Warro best to kahoona best to Core to North Rebels. Increasing cost, increasing build quality and increased performance. Thats what i have found anyhow.
Like Munroe says...
Its been said before on this forum that small holes start to appear in the fabric and after 3 sessions my new kite is disintegrating.
Now I have to go through the hassle of claiming warranty.
Steer clear of these kites or you"ll be posting the same.
Obviously they sacrificed strength for lightness because I have never had this happen with any other brand.
Ozone owners you need to check your kites since this is happening to not just me.
Hmmm No point Pimping any brands - seems to be the odd hole in the Fairytale... its the Happy Ending that counts !!
I recently bought a brand new kite from a Perth kite school, paid upfront as they had to order the 2012 model... pumping it up at the beach I found 2 holes in the strut, obviously slipped through quality control... no worries, took it back for warranty... they didnt want to know about it - said I have to contact the US company !!
Upon contacting emailing the US manager - he would rather not tarnish his Excellent kite and Customer service reputation and had a warranty replacement sent direct from the factory to my doorstep in 4 days and will give me a speciall discount on the next - for my inconvenience !!
Ive spent about $6000. with that US kite company because of the awesome customer services... and that one dumbass Perth dealer has now missed out on another 3 kites Im going to buy when I upgrade shortly 
So you see - regardless of what brand it is, its good or bad customer services that really count... most kites are pretty descent these days
Everyone you speak to has got a different opinions about what kites are best, and what is right for one person doesn't suit another, I reckon anyone considering getting a new kite should head to kite stock and take advantage of all the kites available to demo.
Put on your harness, grab your board and walk from one end of the beach to the other trying dozens of different kites along the way.
I know this might not be any good for beginners but for anyone that is up and riding there is no better time/place to demo kites, I think I tried about 10 kites in the same conditions within a few hours a couple of years ago.
What style of kite would you rekonmend for an all rounder?
a bit of surf (in time) jumping and wakeboarding style sort of thing. just a general all rounder.
C? Hybrid? and others?
Oh and it not my first kite so not after complete begginer. but if a beginner one comes under a good alrounder. no worries.
cheers cam
Tried a few brands over the years, and am sticking with North for now. Pig ugly but damn good quality. And as mentioned: not cheap.
Nearly switched to Wainman just to try something new.
Benny said.... Theres a whole new argument to the buying local vs internet debate....
Too much drugs man - theres 'NO' new argument when it comes to Customer services and warantees !!
Maybe try reading the Perth kite School dealer part again
Stay with the topic...
IMO you cant go past. ... Slingshot, Cabrinha & North for quality.
These three brands stand out as having the best workmanship and quality of product.
Naish for 5 years then slingshot for 3 years then ozone for 3 years. As others have already mentioned and IMO the build quality of ozone is really good. The canopy material Technoforce seems to last well. Others on past threads have claimed that other brands use this material as well Naish,Liquid Force,F-one,North ,Slingshot. I think that ozone do need some small refinements on the bar. Ozone designed Paragliders way before they started designing kites and to me on that point alone they are a step ahead of other kite brands.
Select to expand quoteSaveTheWhales said...
Like Munroe says...
Its been said before on this forum that small holes start to appear in the fabric and after 3 sessions my new kite is disintegrating.
Now I have to go through the hassle of claiming warranty.
Steer clear of these kites or you"ll be posting the same.
Obviously they sacrificed strength for lightness because I have never had this happen with any other brand.
Ozone owners you need to check your kites since this is happening to not just me.
That thread has disappeared and so has Munroe? Was only started this morning I think... seems like there was more to the story going on there maybe. Perhaps he figured out the cat was sleeping on it after all. PM33, unleash the conspiracy hounds!
One thing that is worth checking out (if you can) is the availability of spares. One of my 3 brand new 2012 'big brand' kites has a defective valve in the leading edge and is slowly leaking. It's being covered under warranty without any issues.
The only problem is that I have been told that there are no LE bladders in the country and I have to wait for more stock to come in... total bummer when you have just bought a brand new kite, you are on holidays and the wind is blowing 
I am very pleased with both my brands of kites and neither of them are very popular but both come out of Australia.
New Kiteboarding out of Geralton and
Fluid out of "over east" Australia somewhere.
ANYTHING with squarish Wingtips is good.
Cheers
RICH
