Find an all rounder kite from any reputable brand (Cabrinha, North, Ozone, Naish, Slingshot etc). Good examples are the switchblade and the rebel.

Look in the buy/sell section here on seabreeze. You will save a lot of $$ but you rely on their word a bit more, be smart about it (pics, talking etc) and you'll be fine. Find something from 2010 onwards.

Boards and harnesses a bit more tricky, probably best to get from shop.

Sorry I'd also like size of kite and board information if that's ok....

Looks like you have done a fair bit of searching and by the suggested kit between 10 -12m kite at your weight, I'm guessing your somewhere on the east coast. It is important to know where you are going to be kiting to give good recommendations as to size of gear so I'll base my advice on the range of suggested kit. The 10m switchy with board and harness for $1450 is about as little cost as you could hope to get away with for an entry level kit providing the kite is in excellent condition. It should have you on the water anywhere between 15 and 25 knots in your first year depending on progress. For board size I would not go anything much smaller than 136 X 40 to give you the most time on the water with a 10m. My advise is don't procrastinate. Get yourself some gear and get out there. You are going to replace it before you know it anyway.

Thanks a lot guys...

I'm in Melbourne if that helps

I'm almost exactly the same size and weight as you (176cm and 75kg) and in Melbourne. I'm on a 10m Airush Lithium with a 136x40 board. The DNA is basically a no frills Lithium. I'm still a noob but for what it's worth I couldn't be happier with the package and would recommend a DNA. I find I can be out the from 17-26 knots. I cant commemt on the other brands you mentioned however. Hope that helps mate.

EJJG said..

and trash talking other brands and models.

1st thing I WOULDNT do is take the advice from any shop that trashes other brands - thats carp.
All the major well known brands make excellent kites. Build quality is no longer a big issue - they are all well built.
Flying characteristics vary from model to model but as a beginner that doesnt matter either.
And all of the majors have 1 or 2 models ideal for beginners. (which these days are also the kite of choice of many advanced kiters)
Lets call them the 'user friendly' models.
Ie - maximum depower at the bar, extremely stable and easy to water relaunch are the 3 basic requirements.

It really makes little difference which of the brands or which of their 'user friendly' models you buy as your 1st kite.
All the 'user friendly' - beginners choice kites each have their own different characteristics.
Which ever kite you buy will teach you how it likes to be flown.

Once you are well skilled & experienced you may have developed a preference for the differences offered by different models but 1st up it makes no difference.

Choose the store you feel most comfortable dealing with & take their advice. As long as its in the 'user friendly' basket.
Hint - some there on your list are not really the most user friendly you can get ??? but none of them are kites you should be advised against. Ie They are all OK for beginners safety wise.

Kazan said..

EJJG said..
5. cabrinha switchblade 10m 2011 850 and secondhand board 450 and 150 for harness - 1450

I would go with this choice, but a 12mt or a 14mt (if you're up in the tropics as winds are generally 2 to 5 knots lighter). I am the exact same height and weight as you.

Why the CabSwitchy? They are a fantastic all round kite with great depower and profile to give you easy boost when doing jumps. One thing you will definetely want to do when kiting is once you've mastered kite control, tacking, riding upwind, and general transitions, is you will want to do jumps, and you need a good low profile kite for that which the CabSwitch is famous for. Some even quote it as the "parasail of kite surfing". It's true.

ps. You can get the above by the way for under $800-$1000 2nd hand. Plenty of CabSwitch around. Just make sure it's at least 2012 model up though. The 2011's were a bad design where the older 2008/2007 models were even better. But the 2012 onwards they brought back some of the original SwitchyII/III designs and made it awesome again.

awesome to have your first kit.
now u just need to sell your waist harness and get a seat or boardshort harness.
If you get a massive TT with the cash you saved, like a shinn King George or Axis Patrol,
you'll be blazing around in around 11-12knts depending on current.

After a period of time you'll be looking to add to your kit, not replace it, to extend your wind range and/or riding style with bigger or smaller kite and a surf board.

Welcome to the healthy addiction!