safety reel

[TracyN]

I'm partial to spools myself and would rather lay a spool even as a primary. I hate reels.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I hate reels.

Why do you hate reels?

 

[TracyN]

Why do you hate reels?

LoL! Why do I hate reels?? Lets see....

1. They tend to get buggered up at the worst possible moment
2. The retainer screw likes to fall off
3. I have small hands and they are either too bulky or my hand starts to hurt from holding the handle
4. They tend to get buggered up at the worst possible moment

Spools.....

1. They are lightweight and small which makes them easier to deploy
2. Don't get buggered up at the worst possible moment
3. Easy to stash and create less bulk

 

[NAM001]

i am getting away from the traditional dive rite reels. (handle on top) and going to the side held reels. Dive rite has these also. I have grown to prefer a reel with a good working drag incorprated into it. Some of my dr's are spool locked or not locked and can free spin into a fouled condition. There are a ot of option for drag and lock out there but i definately like the sidewinder config of reel. Hold on the side and wind on the other. The downside is the side handle space and use of gloves.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Got the Ralph Hood reel in the mail yesterday ... it's exactly what I was looking for.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ucfdiver]

LoL! Why do I hate reels?? Lets see....

1. They tend to get buggered up at the worst possible moment
2. The retainer screw likes to fall off
3. I have small hands and they are either too bulky or my hand starts to hurt from holding the handle
4. They tend to get buggered up at the worst possible moment

Spools.....

1. They are lightweight and small which makes them easier to deploy
2. Don't get buggered up at the worst possible moment
3. Easy to stash and create less bulk

For what it's worth, the screw only falls out of cheap reels. The Halcyon reels, and I'd assume any other company who pays attention to their customer feedback, are tapped so that the screw cannot fall out.

I don't think I've ever jammed a light monkey/Halcyon style reel. Of course, I used the Larry Green ones when I was learning, so maybe that's the difference, but the tolerances on the LM/H reels are much tighter and there's very little room for the line to go.

That being said, I hardly use reels at all, because they're too bulky for pockets and the risk of getting tangled is always there. Spools have neither of those issues.

 

[tflaris]

I was with a cave instructor last week who said he always recommends reels over spools after he recovered two bodies and two spools that had been dropped during their attempts to find a line. He thinks it's better to have something with a handle.

I have heard the same from multiple instructors.

 

[ucfdiver]

How do you lose a spool? Lost line drills are done on the floor, and when you hit a wall you go up, then reel in until you hook the line, no?

Also, how many certified cave divers lost a spool? I'm curious if the issue is technique rather than the device.

 

[Tortuga68]

The Halcyon reels, and I'd assume any other company who pays attention to their customer feedback, are tapped so that the screw cannot fall out.

Tapped means it has a thread; probably not the word you were looking for

 

[ucfdiver]

Tapped means it has a thread; probably not the word you were looking for

I meant tapped as in they "tap" the end to mushroom it so it cannot unscrew. Likely not the correct term.