When did you switch to the Koah Roller? Lots of flexible power and deadly accurate with the enclosed track.
You can see the fast currents in your bubbles as you jump across rock lines. Sweet viz & nice video !!
I switched from the Rob Allen about 3-4 months ago. I had a string of 6 misses, most of which shouldn't have been misses. I believe the issue had something to do with the mono crimping at the end of the shaft and it causing drag exiting the closed muzzle. I know, totally fixable, but I had other frustrations.
I have friends that exclusively use RA spearguns and are extremely successful. These same people gave me all the cons about wood guns and, I just accepted their view. For example, the RA is quicker to aim than a Koah because it's lighter. I agree, it's lighter out of the water.
I found the RA difficult to load and after every dive I would be sore where I placed the butt of the gun, including bruising. I also had a RA roller head, and it required use of a load assist. With the RA, I shot more on instinct because I couldn't figure out aiming down the barrel.
I had two RA guns, a 900 and 1100. I sold the 900 about 8 months ago. I sold the 1100 a couple of months ago for $600. It included several sets of bands (roller and standard), 2 extra shafts, roller head, closed muzzle head, flashlight and mount, and load assists. New in box, it would all cost over $1000.
After watching a lot of videos online, I decided I wanted a closed or magnetic track. I set my eyes on Koah and DFA. I reached out to both owners to discuss their products and prices.
I really really really like the DFA. One of the guys I hunt with has one. It's a beautiful gun and appears to be the easiest to load. They wanted $1200 for it. They also don't offer any veteran discounts (though he said he would throw in an extra shaft).
Koah is right down the street from my house. John does offer a veteran discount and told me to stop by. He gave me a good deal on the gun, an extra shaft, and threw in some gloves. The gun wasn't even assembled when I got there, so that was cool. I got to pick the wood finish, and they put it together on the spot.
My impression of the Koah? Yeah, it's heavier out of the water, but in the water? It's just a hair negative in buoyancy and is very nimble. The standard handle allows me to hip or chest load. I can use my free hand to assist in aiming faster than the euro. Another complaint about the euro handle was my gun arm would be overworked while scootering and shooting. No more muzzle. It's faster to load. No bruising or soreness. For me, it's far easier to aim down the barrel and, I'm no longer shooting on instinct. You can see in the video that I'm lining up the shots and hitting. They weren't all easy shots because of the heavy current, moving fish, and I'm in motion riding on a scooter. On the yellow jack, you can see the current pushing the gun, but I was able to correct it with my other hand. I anticipated limited opportunities to shoot and hit my targets. With the Koah, I land shots for more often than I miss. When I miss, it's usually because I'm taking a low percentage shot. There's only been one time that I had a gimme shot and I missed.
The Koah roller isn't without complaints (or could be my lack of experience with the gun). There's a lot of mono with a double wrap. The roller band likes to get in the way while rigging up the mono. Sometimes the roller band pops out of the notch after shooting. The roller band is difficult to stretch to the second notch. There isn't much room to add accessories like a light or gopro. I haven't been able to easily load the bands then do the mono since the mono tends to get all tangled up in the roller band. These are minor inconveniences so long as I'm hitting my targets. I'm getting better at managing the mono and bands with practice.
