Why use a spool when you can use a reel?

[tomfcrist]

In my few years of diving I've always just freely maintained my stops without a line.

That’s all good and well, until you try it in a current...and end up a mile from the dive site with a boat that has no clue where you are.

 

[CuzzA]

That’s all good and well, until you try it in a current...and end up a mile from the dive site with a boat that has no clue where you are.

and so it's helping me justify the purchase. Though where I dive current is rarely a factor and we can usually bubble watch, but yes, you make a good point.

 

[Wookie]

Not if it’s in a pocket

Pockets are for poodle jackets and cave divers....

 

[tbone1004]

like what was said above, it's all about use circumstances.
DSMB that you don't intend to shoot, or will only shoot from relatively shallow depths? Carry a spool since it's cheap, small enough to fit in a pocket, doesn't catch on everything, etc etc.
Deep bags getting shot, or flags in high current where you need a pretty good scope ratio? Reel 100% of the time.

I use super cheap spools since they tend to grow legs or get dropped

 

[northernone]

and so it's helping me justify the purchase. Though where I dive current is rarely a factor and we can usually bubble watch, but yes, you make a good point.

I was abandoned by a "captain" last summer. (Unrelated to a sausage)

If carrying a ball of string and a blow up (safety sausage) and knowing how to use them might have prevented someone else from sharing my experience I'll warmly recommend the investment.

A SPOOL is tiny and on the back of a bcd along with a tightly packed DSMB it's minimal hassle, low maintenance and the added drag isn't a big deal.

Cameron

 

[tomfcrist]

and so it's helping me justify the purchase. Though where I dive current is rarely a factor and we can usually bubble watch, but yes, you make a good point.

It’s really only an issue if you are deliberately (or sometimes not so deliberately) doing drift deco/a free ascent in some sort of current. I prefer an anchor line, but that’s not always a reality(hook pulled, anchor rode chaffed and parted, hot drops, etc).

 

[JohnnyC]

@CuzzA something to consider, although this is sort of late since you've already purchased, steel spools are heavy. They sink REALLY fast. The delrin or plastic spools are much easier to handle, especially if you lose hold of one. While it looks hilarious watching somebody chasing a spool as it unfurls with a handful of line, best to not be in that situation anyway.

 

[CuzzA]

@CuzzA something to consider, although this is sort of late since you've already purchased, steel spools are heavy. They sink REALLY fast. The delrin or plastic spools are much easier to handle, especially if you lose hold of one. While it looks hilarious watching somebody chasing a spool as it unfurls with a handful of line, best to not be in that situation anyway.

I considered the plastic spools, but I envisioned I'd be buying it twice as it gets smashed by a tank. I also read there's a little benefit to having some weight on the end of the line, but I could definitely see it cruising to the bottom if fumbled.

Speaking of which. I bought it from DGE. Is it safe to assume the tag line is tied off to the spool? Surely they would tie it off right?

 

[JohnnyC]

I considered the plastic spools, but I envisioned I'd be buying it twice as it gets smashed by a tank. I also read there's a little benefit to having some weight on the end of the line, but I could definitely see it cruising to the bottom if fumbled.

Speaking of which. I bought it from DGE. Is it safe to assume the tag line is tied off to the spool? Surely they would tie it off right?

Actually, the delrin spools are typically hardier because if you bang something heavy on a delrin spool it will flex. A steel spool will bend and that's it.

The DGX spools SHOULD be tied off, but it's best that every spool you buy you pull all the line off it to check, and also to rewrap and show you how much line you'll need to cut off. Commercially purchased spools are wound on a machine. You'll never get it back as tight as when you first bought it, and they're generally overloaded with line anyway. You need access to the holes to lock off the spool with a double ender, which means you'll end up cutting some line off and re-tying it anyway.

Check this video to show you how to set it up if you need some direction:

ETA: I own one stainless spool. It's my safety spool for cave diving. It's stainless for a very specific purpose. 1) Because it's heavy af so if I drop it doing a lost line drill, it's going to drop right below my hand, even in flow, 2) it's unique compared to every other spool I own so there's no mistaking it for what it is, and 3) it's got a boatload of line on it. I'd hate to have to deploy a safety spool in anger and run out of line before I found the line I'm looking for.

I would never use it in open water.

 

[Johnoly]

What benefit is there to using a spool over a reel in open water? ....

It's Diving........
No one piece of equipment will be BEST in EVERY situation. Use what's best for you.

My SMB is a 30 ft line with detangle swivels at the top and 15 foot mark and all attached to a 5 inch stainless eye bolt.
Works great like last friday with 4 lemon's trying to steal my fish and I dropped the bolt to deal with them. It's super low profile and doesn't snag on the reef.

But it's downside is can't be deployed from 115ft deep and doesn't work inside an overhead environment.
Train, train, train, but adapt and use what works for your dives.