Reels

[Scubee]

I looked at getting a kent Tooling reel, i gave them close inspection at the dive show -and decided that it was wheyyyyy too heavy for me.

[balbrigganbloke]

Mcmahon reels work well for me nice and sturdy

[Buoyant Babe]

Originally Posted by Scubee

I looked at getting a kent Tooling reel, i gave them close inspection at the dive show -and decided that it was wheyyyyy too heavy for me.

It is very heavy Scubee, but I like the reassuring heaviness in my hand as I'm deploying my blob - I know it's not going anywhere

It's very nice to hang off in a chop when you are doing a stop too!

[StuartC]

CD Ratchet Reel

knob on the underside switches it from ratchet to free-wheel mode.
clip on the bag, set the knob to free-wheel
inflate bag and let go, (but keep hold of reel )
set knob to ratchet when it stops whizzing and commence winding

good stuff:
nice big clip to attach the reel when not in use
winding knob is straight, so no snag risk
robust design and little opportunity for line to get trapped between the spool and frame etc.



I've got the smaller one of these and the handle might be a bit narrow for 5mm gloved hands if you have fat fingers, so you may want to consider the next size up for the wider handle.

Also have a McMahon compact


and I don't like 2 things about this one
1) the winding knob is snag hazard due to the flared shape, line does not slip off if it loops over the knob
2) the grommet thingy the line feeds through is a potential snag point, any crap on the line and it'll jam

and the Beaver ones seem to jam until you cut off the first 10m of line...

[Buoyant Babe]

Forgot to mention that I had my KT reel made specially as a left handed version and I also had an extra winding knob added which I find much easier. I use the thumb and fourth (ring finger) of my left hand in an anti-clockwise movement to reel up.

There's a pic of it in the gallery.

Hxxx

[milldog]

Another vote for the custom divers reel i have a 75m and 125m reel, i think there well made and very robust

Graham

[Ivon]

Manta Jnr an Snr. Best reels I have used and owned. Nice an light, fool proof and your not going to break them.

[broady]

Kent Tooling reel - just to continue the pattern

I like the fact that it's on the heavy side - reassuring and great to hang off. Better yet you can just let the weight of it hold the bag upright on the surface and swim round / next to it - luvverly jubberly !!!

Graham


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[colinicky]

Forgot to mention in my first post that the KT ratchet reel does also have a free spool position for line laying which was why I got mine !

[ardhill]

My current reel is made from Stainless Steel, is a ratchet type, fairly weighty and made in Kent

Actually, I find the weight handy when diving with a stage 'cause it helps balance out the weight of the stage. Then when you remove the reel to fire off the blob, you are soon going to be breathing down the stage and making it more buoyant, thus re-balancing again.

I also like the fact that it can take a bit of a battering and still work good. I find RIB diving hard on kit.

I have also used an MGE ratchet reel, which did the job, but I am not sure how easy the 'T' bar would be to control with 5mm gloves, I only use 3mm. If it works then that is a cheap choice. But do loose the plastic clip before you loose your SMB.

CD reels, I have never used in the water, but played with out of the water and they seem to be rather nice.
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