Poor me, sorry, I thought you were him. I also like his products, very high quality.
Clicker reel recommendation
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Poor me, sorry, I thought you were him. I also like his products, very high quality.
Is suppose it is conceivable to entangle your entire head with string....but that would require a sufficiently talented spool.
Use a finger spool. stainless is what i use. Get the thing with the intent of never using it or always using it. There is no middle water here. You either use it on most dives or you don't use it at all except on those few dives or when you get lost. As such yo need to be able to store it. A full reel is not easy to store. a finger fits in a pocket. Cavers can use a full reel cause they use reels through out the dive. They pull out a lot of line and rewind each reel before the dive. I suspect that you would not pay out 50 ft of line on your reel before each dive for the "In the event of" dive. Get a finger reel . tie a big not at 20 ft. (safety stop depth) and call it a day. One other thing finger spools work great with bare fingers. gloves change the ball game.
Brits seem to do great with clicker reels and to like them very much. I like spools but thought I should give clicker reels a try. I bought a "test winner" and a 2nd "most popular" model, only to end up eventually giving both away for free because I so thoughly despised them.
I think the truth is that neither is iherently better than the other, instead any user can do well with the tool they like and have become skilled at using.
I think the truth is that neither is iherently better than the other, instead any user can do well with the tool they like and have become skilled at using.
I've been using a finger spool for shooting an SMB. Once deployed, I clip the double ender onto the line and then, when I want to hold a depth, I clip the same end that's around the line through one of the holes in the side of the spool. That acts like a brake to keep it from unrolling any further. It won't keep tension on the line, though, but as long you're hanging on it with a bag on the surface, you keep the tension required to prevent the line from jumping off the spool.
For reeling it up, even with gloves on, I keep the double ender clipped onto the line and hold the double ender, using that to wind the line back onto the reel. No rope burns. Doesn't matter much if I'm wearing gloves. If the hand holding the spool itself has a thick glove on, it makes it a tiny bit more challenging because you can pinch the tip of a glove finger in the line. But, I did it the other day after being in 40 degree water for a while, with 3mm neoprene wet gloves on (i.e. my fingers were effing COLD) and it still wasn't very hard.
That said, my instructor told me I really need to use a reel in the future because my spool doesn't hold enough line for if I have to shoot an SMB from depth when diving some of the wrecks I will go to. He recommended a 200' reel. I was looking at the DR Sidewinder with 180' of Hi-viz on it on the DGX site. Now somebody here said the DR reels have issues. So, what are the issues with the DR Sidewinder Safety reel? Or are the issues with the Classic reels and the Sidewinders are okay?
My instructor has a LM 200' which he likes, but I like the price on the DR Sidewinder better. I also like that the brake is on the back side of the DR, where the brake on the LM is on the front (i.e. the same side as where the line comes out).
For reeling it up, even with gloves on, I keep the double ender clipped onto the line and hold the double ender, using that to wind the line back onto the reel. No rope burns. Doesn't matter much if I'm wearing gloves. If the hand holding the spool itself has a thick glove on, it makes it a tiny bit more challenging because you can pinch the tip of a glove finger in the line. But, I did it the other day after being in 40 degree water for a while, with 3mm neoprene wet gloves on (i.e. my fingers were effing COLD) and it still wasn't very hard.
That said, my instructor told me I really need to use a reel in the future because my spool doesn't hold enough line for if I have to shoot an SMB from depth when diving some of the wrecks I will go to. He recommended a 200' reel. I was looking at the DR Sidewinder with 180' of Hi-viz on it on the DGX site. Now somebody here said the DR reels have issues. So, what are the issues with the DR Sidewinder Safety reel? Or are the issues with the Classic reels and the Sidewinders are okay?
My instructor has a LM 200' which he likes, but I like the price on the DR Sidewinder better. I also like that the brake is on the back side of the DR, where the brake on the LM is on the front (i.e. the same side as where the line comes out).
