I understand You what You wont to say.
Some kites are better for some tricks then is good to change.
Pitty here were are live wind is not constant like the places next to sea.
So when I go out to fly, that little time I like to use on the kite which I enjoy more and kite which I can control good and to go home with smile .I I pick kite which work for me the best to spend best time.
There is a lot of kite on market which are look so good, on You tube they fly so good.
I can take it but ....let say.....if it can't hold fade so long as SD kite then is not good for me... and I think newer kite are very pichy long standoffs and stabile fade could be a problem- designers work to get roll up kite not a fade kite. Every kite has ability more for some tricks more or less. Very easy I could be dissapoint...
SD cover a lot of thing and that way I fly it.
I like fade so much.....but long fade.... This year I spend a lot of time on the fade. 5minute in fade for SD is not a problem in good wind. It sleep in that position . It looks as magic
..
I'm sure number of kites are great. It would be good just to try one kite some kite festival just for a few minutes and I will know is it good for me.
But no festival here...and only I fly stunt kite in my country.
Let say K2 kite, look very nice, it is expensive as all good kite but it could be very frustrating to buy new kite and not to fit with it. Let start from bridle it is different then SD and trickabilty will be different I'm sure.....Invictus is very nice, Cosmic, DS, Seven..... no end of list..., lovely....BUT ....... We are talking about finnese and maybe big difference...
It is best to try before pick new kite if You can offcourse.. I never try before buying because didn't had a chance,but I was lucky when I order SD.

With the other hand I fly other kite too. I like my ELixir very much-old school but very nice, I have Fearless SUL,E2, UFO SUL,Alien,Trick Tail.Gem and some other kites.
Let say Gem-very nice kite- but very fast trick for me!!! I have to learn extra good SD to be good on Gem-just my thinking. It is hard for me with Gem.
So I'm not only on SD. But things which I learn on SD I can pass to other my kites. With the other words SD is my teacher.
SD teach me very nice cascade which I use for UFO sul.
all best