Retractor Rules #1 to #3

[happy-diver]

Ha one of the best divemaster, diver herders I know pulls it out quite a bit, keeps a compass on a retractor

He knows how to use it, he knows when to replace it


Just like this dude uses his console on a clip as a fitting through tight places gauge and can read it clipped

It's on your regs just go diving, unclip it for compass


With understanding despite all the room in the brain, you can't put any more in there than is already there

Understanding their diving is not the only diving and if they can't figure something out doesn't mean kill it

 

[Jollymon32]

I got plenty of retractors for wive and my kit. They hold consoles, lights,cameras, even a lobster gauge. They are cleaned thoroughly after every dive, inspected, and will be replaced on a routine basis. I believe the failures are due to the lack of inspection or routine replacement. YMMV.

 

[Soloist]

Hey @LI-er I found a comprehensive technical repair manual pertaining to retractors in the event any of your many fail. You are welcome! Haven't found a manual for the "device" that wets itself yet, but I bet-sy it's out there.

 

[Soloist]

The only way to inspect the mechanism within this particular retractor, in an effort to "crack the case" for its malfunction, is to destructively crack the case (not recommended). The spring coil was completely broken in 2 places and seriously compromised in several other locations.

 

[lexvil]

For many many years I only had one rule for retractors, don’t use one. They often failed. On my recent trip I pulled one out that came with a bunch of stuff to use on my little camera set up, looked like it was going to work fine and it did until the first night dive where it couldn’t hold the extra weight of the light. I had to rig up an extra piece of bungee to clip off the rig and support the extra weight out of the water, it was fine in the water. After the end of the night dives I gave the retractor away to a guide. There are better solutions.

 

[ImpotentSeaSnake]

I use a Gear Keeper retractor for my hosed SPG which is just a back up to my AI computer (and nice for quickly checking tanks onboard). It’s fine and if it broke in a dive, I’d just tuck SPG under waist strap.

The only thing I caution is that when you clean then dry them spooled out, make sure they are securely locked open (it’s easy to mistakenly partially lock them open). My gf thought hers was locked, set it on the table and it snapped back in retraction and almost broke her thumb with the recoil of the clip

 

[Pavao]

You've got your opinion and I've got mine. Yours is worthless because you don't give a single reason to support your claims while I provided several.

Yes, you gave several reasons. It is important to understand the difference between good reasoning and poor reasoning however, you have no good reason to use a retractor.
This has been discussed over and over on the site, you failed to understand them, going over it again will be a waste of time.

Since you gave your opinion as a sort of guidance advocating the use of retractors to the public, I wanted to counter that and hopefully save a newer diver from finding this, thinking retractors are good choices, hopefully they’d find all the other threads with better reasons not to use them instead of this thread.

 

[LI-er]

Yes, you gave several reasons. It is important to understand the difference between good reasoning and poor reasoning however, you have no good reason to use a retractor.

You still didn't give a reason for your counterargument that my reasoning is poor and that retractors are bad choices, especially for the specific uses I defined.

Unless you consider "just because" to be a good reason.

 

[LI-er]

Hey @LI-er I found a comprehensive technical repair manual pertaining to retractors in the event any of your many fail. You are welcome!

Thanks, but after trying to take a couple apart I quickly realized it wasn't worth the effort (same goes with tape measures). I've got several spares in my parts box should the need arise.