Stuartv. It is the classic DR reel I do not like. It does tend to jam. The E clip is easy to come off and I know of several divers that have had the case crack. I also find it hard to manipulate but probably some of that is my small hands. I have no experience with the DR sidewinder reels but the small reels have the closed handle. I prefer the open handle and by the time that you get to the 200 ft line size the price is comparable to the LM reel. And not sure I understand about the brake/lockdown screw. I think it is the same location on both brands.
I love my LM. Very well made, does not easily jam and fits my hand well. My one complaint is that the lockdown screw does not have a fixed end. it will come out. Lost it my first use. Been very careful since.
Halcyon has a nice looking sidewinder reel but I have never used one.
I love my LM. Very well made, does not easily jam and fits my hand well. My one complaint is that the lockdown screw does not have a fixed end. it will come out. Lost it my first use. Been very careful since.
Halcyon has a nice looking sidewinder reel but I have never used one.
I got rid of all my Dive Rite reels several years ago. Spools came apart, tolerances not that great, lots of slop in them. I did it after seeing Manta Reels at DEMA and bought one soon after. then I bought another, and another. Liked em so much I talked them into making me a dealer a couple years ago! That has worked for both of us 
.
I also carry the HOG reels and the quality and finish is on par with LM, Manta, Halcyon, etc. Way above Dive Rite IMO.
As for spools I use some old DSS ones I've had for over 8 years, some HOG, some Manta, and I have a generic or two around as well. They all to the same thing.
Except for one. The new Manta spools are in a class by themselves as far as spools go. Designed for laying permanent line in caves, and to take the place of the traditional Jersey up line, they come in three sizes and hold a pound, 1.5 pounds, and 2 pounds of line respectively. For a bit of reference a pound of #36 wreck line I have on my small is about 450 ft of line.
see the thread here for pics of mine
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ho...pool-just-not-enough-manta-comes-through.html
.I also carry the HOG reels and the quality and finish is on par with LM, Manta, Halcyon, etc. Way above Dive Rite IMO.
As for spools I use some old DSS ones I've had for over 8 years, some HOG, some Manta, and I have a generic or two around as well. They all to the same thing.
Except for one. The new Manta spools are in a class by themselves as far as spools go. Designed for laying permanent line in caves, and to take the place of the traditional Jersey up line, they come in three sizes and hold a pound, 1.5 pounds, and 2 pounds of line respectively. For a bit of reference a pound of #36 wreck line I have on my small is about 450 ft of line.
see the thread here for pics of mine
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ho...pool-just-not-enough-manta-comes-through.html
The "safety" reel is neither fish nor foul - not much more line than a spool, not enough line to be a primary reel.
Get a 400ft primary reel of the H, LM style. I have H reels and love them. Crewed on a wreck charter boat for years and never - never ever - seen an H reel jam or birdnest. Not even my own. Seen plenty of DR reels come up stuffed into people's catch bags with hundreds of feet of line all over the place.
FYI - the LM 400ft primary reel is $1 cheaper than the DR 400ft primary real on DGX.
Get a 400ft primary reel of the H, LM style. I have H reels and love them. Crewed on a wreck charter boat for years and never - never ever - seen an H reel jam or birdnest. Not even my own. Seen plenty of DR reels come up stuffed into people's catch bags with hundreds of feet of line all over the place.
FYI - the LM 400ft primary reel is $1 cheaper than the DR 400ft primary real on DGX.
What RJP said. I have a Light monkey 250 and a halcyon 400. They are awesome, great for laying line in a wreck, great for shooting a bag from depth. Much harder to lose with the handle, easy to control tension with your thumb of setscrew.
Nice piece of gear, LM and H very similar.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nice piece of gear, LM and H very similar.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Count me as another "finger spool" advocate. I had a clicker reel. Used it a couple times. Now it's the one I cut pieces of line off when I need to tie something...
Your mileage may vary, but I've shot bags from 100 feet using a finger spool without killing anyone. Given the diving I do, I can't see myself needing to shoot one from deeper than that...
Your mileage may vary, but I've shot bags from 100 feet using a finger spool without killing anyone. Given the diving I do, I can't see myself needing to shoot one from deeper than that...
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