We purchased a brand new Duotone Dice 10m in June of 2020. We haven't ridden it as much as we would normal due to Covid and the limited ability to take off to sunny destinations. The kite is treated as instructed by the manufacturers. Not to leave it out in the heat, or when not in use, and stored in a cool dry location.
Duotone is seen as a premium brand with premium prices to match, on average around $500 more than most other brands, and is one of the main reasons we have stayed loyal to this brand since 2010 when they were known as North before the name change in 2019. Since the switch we have been noticing quality issues with the kitesurfing gear, like the new bags that have a centre zip but the stitching inside looks like the apprenctices first day on the job.
Leading to the problem we have with the 2020 Dice 10m, and we are not alone in this issue we have discovered (https://kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2410775). We have noticed that the edging to the panels have started to yellow where the glue is, but the bigger concern is that the stitching along panels close to the leading edge has now started to come undone! The kite was up in the air when we notice daylight peering through, are immediate thoughts where that it had torn but we couldn't figure out how... Once the kite was landed we notice the panel stitching had come unstitched and not just in one location. on inspecting the kite we could see several spots where the stitching end point is not secure. This has lead us not to feel secure when riding these kites and as we say this kite hasn't had as much flying time as it should have and our older North 9m Dice (2016) does not have the same issues. Our concern is that the 2021 Rebel 12m kite we purchased last year will go the same way, as noted from the other post on Kiteforum.com
Have others begun to experience the same issues? Seems Duotone is one of the most prevalent brands on marketing across platforms to promote their products. You see them everywhere on social media with the most big names riders riding for them, so why is their Quality Assurance not up to stitch?
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