Cayman HF2 any reviews?

[Macnaughty]

Hi everybody
I have been skimming through the Deeperblue fora for any reviews on the Omer Cayman HF2. but have found nothing conclusive on it.

I am buying my first speargun shortly (having borrowed from my dive club beforehand) and while a very experienced buddy of mine suggested the Omer Excaliber 2000 as a good allround/tried-and-tested design, I was wondering if either an HF2 or XXV were better to "grow into".

The XXV is of course higly reccomended, but for all the hype there was prior to the HF2 launch, it has been strangely quiet since then.

As I am considering buying the 90 cm version, I would greatly value your experiences and thoughts on it.

Cheers Martin

 

[Tomy Suero]

Hello Macnaugnty! I got my from Scubaland, it is very accurate speargun I'm using it with circular band and I may change to dynnema wish.(little noise) but beside that it is a real killer machine within 10ft. range. I do have a Omer Exc 2000, also it is a good all around speargun for the price.
Hope this will help.

Tomy..

 

[Macnaughty]

Thanks

Yes it does help,- how do you find the tracking of the gun? from what I have heard on the jungledrums around here, it isn´t quite as good as the XXV, in spite of the dual cuttlefishshape.

Cheers M

 

[nohu_eater]

I have 2 Excalibers: a 110 and a 75. Both have served me well for many years with very little maintenance (a little WD40 in the trigger every few dives) and no failures or misfires. It has a frictionless trigger and line release which is really nice, and it's very accurate. However, don't beef up the bands too much or you'll wear down the seer.
I also have a T20, but it has misfired a few times when brand new so I don't trust it or use it anymore.
I also know that the line release on the Caymans sometimes get stuck, and need to be reset with a small screwdriver. This needs to be done back on shore and could spoil a good dive (note: always carry a backup gun on your float). Not every Cayman has this defect, but it would suck if the one you buy does. Also, HFs and HF2s are expensive.
I recommend the excaliber. I have 2 and my friends have 3, and we all love them.
Shoot 'em up!

 

[Tomy Suero]

Very good, at that particular moment the sea was not calm and tracking was smoth. Some time the gun with little effort stay straight when aiming(sorry for my English).

Tomy.

 

[Tomy Suero]

I have 2 Excalibers: a 110 and a 75. Both have served me well for many years with very little maintenance (a little WD40 in the trigger every few dives) and no failures or misfires. It has a frictionless trigger and line release which is really nice, and it's very accurate. However, don't beef up the bands too much or you'll wear down the seer.
I also have a T20, but it has misfired a few times when brand new so I don't trust it or use it anymore.
I also know that the line release on the Caymans sometimes get stuck, and need to be reset with a small screwdriver. This needs to be done back on shore and could spoil a good dive (note: always carry a backup gun on your float). Not every Cayman has this defect, but it would suck if the one you buy does. Also, HFs and HF2s are expensive.
I recommend the excaliber. I have 2 and my friends have 3, and we all love them.
Shoot 'em up!

I agree my Exc. 2000 82cm is a very special gun.

Tomy..

 

[Jonny250]

my HF2 90 is in the post....
pm Marwan or maybe he will see this thread - he's always very helpful and has an HF2.

 

[Marwan]

tell him what he won Jonny!!!
i am planning to do a detailed review with pics on the HF2, but that wont be ready for a couple of weeks, for now i leave you with the following impressions from its use last weekend:
Pros:
very light and maneuverable
stable muzzle for a gun that light
excellent line of sight ( i removed the metal bridge though and using it with screw in bands, open muzzle)
comfy handle
loading pad
very reasonable price..
I LOVE that muzzle (was really the seelig point for me and why i originally disliked the HF)

cons:
scratches easy
strangelove had mentioned "noisy" on his review for the HF, i didnt feel that with the HF2
articulated wishbone..

setup i have is 110cm, with 6.5mm spear and singe 18mm screw in bands... more to come later with some pics

 

[Mr. X]

I recently got the XXV while looking for a short, agile gun for low vis. conditions. I am v. pleased with it so far, it's a great gun. However, I don't think I'd recommend it as a first gun (although sounds like you've used others before, so perhaps this isn't like your first). I don't think it would be a huge mistake though. I'm not sure if I can articulate why I feel that, lots of little things but nothing of great consequence; on the other hand the Excaliber 2000 seems like it would be good beginner gun (simple, straightforward, tough). HF2 also looks like a good gun too and I am keen to hear more about it. In many ways though, it seems like a heavier/stronger version of the XXV.

