Safety Reel-- Which one?

[herman]

I am looking to get a good quality safety reel. Something with 150-200 ft of line. It's going to be used for light cavern, limited wreck pen and general search and recovery. No heavy duty tech/cave stuff so I want good quality but totally bulletproof is not necessary. Any suggestions/ tips/suppliers?

 

[TexasMike]

The one that I am using currently for what you've described and to learn reel usage is the smaller Dive-Rite reel (the blue one). Price at the LDS that I got it from was about $40-50.

I would say that it's an "okay" reel. Since it's fairly basic but there are a few features that I (and some others) don't like such as the ribs on the outside of the spool, and it can be too easy to completely back out the stop screw underwater.

I'm sure Roakey, Yooper, and the others will have some good input here as to what they use.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

simple is best.

I own two: an OMS and reef-SCUBA.

Neither has a "tensioner" or "anti-birds-nest" device and so
far the only time I've had a jam was as a result of my not
paying attention.

Regardless of the reel, you MUST practice with it, because some
day your LIFE might be "on the line" so to speak.

 

[Dee]

My favorite reel for wrecks is an Oceanus It's ugly but very efficient. No open handles to snag, made of rugged polymer material, and you can't make it tangle...I've tried! There's two sizes.

Another that several dive buddies like is the S.E.A.L. reel.

For everyday use, for SMB's, light lift bags, dive flags, etc. I use Dive Rites's jump/gap reel

 

[HoosierDiver]

I looked at a lot of reels, and it's probably overkill for what you're looking for, but I really like the Halcyon reel. The main reason I like it is the handle. All of the other reels I looked at had a long open ended handle which I think would be easy to snag on something, and you couldn't switch hands if you would need to for some reason. I also like the simplicity of it (ie. no tensioners, anti-snag devices, etc...).

 

[tombiowami]

I use the Halcyon spool for what you are describing. 150', delrin and line and that's it. I think 44 at EE. You don't really need more than 150' since that is beyond "cavern zone" and is enough line to shoot a bag from a rec oriented depth in open water. It is also small enough to always have just in case...

By the way, are you taking the Cavern course over at Down Under? A buddy and I are headed to Ginnie this weekend.

Tommy

 

[herman]

Yep, they have a springs trip comming in April that some spots require cavern cert so I thought I would give it a shot. We are doing our cert dives in Ginnie over 16/17 weekend.

 

[The Chairman]

S.E.A.L. Reel from www.ReefScuba.com . Well, they made me buy it, but I have never had one of TM's famous "Birds Nests" with it. You can disassemble ane reassemble if you are all thumbs like my buddy Mike. It also comes with a trensioner and a "ratchet" for easy control. Takes just a few minutes to figure out too!

 

[roakey]

A safety reel (or spool) should be only used in case of emergency. If you’re talking about “limited penetration” you get a primary reel for the penetration and keep the safety reel (spool) for, well, safety.

So, strictly referring to a safety reel, I’d recommend a spool, not a reel. For penetration, where fast line update becomes an issue, you want a reel.

The EE spools and reels are great.

Roak

 

[OKDIR]

Yep, EE is the way to go. Great gear and GREAT service.

Joe