Which Reel should i choose?

[texdiveguy]

No offense to either of the last 2 poster but the Dive Rite reels are well designed and operate fine....I use them all the time and have never had any issues......have yet to have a DR SideWinder foul during use. For the beginner//OP wishing to invest in a primary reel a 250ft. model is more than enough. Salvo makes wonderful reels at a good price point also as I indicated previous. The Op may find he needs the 400ft. model per his cave instructors gear list. I find that most of my reel and spool needs can be met by a 250ft. reel and 2 spools a few line arrows. If the OP finds he is working wrecks and reef systems more often then #36 is a far better pick for line wt..

 

[sskasser]

My Salvo primary reel and spools have been great, and so have my DR jump reels. The only issues I've had with any of them have been user error, lol.

 

[texdiveguy]

My Salvo primary reel and spools have been great, and so have my DR jump reels. The only issues I've had with any of them have been user error, lol.

Operator error and misuse are the prime problems when it comes to reel use.....though I have found my gear brands to be of high quality....I to have had one to many thumbs at times in their use--LOL! For the OP of this thread he is looking for quality basics,primary reel and spool. I am hopeful he applies the time to practice with them after he has bought his new gear....not rocket science as we know but practice on each dive will lead to good technique development.

 

[Atomic_Diver]

ok i will look into the Larry green/Ralph hood reels.... hey is that Ginnie springs Cavern your entering in that pic?

 

[dl348]

I recommend the Salvo primary reel, I have one - it works great.

 

[sskasser]

Operator error and misuse are the prime problems when it comes to reel use.....though I have found my gear brands to be of high quality....I to have had one to many thumbs at times in their use--LOL! For the OP of this thread he is looking for quality basics,primary reel and spool. I am hopeful he applies the time to practice with them after he has bought his new gear....not rocket science as we know but practice on each dive will lead to good technique development.

Agreed! The best equipment in the world can't make up for lack of skill and well-developed muscle memory. Amazingly, my reel problems decreased directly in proportion to the amount of practice I invested.

 

[Atomic_Diver]

What about finger spools? do those bird nest up too? they look too simple to get a birds nest. But hey anythings possible I guess. at least their cheaper.... what do you think?

 

[texdiveguy]

What about finger spools? do those bird nest up too? they look too simple to get a birds nest. But hey anythings possible I guess. at least their cheaper.... what do you think?

They don't foul like some reels will.....the secret to a finger spool is practice both in line laying and shooting of bags//SMB. Keep the spool away from gear and body during shoots also watch loose fingers from getting entangled in the line,,,also lp inflator hose. I dive chilly to cold water so have spools with large finger holes is a great thing when wearing gloves as mentioned earlier....most do not have this feature. Also when rewinding the spools line try and build a mound of line in the center of the spool as it makes it much easier to reinstall the 2 ender clip in the holes molded in the sides of the spool.

 

[Phreatic Fanatic]

Here's a thought; choose your instructor and see what he/she suggests.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I've used a few different reels. Here's a list of the brands I currently own:

Ralph Hood
Halcyon (Salvo makes a similar one)
Dive Rite

My favorite are the Ralph Hoods. They are easy to use and the smoothest reel I've felt. They carry the same amount of line but are much more compact than the others.

As for spools, they require a lot of practice to become proficient with. Spools aren't just something you buy and take out every now and then. They won't jam, but they can really foul up if you don't use them often enough.

If you decide to go with the Dive Rite reel, check out my LDS (in my sig line). The listed price for all Dive Rite items is the lowest DR will allow, but if you call Edd, he'll give you a better price.