Note to lukechiam - my comment is not aimed at you. this is a fequent question, and I thought I'd make a suggestion

Note to Forum Admin:

It would be useful to have a sticky on "Recommend me a kite" with some of the generic comments this posting would normally attract.

C vs Bow vs "MyBrand"tm vs new and old.... and maybe a default search button for "recommend me a kite".

A second useful part of a sticky would be:
If you do ask for advice on kites, include the following information (initial suggestion)

Gender, weight, height, area you wish to ride at, shops in your area/ instructor you will be using and whether you have asked for any demos are looking to demo a few kites.

3rd useful part would be to list the kite stores that allow you to demo kites by state and conditions imposed...

treat as a suggestion...