Here is a ""PRIME"" example of where a DECENT shop and experience of a that shop come into play. The Instructors and the "Questions" they come too ask you before the just SELL you something and Take your MONEY!~!
Many people especially in this the Kiting world do "NOT" want to spend the extra 10 to 20 dollars on a Kite at a local shop. When they can buy a kite on~line at a discount. Prime example of this is what I sent you Personally Jon, in a Private message.
A Good / Decent shop in my Years of Experience, is a customer based shop, that will ask a person the fallowing things befor they purchase a kite in general. There are "beginner" kites that are just that. Built to do Circles and figure B's amd maybe a Axel when you get good, at the stall factor and side slides. However that is about it. Then there are the other side of Beginner kites that have much more trickability to them. Most of these kites are ones that Shops who have Instructors like myself who FLIES all the kites when they come in and put them through a "CERTAIN ROUTINE" that is a basic set of tricks. I/E Prism's Video without the Jacobs ladders and combination tricks. To see what the kite can do with ""EASE!~!" That way the shop can then have a Idea as to what to ask a person in the fallowing criteria..........
1. What is your experience, and what would you like to do with you kite???
2. Probably have a quick Vidoe show and tell as to what your kites potentail is and would you like to be able to do This???
3. Are you interested in lessons in learning these things???
4. A Primary "basic" lesson Comes with the purchase of a stunt kite of say 50.00 dollars or more.
5. Then they show you the difference in the kinds of kites and the potentials between them.
So the education process is MUCH simpler and easier to be made. There are "Several" beginer kites out there that you can NOT ( Back spin, Yo yo, Fade, Side slide, Axel, with ease etc. ) Yet there are three or four good 80.00 to 110.00 ish dollar kites that come with 40.00 dollar strings right off the top of my head that would of done MOST of what you were trying to DO!~!~! That YOU would of NOT found on LINE all that easy without Talking to a experienced SHOP or persons who have flown those kites. That Basic knowledge is Priceless especially when a Shop person Hands you There kite and says Here give it a try. Then says O K here is what I can do with this kite easily.
Lessons Learned are HARD PRESSED to us all many times OVER sometimes. It pays to "ASK OURSELVES" what is that extra 20.00 bucks worth to us in HEAD ACHE time alone??? From the shops who "REALLY HAVE THIER ACTS TOGETHER" over the years??? If we should Break something how easy is it too replace??? At that shop which is 2 hours away, or on our own at our house!~! That is a HUGE thing when your a long ways away from your Kite shop.
So as a Teacher / Instructor at a Shop. I have sceen Many people buy the Cheapest of two lines kites. Fly them for 20 minutes out on the beach while Im flying mine with other students. Just to have them turn around and Buy a Better kite and hand that off to thier kids. Or I have sceen people buy 180.00 dollar kites and they have never Flown a 2 line before in thier lives and exspect to fly it and not destroy it, and it is a real shame to watch the Carnage begin. As I try to sit with them in my lap and begin the lesson and slow them down and smooth out the natural tendencies built into our brains.
Fast Eddy