thanks bigR! i edited the post!!!
Tom.. you are mostly correct.
I think people buy into the hype that a bow kite (waroo, ion, answer, switchblade, etc..etc..etc..) is going to change your life. it will NOT brighten teeth, cure cancer or do your laundry. I will not lower gas prices or get that hot chick in accounting to give you her phone number (maybe).. but it DOES provide a much larger range in both the upper and lower end.
The lower end performance is unreal. I have been able to hold upwind with ease on a large flat ply board with a 12 bow while others where flying 17m kites.
The highend performace allows you to kite in conditions in the upper range and not feel like you are fighting to maintain control. I have flown many-a-C-kite in gusty conditions and tho I had a whale of a time, flying a bow kite has allowed me to have triple the fun and take the gusts considerably better.
There is still a range with each kite. This is where the mix up is. I read tons of posts on Kiteforum and other places where claims are made on whats is capable on a particular kite and others trying to reproduce riding in those conditions get worked, inverted and then jump online and start bad mouthing the kites because or their mistakes.
There is definitely a larger upper range and the edges of that range are still a bit blurry to me with only a handful of sessions in these conditions...
A bow kite quiver will allow you to have fewer kites and have some overlap so that if conditions change you can stay on the water longer.
still a kite, still the same dangers that all kites bring and still require that you kite safe and smart...
Also.. if you shorten the depower loop, it cannot be sheeted out as much.. this MAY help to prevent any sort of inversion... you lose the ability to dump all power from the kite tho..
Yesterday on my 9m when it was super gusty, i actually powered up the loop to keep as much backline pressure as possible so that I didnt over sheet. also as an Oversheet on the bow dumps power (they fly best sheeted out a bit) it was ideal. if i cranked in, i would oversheet and power would spill off the kite. it would pull me more downwind, but this was not an issue.. wind let up a bit, sheet out, turn upwind and take off!!...