Buzz Kite Gear Review

Just a pre-note, I am recently the Victorian Buzz Kites Ambassador for Buzz Kites but here is my honest review of the gear. If you are like me and sick of kite surfing becoming more and more expensive to purchase and maintain gear then have a read.

In August 2017 I took the plunge and decided to try a new kite surfing brand, called Buzz Kites.

The condensed story is that I had an upcoming trip to the Cocos Islands and couldn't get replacement lines for my worn Airush Lithium set in time but luckily I had the opportunity to take some Buzz gear over with me. I ended up taking 5 kites with me including the Buzz, Lithium and some RRD kites and paid a hefty amount in excess baggage.

I was quite sceptical about the brand, at the time they only had one type of twin-tip, one kite in various sizes, a harness and a bar. The lure for me was the more reasonable price point and the availability of replacement parts. I scoured the Buzz website, spoke to a few of the ambassadors in WA and discovered that the Buzz kites design is the same as the Griffin ArgoX (look it up online for reviews). It's an Australian designed kite (been around for 13 years) with heaps of people around Aus who really like it's boosting performance and wave riding drift characteristics. Knowing that I wasn't reading about a total dud design I purchased the full kite and took it away to Cocos Islands.

The Buzz (Harmony) Kite:
Surprisingly I used this kite the majority of the time during my trip. It really is a do-it all kite. Easy for beginners, fun for advanced riders and tough as bullets.
- It was super easy to setup, self launch and land
- It turned super quick with the advance bridle configuration
- In strong gusty winds the kite was smooth and controllable, didn't yank me like other kites I've ridden and was super quiet (no shaking going on)
- I could fly the kite in a much large kite window thanks to it's simple de-power system (16 - 28 knots comfortably and i'm only a 70kg rider)
- When boosting it provided heaps of lift but came down gently on landing
- We did three long down-winders and I really liked the way the kite would drift. I could race towards it and it wouldn't stall like my Lithium did.
- The materials and construction are really solid. I crashed the kite pretty heavily learning some new tricks and the kite took the punishment well with no damage.
What could be improved:
- The strut inflation tubes are a small diameter so they take a little longer to inflate / deflate than my previous kites

The Buzz Bar:
I'll start off by saying the bar is simple. It doesn't look particularly fancy like some other brands but it performs really well. It is solid, the grip seems better quality compared to my Airush core bar and the cool thing is that you can detach the lines at the bar end for quick and easy untangling of lines. The lines feel slightly different to other brands but they seem to be really good quality. The lines haven't faded, are still slippery and are way cheaper to replace than most kite brands (enormous plus for me). The front line v-bridle is low and easy to reach for safe self landing and the de-power is easy to reach and adjust with the simple cleat system.
What could be improved:
The de-power line can be help in position by a velcro strip but it does tend to fray the line a little. It's no big deal but I don't think the velcro is a necessity.

The Buzz (Stinger) board:
A really cool board, heaps better feel than my Airush Switch 135cm. It has a relatively flat rocker, is a little fuller at the tips and feels like it's on rails upwind. The first time I tried it I was quite surprised because it was a choppy day in St Kilda (blowing Westerly) and the board felt smooth and quiet, not hammering my knees like on my Switch.
- Construction appears to be really good, it still looks new after 4 months of constant use. My switch faded and looked crap fairly quickly even though it was kept in my garage out of the sun.
- Super light but feels really strong and solid under the feet
- Feels great in flat water and chop but the biggest difference is the upwind ability in light wind probably due to the low rocker and overall fullness up to the board tips. These attributes also mate it really easy to pop upwind when jumping or doing tricks.
What could be improved:
I didn't really like the bindings that came with the board, they were ok but I preferred my previous bindings (personal preference I guess).

The Buzz harness:
The harness is super light and comfortable, I stopped using my fairly new Mystic harness because it was heavier, more restricted and was annoying to buckle up. After doing endless jumps in Cocos with the buzz harness I had sore abs (read weak core) but my waist and back were perfectly fine. Nothing to improve here...

If you want to give the gear a go in Melbourne, send me a message!

