I would not trust the clamp for an inflate valve.
I have kites were the clamp unclips.
woulldn,t it be better to have a proper inflate valve
rather than a clip.
From a buyers point of view I couldn't trust it.
I would buy them for strut valves though.

yendor said..
I would not trust the clamp for an inflate valve.
I have kites were the clamp unclips.
woulldn,t it be better to have a proper inflate valve
rather than a clip.
From a buyers point of view I couldn't trust it.
I would buy them for strut valves though.

The prototype image you are referring to is of one of my own kites which I played with the concept on hence why the struts have a nut not the domed design that I went for. I never expect buyers to set their kites up like this, it works but looks messy !! hence why I have previously stated that they are intended for the connection between LE and strut. Although eventually there will be inflate/deflate variants with a one way valve and cap built into the valve.

Cheers

waveslave said..


I'm thinking that's what you probably wanted in the first instance for your product, right ? ^^^

To become the factory standard.

And to sell the licence to all the labels and sit back and collect the royalties.

You tried but it didn't happen. Bummer.

It's difficult to patent nuts & bolts.

So now you're trying plan B ...

The replacement valve market.

Good luck with that.

oh dont worry wageslave it will be very lucrative right up until he makes a doller then some chinese basterd will jack the design and run out a bunch of identical ones. but i highly doubt that first doller will come in.

due to fact that there is several quicker easier lighter products that cause less wear and tear and can be affixed to a larger area (means MANY MANY MANY valve repairs this small one cant)

but hay thats the way it goes sadly. all my stupid ideas never really came to fruition so your doing one better then i have OP so dont take it personally its just gotto overcome all those factors for it to be considered an alternative or a better alternative

James said..
Go figure

[B

)]

LOL

Really now?

^^^I've never had to fix a valve ..... Never once had one come off.

I don't leave my kites in the car if I know the weather is going to be hot.

solid object with zero give, attached to stretchable flimsy material that is known to tear. i know condoms have come a long way but just a heads up win dreams from an engineering side of things you want these things to move as little as possible in storage and transit. dont have anything resting on them no chucking your board ontop of the kite bag in back the ute that sort of thing.

if anyone wants to play along at home for free just bolt on some aluminium to a jimmy hat and swing it around a bit like a madman. there is a reason the prisoners chuck batteries in a sock not batteries in a condom.

if the kite stayed permanently inflated probably not a BIG issue but with every deflate inflate cycle that vice like seal on the latex becomes tensioned thus worn to torn inevitably. really need to do some RnD hire an engineer like a good old fashioned farm machinery engineer that understands the principals of different materials and how to create things with a given purpose.


oh and incase you missed it winddreams reason i mentioned this is "the inventor" of this product most likely knows this. thats why he tells you to clip it straight onto the OLD valve. hopeing that that bit of old product will aid in the whole deflate inflate cycle. by removeing that thicker crusty failing bit of latex your left with a rather thin layer to take the strain. he probably should of been honest about this rather then just glossing over it hoping no one would notice. but hay i could be wrong.......

Great idea, how does it withstand cold?
In our snowkiting conditions (from +3 to -18C) valves get hard and are easily broken if not handled very carefully.

And to waveslave and lofty wondering why aren't kite companies using them and paying big royalties?

1. Kite companies are not willing to spend any money in materials. Normal valves are REALLY cheap and installation is easy to automate. 1$ spent for manufacturing the kite means probably 25$ increase in the end price.

2. Are customers willing to pay more for new valves? Most of the time normal valves work good enough so there is no need to make any changes ito working system.
New graphics every year is far more important than anything.

just my 2 cents

Kozzie said..
solid object with zero give, attached to stretchable flimsy material that is known to tear........dont have anything resting on them no chucking your board ontop of the kite bag ........

........... with every deflate inflate cycle that vice like seal on the latex becomes tensioned thus worn to torn inevitably. really need to do some RnD hire an engineer

I'm an engineer, so I'll give it a go. Most polyurethane films can stretch somewhere between 400% and 600% before failure. However a polyurethane kite bladder is restrained by the outer shell of the kite. If the bladder diameter is smaller than the shell, there would be some stretching (10%? 20%?) of the polyurethane and increased stress at a rigid restriction. If the bladder diameter is the same as, or larger than the outer fabric, there would be very little or no stretching of the bladder during inflation. I also don't think you could consider the valve to be "zero give" in this situation, as there is probably a low enough clamping force around the outer edges to allow some very small movement (but that's just guessing - I've never seen one). As for "don't have anything resting on them", I can't tell if you are being serious or just making fun of the other negative posters? Next time this engineer gets a leaky valve, I will be trying one of these (unless I can find something cheaper - "a good engineer does with $1 what takes a poor engineer $2 to do).
If I was buying a used kite that had these on it, I would not think it had been "butchered". I would research them first. Since when has "factory standard" been some high ideal? Go look at manufacturers' recall pages (of just about any product you can think of).

To the guy asking about the cold - most polyurethane has a tearing strength at minus 20 which is approximately twice as high as its strength at plus 20.

To the OP - good on you mate for coming up with something like this, and not just sitting back on the internet and bagging other people's ideas. I can't believe what you have to put up with. I absolutely loved your response to the bloke who said it added a kilogram to his kite. I wonder if he tried your valves, or just wanted to drag you down in case you might be successful. I also wonder if it's an Australian cultural thing? I spend a few months working in America every year, and they seem to have a completely different attitude to entrepreneurs and people who "have a go".