personal kite choice and the vegas is definately not a Delta.
Have fun
Fiona
We have spare parts for nearly all models of Fone Bandit, not sure why you have had trouble. Contact us with your needs & we will sort it for you. If all else fails I can take it off a stock bar & order the part later, something all F one dealers can do really?
Have Fun!
Fiona
I got looked after by my local kite shop, really, really well, with kites, bars, lines what ever else i needed while i was having issues. They did a great job continually chasing up the importer. The local shop even continued supporting the b1 & dos owners who were still having issues. Cant ask for more local support than that.
Cant wait for the season to start, there are a lot of kites that look good this year demo, demo, demo
