No Luke, I am your father....

[shogun1204]

Man Blah Blah Blah, too much fighting going on here. We need some wind to get us all Happy again. LOL

Oh I'm not fighting I'm just baiting Toby! He's bashing best just to get me excited.

[toby wilson]

I still disagree with you Tom. A Cabby, Slingshot or Flexi, North, etc. is just better quality. As far as the bladders are concerned, do you think that your bladders are made any differently than mine? Maybe just that they aren't one pumps. The problems I have been having are at the ustick attachment point. That is a one pump issue and is easily repairable. Do me a favor, feel the canopy of your old C kites and then mine side by side. You can't argue that the fabric is thinnner, it is a fact. That's all I'm trying to get across here.

And I'm not bashing Best in the least. Just saying that an older one may be worth just $200 complete but that there are other old C's worth much more because of the extra reinforcement put into them that's all. I already admitted that the Waroo would be my preference when offered a Slingshot flat kite and am actually sitting at my desk at work as I type this with my old GTO at my feet ready to ship and 1/2 of Amber's Christmas present - a brand new 2006 12M Best Waroo on top of my desk. So no Best bashing, they just got my business!!! But I will go on record as saying that I think the older ones were $300 new for a reason. People bought what was right for them at the time. But a used kite will take less wear the better made it is. That's all.

Originally Posted by toby wilson

The problems I have been having are at the ustick attachment point. That is a one pump issue and is easily repairable.

Sounds like a common problem(s)... that I have never experienced with my crappy best kites

[toby wilson]

Well I can tell you that there was never a "Fuelfish" or an "Octanefish"...there was a Hellfish if I remember correctly though and ALL of those LE's (not just bladders) were exploding...

All kites have quirks. Best didn't even give a refund, they gave a store credit. Slingshot REPLACES the bladders for free if it is a defect...never heard of Best doing that for their customers...

Just kidding Tom. All kite companies have their ups and downs, differing opinions are what makes the world go 'round! :wink:

[bryanleighty]

you are 10000% wrong on that toby..

BEST gave 100% refund back plus 100$ extra for the hellfish.

i am sure there are some that bought it and didnt get their $$ back..

but from what i understand, those that bought direct from BEST got their $$$ back w/ 100$ extra.

check on kiteforum.com there is a good explanation on the problems w/ the hellfish. there are still a few that were made outside the defective production line that are out there and occasional people will pipe up that they are amazing kites..

all those in the production line were junk and would come apart in all stiching areas after short use.

Absolutely not defending BEST in any way.. just clearing up any confusion.
They looked like ultimate ass-hats after the hellfish and Shannon Best must thank whatever gods he prays to daily for the success of the waroo.

My waroo shipped w/ a leak in a strut bladder.. deflated in about 2 hours .. no biggie .. i rode it like that for a week or two..but I called the Extreme Kites and they called Best for me and I had 2 bladders the next day.

Also.. i had my OR session harness knife break and OR sent me a replacement in a few days..

All in all .. every time i have had to contaact a shop or manufactuor for help or parts I have been taken care of.

ive heard stories from various kite companies that do and do not honor broken gear replacements.. some that bend over backwards to keep the rider on their gear.. and some that ignore the rider completely..

i think that is what needs to be tracked more than random product flaws..

i will keep my money with the companies that will help you in the times of trouble. thats also why i felt good buy the Skywalker boards..smaller, newer company.. i feel that if I had an issue they will take care of me. hopefully I wont.. but if i do.. i will def. let everyone know how i am treated.

[Unimog Bob]

As I understand it Best refunded everyone who ordered a hellfish and gave them and extra $100. Did SS do that with the wonderful Turbodiesel that was so bad they had to drop the line all together, Or how about the Link in SLE configuration there are lots of people still waiting for the promised bridle fix sitting on the beach with their $1600 umbrellas, oh I mean top quality state of the art kites. How many "defective" one pump wonder bladders do you have to install to make it though a season? between Toby and Steve it must be up to a dozen. Toby was nice enough to let me ride his Machine when it was holding air and still new and I have to admit it was a very nice experience, but after one season of riding Steve had to have his 17.5 replaced because it was so bagged out. I hear they had to drop the price on 06 machines and octanes to about the price of a Yarga to clear out stock. Extreme had a deal that came down to buy a Glide and get a machine for a about $300.

This is all really in good humor and I am not a SS hater I respect the brand and the guys that can afford to ride them. The best thing they have going for them is Neil H as a rep, he is a stand up guy.

Man I hope the wind blows soon!!!

Bob

Originally Posted by toby wilson

Well I can tell you that there was never a "Fuelfish" or an "Octanefish"...there was a Hellfish if I remember correctly though and ALL of those LE's (not just bladders) were exploding...

All kites have quirks. Best didn't even give a refund, they gave a store credit. Slingshot REPLACES the bladders for free if it is a defect...never heard of Best doing that for their customers...

Just kidding Tom. All kite companies have their ups and downs, differing opinions are what makes the world go 'round! :wink:

Actually, if you send in a best kite due to a defect, best will usually send you back a completely NEW kite. Sometimes they will send you TWO new kites.

I am not kidding. One time they gave me a free pulley bar.

They have the best warranty in the industry from what I can tell.

North on the other hand must have the worst... my buddy has been going round and round with them to no avail.

Bob about summed it up. All companies turn out turds now and then...some big ones, and lots of small ones.

[shogun1204]

The TD is an ok kite, I still fly it today. When the kite came out they made the backlines too long. So that caused the kite to invert A LOT! After I shorten the backlines my TD flies just fine now. I just dont like all the bar pressure the kite has, but thats pretty common with any Flat kite. If it did not have the bar pressure I would have any complaints about my TD. Funny thing is I actually think that help me fly the kite better in the long run. When I first got it I was fighting it all the time just trying to keep it in the air. After I shorten the back lines, I was like wow this is so much easier. LOL I have never had a issue with my TD since then. I have flown a lot of people kite, and the only kite I have flew so far that I really liked was the ION and the Ozone kite. Man I love that Ozone kite, I can't wait for the 07 models to come out. So I can get all there 06 Instinct for even cheaper! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah I heard that SS is acutally comming out with a TD2. Not sure if that is true or not.

[toby wilson]

Is there anything else that I can stir up to piss people off so we at least have some good debates and conversation on the forum while the wind isn't blowing??? I'd love any input that would help me get people's hearts racing and blood pumping...this is fun!!! :twisted: