quote:
Originally posted by athorsness
How I learned:
I got T2 about 1 month ago.. Had never kiteboarded before in my life. I took one land lesson from the local shop in alameda (from Jeff at www.kitewindsurf.com in Alameda). Got the kite and took it out 3-5 times to learn to launch it safely and body drag.. a couple weeks later I got a board got up the first day for only about 65 seconds total. But the second and 3rd day I was able to go back and forth zigzagging down wind. And then the 4th day I was able to hold my position and land the kite back where I started..
One major issue with the T2 so far:
The seam on the main strut blew open (basically the material ripped out of the stitching, and no I didn’t over inflate (only inflated to 6lbs)) Believe it or not I have never really crashed the kite, and this seam blow happened in the air. I had to land it in the water and self rescue, then swim in. Great leaning experience….
I took it to my local shop and they are sending it to slingshot for me. I am now flying a Cab. Omega I got from the shop. (My local shop ROCKS!) The Omega is a super easy kite to fly…… Kind of like flying a marshmallow. But so comfortable that I can now catch about 3ft of air. I can't wait to get my T2 back and try the new moves out. I hope they fix it fast.
Moral of the story (and the good):
1) BUY LOCAL!
2) And yes, the T2 (11m for me) is a cool kite to learn on.
3) easy to launch and relaunch
4) easy to control, It kind of feels like I am flying a trainer sometimes (usually in low wind)
The bad I can see so far:
1) The pigtails that connect the lines to the kite are not that great. They are starting to fray. I will probably get new ones soon. (the kite is only 1 month old)
2) Seems like I could go up wind easier with the 12m Omega, but that is probably because I just started and don’t really know how to handle the T2 just right… yet..
3) Oh ya and there is the potential for the seams to blow. I am hopping that this was a one time thing, and that slingshot fixes it relatively painlessly. I just bought the thing so I am assuming there will be no issues.
4) I have noticed the valves on the Omega seem way more durable. Not sure why the T2 costs so much, but has some aspects that seem kind of cheep. (valves, and pigtails)
5) One of the connector tubes (strut to main) popped off and I lost the tube crimper. I think this happened because the guy launching me got caught on it. (he seemed a bit awkward with the launch). But I shoved the tub back on and have not had any problems since. And I had not gotten around to re zip tieing it.
Sorry Athorsness if your legit. You just sounded too experienced for a Newby.
Your first month of kiteboarding was way different from mine.
You went from "Never kiting before" to 3 ft jumps, never dropping the kite, going upwind and being able to give gear reviews on upwind abilities of different kites- all with only one lesson.
In my first month- only went out about twice because the wind was too strong or too light for learning. All I would have been able to compare was which kite gave me the best face plant or which relaunched the best as it was always hitting the water.
Sounds like you just got a kite from a dud batch. I'm sure they will fix things.
I haven't had any problems with Slingshots so far (on to my 3rd one).
Cheers
Ripped the leading edge, bladder and centre strut down the middle. I dropped it in front of a 2-3ft wave 
