hi just had a few lessons and really enjoyed it, the instructor reckoned one of the next steps is to spend some time practising body dragging and kite skills. My kids are also super keen so we are looking at buying a couple of cheap kites to crash and learn with before investing in some more quality gear and further lessons. Would a couple of best waroo's 2009 be good for this.
The problem with really old ****ty kites is that they are worn to hell and will tear/rip so much easier than a near new kite.
Each time you put a decent rip in a kite it can cost between $50-$200 to fix
So....... Ultra cheap 2008 hammered kite may end up costing you more than a newer one with the additional repairs it will need to do on it
Look for a near new kite which has a lot of life left in it. Maybe even a newish kite with a repair. Repaired kites sell for much less. If the repair is good and the rest of the kite has little use its a lot better deal the the hammered old kite.
As an example I purchased a 1 year old kite that had a 300mm long repair long for $400. Without repairs it would have been worth $900-$1000.
For fear of pimping Im hesitant to mention the F-one Bandit from the 3 (2010) onwards - really great kites to fly and as mentioned above if get a little used one - it will be an awesome kite. Be careful of the bandit 4 2011 kite unless the bar (which is really prone to corrosion) has been replaced - a solid kite of that age should set you back around $350 which is dirt cheap kiting!!
Ahh the ol bandit 3. Such a good kite. My fist bandit is still getting around town being passed on from noob to noob. Buy cheap, trash it, then buy new!
Find a really popular learning kite, then go back 3-4 years and find a crispy / well looked after one. These kites don't get popular because they are good now, they are popular because of their reputation from the past. (go on red thumb me, but its very true)
