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New Reel - which one?

2K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  ANDY 64 
#1 ·
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I need a new reel.  I am at a complete loss as to which type to get.  I have two cheap n nasty ones - which do the job, but do birds nest up.  Is there a type of reel that is far less prone to this?  i rarther like the look of the metal jobbies, but they are expensive and i dont want to buy a dud.

spank you.  
 
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#2 ·
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At the risked of getting 'spanked' (oo-er, matron, the screens!), you might want to look at the Manta Reels - big, ballsy, plenty of line, a handle-grip what even I (with hands like shovels and fingers like pig's tits) can get in amongst (even with 3 or 5mm gloves on) and use with ease. The brake and ratchet is a genuinely smooth action (like liquid velvet)and is very effective. They are a treat to use, especially with the uber-non-DIR gas bottle 'fire-n-forget' SMBs!

Good luck.
 
#3 ·
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Kent tooling

http://www.divingproducts.co.uk/

do some very robust and reasnobly priced reels.

I like them

Ratchet reels are a bit more dificult. I use a cheep 80m Beever one that rather anoyingly works very well. I say anoyingly because it is cheep plastic and breaks easily I am on number three. The handles snap off and the drums get crushed on the boat. But the reel works briliently. Cost £39 I think. Mac Mahoon ratchet reels are prety bulit proof if you can get over the size of the things.

atb

Mark Chase
 
#4 ·
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<font color='#0000FF'>Prog,

There is nothing wrong with your cheap and nasty reels ........ the birds nest is because after use, you didn't take all the line off the reel , stretch it back on as you wind it back tightly and neatly.

Andy
 
#5 ·
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Nothing wrong with spools either-----they work a treat with the fire-n-forget blobs. I've cocked most things up, but the best I have so far managed with the spool is to drop it and had to duck dive after it. Compared to reel jams etc, a minor inconvenience

They are the epitome of a dogs boll@@ks-----as long as you don't drop the spool into the abyss, or indeed your double ender----carry a spare.

SMBs are fun, a friend cut off, literally, his pony 2nd stage hose, with fun bubbles setting of an enthusiastic blob a year or two ago-----that was with the
currently advised dir method of freeflowing your reg to inflate.

Deep deployment, OK, it's a reel, cos I've got more line on mine than my spools-----they are no easier to wind in though.

PS foie gras and Cahors red wine make a splendid souvenir of a southern French trip-----large measures only




Cheers, HIC---Malcolm.
 
#6 ·
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[b said:
Quote[/b] (Andy the Commie 2 @ Nov. 07 2003,21:15)]Prog,

There is nothing wrong with your cheap and nasty reels ........ the birds nest is because after use, you didn't take all the line off the reel , stretch it back on as you wind it back tightly and neatly.

Andy
I do wind them back in tightly after every dive (like a good little diver).  It birds nests on the way back up cos i find it hard to keep the tension on the reel as i come up.  I have a shitty SMB which is hard to get the air into and so tends to be a wee bit.....well..... flacid at the surface and if there is any swell and you are fizzing off you get bounced about a bit.  
I guess the reel situation would be better if i had a smb with a wee crack bottle on it.  What do you guys think of them?  I think they are a bit big, where do you carry them so they dont get in the way.  Im not into the christmas tree look, i like pockets.

I was going to get a new SMB anyway at the show, and a reel.  Do you think i should get a crack bottle one and try again with the reel?  or get a new reel as well?  Gods my credit card is gonna melt.
 
#7 ·
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I love my crack bottle SMB.

It makes deployment so easy and there is no possibility of tangling the line up around your reg filling from the exhaust. It has to be one of my all time best diving investments.

Quick tip get the DIN fitting one as they are more compact than the A clamp type.

Second tip.

Crack the bottle just a smidge and then you have oodles of time whilst it fills to sort reel and line out before it becomes buoyant.

Some people fill the bag to just buoyant then switch the gas off and let it go. This avoids getting water in the bottle. I don’t bother and haven’t had a problem yet. I strip and wash out the bottle after the dive with fresh water just in case. That said I own a bore scope and have inspected the inside of the bottle many times and found no apparent damage after about 150 dives.

ATB

Mark Chase
 
#9 ·
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I also love my Buddy crack bottle smb – well I did until I lost it a couple of weeks ago. If you get the DIN version with the 1 dl bottle (quite big enough), it's really not all that bulky. I open the valve until the smb is partly inflated then close it, check that all is as it should be and there's no risk of the line catching on the reel handle or anything else, open it cautiously until the smb just starts to pull, then close the valve and release the smb. It's as easy as pie!
 
#11 ·
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Porg

DelayedAid, reel and DSMB, hollow handle on reel, put your reg in that, fill and the DSMB slides off and up when it gets buoyant or when youl tilt it up. Bout £70 but its a reel and DSMB in one, both can be used seperatly.

Swore by mine and i need to go back to the Eidsiva and find the sod
 
 


Dive Safe

Paul
 
#12 ·
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OK heres how to carry a brilient SMB on my cheep crap but works briliently reel
 
#13 ·
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Pic two showes how you use the handle of the SMB and the ratchet effect of the reel to lock it all in place.
 
#14 ·
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Pic 3 showes how big it is and how you use the velcro strap to stop the SMB flapping about on the reel when stowed.
 
#16 ·
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<font color='#0000FF'>Mark,

Can you stop copying my equipment  
 I have same reel as your of which I now have it for 3 years and find it very good. The only thing I don't like is it's metal wire line pass trough, of which it brake from it's plastic base. On mine I put some super glue and placed a cabel tie to it's base and more glue and till now is still working ok. Now I am working on a 120m reel which will be past Pathfinder and part Dive Rite  


Regards

Pierre
 
#17 ·
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Blimey M8 the line guide is the only bit that hasn’t failed on me. The reel I am using now has the drum off of my first reel and the lever arm off my second reel. My first reel snapped at the end of the spindle arm (note grey epoxy glue trying to glue it back together) my second one bust the yellow drum and my present one has had the handle bust off and the yellow ratchet lever snap.

All in all its crap build quality due to the use of cheep plastic. But the reel is great to use and if they did the whole thing in Stainless Steel and charged £200 for it, I would get one in a  heart beet.

NOTE: all failures were due to bashing on the boat and it has never failed in use

ATB
 
#22 ·
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Hey Lawrence, where've you been hiding? Haven't seen any posts from you here or on Divernet for ages. Is it getting cold in your neck of the woods yet? The midday temp here is around 3 degrees but the water is still OK and the vis has been amazingly good – at least 20 m.
 
#23 ·
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[b said:
Quote[/b] (Pierre Farrugia @ Nov. 08 2003,21:50)]Mark,

An other question, how you post big, quality pics as in this post and still keep Kb size down.

Regards

Pierre
I use a file compresion system available in Corel Photopaint. It opens the pic up to a dimensional size of your choosing and then allowes you to chose your level of compresion and file type. I chose Jpeg and reduce the file size on each pic down to 29k.

I broke all my reels due to having them crushed (usualy by stage tanks) on rocking and roling UK dive boats.

ATB

Mark Chase
 
#24 ·
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[b said:
Quote[/b] ]NOTE: all failures were due to bashing on the boat and it has never failed in use
Aha! Looks like the ol' "carelessly hung reel getting caught on the lip of the bench and disembowelling itself as you stand up in all your assorted paraphernalia getting ready to jump in the water" scenario....Which has happened to me twice now, much to my disgust.  Still, that's what superglue's for.
Me mates with their Mantas all take the piss, but it's a brilliant reel and it's cheap enough for me not to weep should I ever lose it.  Also keep the 60m version as a spare in the thigh pocket.
 
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