Will you recommend a reel for me?

[Bubble Junky]

I use the Dive Rite Safety reel and have no complaints - never tangled, never failed in any way. Got it with 'Hi-Viz' orange line, which I find much better than the standard white line.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

Salvo and Manta both make great reels.

 

[peterbj7]

IMO there are intrinsically two designs of reels/spools - open free reels such as are mentioned above, and which you need for your application (I have several, and recommend one with a metal spool rather than plastic. Lots of good makes), and ratcheting or otherwise automatically locking ones for DSMB deployment. I generally carry both, the "ratcheting" one being the Buddy Reel. Any reel I've ever owned requires maintenance and usually some modification to work properly. The Buddy Reel in particular is prone to jamming after five or six deployments, but that is easily rectified with a bit of common sense and then the reel is totally reliable for many years. The open reel I'm currently using is by OMS and I like it, better than the DiveRite one I used before which fractured in my bag.

I recommend you do not try to use either reel for the other purpose, as it will be inconvenient and won't work properly.

The colour convention with DSMBs is red for a normal ascent and yellow for a diver emergency. This rule is universally applied in Europe and amongst serious tech divers in the US, but sadly US rec divers don't seem to have had it explained to them..... Best to affix a small slate to the top of your yellow bag so you can tell the people up top the nature of your emergency.

 

[Artimas]

Side mount reels are great, just remember they can detach by themselves if not clipped on properly. Ive lost $140 reels that way, if you buy from a shop, have them show you how it can happen.

Can you elaborate on this?
What's different about side mount reels?

Thanks!

 

[Artimas]

Thanks to everyone. The Halcyon looks nice.

 

[mts0628]

Can you elaborate on this?
What's different about side mount reels?

Thanks!

Hey Artimas:

Check this video out.

Kind regards,
Thomas

 

[The Great Kazoo]

I agree on Manta. I have two. Jr and Sr.

 

[Splash-X]

Hey Artimas:

Check this video out.

Kind regards,
Thomas

I would have been the person to lose one reel that way and think I may not have attached it... and then lost a second reel asking myself "***, is my clip defective?"

All kidding aside, great video for demonstrating the proper setup

 

[lowviz]

All kidding aside, great video for demonstrating the proper setup

Yes, nicely done.

 

[Artimas]

Thanks for the replies and the video link. Still haven't gotten a reel yet, but am leaning towards the manta.