How many of you would ever have thought you would be spending 2 ... 3 ... $400 ... some even $1k on a kite when you started this addiction?

Most of us probably cringed at $100. I know I did. My wife says boys and their toys ... but I say women do this sport also

WE ARE ALL A BUNCH OF ADDICTS!

My first symphony cost $125 and I was almost embarrassed to admit it. I guess you get adjusted to it after you buy one for $250 then $500 and right on up.

How about 2700 for a new flysurfer.

I'm still not adjusted up that high yet. I'm not ruling it out, just wouldn't blow most of my annual toy budget on one kite yet.

Pretty sure my mother nearly killed me when I told her I wanted to spend $250 on a new Beamer.

She pulled the "Hey go down to walmart and pick up one of those $15 dollar ones, its about the same...."

Now I'm workin on a $1K purchase, :o and I'm pretty sure it wont be my last

You aren't paying just for a kite though, you are buying experiences of riding fast and jumping high in the air above your friends. If you think about it that way, then how much does a day pass cost for lift tickets at a ski resort? At least with kites you can literally fly!

It was a milestone getting cleared for $1500 both by the best wife in the world AND that little voice inside me. I'm scared enough having that dollar value in the comfort zone....I'd be doomed if it weren't a one-time thing and really "enough" for now.

....that's my story...but you all know I'm a sucker for a bargain ; )

Now, the one thing I can't seem to shake is the "off the lot" losses which keep me in the used gear market (except for the Access of course.....and the P18 doesn't really count 'cuz it was NOS and a great deal). I imagine one day, when my skills are such that I would actually know, understand and be able to use what I'm buying that there might be a special toy added to the collection brand spanky new but otherwise I just can't sleep knowing as soon as it's shipped it's lost at least $500.

I guess I really don't have much to say just yet being that my first kite hasn't arrived yet. But it definitely took a bit of arm twisting to get the wife to allow me to spend 1k on a kite package without having any previous experience with one before. In the end it took me selling off some of my other addiction, guitars. I had to sell three to be exact and a drum kit that took up alot of space. But I think that in the end it will serve me better anyway, another way to get my lazy ass off the couch and out of the house, and I still have a couple guitars to keep me entertained when the wind is too strong to play!:evil:

I'm not really that surprised... after all, I'm not really addicted to kites as much as I am addicted to zippers and good zippers are expensive!

It wasn't that long ago that the wife casually asks, "exactly how much DO you have invested in kites?"

Oh.......my.......gawd.......squirm........think........stall..........think!........squirm.........THINK!!........stall........"Uh, um"........sweating........."Oh about".........sweating profusely........."I'd say roughly, uh"..........mind............shu.t..t...i....n.....g....................

d
o
w
n

I did a quick mental add up of the kites & associated gears that are now in the spare room and not in my boot ... oh damn I could have paid cash for that new bike I wanted - before I got into kites

... the saddest thing is, I paid the hospital bill thinking "Nuts, that could have been a brand new Charger, or a couple of Synergy's and a board, or a bunch of Scorpions, Venoms ..." :embarrased:

Agreed, first kite 170, i was kinda regretting it.

Next kite 240 with lines n handles.

Newest kite $700

...

Quote:

How many of you would ever have thought you would be spending 2 ... 3 ... $400 ... some even $1k on a kite when you started this addiction?

Who? Me?

Oh gosh I went the other way - first kite PL Rebble 5.0 and a Flexifoil Kava - NZ$1,300

I involve my wife in the big items, "Honey do you like the yellow buggy or the red one"? Good thing AWOC had a yellow Ivanpah buggy to sell:D
See Honey the big foot tires do look a lot better than the stock ones, Yes dear they do. He-He.

See after tournament paintball, an easy $20,000 in SCUBA, a couple of rc heli crashes, etc., I just sat at home and practiced pulling cash/plastic out of my wallet until the motion no longer fazed me. Makes things like this much less painful.

