BigTone Posted June 24, 2015 Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 Im never going to be the best reviewer as I don't think I have that much knowledge - but i try to make up for that in my passion and love of what I do. I read a review you did Eons ago of the PL Core, made me always want one. (And I just bought one on a whim a couple of weeks ago - and its a great kite!) I guess for me - I agree - the techie stuff is what the manufacturers put out - Usually copy/paste from the year before's brochure - I want to know how it "feels" or if you had a blast flying it, or if it handles like a pig on the ground. That's why I love Johns reviews - It's the next best thing to being there and actually flying one. Me and my wife have a full set of NS-2's based initially on his reviews (and then after we got the first two we just had to fill out the set) but i wouldnt have even tried them if not for his video reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Joel Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Appreciate all the feedback, it's been helpful. Keeping a balance between flexibility within submitting the review and fields to a minimum required to make filtering workable.Also keeping the categories simple for now, these can expand as we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gum-nuts Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 I like it already, now if only I could get hold of some new kites to review... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoutherlyBuster Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Joel, perhaps the boards should be subdivided into landbased versus whater based? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Joel Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Joel, perhaps the boards should be subdivided into landbased versus whater based? No need, there will be a filter on the page to further drill down through the listings. This avoids having many categories with fewer entries and updates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Joel Posted July 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2015 Some more progress underway.... you can usually see quick snippets/previews of what's coming up here ( link ). SoutherlyBuster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Joel Posted July 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 I accept that challenge. *cough* So how'd we go with that one @BigTone BigTone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyrewaves Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 I'd also like to know if the adhesive used on the included stickers is biodegradable, nontoxic and safe for infants to eat. And can it also be used as a repair patch. But seriously I think its all been covered with the responses so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTone Posted July 31, 2015 Report Share Posted July 31, 2015 *cough* So how'd we go with that one @BigTone the bottle opener is great. The stickers are still off being tested to ensure they are safe. But i have to say, the packaging was superb. Oh,and the kite was good too. A little bit of shaved soap got most of those stains off. Still havnt seen "package 1" though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plummet Posted July 31, 2015 Report Share Posted July 31, 2015 I look for reviews from non sponsored riders who do not have a financial interest in either the product or giving the review. Sponsered riders, shop owners, distributors kite company owners/employees all have their blinkers on and never give a full warts and all review. Its allways a review through rose coloured glasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Joel Posted July 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2015 Sponsered riders, shop owners, distributors kite company owners/employees all have their blinkers on and never give a full warts and all review. Its allways a review through rose coloured glasses. The issue with talking in absolutes is that a single exception makes the statement absolutely incorrect. I have no issue with some store owners reviewing products, as some of them are honest and in one of the best positions to compare the products due to their extensive access to a range of products. Compare that in contrast to the average reviewer who does not have access to as wide a range of products as the store owner, and in most cases far more limited experience to a singular or second brand their whole kiting life. Both sets of reviewers have value in their opinions and contributions, the key is to identify if there is a commercial relationship with the product being reviewed and identify that as part of the review. I find brand fanboys/cheerleaders are by far worse when it comes to rose coloured glasses. Easy to identify by their excessive enthusiasm for what they've flown, quick to make outlandish claims and then the pre-emptive congratulatory circle-jerk on how great an unreleased, unproven product is compared to what's already available on the market. Did someone say they just bought an Eclipse Thruster back in 2009? BigTone, jaysmith and andy666 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plummet Posted July 31, 2015 Report Share Posted July 31, 2015 Fair enough call. You have to weed out the over zealous riders too. I guess what I am interested in is the negative aspects of a kite. It's pretty obvious what good aspects of most types of kites have. But what are the things that are not so good about the kite? Joe blogs is more likely to talk about what he doesn't like. shop owner/ brand rep etc will omit any aspect they don't like from their review. BigTone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 I find brand fanboys/cheerleaders are by far worse when it comes to rose coloured glasses. Easy to identify by their excessive enthusiasm for what they've flown, quick to make outlandish claims and then the pre-emptive congratulatory circle-jerk on how great an unreleased, unproven product is compared to what's already available on the market. Did someone say they just bought an Eclipse Thruster back in 2009? I kind of resemble that remark and most people that fly with me know that I'm pretty loyal to the HQ Powerkites brand.. I only own 3 non-HQ Powerkites. I've done a few reviews where I felt my experience would benefit others. I've also refrained from reviewing if I felt my bias would color the review. For instance, I like the old HQ Crossfire II's better than the Toxics. They're faster through the air and have the bridle adjustments. I have three Crossfires(2,3&4) and 2 Toxics (5&8). The sizes overlap and I'd fly my 4M Crossfire before even thinking about taking the 5M Toxic out of the bag, every time. That being said I like the 8M Toxic as much as any kite I own.. The Black,White and Gray makes it the coolest color scheme of all of them. I do agree with you that at times, you see a hyped up review followed a few weeks later by a "for sale" posting which will make you wonder!!! Some people Buy, Try, Fly and then, "BYE." I'm personally still wondering about the PL Uniq's. I see a lot of hype but they are just as quickly hitting the used market. Is it a great kite or a "hot potato" situation? I'd like to