Power Kite Forum

Really Confused

Chrisz - 3-27-2015 at 07:15 PM

Ok I am tring to get my first water kite, I most likely will be going out on 10 to 20 mph winds, so I will need at least 2 kites for the summer.

Well I was looking at the Cabrinha Switch Blade, the Switch Blade on the Cabrina web site has a wind range of 9 mph to 14 mph on the 14m asuming I weighed 165 lb (actually I weigh 190 lbs). So I figured I would need at least 12 mph to get goin for my weight.


Well I was told the Switch Blade is not a light wind kite, I needed to get the Contra for light wind. So I looked up the wind range on the Contra, the Contra 17m wind range is 9 mph to 14 mph same as the 14m Switch Blade so does Cabrinha have a misprint on their web site?

Anyone have any experience with these two kites?



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PHREERIDER - 3-27-2015 at 07:39 PM

chrisz, 10mph prolly not, 15mph + esp. starting out, you will want more most likely.

12/8m fits most fun coniditions , thats a good spread and pretty common to start

if you 're starting out on water, even with some kite skills ,gonna need solid air to ride 15-20 and be powered to fell comfortable.

want take long just first 10-20 sessions, then you'll have better scope for light wind feel , if 12 is not working for you its too light to go anyway.

a big clumsy light wind kite may end up in the water more often than u like.

12m SB will power like ur frenzy and feel similiar , anything bigger will take your edge and feel slow

Kober - 3-27-2015 at 07:47 PM

Welcome to the world of stupid charts ..... lol ....
... I use both of those kites because my brother got them .... I am 190 lbs.... For Contra realistic bottom would be 10 on big board and top about 20 on small board, but its hard to stay upwind when overpowered on this kite..... For 14m Switchblade I would say 15mph on big board and up to 24mph on small one .... As beginner take few miles from top and bottom until you get proper skills to ride under and over powered ,,, You should not try anything bigger then 14m when learning , unless you have jet ski support or someone who can pick you up down wind ,....

If you decide to get new Cabrinhas U2U me , I may help you get good deal ....

Chrisz - 3-27-2015 at 08:19 PM

So the wind ranges of those two kites are not all that different depending on what board you use.

What size is the big board you where using with the 14m switch blade? That really seems like the best one kite quiver you can get. Two boards and one kite...

I am on a inland lake and probably won't see much over 20 mph winds unless there is an electrical storm comming.

I suppose a 17 contra and a 14 switch blade would be too much over lap.

volock - 3-27-2015 at 08:52 PM

I can't comment on those two kites. I end up running a 14M/9M which covers most my kiting. Light wind, especially starting out I wouldn't say is worth it (unless that's all you get). Light wind requires more kite finesse and working that makes learning on water a bit harder. I'm still fairly inexperienced on water, but I'll take my 14M consistently launching as enough power to get me up on the water (around 200lbs), anything where I can get it up and can't water relaunch isn't so worth it (outside body dragging) in my experience.

I'd definitely consider an extra floaty/large board/light wind board as my starting board. I didn't and I regret it.

Bladerunner - 3-28-2015 at 03:27 PM

When this type topic comes up on our local forum the #1 reply is that your board is more important than kite size for low wind.
A larger low wind board is usually a good beginner board. The " door " has a great reputation?

Around here it is all about low wind and foil boards are becoming the weapon of choice. This doesn't help you learning but ....

I don't ride on water so factor that into this advice.

grigorib - 3-29-2015 at 10:35 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Kober  
Welcome to the world of stupid charts ..... lol ....
... I use both of those kites because my brother got them .... I am 190 lbs.... For Contra realistic bottom would be 10 on big board and top about 20 on small board, but its hard to stay upwind when overpowered on this kite..... For 14m Switchblade I would say 15mph on big board and up to 24mph on small one .... As beginner take few miles from top and bottom until you get proper skills to ride under and over powered ,,, You should not try anything bigger then 14m when learning , unless you have jet ski support or someone who can pick you up down wind ,....

Well if you're going to ride big lake or ocean side, the swell and the current will require couple of meters up in the size. On flat I firmly believe you can do 7 knots and above on a door board and long lines at 190 lbs with 17m Contra. As of 14m - I started with 13m and quickly realized that it's not big enough but heavy for lightwind but too big for anything over 20 knots so I went to 12m range and today I'd rather ride the 10m as 12m feels like a truck.
My answer - extension lines and a door board can easily "add couple of meters" to most of well relaunchable kites and will give you better low end.

flyin_dutchman - 5-13-2015 at 05:26 PM

Take a water lesson BEFORE buying any gear. Even with land kite flying experience, you need a lesson. It will skyrocket your enjoyment in the water world...and that's the goal, right!

Proletariat - 5-30-2015 at 04:39 PM

I'm in the middle of learning also, and I gotta agree with Phree and Blade. 14m Contra is actually not very versatile due to the lack of top end. Also, I think you'll outgrow it super fast.

I think learning on a 12m switchblade is way better than a 14m Contra. The Contra is a POS, IMO. Slow, poorly built, doesn't generate a ton of apparent wind. The switchblade is a faster-turning kite and better at staying upwind, but still stable and predictable.

I just bought a $300 floaty directional to open up light wind sessions, for the exact same reason Blade mentions. I think these guys are spot-on from my noobie water experiences.

