I own two omer cayman et spearguns, both bought about a year ago, one
black model with 95 cm barrel length and one camo 3D model with 130 cm
barrel length.
Since these are my first rubber driven spearguns, I can't say anything
about the functionality under water compared to other models. However,
technical problems not supposed to happen are obvious even to novices.
1. Both gun are leaking. Not tremendous such that the guns stop
floating after the spear is released, not such that one might see a
constant stream of air bubbles coming of the barrel. But every now and
then a bubble appears. This problem alone is not of an issue if it
were not triggering another one which I will describe below. However, I
tried to seal the gun, but I could only remove the nozzle, not the
muzzle. Even then, there is hardly any stuff which will stick on
the plastic of the nozzle to seal it. But when tacking off the nozzle,
I realized that the barrel is sealed it self, at least at the nozzle
side such that the amount of water which can run into it is limited.
2. The rubber of both guns are a pain. This applies to the rubber
bands and to the bungee. Omer rubber becomes brash very, especially
around the constrictor knot, and exudes a sticky liquid. I change the
bands before the broke, but with both bungees I witnessed their
failing while diving.
3. The metal bridle of the small gun broke while the gun was load which can
become quite dangerous when you have your hand on the barrel at that
time.
4. The color coating of the camo gun is peeling off because of
corrosion on the barrel. You must imagine that looking like the
blossom of a car varnish, which bulges because of the pressure induced
by the metal which expands due to corrosion. This is not an issue for
the barrel itself since the aluminum salt layer which grows on top of
the un-coated spots is salt water resistant. However, in couple of
month the coating as a whole will be gone, and the gun will be quite
shiny which might be a disadvantage in the water in terms of stalking
and in terms of sharks which like shiny stuff and contrasts.
5. Both guns are advertised of being able to handle spears between 6.5
and 7 mm. While a 7mm spear in the 130 cm gun works quite well, the
same diameter in the 95 cm gun can be a pain. Its simply that the
track of the small gun is so narrow that a water, decently loaded with
mud or sand will fill the gap between the spear and the track with
sediments while running through the gap. This is sufficient to make
the spear getting stuck in the track. This even more of a pain as you
will notice it only when you pull the trigger, thus the fish is gun.
To get the spear out of the track I always had to leave the water,
unload the rubber, hook the spear with the flopper between two rocks
and pull with all my weight (+80kg). Thus, when being around rocks,
beach and surf, a 7mm spear is not the first choice.
6. The loading butt of both guns is very sharp. Omer supplies a rubber
cover for it, but I lost both because they do not stay where they
supposed to stay especially when the gun has not a 90 degree angle to
your chest while loading. However, a person who can stand out pain
will be able to load both guns without a cover. Unfortunately the big
gun slipped of my chest once while I was pulling the rubber, and the
butt was sharp enough to cut a large tear into my wetsuit.
7. The shark fin tabs were, and still are, the most fragile part of
the whole construction. I lost about 6 from 3 different omer spears.
Since omer spears are not the cheapest, I really try to get
alternatives. However, beyond manufacturing problems the major reason
for the weak tabs is possible that the fixture is not corrosion
resistant. I once managed to hook up a spear, which had already lost
one fin, among rocks under water (under water at every tidal level).
After a couple of weeks I returned and could free the spear. But when
scratching off all the mussels and algaes, I also scratched off the
remaining two fins. This would not have happened with welded fins, and
a fin witch you can simply scratch off with a knife will definitely
not sustain the pressure of two power bands. Here, the problem of the
leaking gun reappears at the stage. The saltwater which had run into
barrel will run out very slowly. Thus, even when I had washed the gun
in fresh water, I noticed a layer of salt at certain places of the gun
a couple of days later. The layer was usually thickest where the
nozzle/muzzle meets the barrel. But since I stored the gun
horizontally, the layer covered the spear too, and probably induced
erosion of the shark fin fixture.
Finally I have replaced all rubbers by Rob Allen stuff, switched to
Dyneema wishbones and Dyneema bridles (life can be so simple), avoid
beaches with lots of sediments in the water (you can't see either)
when using the small gun, and replaced broken omer spears by other
brands (which can be a pain). However, I have contacted Omer because
of the peeling coating which I see as the most severe issue because
you can't do anything. I will post the outcome here.