Having never tried these kites it would be unfair of me to comment on how they actually perform, however I have seen them flown and on the beach. They look cheap and boring and would only suit the casual punter/learner. That being said I do appreciate someone trying to do something locally and for a better price than the big brands... make a slightly more hard core kite like the cab fx or zian hantu and I think there might be something there.

7 M Harmony Kite only $A1567 (Special offer = free postage)

2017 7M North Dice $1,231.20
2018 7M North Rebel $1,559.00
2018 7M North Dice $1,579.00
2018 7M Naish Pivot $1,499.00
2017 7M Cabrinha Switchblade $ 1360.00

I cannot fathom for the life of me why someone would buy a kite only package which is more expensive than the retail (non-discounted) price of the established brands which would have far better resale.

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Saffer said..
7 M Harmony Kite only $A1567 (Special offer = free postage)

2017 7M North Dice $1,231.20
2018 7M North Rebel $1,559.00
2018 7M North Dice $1,579.00
2018 7M Naish Pivot $1,499.00
2017 7M Cabrinha Switchblade $ 1360.00

I cannot fathom for the life of me why someone would buy a kite only package which is more expensive than the retail (non-discounted) price of the established brands which would have far better resale.

Depends if you value your riding over what it may cost you, personally I'm happy to have a big grin on my face in the knowledge it may of cost me a few dollars, ffs you need to get a grip on your lifestyle

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cauncy said..

Saffer said..
7 M Harmony Kite only $A1567 (Special offer = free postage)

2017 7M North Dice $1,231.20
2018 7M North Rebel $1,559.00
2018 7M North Dice $1,579.00
2018 7M Naish Pivot $1,499.00
2017 7M Cabrinha Switchblade $ 1360.00

I cannot fathom for the life of me why someone would buy a kite only package which is more expensive than the retail (non-discounted) price of the established brands which would have far better resale.

Depends if you value your riding over what it may cost you, personally I'm happy to have a big grin on my face in the knowledge it may of cost me a few dollars, ffs you need to get a grip on your lifestyle

Wwwhhhhat is he saying?

I'm with saffer on this one.

When we were told the price of these kites we all thought good luck, followed by "another one bites the dust".

Switch kites are in their 6-7th gen kited now and you think you can charge more than them.

Dreaming.

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Scanno said..
Maybe u should try the Enduro V2 its am epic best kite yet. The best industry standard lines as well as the best industry standard bar

Why if it's such a epic best kite do you have a 10 for sale on this site

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IanR said..

Scanno said..
Maybe u should try the Enduro V2 its am epic best kite yet. The best industry standard lines as well as the best industry standard bar

Why if it's such a epic best kite do you have a 10 for sale on this site

Everything is always for sale regardless whether its new or not

Hi Guys and thanks for the feedback on our Brand and Marketing. Many of you have yet to ride the kites and I will be interested to hear more from you when you have had that experience.
I am the CEO and founder of this company and I love this sport so be assured that I have the best interests of kiters and the sport of kite surfing in mind. I've done many sports over many years, but kiting is by far my favourite so when I had the opportunity to start a business in line with my passion, I jumped at it. It's almost been year since our first stock arrived and we are still here and growing stronger every day as people get to ride our gear, buy it and support it.
We also have expanded outside Australia and so we are building solid international support. This has been possible only because the gear delivers great performance.
I hope you don't mind if I address some of the points raised here:
"would only suit the casual punter/learner" - this kite was recently used for a second place in the NSW freestyle championships. It has consistently been used to jump over 10M. Because it has two different bridles it is also used in schools for teaching. It's also used by some of the country's top wave riders. So it's actually suitable for a wide range of kiters. You can see the kite in action here:

