I was looking at the Albatross range. In particular their quads, and in particular particular the 2.8-metre ones with four vertical spreaders.
They do have one model that specifies Icarex PC31 as the sail fabric. It costs £98 (at today's exchange rate).
But it isn't very pretty. The pretty ones (and I do crave a pretty kite) cost only £84. The pretty sails are said to be 'nylon'.
I read (on the tufflight.com website) that "Icarex" is a trade name, and technically it's not now being produced, but (they say) kite flyers still tend to refer to ripstop polyester as "Icarex".
How much worse do 'nylon' sails perform than Icarex (or ripstop polyester) sails? Are they less durable? More air-permeable? Do they stretch and go out of shape so much that they become unflyable? Is this a good reason for a someone like me, who wants quality (but let's face it, will never be a top flyer) to eschew the £84 Chinese kites?