Short version: our lightly used F-One Bandit TEC 9m with a Linx bar is now €1,350 — down from €1,549, against €2,399 for the same pair new — and there is exactly one of it. When it goes, that's the end of the Bandit in the clearance. Here's why we think it's the best-value kite on the site right now, and who it's for.
Why a 9m Bandit is the kite most Irish riders should own
Ask anyone who's been kiting in Ireland for more than a couple of seasons what their most-flown kite is, and you'll get one of two answers: a 9m or a 10m. On the west coast, with our 18–28 knot bread-and-butter days at Silverstrand and Rusheen, the 9 is the size that comes out of the bag more than any other. It's the kite you learn to loop on, the kite you take to a new spot, the kite that's still in your quiver in five years' time when the rest has been sold on.
And the Bandit is the all-rounder that F-One have been refining for eighteen editions. It's not a specialist big air machine and it's not a pure wave kite — it's the one that does both well enough that most people never need the specialist. Steady power, a bar that tells you exactly where the kite is, forgiving when you get it wrong, plenty of hangtime when you get it right. We've said it before in our piece on whether performance kites are worth it: the Bandit TEC, the Dacron version, is the one we put most people on. It has the wider sweet spot, it's easier on the arms, and it costs a good deal less than the Brainchild.
What you're getting
This is a 9m F-One Bandit TEC, lightly used, with the F-One Linx bar in the 52/45cm size. The kite has been ridden lightly and we've gone over it ourselves — canopy, bladders, struts, bridle, the lot — and it's ready to go. The Linx is F-One's current bar: clean, simple, with the adjustable 52/45 width so it suits the 9m properly and will still work if you add a 12m later.
New, the kite and bar together come to €2,399. We had it at €1,549 when the Summer Clearance opened. It's now €1,350, which is more than 40% off the new price on a kite with most of its life ahead of it. We'll send photos of the actual kite on WhatsApp before you decide — nobody should buy a used kite from a stock image.
Who it's for
If you've come through lessons on a Catalyst or a Reach and you're buying your first "proper" kite, this is the one we'd point you at. It's a big step up in feel without being a step up in difficulty. If you're an experienced rider who's lost a 9 to the rocks, or you've moved to the west and need a size that suits our wind, it's a no-brainer at this money. And if you're a wing foiler who fancies getting back on a kite for the windy winter days, a used 9m with a current bar is the cheapest way to do it well.
It's not the kite for the person who's already jumping 15 metres and wants faster loops — that's the Brainchild's job, and we'd rather sell you the right thing than the thing we're clearing.
Why the price is what it is
We set every clearance price by checking what the big EU shops are asking, then going under it. A new Bandit TEC 9m on its own is €1,480–2,090 depending on size and edition across the range, before you've bought a bar. This is the kite and the bar for €1,350, in Ireland, with someone you can ring if you've a question in March. There isn't a version of this that's better value, and there isn't a second one.
Collect or deliver
Collect free from us in Barna, or we deliver anywhere in Ireland — free over €200, and this qualifies with room to spare. Bank transfer or card, VAT receipt with it. The Summer Clearance ends 30 September and the price goes back up after that, if it hasn't gone by then.
Message us on WhatsApp for photos of the actual kite, or to ask whether the 9 is the right size for your weight and your spot — we'll tell you straight. And if you're passing Barna, call in and put your hands on it.