"Brand bashing of other brands" The web site points out a little-known fact - that a couple of major brands are owned by huge international Chinese companies and Swiss investors. Some people don't want to know this, and others do. I think it's important to know when huge profit driven corporations are creeping into a sport because we know how things go when corporations start to run things.and it's generally not well.
"Kite only package expensive" The challenge in this industry is as follows: The kite shops want to sell at a high price and a buy at a low wholesale price so they can make a good margin on the products they sell. That's fair enough as it enables them to stay in business. We have tried to give them the chance to support the brand, but very little support has been forthcoming. For those shops that did stock us, we had to show high prices on our web site so that those kiters that bought from them could see that if they bought directly there was no savings. In reality, the gear offers good value and that's why people are buying it. Talk to your local distributor or stockist and see what prices they can give you.
"unknown durability" This kite is made in a factory that has been making kites since 1998. It's made using good quality material and has a high build quality. Before we launched we got some of the country's top gear repairers to double checked over the build for any weak points. They found them to be very well made kites which will last as well as other top quality kites.
"A b grade website"Start ups are capital intensive and there has to be some savings somewhere. We had plans to upgrade it this year which we are now executing. "2010 bar" Simplicity and optimal functionality are our focus. If it works perfectly well then why mess with it? People can always spend more money on something more complicated."2010 bar" Simplicity and optimal functionality are our focus. If it works perfectly well then why mess with it? People can always spend more money on something more complicated if they wish.
"unknown long-term support" - One of the things we do for our customers is to provide low-cost spare parts and we have them available from our Sydney Warehouse. We want those see people back out on the water ASAP if they break something and we don't want to hold them to ransom for parts.more the opposite!
"Switch kites are in their 6-7th gen kited now" As some people know, this kite has come from 12 years of development of the Griffin kites. It's the same as the AX kite but with a different brand. The Griffin kites are only available on consignment at the moment, and in fact that's one of the reasons this brand started. Because Chris' design was awesome and we wanted to make his excellent kite available to more people. So we licensed his design. He's happy and you get to use the result of the culmination of his many years of dedicated hard work.
"another one bites the dust" We are a year on. Our overheads are very low. We have capital behind us and growing support. We have a enthusiastic nationwide team of wonderful people behind this brand. We will keep refining, innovating and developing while loving the adventurous kite trips we have together.
I know that no matter what we say or don't say, do or don't do, there will be people who go out of their way to find fault in it. That's not our problem or concern. As they say, it's not the critic that counts. We will focus instead on doing our very best to serve you - the kiting community.

Righto
had 3 sessions on the buzz 9 kite, from 22-30 knts, here at dongara,
Hand on heart the kite felt really nice, great feel and feed back, very positive drive, jumped really well, forward travel when boosting gave some hot landings but a change of Le settings sorted that, the power delivery coming out of powered carves was very smooth with no recovery or stalling , riding down the sets directly at the kite it sat back nicely with little stall and great drift, I like a kite that allows me to lock in an edge, get low in the water and park the kite driving me upwind with little correction ,the kite did exactly that, looping out of transitions and carves was very smooth and pivotal , turning speed wasn't lightning quick but certainly no slough on back tip setting,
bar and lines felt really nice whilst setting up and riding, kite looked nicely made,
Theres certainly some room for improvement, but I like a robust kite over a lightweight look, the kite felt very light weight wise , no pulleys or loops , I like that in a kite, you feel where it's at, when into 30 knts it got a bit heavy but still maintained a safe feel, changing the Le setting closed the face a bit and was more stable the following nights session
Construction wise it was nicely put together, with reinforcements in all necessary places, soft battens on trailing edge and heavier Dacron towards tip segments, the kite comes with bridal kit, but I didn't research or swap it over
heres a few snaps



















Here's what I'd change
pu covered lines through the bar , but the alloy eyelet seems nice n smooth , a more engineered feel and look to the safety system, but it worked well and was a piece of cake to reset,
graphics, unfortunately people are kite fashion conscious and it doesn't cut it, name also I'm sorry to say,
hand on heart if this kite was under the bigger names banner it'd appeal to a lot of people, I've rode a few kites this season and I'd put the kite beyond most, as for longevity ,I'd like to fly it after some heavy use as time will tell along with customer service and pricing
I take my hat off to anyone starting a new brand
will try and get the daughter to get the camera out for some water shots
cheers

Guys, let's support this Aussie owned brand for that reason alone.

But Buzz FFS take off the prices off your web site. It looks bad.

Slighlty off topic.

IMO this is a spin off of the Griffin kite, could be wrong.

