With all the wings I've owned to date (Ozone, F-one, Takuma), I've been able to manage with my original Ozone pump (F-one adapter works great). I recently bought the Duotone Unit v2 and was frustrated to learn that the not-so-inexpensive wing didn't even come with an adapter. To make matters worse, the shop from which I purchased the brand new wing said they didn't have any adapters and if I really wanted to use the wing right away that I'd have to buy a whole new pump ($60). Needless to say that I wasn't quite happy with that response as I was literally on my way to the beach to use the new wing but now realized that I wouldn't even be able to pump it up. Let's just say that I'll be taking my business elsewhere in the future.
I managed to track down a friend who rides Duotone (slicks mainly) and he lent me an adapter so that I could use the wing. Low and behold, the connection leaked terribly when paired with my Ozone pump. I did manage to get it pumped up (ping test as opposed to gauge) and the wing is great.
I ordered the "official" duotone adapter and come to find out that it leaks as well. Some electrical tape has helped but that's a band-aid to the problem and not a true fix. Turns out that Duotone uses a slightly different size for their hoses/pumps so I reached out to confirm or get any guidance. Here's the response I got:"thank you for your message. For our kites and foil wings you will need the duotone pump to pump it up. Please see attached the link to our shop shop.duotonesports.com/en-gb/dtk_pump_spares/pump-44200--7060.
Also the pump hose with adapter and the adapter separately are designed for the duotone pump and we cannot guarantee that the parts are compatible with pumps from other brands."
I just find it a bit frustrating that after 25+ years of kiting that there isn't a universal standard for hose sizing.
Has anyone 3D printed an adapter that allows you to pump up Duotone kites/wings with non-Duotone pump without air leaking? Seems like better option that forking out $50+ for a second pump when I already have one that works just fine for non-Duotone wings.
Sure seems odd to me. I use a WMFG pump with a Duotone adapter and never had an issue from day one of the original Duotone wings. The pump hoses would occasionally fail from getting brittle but that had nothing to do with the valve adapter. Don't even know if they sell these in Australia
khkkiteboarding.com/products/wmfg-pump
I have heard this same complaint from others unfortunate enough to buy Duotone products without hose adapters. It is absolutely beyond me there is a well respected company in the industry in 2022 going with an obscure/proprietary valve adapter. This one issue in itself is a deal-breaker for me and is the reason I have never considered a Duotone from my quiver for more than a passing moment. It's a shame too as the Unit V2 actually looks great.
I was waiting and waiting for the smaller sizes (4.0m) of the Strike v2 to come out but that kept getting pushed out (still not sure they're available yet). In the meantime, I won a kiteboard in a raffle at a local race so I decided this was a sign that I should just get store credit for the kiteboard I'd never use and go with the Unit v2. Don't get me wrong, aside from the inflation issues, the wing is great does everything I ask of it.
Still curious to see what folks think of the Strike v2 in the sizes below 5.0m.
I had the same *#$%@! moment when i first went to use the Unit... but luckily one of the locals helped me out until i could order my own adapter. I used both the 'official" duotone adapter and the WMFG adapters and they both worked without leaking on the Unit 2 with my Armstrong pump.
Funny, but I had opposite experience: I had Duotone wing with Duotone pump, and then I bought none-Duotone wing. I had no way to pump that wing until I bought generic pump with bunch of adapters (including Duotone adapter :-)
I remember asking kiters about adapters and they told me: good luck to find something universal, almost every company make brand specific inflation ports.
Another issue is when using smaller Duotone wings, the 2.5 requires 9.5psi. Even using the Duotone pump the silicone seal isn't designed for that pressure and leaks badly. I've glued the silicone ring onto the adapter with silastic which helps, but it is still a battle getting enough pressure into the wing.
Select to expand quotemotogon said..
