Is there any problem using one brand of bar/lines with a different brand of kite,I know that larger kites have a wider bar and i asume different lenth lines but just wondering if anyone mixes it up a bit or is the general rule that bar should be designed to suit the kite.
Thanks

I use a Cabrinah bar on a slingshot kite works well .You just need to do a bit of research to find out whats compatible with what .

Thanks so much for the detailed feed back,seems unless you do considerable research that its better to stick with a bar designed for kite,I think the main thing from what you have said is the line lenth and the fact that different kites have varying bridle lenths and hence different centre line lenth,so dont think i would risk mixing it up as seems a bit risky for a noob,main reason i asked as when i am looking to buy kites and see bargains that dont have a bar i wonder if i could use a bar from one of my other kites.
Thanks again

Hey dude. In modern kites there are really only 3 types of bars. A four line bar has equal line lenghts and can be used on 99% of of 4 line kites.(slingshot, Cabrinha, RRD, etc) the differences are Best, they dont have kook proof lines and therefore you have loops (larks head) on all. an easy fix is to buy some pigtails and put them on the front lines and use the knot closest to the back lines to get correct trim.
There are 5 line bars, Older slingshot C kites, Torch, etc. The fifth line acts as a safety or you can usually tension the fith to open up the canopy.

There are also 5 line kites where the fith line is under tension to keep the canopy from not getting distorted, the obvious one is North, who do this on the rebel. It is used to minimise bridals.

With a little bit of research its easy to do. Buy canopy only and use one bar for three kites. Most info can be found on the kite brand website.

I use a slingshot bar on my 3 kites which all run on 20m lines. I had a 23m line set as I had a 10m RPM stolen, but the bar and lines were locked in the boot. A quick trip to Neil at hold the line kites and I had a 20m set with loops on all four lines. $25 instread of $500 for a bar was well worth it. As far as bar length goes. All my kites used the same bar length. I have ridden many kites with the wrong bar length and they still work fine. Its about hand placement on the bar. with a shorter bar, you just move your hands from the middle of the bar outwards and pull down more agressively. On a wider bar keep your hands closely together. The kite will determine how fast it turns, not the bar..... Hope this helps.