Favorite reel for use with dry gloves?

[Marie13]

Fellow Great Lakes Diver....

I like my Light Monkey reel.....

The way the "bolt snap hole" is made, it is a fairly secure connection.

I do use the biggest bolt snaps (well, all snaps) I can get for the cold and my big-ish hands....

I like it!

YMMV

I use the XL bolt snaps from DGX for my SM tanks and the large for everything else. I have dinky hands (my glove liners are XS) but those XL bolt snaps are da bomb.

 

[Marie13]

You could always just replace it with a bolt snap or a bolt snap with shackle. Either put the shackle through the hole in the handle (like they used to sell it) or tie a regular bolt snap on with cave line. Depending upon how paranoid you are, it would probably be better to tie it on with cave line so you could cut the link if the system is under tension and you need to free yourself (i.e., no metal-to-metal connections).

I agree that a double ender can be problematic but it is beneficial to be able to remove it when using the reel and I don't see how that would work with a bolt snap.

I use a loop of bungee cord and loop it around. Not that it cannot happen, but I've never had the gate open up and lose the reel. I've attached a picture. The bungee helps absorb the shock and reduces the likelihood that the gate is going to get pried open.

View attachment 638402

IMO, the bigger issue with the Dive Rite reels is the clearance between the spool and the cross bar (another picture attached). If you don't keep constant tension on the line, I've had the line "slip through" the gap and get fouled up. I don't know why the gap is so much. I could use a much thicker line, but that doesn't make sense.

View attachment 638403

I bought a Light Monkey reel because of this but haven't really had a chance to use it yet. See picture of the clearance / gap on that reel.

View attachment 638404

- brett

Thanks. I use thin bungee in place of cave line for attaching snaps to everything. Works much better for me. Not the usual, but it works.

 

[beldridg]

Thanks. I use thin bungee in place of cave line for attaching snaps to everything. Works much better for me. Not the usual, but it works.

Just curious - why does it work better?

- brett

 

[Marie13]

Just curious - why does it work better?

- brett

Can get it to stay tied tightly. Cave line I tried was always slippery stuff. I went to what worked for me and it’s not failed me at all.

 

[Imla]

For a max of 140ft Id go with the Halcyon Defender Pro Reel (Halcyon Dive Systems)
Fits 200ft of line. Works magically with drygloves and cold water. Small enough to use as jump spool for long jumps, or just as a primary reel if the distance to mainline is short. Most Primary reels are uncomfortably large for my hands, so if I can get away with the Defender Pro, that is what I bring.
https://www.halcyon.net/guideline-devices,110,en

 

[Tracy]

Manta JR

best dry glove reel I have found

 

[rddvet]

Skip dive rite reels. They historically aren’t the best built. And slide lock is a gimmick that unnecessary. And I’ve heard more than one person regret their purchase. Light monkey or halcyon are the way to go. Personally I think my halcyon reels are better quality than the light monkey ones. But they’re very close. You can tie on a bolt snap to any of them but I prefer a double ender. Double Enders are secure as long as you put them on the right way. One direction they’re secure. The other if you push the snap bolt towards the inside of the handle it opens the gate. There’s a video you can Google that shows it clearly. A tied on snap bolt can be a nuisance. And in high flow if you screw up and get too much line out I can guarantee it will find a way to get tied all around the snap bolt. With a double ender put it on your chest dring and you can use it to temporarily hang your light while you work. If you have a loop tied onto the light of course

 

[Whitrzac]

Go for a reel you can put your hand through the loop on. The LM/etc should work. I tried one of the haylcon ones and couldn't get my hand through and disliked it overall.

I have this one to use as primary, I use finger spools for everything else. I can still use them fine with drygloves.

XS Scuba Highland Tech Reel Scuba Diving Aluminum Tech Reel

 

[rhwestfall]

The only thing I don't like with the LM reel is that the lock screw can easily be backed out/fall out. There need to be a better solution. A o-ring on the shaft (needs a counter-sink space on the inside) or a groove cut in the shaft to hold a cir-clip would certainly be an improvement.

Just my thoughts...

 

[JBFG]

Anyone has feedback on the divesoft reel?