Why Choose Us?
Are you sick of supporting large corporations?
They seem to be taking over so many things!
And when they do, they use their power in ways that most people are not happy about.
That's why we formed a community of passionate kiters to offer straight-forward, high-performance kite gear that will suit most of the kiting community. If you'd like to keep this sport in the control of those that love it and participate in it, then perhaps you'd like to join us in our quest!
It's our way of giving back to the sport which we all love so much.
We want to make sure corporations don't succeed in their move to take over kite surfing.
Have a look around the store and if there's something you'd like to try out, jump on it! We know you'll love all our gear because it's what we all love to ride too!
Just a pre-note, I am recently the Victorian Buzz Kites Ambassador for Buzz Kites but here is my honest review of the gear. If you are like me and sick of kite surfing becoming more and more expensive to purchase and maintain gear then have a read.In August 2017 I took the plunge and decided to try a new kite surfing brand, called Buzz Kites. The condensed story is that I had an upcoming trip to the Cocos Islands and couldn't get replacement lines for my worn Airush Lithium set in time but luckily I had the opportunity to take some Buzz gear over with me. I ended up taking 5 kites with me including the Buzz, Lithium and some RRD kites and paid a hefty amount in excess baggage. I was quite sceptical about the brand, at the time they only had one type of twin-tip, one kite in various sizes, a harness and a bar. The lure for me was the more reasonable price point and the availability of replacement parts. I scoured the Buzz website, spoke to a few of the ambassadors in WA and discovered that the Buzz kites design is the same as the Griffin ArgoX (look it up online for reviews). It's an Australian designed kite (been around for 13 years) with heaps of people around Aus who really like it's boosting performance and wave riding drift characteristics. Knowing that I wasn't reading about a total dud design I purchased the full kite and took it away to Cocos Islands.
The Buzz (Harmony) Kite: Surprisingly I used this kite the majority of the time during my trip. It really is a do-it all kite. Easy for beginners, fun for advanced riders and tough as bullets.- It was super easy to setup, self launch and land- It turned super quick with the advance bridle configuration- In strong gusty winds the kite was smooth and controllable, didn't yank me like other kites I've ridden and was super quiet (no shaking going on)- I could fly the kite in a much large kite window thanks to it's simple de-power system (16 - 28 knots comfortably and i'm only a 70kg rider)- When boosting it provided heaps of lift but came down gently on landing- We did three long down-winders and I really liked the way the kite would drift. I could race towards it and it wouldn't stall like my Lithium did.- The materials and construction are really solid. I crashed the kite pretty heavily learning some new tricks and the kite took the punishment well with no damage.What could be improved:- The strut inflation tubes are a small diameter so they take a little longer to inflate / deflate than my previous kitesThe
Buzz Bar:I'll start off by saying the bar is simple. It doesn't look particularly fancy like some other brands but it performs really well. It is solid, the grip seems better quality compared to my Airush core bar and the cool thing is that you can detach the lines at the bar end for quick and easy untangling of lines. The lines feel slightly different to other brands but they seem to be really good quality. The lines haven't faded, are still slippery and are way cheaper to replace than most kite brands (enormous plus for me). The front line v-bridle is low and easy to reach for safe self landing and the de-power is easy to reach and adjust with the simple cleat system.What could be improved:The de-power line can be help in position by a velcro strip but it does tend to fray the line a little. It's no big deal but I don't think the velcro is a necessity.
The Buzz (Stinger) board:A really cool board, heaps better feel than my Airush Switch 135cm. It has a relatively flat rocker, is a little fuller at the tips and feels like it's on rails upwind. The first time I tried it I was quite surprised because it was a choppy day in St Kilda (blowing Westerly) and the board felt smooth and quiet, not hammering my knees like on my Switch.- Construction appears to be really good, it still looks new after 4 months of constant use. My switch faded and looked crap fairly quickly even though it was kept in my garage out of the sun.- Super light but feels really strong and solid under the feet- Feels great in flat water and chop but the biggest difference is the upwind ability in light wind probably due to the low rocker and overall fullness up to the board tips. These attributes also mate it really easy to pop upwind when jumping or doing tricks.What could be improved:I didn't really like the bindings that came with the board, they were ok but I preferred my previous bindings (personal preference I guess).
The Buzz harness:The harness is super light and comfortable, I stopped using my fairly new Mystic harness because it was heavier, more restricted and was annoying to buckle up. After doing endless jumps in Cocos with the buzz harness I had sore abs (read weak core) but my waist and back were perfectly fine. Nothing to improve here...
About Us
Lee Brogden
CEO
I've been sailing since I was 8, windsurfing since I was 18 and kiting since 2010. I still love all these sports yet nothing comes close to the fun I've had with kiting. In particular, I love the people I meet who are into this sport. They are kind to each other, adventurous, courageous, friendly and they often lead very interesting and inspiring lives.
Unfortunately, since my involvement in this sport, I've watched the prices of gear continue to rise even though we've had no inflation. I've seen people who love the sport feel the pinch when they want to buy new gear. I began investigating exactly who is behind the major brands, and I was surprised to see that some really big investors and corporations were involved. People who had never kited were controlling the sport! We'd inadvertently attracted the corporate sharks. I saw that kiting was going to go down the same slippery slope that windsurfing went down meaning it was going to require a trailer load of super specialised, expensive and complicated gear to even think about participating. Every year people would be told the newest gear was better than the last when it really wasn't. You see, I've worked in many major profit-driven corporations and I know exactly how they think.
Sure, this may not destroy kiting, but I might. I won't stand by and take the risk because I know too many people that have got so much from this wonderful sport. I simply want to make sure it grows and it's accessible to as many people as possible.
It's been a very challenging journey so far and we've upset our fair share of people! However, we are stronger than ever, and I am very proud of each of our team members for joining this quest!
