Mares Bandit 75cm/95cm? Good spec. but very disappointing execution :(

[Mr. X]

I just came across the Mares Bandit which seems to have an excellent feature set/spec. Similar to more expensive railguns. It could make an excellent entry-level priced speargun (well under $100 in some places - don't over pay for it) with intermediate and advanced spearing capabilities. But I recall there were some quality issues with an earlier Mares speargun that I liked the look of, a few years back (barrel flex?), so: has anyone used this speargun? Is it as good as it appears to me? (If it is, I will likely start recommending it, rather than my usual fallbacks! )


2 of the size options look particularly good for UK waters: 75cm (normal use) & 95cm (clearer waters)


There is a fancier, more expensive Viper model, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mares-Ar...or-Spearfishing-Viper-Pro-DS-4UK/132729555504 but the enhanced spec. is unnecessary for the UK (e.g. the second band and reel) but might be useful for those spearing elsewhere - and you don't have to fit the second band/reel.

 

[Nicholas1986]

A friend of mine bought the bandit 110 model. He was having issues loading the shaft at times and also when pulling the trigger, it would jam. I took the mech out of the handle and noticed that the sear was about 4mm smaller than the mech housing + the small rod which holds the trigger sear in place was smaller than the actual hole on the sear (i hope I am explaining myself properly) this caused the sear to twist and jam sometimes. I opened it up and put two ss washers on either end to stop the twisting and this helped a bit. Another issue he had with the gun was the shaft. The gun comes with a single 16mm band which is cut very long (the muzzle has the option to allow another rubber. He placed another 14 rubber on the gun and while diving, the spear snapped at the notch. Luckily no one was hurt. I dug through some old chats and found the pic of the mech after I put the ss washers

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[Mr. X]

So, basically crap then. Pity the spec. looked promising. Mares don't seem to have mastered speargun manufacture yet

 

[Nicholas1986]

Well that was my interaction with the gun. I’m not sure if anyone else had a better experience.


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[Mr. X]

Looks like some surface rust in the mech, too I've changed the title of this thread, lest it encourage someone to buy one.

 

[Mpatersonz]

A friend of mine bought the bandit 110 model. He was having issues loading the shaft at times and also when pulling the trigger, it would jam. I took the mech out of the handle and noticed that the sear was about 4mm smaller than the mech housing + the small rod which holds the trigger sear in place was smaller than the actual hole on the sear (i hope I am explaining myself properly) this caused the sear to twist and jam sometimes. I opened it up and put two ss washers on either end to stop the twisting and this helped a bit. Another issue he had with the gun was the shaft. The gun comes with a single 16mm band which is cut very long (the muzzle has the option to allow another rubber. He placed another 14 rubber on the gun and while diving, the spear snapped at the notch. Luckily no one was hurt. I dug through some old chats and found the pic of the mech after I put the ss washers View attachment 52281


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I wish I had seen this before I bought my 110 bandit. I have the exact same issue. How did you access the trigger mechanism to repair?

 

[Nicholas1986]

I wish I had seen this before I bought my 110 bandit. I have the exact same issue. How did you access the trigger mechanism to repair?

There were some stainless steel pins that you need to remove and the entire trigger mech comes out.


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