Cheers
black model with 95 cm barrel length and one camo 3D model with 130 cm
barrel length.
Since these are my first rubber driven spearguns, I can't say anything
about the functionality under water compared to other models. However,
technical problems not supposed to happen are obvious even to novices.
1. Both gun are leaking. Not tremendous such that the guns stop
floating after the spear is released, not such that one might see a
constant stream of air bubbles coming of the barrel. But every now and
then a bubble appears. This problem alone is not of an issue if it
were not triggering another one which I will describe below. However, I
tried to seal the gun, but I could only remove the nozzle, not the
muzzle. Even then, there is hardly any stuff which will stick on
the plastic of the nozzle to seal it. But when tacking off the nozzle,
I realized that the barrel is sealed it self, at least at the nozzle
side such that the amount of water which can run into it is limited.
2. The rubber of both guns are a pain. This applies to the rubber
bands and to the bungee. Omer rubber becomes brash very, especially
around the constrictor knot, and exudes a sticky liquid. I change the
bands before the broke, but with both bungees I witnessed their
failing while diving.
3. The metal bridle of the small gun broke while the gun was load which can
become quite dangerous when you have your hand on the barrel at that
time.
4. The color coating of the camo gun is peeling off because of
corrosion on the barrel. You must imagine that looking like the
blossom of a car varnish, which bulges because of the pressure induced
by the metal which expands due to corrosion. This is not an issue for
the barrel itself since the aluminum salt layer which grows on top of
the un-coated spots is salt water resistant. However, in couple of
month the coating as a whole will be gone, and the gun will be quite
shiny which might be a disadvantage in the water in terms of stalking
and in terms of sharks which like shiny stuff and contrasts.
5. Both guns are advertised of being able to handle spears between 6.5
and 7 mm. While a 7mm spear in the 130 cm gun works quite well, the
same diameter in the 95 cm gun can be a pain. Its simply that the
track of the small gun is so narrow that a water, decently loaded with
mud or sand will fill the gap between the spear and the track with
sediments while running through the gap. This is sufficient to make
the spear getting stuck in the track. This even more of a pain as you
will notice it only when you pull the trigger, thus the fish is gun.
To get the spear out of the track I always had to leave the water,
unload the rubber, hook the spear with the flopper between two rocks
and pull with all my weight (+80kg). Thus, when being around rocks,
beach and surf, a 7mm spear is not the first choice.
6. The loading butt of both guns is very sharp. Omer supplies a rubber
cover for it, but I lost both because they do not stay where they
supposed to stay especially when the gun has not a 90 degree angle to
your chest while loading. However, a person who can stand out pain
will be able to load both guns without a cover. Unfortunately the big
gun slipped of my chest once while I was pulling the rubber, and the
butt was sharp enough to cut a large tear into my wetsuit.
7. The shark fin tabs were, and still are, the most fragile part of
the whole construction. I lost about 6 from 3 different omer spears.
Since omer spears are not the cheapest, I really try to get
alternatives. However, beyond manufacturing problems the major reason
for the weak tabs is possible that the fixture is not corrosion
resistant. I once managed to hook up a spear, which had already lost
one fin, among rocks under water (under water at every tidal level).
After a couple of weeks I returned and could free the spear. But when
scratching off all the mussels and algaes, I also scratched off the
remaining two fins. This would not have happened with welded fins, and
a fin witch you can simply scratch off with a knife will definitely
not sustain the pressure of two power bands. Here, the problem of the
leaking gun reappears at the stage. The saltwater which had run into
barrel will run out very slowly. Thus, even when I had washed the gun
in fresh water, I noticed a layer of salt at certain places of the gun
a couple of days later. The layer was usually thickest where the
nozzle/muzzle meets the barrel. But since I stored the gun
horizontally, the layer covered the spear too, and probably induced
erosion of the shark fin fixture.
Finally I have replaced all rubbers by Rob Allen stuff, switched to
Dyneema wishbones and Dyneema bridles (life can be so simple), avoid
beaches with lots of sediments in the water (you can't see either)
when using the small gun, and replaced broken omer spears by other
brands (which can be a pain). However, I have contacted Omer because
of the peeling coating which I see as the most severe issue because
you can't do anything. I will post the outcome here.
Cheers