Re. the length is usually determined by how far you can see & how far away the fish are. I would suggest an 82cm gun for the UK (or perhaps a 90cm XXV, light, slim & short spear), 75-90cm will generally work ok for the UK. For the med, seems like 90/100cm is a popular size. Re. length for the UK, I think of it something like this:



Cornwall - Devon - Dorset - Sussex - Kent

90cm ---- 90/82----82/75----75/70--------

But sometimes 90 is good for Dorset & 75 for Cornwall!

 

[Marwan]

i wouldnt say the HF2 is a complex beginner gun, i can see it easily used as a first gun, though you may not fully appreciate some of its attributes if you havent used anything else before...
the gun i use the most is still an excalibur 2000 carbonium 100cm.,,,its a great gun, but i can see the HF2 taking its spot in the newar future....the muzzle is much nicer, the barrel very cool and the handle more comfy, the trigger more reliable...

 

[Macnaughty]

Wow, thanks guys.

Really nice to hear the feedback. It will be the first gun that I own myself, but yes have tried others in the the dive club.
However, I expect to get a lot more use of this one, as it is going to be a lot less hassle to go out when I have all the gear at home.
The main thing about which ever gun I get , is that I want to be able to "grow with" the gun,- rather than get one now and wish to change it in a couple of months.
From what I hear , also in this thread, the Excalibur2000 is a good sturdy gun that can remain one's stable bread-and-butter gun for many years to come.
The XXV is of course highly commended, but seems to be a "high-performance" gun best not started out on.

Since both of the above were introduced the HF2 has come out, and the question is if it succesfully combines the features, and can hold up to hard use. The main apprehension has been if the new parts/features can compete with tried-and-tested mechanisms, but I guess that many of the "bits" are borrowed from their other guns.

The issue with scratches, if purely cosmetic, doesn´t bother me. It seems the HF2 might be a bit like a hardy XXV (having the good muzzle) which is just great.
Add the option of changing the muzzle configuration, bands and articulated wishbone in the future (if and when I develop a strong opinion about those) and I think it might be just the gun I am looking for.

So I guess that I will just have to jump into it, and see for myself. Although Marwan, I am looking forward to reading your full review as and when it comes.

Thank you very much Gentlemen !! You helped make up my mind.

 

[Marwan]

macnaughty, id get the HF2 if i were you...the length will depend on your hunting conditions/vizibility/type of fish etc....
the XXV is also a great gun, but in my opinion is more suited to catch fast small/medium fish on the fly....as its biggest attribute is fast tacking so is more suited to fish like bass/mullet etc.. and should be 90cm or less in my opinion...
the excalibur is great and will work fine for years, but why loose the new features in the HF2 and feel like the need to upgrade later...id say go for the HF2...best of luck

 

[Macnaughty]

Thanks, will do,- and will probably go for a 90 cm version. That seems to be the allround-size here in Denmark where I will be hunting.
Then when the viz isn't that good I might try my hand at a pole-spear.

Thanks again..\M

 

[Hugh.]

I have the HF2 limited edition and I'll share my thoughts.
First off, it's is veerry sexy looking- all brown camo. It is very light and very maneuverable, and very powerful. However, it sounds like a rocket ship taking off when shot. If noise doesn't bother you, then go for it. It's definitely worth it anyway. By the time the noise gets to the fish, they are dead.

 

[Mr. X]

Really, what's causing the noise - the hollow barrel? I don't paid much attention to sound-level as I figure my loading/dispatching sounds are likely to be far more noticeable.