Kamikuza - 5-30-2015 at 05:12 PM

... the new Contras are a different beast to the old ones - you're not mixing them up are you? Poorly built? Are you kidding?

17 Contra and 12m Switchblade. 2 boards; a door and an all-rounder.

You'll waste a lot of wind due to a lack of finesse in the early days...

Why Cabrinha?

Proletariat - 5-31-2015 at 11:28 PM


Maybe, Kami. I might also just be confusing Cab models. I had an Omega and a couple of switchblades at one point. I think I'm thinking of the Omega. The Omega was a total PoS and the Switchblades were pretty good. That being said, I'm not a fan of Cabrinha in general or really even ANY light wind kite. They cut a lot of protection off of those bad boys to save on weight, and you have a tiny window when you're inland, due to gusts and generally #@%$#!teh conditions. Besides, you don't gain much. Check this out... 14m Rally vs. 17m Turbine. They both ride on a day when he shouldn't have been riding and when the wind dies, he's stuck out there either way.





Kamikuza - 6-1-2015 at 05:40 AM

Omega is ancient :) SBs are ok but the race kites like Crossbows, Velocities are better in light wind. The "new" generation of light wind kites are designed to do best in light wind, with greater or lesser success. I know the early Turbines did ok in light wind but became real downwind dragging monsters if the wind picked up.

Cab is still one of the best made brands IMO, probably made too well cos my 2011s take a licking and keep on kicking. New bars are overly complicated and heavy, but sturdy enough.

The new Ozone Zephyr performs impressively. Shame the quality is so iffy, and the bar agricultural.

UnknownAX - 6-3-2015 at 03:48 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Kamikuza  

The new Ozone Zephyr performs impressively. Shame the quality is so iffy, and the bar agricultural.


Huh? :puzzled:

Please elaborate, the Zeph is definitely one of the kites on my wishlist and it'd be nice to know if there's really something iffy going on with it.

Kamikuza - 6-3-2015 at 05:57 PM

Ozone quality has been less than stellar in the past couple of years. I'm thinking specifically of Edges, and Ozone's responses tend to be "must be somethin you've done." My advice is buy from a good dealer who'll go to bat for you.

I've never liked their bars but that's just me :D

Chrisz - 6-4-2015 at 07:32 AM

When you saythe quality is not as good as it once was, are talking about the stiching of the fabric, poor quality fabric, the kites dont fly as good as they did before. Are they trying to get the kites too light, or is it poor workmenship at the factory?

elnica - 6-4-2015 at 08:42 AM

If you are set on Cabrinha's, Nomads are better than switchblades in my opinion, at least if you like faster kites. If I was looking to buy LEIs right now I would get FS Boosts, Ozone Edge's, or Cabrinha Nomads. Not sure about the quality of the Edge's as Kami pointed out. Cabrinha had some issues with their fabric a few years ago and their lines were super soft but they changed the lines around 2013 or 14. Soft lines tangle easily in the water making drift launching nearly impossible.

Proletariat - 6-4-2015 at 12:37 PM

Recent Ozone bars (and even handles!) seemed cheap on the various things I've flown. Probably a sample set of 5, all things told, but I prefer the compstick, Peter Lynn or FF handles and the build quality (not the proprietary complexity) of Cabrinha bars. Never really used North, OR or Naish bars, but they seem pretty legit.

Anyway, I'm with Kami on Ozone. The company appears to be run by people intent on making you feel privileged to own one of their kites, and they're really not as great as fanboys say they are. Oh wait, I just described Flysurfer, too! Although... Flysurfer's customer service is great, and their R&D is robust... It's just slightly misguided quite often. :)

Anyway, my buddy's brandnew Cabrinha ripped right down the middle after absolutely no trauma on a day that was well within its wind range. You do the math.

UnknownAX - 6-4-2015 at 02:43 PM

Well, I guess every kite company has had it's fair share of quality/design problems. Quite a few things come to my mind:

Slingshot: disintegrating trailing edges, nonfunctional Quickrelease, "reinforcements" which are more looks than function, steering line attachment points which rub through the leading edge,...

Cabrinha: the fishy Korean-made fabric, kites splitting in half, a too complicated and uncompatible bar system, questionable quality of lines,...

F-one: There was a rather funny incident recently where the bar of a local simply broke in two pieces.(the solid aluminum bar had corroded under the plastic covering...) Then there was also that notorious velcro QR, which could rip off your finger should you release it.

This list could probably be continued with every manufacturer -pick yours!

I think one thing that may split opinions regarding Ozone is the way all their Lei's are built. The kites are fairly light and have less reinforcements than some others (esp. Slingshot, Naish -both quality brands). Also their lines are thinner and not sleeved like some I've seen. On the other hand, all Ozones I've seen have had great quality stitching and the materials are top-notch.
However, I haven't seen the Edge so I can't comment on that one. It's their race kite so it might be that they've gone a little over the top with all the weight reduction.

Yes, the bar may seem a little "agricultural", I understand what you mean.:D
Their bar-end mold must be from the stone age and those things are pretty darn solid (not necessarily a pro when they meet your face;)) Also it took them like 10 years to come up with a push-away release and a swivel which works without disconnecting the leash.
However, I do like the functionality and quality of the bar. :sniff: