How many of you ARC pilots would consider or make the change if this tube kite out performs their current ARC lineup (which doesnt appear to be too difficult)? Lets assume the market angle on this kite will cover all depower disciplines................wait a minute isnt this their marketing departments job? I gotta change careers.................

ok I went first.........be honset and not afraid to admit that one day you could change over. Remember you can always go back..........:duh::duh:

I would fly NPW's if that is all that was available to fly.

I am sure I could enjoy inflatables but I don't have a lot of need for a water kite. If the arc wasn't around I expect I would be flying Flysurfers or Ozone ?

I've stuck it out for 11 yrs without changing a bladder or nipple!(on my own equipment) !Hope they got something thats going to blow the socks off of anything out there now or they are just going to get laugh at as "sellouts". Plus they want to capture on LEI wearing out in a season or two, compared to a twin skin that has a long-long lifespane!They are taking "Peter" out of the Lynn. Peter thinks outside the box, V/O thinks within. I pretty much have the choice of several dozon tube kites to fly daliy, probaly will have start flying for work too but I still love how simple the arcs are. But what do we know? We are lazy Americans sitting on a couch.

There are already many very good LEI kites out there that outperform arcs. Other qualities make arcs more "attractive" to some folks. I like the stability, range, compactness for travel (I travel a lot!) durability; and I think the design is elegant. Performance is improving; not very quickly and not in the quantum leaps possible i.e. SLE, Delta LEI developments.

I think the LEI kite improvements are leveling off, but people still buy new kites annually to keep up with the price and value,knowing that LEI dependability degrades rapidly after 2 years. You can usually re-coup half cost on a 1yo kite, while a 2yo kite is hard to sell. This is part of the LEI marketing structure; they build kites that have to be replaced regularly. Seems to work with all my friends. Sad thing is that the folks that are riding 3yo tubes get stink eye at the beach almost as much as arc flyers.

Most LEI kiters choose their flavor based upon some kind of loyalty(either brand, shop or dealer), as most LEI are good performers and none really have a unique characteristic that separates them from other LEI (like arcs). If I were to fly inflatables regularly I don't know if I would choose PL off the bat because their support network in the States is non existent. From what I have encountered, even US PL/VO dealers are out in the cold as far as support is concerned. Personally, I have to wait at least 6 months every time I order the new PL model, when my friends with shops are willing to hand me a new LEI kite on the spot; no questions, try it before you buy it, pay me next week or come back and try something else... The competitive kite market in the US must be something that the Dutch can't quite fathom, and to tell you the truth, I can't quite blame them either. However, they should have someone explain it to them if they want to sell LEI kites.

I like flying inflatable kites too (mostly Revs and Vegas) and I'd love to fly a PL inflatable, but I would still like to keep my primary kites as arcs.

So my reasons to fly PL/VO inflatable:

-A LEI kite that revolutionizes the sport
-A kite that outperforms the like of SS Rev, North Vegas, Ozone Edge, GK Sonic, Best Taboo, Cabrinha Switchblade...
-A competitive inexpensive, yet very high quality kite
-A competitive kite that will pack into a lunch box
-A competitive kite that is available and supported at many local shops
-A competitive kite that looks sooooooooooooooo cool in the air that it's a bigger chick magnet than puppies
-A competitive kite that makes me look soooooooooooo cool in the air that I am a bigger chick magnet than puppies

i would stay with the arcs, or if PL stopped making them, i would switch to flysurfers....

i fly solo a lot, self launch and land is awesome
i dont like the pumping
i like being unique
they are durable

You can self-launch/-land tubes pretty easy ...

I'd go a PL tube if it measured up to the rest - they all seem much of a muchness IMHO .... once you've chosen your style, they all seem to do about the same thing

I agree, they all pretty much fly The timings on the kites when you want to get air are totally different. And of course water relaunch differs greatly between the two (well for late matter between all sle/lei's). Since I typically have to deal with waves I'v found that if the kite hits the water the lei flags out and bow ties and won't want to restart, and the lei's fold over themselves, so you're screwed either way!

enjoying yor comments..............feel alot of passion in your statements which is one of the ultimate testimonies..............

I'm only seeing, on two different browsers, three choices in the poll; first, third, and fifth. What are choices #2 and #4?

Doubt I'll ever go over to a LEI(insert all the reasons for flying arcs here). Don't know what I'll fly when my arcs wear out. Can't justify/afford a new kite every couple of years, sure would make this activity very expensive. Anyone ever figure out how much each session costs you, factoring in the cost of all the equipment? Yikes, I'm a school teacher...

use 1,3, or 5........my categories were more than one line for selections 1 and 3 which produced a 2 and 4. Your ARCs most likely will never wear out......AJ and PHREERIDER are probably the annual high time pilots on PKF and never fuss about performance with their ARC kits...........

cost per session...............nice idea.........run with that Geo and start a new thread

early results in and may be a factor/reason PL is including a LEI into their lineup.........Im sure they did some sort of focus group or customer survey. :puzzled::puzzled::shocked2:

old arcs, new arcs.. new tubes, old tubes..foils, lei..whatever. something that works EVERYDAY is gonna get my vote.


"do have a machine that fills that thing up?"

"no, I don't"

"then how do you fill it"

"mother nature fills it for me"

a look if disbelief arrives on their face. i laugh and think what a blissful state they must exist in to be so filled with hair trigger doubt. made my day.

a real conversation i had with a beach goer a few days back.

ANYTHING THAT IS FILLED WITH MOTHER NATURE HAS TO BE BETTER.

been there a time or three...................then I start thinking to myself, "hope I dont blow the launch".............................:duh:

tridude called me one day when he had an encounter with a doubter. I'd love him to recount it for us. Don't have to pump it up? Nope
I can help you launch it. Don't need any help.

After all that the guy loses it when tridude launches and then forgets about the kite getting his stuff together on the ground oblivious to the kite.

I was in tears from laughter. tridude could do standup with his delivery. :roll:

Quote:

Originally posted by sendit If I were to fly inflatables regularly I don't know if I would choose PL off the bat because their support network in the States is non existent. From what I have encountered, even US PL/VO dealers are out in the cold as far as support is concerned. I like flying inflatable kites too (mostly Revs and Vegas) and I'd love to fly a PL inflatable, but I would still like to keep my primary kites as arcs.

What planet?
Since VO has reached out direct to dealers about 2 years ago this is not so much true. I stock most PL spares for Arcs (bar parts, etc) here in the US and can get most anything else in about a week. And they are easy to get on the phone for any support issues. Yes there is usually delay and uncertainty on the delivery times for new products, but this is common with other makes too, in my experience.

Quote:

Originally posted by acampbell Quote: Originally posted by sendit If I were to fly inflatables regularly I don't know if I would choose PL off the bat because their support network in the States is non existent. From what I have encountered, even US PL/VO dealers are out in the cold as far as support is concerned. I like flying inflatable kites too (mostly Revs and Vegas) and I'd love to fly a PL inflatable, but I would still like to keep my primary kites as arcs. What planet? Since VO has reached out direct to dealers about 2 years ago this is not so much true. I stock most PL spares for Arcs (bar parts, etc) here in the US and can get most anything else in about a week. And they are easy to get on the phone for any support issues. Yes there is usually delay and uncertainty on the delivery times for new products, but this is common with other makes too, in my experience.

i have pretty much everything, and the only thing we dont do in house is repairs. I perfer to ship back to PL for most technical repairs.

as for support you are welcome to shoot email my way. ill be all over Canada and USA this coming season along with the pplz from PL NL.

