I am new to the sport although progressing relatively quickly. I have a Cabrinha Vector 14M and 2 x Crossbows in an 11m and 8m. Cabrinha seem to get a bad wrap from many posters on the forums and I am just wondering why. The kites I have seem to be well made and fly well and are very stable.
Personally I think their bar system from what I have seen has the best safety features on the market which personally is important for me.
Is the bad wrap just prejudice or is there some reality to past quality issues in earlier models?
To me it just seems to be a case of them becoming popular with the masses, thus not very fasionable to have one :) Happens in every facet of life.
They make a high quality kite and I know guys who use their bar system with different kites as they swear it is the best out there.
In the earlier days cabrinha had a big share of the beginners market especially through kites such as the switchblade. A lot of beginners can do beginner things hence it seemed a lot of these kites ended up in carparks and in trees etc.
It was the volume of market share hence the greater chance of strange stuff happening.
This urban myth then perpetuated. Been on a few cabrinhas, sweet kites. Nothing wrong them at all.
That makes sense eppo. Good insight. I have to agree with your comments on the bar system.
I have looked at many bar systems when I was in the purchasing phase of buying my kites and the Cab bar system seems to be so far ahead of any other on the market in regards to design particularly the safety systems.
Do you know if there have been quality and performance issues in the past? It seems to be a common gripe with some but I wonder if once again it more due to ignorance than reality.
My perspective:
Very big brand throughout Europe = used by "euros" here = hated by Aussies
Personally when I was learning back in 07/08 I used one for a bit and thought they were utter rubbish compared to the north rebel @ the time
Does it matter it was 07/08. All kites were rubbish compared to now...in my humble opinion. I will agree with one thing though the rebel at this stage did come out and give the competitors a real lead to aim for! A kite with aspect that could do well even in the waves. Some say how good they boosted and that is true but how many of you ever got on an airush lift pro in the early 2000's. Now that kite was just downright insane!
Having cut my teeth on Cabrinha Switchblades (2007's, 09's, & 011's) 8m and 12 m, I can say they are a good product. I agree with in eppo in the sense that there are no "bad" kites to this point in time. If what Cabrinha has to offer isn't to someone's liking, it has more to do with their specific needs and preferences and not the kite per se'. Once my abilities came up to speed and knew what I wanted, I decided on a different brand for my bigger 9 m & 12 m kites. Cabrinha Switchblades, Vectors, and Crossbows, are all great kites but I discovered other kites I liked better for what I was now into. And something I learned as stellar advice when deciding a new kite purchase, demo as many different kites as are available. As for my high wind 5m/7m kites, I have a Cab. Convert and Vector and I like them just fine when it's 25 plus > nice and stable.
Most kite brands at some point in time have quality control or design issues - North with premature line wear, Cab pulleys in 09 and canopy's in 011 in certain colors, etc. They're usually corrected or made good by mfg. As for value, that's a different story. Cabrinha at full retail are amongst the most expensive kites on the market. When I was windsurfing, Neil Pryde (the Cabrinha parent company) were among (and still are) the most flashy and cutting edge gear out there. They're also the most expensive. I never could justify the cost and would purchase Pryde gear occasionally at closeout pricing. I feel the same about some of the top shelf kite brands as well. This of course is strictly personal and budget related.
I'm guessing when comes to "hating on" companies like Cabrinha, it's more of a psychological issue. In general people love to take shots at the top dog, much in the way people tire of dominant teams in sports (if you're not a fan of that specific team). And there are some that see kites like Cabrinha as mainstream, and want to be unique apart from the herd of conformity. I get it. I too like to check out the "little guy's" products and be different.
I'm just happy that there's brands out there pushing the envelope like North, Cabrinha, Airush...everyone, developing and evolving the gear for a sport we're so blessed to be a part of.
Agree completely with eppo & windtzu.
All the bigger players in the market today produce excellent quality kites and they all fly extremely well. Each with its own characteristics - but pretty marginal differences really. Except when comparing one style (model) of kite against another different style. Bows Hybrids 'C''s
Beginners esp get obsessed over this "what brand" question. It really doesnt matter.
Your first kite will teach you how that particular kite flies at its best. By the time you have thrashed it up the learning curve you will have learnt about what different kites do and you will have a pretty good idea of what characteristics you are looking for in a kite to suit your needs & style. Thats when brands & models of brands becomes more vital. And thats when the need to demo really pays dividends.
Starting out - stay away from 'C' kites and (imo but maybe not everyones) avoid high end hybrids as well. Any modern, major brand, fully bridled 'bow' styled kite = quality build, effective safety system, ease of flying, super easy relaunch, heaps of depower etc etc. All the right gear for the beginner & the majority of experienced free-riders as well.
