How come BEST are rocking so hard?

[troubleshooter]

Total respect for how you guys (and gals) run the forum. But changing any part of a post when someone has not broken a written or established policy or rule is bad mojo.

[john a]

I thought it was cool - and what this thread actually turned out to be about ;)

[NICKM]

Stacey, you always were one for grammar.


SQ,
Changing the topic is a reaction of anger. I would not let it get to you SQ. I know I'm a nobody to you but I was a diehard fan of the company. I loved my kites even though I made some rookie mistakes every now and then. Don't change the topic name because your offended..don't go so low man. Be above that. On this forum, you are the direct represtative of BEST Kiteboarding.

Respectfully,

Nick

[john a]

Really??? That was funny and cool, the topic was lame, totally stupid, and misleading ;)

[staatik]

john a, how can you say that? read the very beginning of the topic - it was not a empty bitchery IMO. it was more a sincere concern about what is going on. what during 6 pages has turned to something else. especially after sq ununderstandably renamed the topic (BTW - really effective way to lose PR-points among older and most loyal fans). and as they say - where is some smoke, there is surely some fire...

[Kirk]

Getting back to the topic (whatever the actual title is).
I have had best Waroos since 2006. Best changed the market with at least three things:
1) Direct internet sales with aggressive pricing whether bought from a dealer or direct.
2) Early on the market with an outstanding SLE hybrid.
3 ) One of the first with a user forum for customer feedback and direct communication on improvements of gear.

Best was so successful that they quickly rocketed to one of the leading brands, selling the most kites and associated gear. Over time, the other brands have caught up. Those brands that sneered and belittled Best's success, gradually adopted every one of the three above points. 1) Best forced all brands to lower or keep their prices stable as it was abundantly clear that Best gear was as good as other brands products costing much more. 2) Back in 2006 SLE kites were just arriving on the market. Best was the first to market a hybrid SLE with reasonable bar pressure, excellent stability, easy relaunch and wind range. Remember that this is 2006 when many, including myself wanted to get into kiting and starting with a 1 kite quiver. The first Waroo was a great choice for those entering the sport. SLEs then grew to become the dominant kite design and those "hooked" on Best's innovative designs and great pricing just kept buying.
3) The importance of the Best user forum should not be underestimated. It was fun and and involving to provide feedback in the forum and arrive at a common opinion as to how to correct a deficiency or make an improvement. Best listened to the forum and incorporated these suggestions in their product line with fantastic results.

What has changed?
While Best has moved up market with more robust and more expensive kites, other brands have moved down market with equivalent equipment with the same price range. In addition, Best is only one among many brands that make great SLE kites. They also stumbled in the 2010 Waroo as Simon correctly pointed out. The timing for such an oversight could not have been worse. I also think that the forum is less active than it has been. Why? I myself do not visit as much and the reasons include that Best has evolved their equipment and there is less to discuss. Also many other brands now have their on sites. Ocean Rodeo started theirs in late 2006 and there are others. Also I do not like all the blingage that is on the recent iterations of the Best site. In the Best main page, one forgets sometimes what they are actually selling. Is it travel? The forum is buried in a sub sub menu.

That is my 2 cents worth.

kind regards
Kirk

[sq225917]

Kirk, you have some good points there, all of which are on the money.

One of the most obvious changes with the user forum is that we are now also currently split across facebook, twitter, pinterist and all the other social media outlets as well as our user forum and all the other none brand forums. I just don't have the time to be as active, and certainly not at this time of year when i'm juggling 5 translations for both the dealer book and the new product catalogue as well as all the website content.

I'm just buried with stuff.

Of course that doesn't mean that i don't have time to show a little love.

So here's a quick shot of the new 2013 top of the line twintip- the Pro-creator. it's jammed with new tech, including our new Pre-preg layup and Vari-Damp flex control features. All the new stuff is destined to hit sept 4th.

[Kirk]

Nice board construction! Nice name too. I look forward to trying it.

Kirk

[sq225917]

It's a solid board, all the twintips are much improved this season. The new Pre-preg layup sheds a huge amount of weight, more than 0.5kg in some sizes.

[123456789]

in the market for a new bar soon- how about some pics.

what are front lines lb# rated at?

ill give u my 2 cents on the TS- im a bigger dude- so i always ride a bigger kite - if the bigger kites are more profiled into race shapes vs being similar to the small grunt pockets, it does me no good- have to go find a kite that is similar across the line.

[sq225917]

The bar doesn't look much different, the shapes are broadly similar. What's under the bar though is totally different. here's the cuff in the open position- pushed up.