fly one before buying because of that perception. Me personally, If I get a great kite, you'd probably be better off buying a new one before trying to get mine. For the record, I still own the Skydog SDT 2.8 kite I reviewed. I still consider it a keeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Joel Posted August 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 @riffclown I see a huge gap between someone passionate about kiting and enjoying the kite they fly vs someone who's an outright zealot that refuses to acknowledge someone can have just as much enjoyment on an alternative piece of equipment. What's incredible is five to ten years ago there was so much more choice available for people outside of the core brands that people seemed to have a wider acceptance and looked beyond the three majors. I'm personally still wondering about the PL Uniq's. I see a lot of hype but they are just as quickly hitting the used market. So far the single skin kites from Peter Lynn are not much more than trainer/beginner kites. Certainly not kites that are displaying the full advantage of the single skin design, however that will come. @outlaw did the Mongolia trip on single skin kites himself, that in itself is a testament to their usability. It's just such performance models haven't made their way down the Peter Lynn pipeline yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 @.Joel Acknowledged and Agreed.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoutherlyBuster Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 Still think store owners have some thing to contribute worth the read, provided you know it is the store owner. Over the years you get to know them and know what parts of their review to trust and the other bits to treat with a grain ( or bucket) of salt. It can also be the leader for you to contact them and ask more questions. Sure they will push their own product, but you expect that, but they will be in a good position to advise amongst their range what kite is best suited to you. The over zealous one eyed reviewers, hmm ... well we get to know them as well. All part of the fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Joel Posted August 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 (edited) Today we have opened up the new Extreme Kites Reviews section. If you've been sneaking around my profile status updates you've probably seen snippets already. An accompanying Blog Entry regarding the launch: We'll be putting a Wiki Page together on "Tips for writing good reviews." I'll initially use most of the information contributed in this discussion to put that together, then anyone here will be welcome to edit that page and further improve on it. I'll work towards sorting out any bugs/issues and then we can feature improve going forward. Hope you enjoy the new section. Please be patient with the team, they will be just getting their heads around using the new section like everyone else. Edited August 5, 2015 by .Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoutherlyBuster Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Looks good Joel, like the filter. What I can not see but would like to see, are the keywords for each category, ie what entries you can filter for can be seen on a particular review. I assume this is inwork? For example if a kite is aimed at both the beginner and intermediate, would have expect in the review to be a column or option to see that data. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windstruck Posted August 22, 2015 Report Share Posted August 22, 2015 So..... tons of great, great points have been brought up by others before me and I won't repeat. While I didn't read every line of every post I didn't see any mention of two important point (IMO): Bridle complexity/tendency to tangle How hard it is to get the kite back in flight shape once you've pulled the emergency lever From a practical perspective all of us at one time or another have gotten horrific tangles in bridle lines that require undoing pigtails to finally sort things out. These rat's nests seem to happen more easily with certain kites than others. Finally, I would reinforce gum-nuts comment about reliability of the safety release, adding how easy is it to deploy in a hurry (like, you know, when being dragged over rocks after an OBE). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mik333 Posted August 22, 2015 Report Share Posted August 22, 2015 Nobody mentioned the whistle. In the 90's Quadrifoils came with a warning whistle which strapped to your wrist. This enabled the buggier to warn beach users of the approaching kiter. They were very loud. A few years ago, a netball umpire borrowed one to use at an indoor match. It was banned because she was stopping games on the other courts. I still have one, which should be worth heaps in a few years....... I found myself misled by advertising and some reviews in 2011 for the Ozone Method. I wanted to replace my set of Blades and found the Method to be a good solid mid range kite, but not edgy ( my interpretation). I went with the PKD Century 2, which suited me perfectly. Any reviews can only give you a starting point to begin a purchase, so it is helpful to personally know the reviewer and their flying style. As an example, a Clive review and a John review of any given kite would be different, so I would gain an understanding, but a stranger might be confused. Michael SoutherlyBuster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gum-nuts Posted August 22, 2015 Report Share Posted August 22, 2015 (edited) Nobody mentioned the whistle. In the 90's Quadrifoils came with a warning whistle which strapped to your wrist. This enabled the buggier to warn beach users of the approaching kiter. They were very loud. A few years ago, a netball umpire borrowed one to use at an indoor match. It was banned because she was stopping games on the other courts. I still have one, which should be worth heaps in a few years....... I found myself misled by advertising and some reviews in 2011 for the Ozone Method. I wanted to replace my set of Blades and found the Method to be a good solid mid range kite, but not edgy ( my interpretation). I went with the PKD Century 2, which suited me perfectly. Any reviews can only give you a starting point to begin a purchase, so it is helpful to personally know the reviewer and their flying style. As an example, a Clive review and a John review of any given kite would be different, so I would gain an understanding, but a stranger might be confused. Michael That's why we need to get as many reviews on as many different kites by many different reviewers. And if a kite already has one or two reviews it's still worth posting to get different perspectives, as everybodies opinion is valued. Edited August 22, 2015 by gum-nuts .Joel and Chook 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoutherlyBuster Posted August 24, 2015 Report Share Posted August 24, 2015 Spot on Mik333, similar to my comment on reviews given by shop owners and "team riders", the reviews are still useful but it's more useful if you know the reviewer's motives/likes/preferences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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