Personally, I spend too much money on every hobby. That's why they're hobbies and why I have a job that's unrelated to the hobbies.

ive got 5k invested in kites and accessories--worth every penny i spent ........they last a long time so its a solid purchase, i think........

yeah... this stuff is expensive, but if you take decent care of it, it lasts years.... i never thought i would be able to have what i wanted, but i stick with buying used, and only buy when the deal is good enough... or need great enough

regardless... all my equipment combined has cost less than it would to own a jetski or something comparable... and kites are more fun

it was dakitez Ace 5 that got me hooked to the power.

then 350 for almost new 08 Havoc LEI 12 meter (complete)

so far its all ive needed. But i do eventually want a flysurfer speed 19 meter and a 15m charger

I've definitely spent more than I thought I would at this point. But its all way too much fun.
The wife watches everything I get these days. Have to keep it to a bare minimum.
But I do have that new Speed 3 sitting here waiting for me to roll it out and fly it....

I hope to think I'm not spending a lot more than I would in any other sport ?

The rest of my family are big on skiing and golfing. They look to spend almost as much when you include Lift tickets and course fees.

I take great joy in not having to pay those fees !

My kite purchases have been all over the place... If I coulda, I woulda kept some of my previous kites. I personally wish I would have been able to keep my 13m venom, AND buy my new 15m synergy that's coming . 13m venom+15m syn to me that sounds like heaven :P . I started out with the 3m beamer (~$200) then to 5m ace (~$120), anyways... I traded, sold, added $50 or $60 here to upgrade, and then sold again and then bought, and traded.....

And then Sold again... lol. Now I'm buying a brand new synergy! over $700. I know I would have NEVER gotten that to fly at first but since It's not necessarily "new" money and it was already invested in previous kites i'm able to do it

I've got one for you. I have my 15m Synergy RTF arriving Friday and gave Dakitez (courtesy order through Coastal Wind Sports) my color choices in order of preference. He lets me know it's on its way and I casually ask him what color I ended up with. His response? It's a surprise! I didn't press cause it is actually kind of exciting to see what I end up with. Sort of like not knowing if your kid is going to be a boy or girl. (I knew early on for both my boys) I can see now that the NorCal hi jinx is going to be ripe with activity. I'm on it.

Kites? What kites? Oh those? No those were on sale. Except for the ones that I won in a contest... And a few that were gifts. Yeah, that sounds good, we'll go with that.

Quote:

Originally posted by Maven454 Kites? What kites? Oh those? No those were on sale. Except for the ones that I won in a contest... And a few that were gifts. Yeah, that sounds good, we'll go with that.

Hahaha... I like your way of explaining it.

Dino, just so you know I hold you personally accountable for this addiction. THANK YOU!!! Haha! I never dreamed I'd be planning to spend so much on this, not just on kites but a buggy, a new vehicle, and possibly relocating as soon as the real estate market comes back up a little. Gah!

Quote:

Originally posted by Maven454 Kites? What kites? Oh those? No those were on sale. Except for the ones that I won in a contest... And a few that were gifts. Yeah, that sounds good, we'll go with that.

Don't forget these classics that you can use over and over.

1. It's a demo from Angus.
2. This is one we pass around to each other and I'm about to ship it on to the next guy. (This also causes confusion about kites coming in and being shipped out).

I actually set up my own checking account for kite transactions where I put money in when I sell one and then can write a check on it to pay for the next one. 2 checks mailed out today.

whaddya talkin about... nothing in my quiver cost more than $20 :wink2::wink2:

Hey Sailors,
Congrats on knowing the prices of what you play with.
Our culture makes sure we know prices, doesn't it?

How about the value?

I don't want to get all sappy here.
You fill in the blanks of what you have received FOR your money.
You know the stuff...
Friends...
Great times...
Sublime outdoor moments...
Awesome power of the wind...

The list gets longer every time we play.

It's the part we don't talk about that really matters.

The Wind Is Free!


Safen Up! Buggy On!

"Often wrong... Never in doubt"

the coreylama