Funny, but I had opposite experience: I had Duotone wing with Duotone pump, and then I bought none-Duotone wing. I had no way to pump that wing until I bought generic pump with bunch of adapters (including Duotone adapter :-)
I remember asking kiters about adapters and they told me: good luck to find something universal, almost every company make brand specific inflation ports.
In my experience kiting has been really good for having a standard for a long time albeit a poor standard. Liquid Force came out with the MaxFlo and that was a huge improvement. Maybe others have since done the same, it's been a while since I've bothered kiting.
This universal adapter works on the pumps that leak with the official Duotone adapter. This will work with the WMFG pump kiteboarding.com/proddetail.asp?prod=pks_duotone_pump_adapter BTW, this universal adapter is nothing but a Carbrinha adapter with 2 red gaskets from a Fone adapter.
This is the official adapter kiteboarding.com/proddetail.asp?prod=duotone_pump_adapter Don't buy this one unless you own a Duotone pump.
I think the aftermarket PKS adapter works better than the Duotone brand adapter.
I can confirm, the guy that does the pump design component of wing/kite brands, is a f***** c***.
Not limited to duotone, my frustration was with north. In my case i was already two hours away from the shop with the shiny new toy. I sold the thing in disgust at the first opportunity and will never go back.
I had this same fun when I bought the 4.0 Unit v1. No one at the Duotone shop thought to mention it. Fortunately my pump had the right adaptor.Then I got to discover that the darn thing didn't come with a leash either! Oh, good times. Once on the water, the wing likes to fly upside down every chance it got. Oh and there was the beach ball deflate valves! CHEAP buggahs trying to cut corners! Got rid of that wing ASAP. Never going back to Duotone or that store again.
In general, the fragmentation in the industry around pump adaptors / hose connections is ridiculous. I've had rube goldberg adapters upon adapters that leak pressure, come undone and ultimately deflate...
I wish the manufacturers would just get together and come up with a standard.
* Easy to deflate.
* When you inflate it, make it hard to forget to press a push pin in and have the wing deflate when you disconnect the hose.
* A tight, positive connection that reduces the chances of the hose disconnecting.
* Low profile so it doesn't catch your leash.
* Helps you keep sand out of the bladder.
* Simple.
I love what ocean rodeo does in some ways. It hits the first, second, third, and fifth bullet but it has other issues like sometimes it can be difficult to unscrew the innermost cap to have it deflate.
Select to expand quotekoobzilla said..
In general, the fragmentation in the industry around pump adaptors / hose connections is ridiculous. I've had rube goldberg adapters upon adapters that leak pressure, come undone and ultimately deflate...
I wish the manufacturers would just get together and come up with a standard.
* Easy to deflate.
* When you inflate it, make it hard to forget to press a push pin in and have the wing deflate when you disconnect the hose.
* A tight, positive connection that reduces the chances of the hose disconnecting.
* Low profile so it doesn't catch your leash.
* Helps you keep sand out of the bladder.
* Simple.
I love what ocean rodeo does in some ways. It hits the first, second, third, and fifth bullet but it has other issues like sometimes it can be difficult to unscrew the innermost cap to have it deflate.
I have never used any wings other than Armstrong but based on this criteria the other manufacturers should adopt this system as it checks all the boxes.
I think the industry needs to start talking about standards. Back in the early days of windsurfing, every brand had a different board attachment and mast base to extensions were wildly different as well. Valves need to be standardized and foil hardware should also be standardized.If you have access to a 3D printer and you need a Duotone-compatible adapter quickly, you can print one. The material costs are under 50 cents. I found that without a gasket/seal, the adapter would leak, so the design includes one that needs to be printed in a somewhat flexible filament. I haven't broken my latest design yet, but the 3D printed ones are more fragile than molded adapters. (I wouldn't try to pump up a board with a printed adapter, but 8 PSI for my 3.5 Slick seems to be fine). Consider the 3D print a good option if you bought a wing and find out you don't have the right adapter or you just want to have a couple of spares in case you lose the one you have.
