You're going to get a lot of different answers here I think but I'll put my 2c in anyway as to what I see is popular where I kite.

A C kite that has been around for ages and just gets better every year is the Slingshot Fuel.

Cabrinha bow kites are popular in a lot of places and is a company that specialise only in bow style kites for all types of riding - Crossbow or Switchblade. The BEST Waroo is possibly one of the most popular bow kites.

A standout hybrid at the moment is the Slingshot REV

The only foils that I see are the Peter Lynn Venom kites.

Just remember he's looking for the most popular in each category - not what people think is the best kite out there. Most peoples perception of whats popular is what they see the most at their local spot.

Just remember that popularity doesn't always come down to the best kite. Price has a lot to do with what people buy as does availability (ie brands that don;t have dedicated dealers in your area)and how much the sales person pushed the buyer to buy what they had in store at the time.

For SLE(bows) definitely Cabrinha over other brand hands down on poularity and kite handling and design.
Hybrid, I'd say flexifoil in the Atom or Ion2(altho i prefer the ion2). Trouble is there's so many hybrids out there that there is no one standout as to how many people are flying it. It all comes down to personal preference in each kite.
C I'd agree with the slingshot fuel. Although the most popular kite i've seen flew around the world would be the 06 North Rhino.
And I think doonas belong on a bed.
A word on the Bests: IMHO Although a lot of people buy them due to the low price there are quite a few who are generally not overly happy with the kite once they have flewn them for a while and try something else.

That's great so far, guys, thanks! The power kites section on my site is aimed a lot 'lower' than a forum of the super-keen and/or expert like this. It's meant to be informative and interesting to those with at least a casual interest in power kites and/or kitesurfing. I don't mind if the experienced kite surfer gets little from it. My game is pulling web traffic in an attempt to make a living, I love anything that flies. Hence my site covers a wide range of kites.

Don't be surprised if I manage to weave in just a little of the more detailed comments offered here, just to spice up the page a bit!

I might wait just another 48 hrs or so before saying 'enough thank you'. Hopefully there might be a clear favourite in most categories by then.

Ok lets get completely biased.

C Kite: North Vegas 08, Slingy Fuel 07
Hybrid for waves: North Rebel 07
Hybrid for freestyle/Wakestyle: North Rhino 07
Bow: Cabrinha X-Bow1
Foil: Flysurfer pulse2 (looks good).....

Come on inverted whats wrong with the Vapour????

C KITE - Fuels

Hybrid - Flexifoil Atom 08

Foil - Flexifoil Blade III on handles

Wave - Rev

Beginner Rig - Cab Crossbow I

Most Hyped - Hadlow Pro

Worst Rep - Link

Ugly duckling - Best

Super styling - North

Beginners - Cab Switchblade

c= Fuel

Bow= T2 guessing T3 will be better still...

Hybrid= Rev

Foil= Pulse 2

the reason for my Slingy bias is not only their tried and true performance history but the fact that they back it with 12mth warranty... Flysurfer i believe have 6 mths and all the rest 3mth. Please correct me if i am wrong but as i understand it thats how they stand.

I have been demoing a pre production NOBILE 9m 555 and WOW what a kite... if you'd like to see what Mark Shinn and crew are up to in kite design come to CHOICE and check this little beauty out. Super fast and super high performance... A treat to ride and i am sure it will be No1.HYBRID in this thread next yr when they're released to the public.

At the store we stock Flexi, New, Best, flysurfer, GK, Slingy and maybe real soon NOBILE... so yes i have tried quite a few kites this season.

Out side of the shop i have tried north. I have not tried naish, Airush, Peter lynn, or Cab from this season...

If you think your opinion on the NOBILE would be worth our time, come talk to Graham @ CHOICE and try the demo model we have here.

Cheers to all
Posko @ Choice

poor relative said...

yellow ones
red ones are best

Oh noooo!

I ve got 1 yellow one , 1 red one , and two blue ones !!!! (speaking about kites, of course)

What do I do

What great feedback. This forum is really alive!

I'll be busy for a few days (kite festival coming up in Adelaide), but then I'll write up the page on my site and post a link here for anyone interested.

The Fuel really is a classic as well as a current favourite. I don't think there has been another single kite model that has had as many years production as the Fuel. I just relocated an old 2003 Fuel from one dead kite storage to another this weekend, and I have a sneaking suspicion there were earlier models than that, can anyone confirm? Can anyone else name any power kite model with such a long legacy?

Somehow I've ended up with 5 Waroos- 2 from 2006 and 3 from 2008, so you can figure out what my vote for best bow is. On a 30Knt+ day the 7M 2008 Warooo is just so much fun.

BEST KITE EVER!
2003 lift - pro 11.5mtr