Macnaughty, the HF2 sounds like a good bet. For a gun to grow into, that muzzle covers most/all options. The XXV has that too & the Gold model has a track which is a nice feature (but probably increases lateral drag by adding ~3mm to the side profile) as tracks are more tolerant of different spear lengths (stop spear droop) if you wanted to try different ones. If you get either gun with the reel, that opens up additional possibilities. The extra cost of the reel when buying the gun is sometimes quite small & quite a bit lower than buying it afterwards (worth checking). Reels are primarily used when dealing with large/holed up fish & a few of us said we think the XXV is probably better suited to smaller fish - so maybe that sounds like an odd combination but an XXV can no doubt be used for the occasional larger fish.

 

[nohu_eater]

One more thing about the HF2. If it comes with a match 50 reel, change the line to amsteel dyneema or picasso spectra. The line that comes with the reel is absolute rubbish.
Also, addressing the issue of noise, an aluminum track will always be noisy, especially when tracking a fish. You will probably notice a lot of rattle when swinging the gun. You can always install a plastic track on an excaliber like mine has.
If you are diving in poor vis, a 90 excaliber would be sufficient.
I know that the HF2 looks all new and sexy, but the excaliber is really reliable.
Also, I repeat, the line release has issues on some guns. I heard this from a reputable retailer who carries the HF2.

 

[ILDiver]

My HF was kind of loud too. It's now very quiet. I changed out the bands and put a Dyneema wishbone on it and I put a Dyneema shot line on it as well. The metal crimps seemed to make noise off the barrel too. The only thing that can rattle now is the clip on the bungee and the spear hitting the barrel, but the shaft is more of a light scrap at times and I never hear the clip hit the barrel. I bought and installed a HammerHead Muzzle that has "wings" on it to bring the bands more inline with the muzzle. Now the bands are not pulling the tail end of the shaft into the barrel and it is even more quiet. The muzzle was not a necessary addition really, I think it was quiet enough just taking the rattling bits out of the system. The most noise on mine came from the metal wishbone smacking the barrel just before the muzzle. I'm almost tempted to try the metal wishbone again with the HH muzzle to see if it reduces it's striking of the barrel. But I'm happy with the setup as it is.

P.S. I love the Cayman trigger. My line release hung up once early on, but I think it had some grit in there. The trigger pull is smooth and reliable. The Excalibur has a tried and tested handle, but the Cayman is a better trigger group imo.

 

[Mr. X]

.. an aluminum track will always be noisy, especially when tracking a fish. You will probably notice a lot of rattle when swinging the gun. You can always install a plastic track on an excaliber like mine has...

I've never noticed any noise from the track of my aluminium RA railgun. However, I have noticed the muzzle clip clanging and/or the spearline vibrating sometimes - particularly in cross currents. I removed the clip now but I noticed new RAs have a clear pastic tube covering the clip, perhaps to stop this & prevent scratching/pitting. Good point about adding an Omer track later. My (non-Gold) XXV doesn't have a rail & that occurred to me - but it really doesn't seem necessary or worthwhile (only 75cm) & I'm trying to keep it light & sleek.

The metal wishbone does flop about a lot on the XXV (partly due to that unusual pivoting muzzle) dinging the soft carbon barrel. It's crying out for a Dyneema wishbone (lighter, quieter, safer, less damaging, cheaper) but I'll probably leave it as-is until these rubbers give up the ghost & then switch to bulk rubber & dyneema; will need to polish the spear grooves up first though.

 

[Marwan]

im trying to figure out what you mean guys...id imagine the noise would be the result of continuous contact between the spear (stainless steel) and the barrel/rail (aluminum) as you fire the gun..the wishbone shouldnt have any difference if its dynema or regular SS articulated...am i missing something??

 

[Marwan]

the rail on my rabitech and omer 2000 does supress a bit of noise as they are plastic/rubber stick on rails, so it makes sense to me that theyre a tad quieter