Retractor

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Probably not most.
I use a retractor on my console, one for my inflator hose and one for a flashlight I have on my left shoulder. All are at least 10 years old and work fine.
 
Do most of you guys use a retractor to hold your gauge console?

A long time ago when I was young and foolish as opposed to being old and foolish now, without talking to my LDS, I went out and bought a really nice gauge retractor with a stainless steel cable. This worked great for about four months of saltwater diving and then wouldn’t retract anymore so I would be swimming around with my gauges flopping on a two foot stainless steel leash. Turns out while the cable was made of stainless steel, the spring was not and rusted. After eating some humble pie and talking with the diveshop, they outfitted me with a bolt snap and some line to tie it to my gauges. This is the setup I have used for the last few decades and it has worked well for me..
 
I put my AI console computer and back up analog gauge consoles on retractors, primarily for convenience. A good portion of my diving is currently fresh water, but when diving saltwater, I thoroughly soak them in fresh water at the end of the day. So far all are OK, but if I was doing a lot of saltwater diving, I would likely switch to the bolt snaps. In fact, I carry a set of bolt snaps in my save-a-dive kit in case I have a problem with a retractor.
 
I don't like 'em, and I don't really like a console much either, for that matter. Most of my diving is in cold, murky water and it's really helpful to have access to my compass and computer all the time, so I like have one on each wrist. Analog SPG clipped to a hip D-ring, since I only need to check it every 10 minutes or so, clipping and un-clipping isn't a big deal. Although I recently acquired an AI wrist-mounted computer, so the SPG is playing second fiddle, and I might eventually ditch the analog SPG altogether.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of spending a week diving in warm, clear water. In that situation, there was no need at all for a compass, and I went through my gas so slowly that a console-mounted SPG wouldn't have been too bad. I suppose it's all subjective and dependent upon local conditions. Still, retractors don't it for me, the moving parts come with maintenance downsides and few upsides in my view. Bolt snaps are simple, and not prone to failure.
 
Your choice of course, but the retractor that I bought way back when was wasted money for me. It's still in a bag of stuff somewhere in the old dive gear bin.
 
What do ya'll do to your retractors to break them in such a short time? Like I posted all 3 of mine are 10 years old or older and work just fine. I think the newest one I bought in NC in 2011 the other 2 were before that. I am curious what other gear to ya'll break?

After they soak over night with the rest of my gear, they get a final rinse like everything does, after they are dry I pull the cable out and spray silicone into the bodies of the retractors, work the cable in and out a few times and they are ready for the next dive into the cold darks waters of RI.

And then there was a poster in another thread about retractors that warned the cable is stainless steel and a knife won't cut it, you could get it entangled and drown! The darn things have a plastic snap break it and leave the retractor entangled! Gezz!
 
What do ya'll do to your retractors to break them in such a short time? Like I posted all 3 of mine are 10 years old or older and work just fine. I think the newest one I bought in NC in 2011 the other 2 were before that. I am curious what other gear to ya'll break?

And then there was a poster in another thread about retractors that warned the cable is stainless steel and a knife won't cut it, you could get it entangled and drown! The darn things have a plastic snap break it and leave the retractor entangled! Gezz!

Mine isn't broken. I just don't use it.
 

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