Hey Mike,
Sorry I did not get back to you sooner. It has actually been pretty good here the past few days, and I caught two nice surf sessions on South Beach. One day with overhead munching waves! Yeah! Got some video footage from that day I will post in the next few weeks. Now on to your question. I see you have gotten some great replies already, and talking about kites is usually a passionate discussion.
** Disclaimer Warning ** Jon, Wes (SDC), and I are all sponsored by Cabrinha. Thus, we all use Cabrinha products.
I have never been about nor will I ever be about pimping a particular brand just because I am sponsored by that particular brand. I am happy to share my opinions of what I ride, and not trashing other people's gear just because I don't ride it. Almost everybody makes a decent kite nowadays, but I find the devils are in the details. Cabrinha has always been on the forefront of kite development, and I have been lucky enough to have been on their gear since the beginning way back in 2001. Honestly, the Cabrinha kites sell themselves and I generally never really need to "sell" someone on the Cabbies. There are several reasons that the number one kite model in the US is the Cabrinha Switchblade. It is often the most emulated and compared to Cabrinha model as well. That being said, I will give you my honest impressions of the Cabrinha line, and specifically the kite I really like, which is the Switchblade.
** Disclaimer End ** The first thing you notice about the Switchblade (SB) is its stability whether being hooked or un-hooked. There are so many times where I flew the kite poorly or got pushed too far in front of the kite one a wave and the SB stays in the air. When riding un-hooked the pull is very even and it sits nicely in the wind window. The SB has a very even power range, which is especially noticeable when you loop it. It has a very even power arc. It has good de-power and range, but not as good as the CB. Good depower and an even power arc is especially good from strapless riding perspective because you want a kite with those features so it does not jerk you off your board, or give you power when you least expect or want it. Specifically, for strapless riding it works very very with either a surfboard, or skim. It does sit further back in the wind window then the CB, but not as far back as a C kite would. Personally I like a kite with some bar feedback, so I can almost feel where the kite is through the bar without having to look at my kite. For my tastes, the SB has the perfect amount of bar pressure. I am not a fan of kites where the bar feels dead, but the power is on. I would call the SB turning speed acceptable to good. It is not what I would call a fast turning kite, but I find the turning speed of all sizes to be just right. Not too fast, or too slow. Lastly, the range of the SB is not as good as some other kites, like the Crossbow. However, with my quiver of a 12, 9, and 7 I have ridden from 9 to 35 knots, all strapless and have enjoyed every minute of it.
Now this is going to sound like complete BS, but it is 100% true, every year when I get my new kites I am always worried about switching to a new model because I hate to get dialed into a new kite. Plus, new generations of kites are not always better - although never tell the designers that
However, when I got my new SB's last Summer they were instantly like using a kite I had been using for the last 3 seasons. There was no adjustment to the new kite or getting used to it phase. They had all the best features of previous SB generations, but with nice refinements in the bar and bridle. I was so stoked on the new SBs that I was going to write Pete (Cabrinha) a massive praise letter, but I didn't.
So that is it in a nutshell. Sorry if I gave you more information than you wanted. Although if you have other specific questions let me know and I will be happy to answer more questions. Again, this post is not a knock on any other manufacturer's gear. It is simply my impressions of the Cabrinha SB. I can assure you if the kite sucked I would not ride it, nor would I recommend it. In fact, I was not nearly as kind about the Cabrinha CB model from a few years ago. I thought my feedback was going to get me booted from the team.
Ultimately, I have given hundreds of people recommendations on gear and I never want to have a person come back to me and tell them that I stroked them with some marketing BS. My reputation as a person is worth far more than any sponsorship. Nuff said.