I agree Sam. It's going to come down to C.S.

I now make most of my decisions about kites around the warranty reputation and customer service reputation of the company.

I would rather buy a kite that is "almost as good" as the "absolute best kite available" with a damn good backup plan (the company's support). I learned pretty quickly while at EK that some companies give lip service while other's give real customer service.

You are right, most kites these days are pretty good. I think the customer support we get is going to be the difference between a successful company and a one season wonder. It's amazing how many companies are making kites at the moment, isn't it?!

I wonder how many there will be in 3 to 5 years?
I can't imagine it still being as high as now. Mainly because wakeboarding and windsurfing have much fewer (don't they... maybe I am wrong).

Anyway, interesting stuff to me. A little microcosm of marketing/business to watch change over time.
Now that it is main stream and hitting critical mass, it is a huge curiosity to me to watch how different brands market and stuff.