I bought a 10.5 TRX, sadly not my style of kite, too low aspect I think but in hind site should have gone with the 9m instead.

The Buzz kite looks a little bit more medium aspect and was wondering if you hade to work the bar in and out like its predessor, the TRX?

I would be interested to take it for a spin, nearly had the opportunity and the NW Wind Fest, maybe next season or if there is a demo in Perth sometime.

Cheers
Rich

Here we go again:
Hang it on BWS - Good Kites awesome in waves.
Hang it on Switch - Quality initiailly really good and cheap.
Buzz Kites - Jesus Shocking name guys and graphics really poor - Get a better web master and a good graphic designer and put your head down like BWS and Switch and make the brand work.

I will tell you I have ridden everything and I now ride BWS (I am not sponsored - I pay for everything). These kites are sadly underated. In Europe and the States the kite surfing (Wave Kiting) fraternity swear by them. I ride them with a TT and are smooth as F@#K. With a surfboard I have to say they are the best I have ever ridden and are way better than Ozone and North (I have had wave kites from both brands).

I have recently purchased Aneema's second hand from Seabreeze 13m, 9m, 7m... I have an Evo 5ft 3in Firewire and the 13 metre and 9 metre on this board from 12 - 25 knots for my size is awesome (I will review this setup in the next couple of weeks) the new bar from BWS is also going to be reviewed.

So I think everyone do what the Japanese do and support the different for once. Apple computers originally where the "buzz kites" of the computer world and look what happened there.

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HappyG said..
Here we go again:
Hang it on BWS - Good Kites awesome in waves.
Hang it on Switch - Quality initiailly really good and cheap.
Buzz Kites - Jesus Shocking name guys and graphics really poor - Get a better web master and a good graphic designer and put your head down like BWS and Switch and make the brand work.

I will tell you I have ridden everything and I now ride BWS (I am not sponsored - I pay for everything). These kites are sadly underated. In Europe and the States the kite surfing (Wave Kiting) fraternity swear by them. I ride them with a TT and are smooth as F@#K. With a surfboard I have to say they are the best I have ever ridden and are way better than Ozone and North (I have had wave kites from both brands).

I have recently purchased Aneema's second hand from Seabreeze 13m, 9m, 7m... I have an Evo 5ft 3in Firewire and the 13 metre and 9 metre on this board from 12 - 25 knots for my size is awesome (I will review this setup in the next couple of weeks) the new bar from BWS is also going to be reviewed.

So I think everyone do what the Japanese do and support the different for once. Apple computers originally where the "buzz kites" of the computer world and look what happened there.

Got to bring this back to earth in my mind!
Apple and Buzz kites the same, that's a big reach.

Pretty sure apple have their own design and coding, its not a rebadged Microsoft product. actually I think apple claim Microsoft stole theirs

Bws and Buzz, marketing wise cant see the same originality and passion driven effort there either.


The only original thing they have done is to put a guy (Tom) on a low budget video make and would agree unfair some of the punters are ripping into him for his riding. That I would agree is harsh and id be guessing a personal agenda.

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littlewing said..
naish slash, cabrinha chaos, slingshot rpm, switch nitro, fone bandit, ozone edge etc or a buzz harmony?

Got the wrong bracket of kites there for the buzz, and using the name to demote the kite
Hand on heart I've flown a fair few big brand kites as listed and for me it was a better performer than some, as mentioned the name and graphics are certainly worth a change, but that aside the kite flys really nice,

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Woott said..
Good that it flies allright. But even so i fail to see that anybody will buy these unless it is offered at a much much discounted price. A kmart pants also does the job but would you pay $200 for it?

Resale value counts especially if you grab a fresh quiver every 1 or 2 years. Your Buzz might sell at $200 tops after 2 years.

I picked up a 7/9/12 set of Vegas,s complete for $1000
7 hadn't been used 12 was as new 9 was in great nick, that's the market today, the kite doesn't fly alright , it flys really well, I had a ripper time on it
but if I had the coin it'd be an edge v9 8mtr and a couple of v2 enduros, nicest kites I've had a run on this year for me