Quote:

Originally posted by ripsessionkites Quote: Originally posted by acampbell Quote: Originally posted by sendit If I were to fly inflatables regularly I don't know if I would choose PL off the bat because their support network in the States is non existent. From what I have encountered, even US PL/VO dealers are out in the cold as far as support is concerned. I like flying inflatable kites too (mostly Revs and Vegas) and I'd love to fly a PL inflatable, but I would still like to keep my primary kites as arcs. What planet? Since VO has reached out direct to dealers about 2 years ago this is not so much true. I stock most PL spares for Arcs (bar parts, etc) here in the US and can get most anything else in about a week. And they are easy to get on the phone for any support issues. Yes there is usually delay and uncertainty on the delivery times for new products, but this is common with other makes too, in my experience. i have pretty much everything, and the only thing we dont do in house is repairs. I perfer to ship back to PL for most technical repairs. as for support you are welcome to shoot email my way. ill be all over Canada and USA this coming season along with the pplz from PL NL.

Good, I look forward to seeing yall this yr since I work for the one of the largest kite stores in the USA.........aj

Crap! Sorry to stir the pot. I think my comments are somewhat based on long-ago experiences and just general lower exposure of PL in the states. I fly almost completely on the water too, which puts me in the minority on this forum as well. 99% of the people I kite with are on inflatables so I see very few arcs, even though I fly them all around the continent.

I have to say that every North American PL dealer that I bought kites from has been over the top; I could not ask for more as far as service, and they go out of their way to support my purchases and PL kites. I wish that there was enough business to support more of them because they are spread out. I have only met one and that was while in Baja. It's a great story, but I don't think Speedy sells arcs anymore - something about snowflakes in NYC.

So I wish to retract my comments, with an apology. It would help if I got out on the water soon. Peace Out.

Yeah you better retract, there is no bigger chick magnet than puppies.

It's the end of June. I thought the release date was penciled in for now.

Release/ship dates are almost always penciled in with a very powdery graphite that is highly susceptible to being blown away by the first errant sneeze.

Plus, I think a lot of release dates are put out with an eye towards the fine game of brinkmanship between driving interest and exasperation.

Last minute supply or production issues also tend to wield a fairly large monkey wrench.



ATB,
Sam

Hopefully it is not a Duke Nukem'.

Traig's got one over here in Malibu...might have to hunt him down so I can have a go '

I love my Arc's to death and I don't think I'll ever get rid of them but I definitely am open to try the new Lei or maybe a Wainman or something else that is wave friendly.

...the only thing really holding me back is the self launch and land. I think I'd be really scared at first to launch by myself in high winds....don't really have that fear with my arc's. I'm not saying it's a justifiable fear, but it's probably the main reason that I haven't bought a LEI yet. And the death spirals...still have some concerns about that...

Well for those of you that have been following my helter skelter quiver and wishy washiness you already know the answer.....YES! But only for the water. More to the point I'd do it to proudly support the brand that I really do think has very good merits and is at the right price point for the sport, a great community to be a part of, and so on, and so on......

I've been doing the foil/inflato wrestle for a while here and have gone over to the other side for now - for the water at least. If PL's were out I'd definitely have put them tops in consideration if not second in line after beating up the first couple LEIs I lay my ape hands on.

Slingshot quiver taking shape as we speak.

I dunno, I'm thinking my next pumpy kite will be a Switch - just for something different. And for the screaming low price

Relaunch of an SLE is such cake in pretty much any condition. If they could make it much gusts then I'd consider it on water but not on land. I wonder about a combination SLE/Arc. Ok, sure, that's crazy talk, but a little captive leading edge that not too stiff could do wonders for the bow tie and anti-taco. I'm usually on the flexi tubes on water, but I plan to take my v13 or p10 for a ride this weekend :D

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamikuza I dunno, I'm thinking my next pumpy kite will be a Switch - just for something different. And for the screaming low price

Give it a try and let me know how the bar is. I have been eyeballing that since you posted.

Personally, I think PL missed the boat as far as inflatos go. Had they come out with an inflato line 3 or 4 years ago (just when bows / SLEs were just becoming popular) then I think they'd of had a better chance. Now that a new kite manufacturer seems to come out every couple of months with another "me too" bow/sle, I think they wouldn't have nearly as good a chance at making it big. At this stage, they're probably better off sticking to what they know best.

FWIW I've not seen much info on the Switch kites yet, but those prices are definitely interesting. Too bad they don't make a 16m, my Bularoo 16m will be the first to need replacement I'm afraid.

Good point BK.