IMO - to quote a famous quote - "Choose your dealer before you choose your car kite - ABSOLUTELY.
The graphic presentation of cabrinha's styling and that ugly logo plastered as big as possible on the kite looks cheap and lame.
To me they look like flying cheap coloured curtains.
When it comes to purchase a new or second hand kite and its a flick of the coin regarding flying performance then styling/graphics takes preference, this also affects resale value. Shallow comments I know, but we are all visual beasts and no one wants an ugly kite.
Personally I love the design styles of Cabrinha kites, especially the fluro green, yellows, and blues. But - personal preference
In every industry there are brands that aim for the masses and mass appeal.
Like McDonalds, their formula is basic bland food that has to be bland because that's the only way they can get a big mac in say Perth, to taste the same as a big mac in Chicago or Tokyo. Blandness being the compromise for mass appeal.
I agree with Zarb. Personally I like the Cabrinha's and find the combination of color's and graphics appealing. They are tops in terms of resale as well. That's not to say ex's opinion isn't valid. If you find the Cab's unappealing then then right you are At the risk of digressing, I find the Slingshot's drab, but lot's of guy's love the Slingy's color combos and the North's, well, who's in charge of the graphic design on these kites anyway? They look something a ten year old came up with. Ha-Ha nice kites though.
I started kiting with a Cabrinha Crossbow in 2006 - the first bow kite. Good quality and safety. I then moved to Switchblades, a 14 and a 10, both good kites. Preditable, reliable and well made. I still have a Crossbow 7 for when its nuking. Great little kite.
Bashing and whining about big brands is just tall poppy syndrome.
Cabrinha are still innovating - as others mention their new bar is a big improvement re safety and ease of use.
The best approach is to try before you buy and read reviews rather than opinions.
Cabrinha was the biggest selling bow kite when they came out and they took a lot of market. That meant a lot of second hand kites on the market and a lot of newbies buy second hand kites without lessons. This in turn meant a lot of kites in trees, powerlines and generally a bad rap. They were a victim of their own success.
I tend to agree with some of the comments though. The cabrinha's are design to be user friendly and that unfortunately also takes away certain performance characteristics like "fast turning". Performance is all about trading one thing for another. There is no perfect kite with low end, fast turning, stability, range, jumping because everything is a sacrifice. High performance means you alienate a segment of your market and cabrinha has aimed for the largest segment of the market which in turn means they have produced some pretty tame kites.
The Cabrinha kites are excellent and the bar is the best on the market by a long way. I don't understand why more brands don't copy them and I equally don't understand how major brands persist with such clunky designs.
My only complaint about Cabrinha is that they seem to only supply a small number of dealers in each city and that restricts reasonable competition. It was not such a problem in the past because the service from the local Cabrinha dealer was excellent. The conversations on the beach have shown that customers are not as happy as they were. Combine that with no choice of dealers and it makes customers want to look at other brands.
I actually think the design aesthetics of the Cabrinha kites are probably better than a lot I have seen. I also don't think you can really knock a company putting their logo on their product. What I am seeing on this thread is that they are actually very good kites but just happen to be one of the biggest brands in the market. I guess when you do get a lot of second hand kites on the market they will get picked up by beginners who do not necessarily know what they are doing. However, I guess Ozone IMHO is probably just as big but does not get any of the bashing Cabrinha get...I am just wondering why that is.
Personally I don't think that the Cabrinhas get a bad rap at all. Very few posts are truly bagging the brand, probably no more than any other brand.
People poke fun and have a joke definitely and they keep doing it because there are so many Cabrinha riders out there someone is sure to bite back.
didn't know it grew on trees..... is there a Drifter tree around in the Gold Coast? soon I will need a 9m and maybe a 13.....
Surely that's a cabrinha that has had a C4 morphed into the picture. Those clever little IT guys I don't know
Saw an ozoney thing in a tree today. Too much foliage to see what sort. They we doing fine on recovery, didn't want to pry. Dick on the stick, not the kite. Cabs are fine. Possibly very good.
I started with a Cab 9m Access and 12m CO2 in 2003, also bought a 14m Nitro in 2004. after not kiting for 7 years (kites were in the garage all this time) I pumped up the 12m last November and had a great session with no issues at all! No loss of pressure in any of the bladders, no blow outs, great session!
For a 10 year old kite that has been in storage for 7 years I was really impressed, bought a 10m Cab Switchy (2010 - 2nd hand) in December and am absolutely loving it. Although I've never flown another brand, I've also never had my Cabrinha in a tree (yet) but really admire the quality construction and reliability of all 4 Cabrinhas I've owned. Never had a reason to change but still have a list of other brands I will demo before my next purchase.