Need your opinion on my next speargun in the 120-130 ish range: Candidates: Underpressure, Carbontek, or Riffe?

[Savagedragon]

Hi
I am looking for some kind of my forever-gun. A jack of all trades but a master of none. The one that I'll use it 80% of the time. It's something akin to a bigger reef gun and a light blue water gun.
So far I have chosen 3 candidates for this:
The Underpressure gun MK II 126 cm, a Greek carbon gun:

Underpressure.gr

underpressure.gr

Or Carbontek Wahoo 120-130 range:

Fusiles de carbono - CarbonTek

Fusiles de carbono diseñados para un cómodo desplazamiento lateral y máxima rigidez. El fuste posee guía integral, ofreciendo una mayor precisión en el disparo.

www.carbontek.es

Or Riffe Marauder 120 possible 140. (Riffe says 140 is a great all around hunting size but it might be a tad too big to travel around with)

The MARAUDER (Purple Heart & Mahogany)

* PRE-ORDER YOUR MARAUDER NOW * ** DUE TO HIGH DEMAND, WE SUGGEST TO PRE-ORDER NOW TO SECURE YOUR MARAUDER. PLEASE CONTACT US FOR THE MOST UP TO DATE PRODUCTION LEAD TIMES. Meet The Marauder, a sleek, streamlined silhouette formed from a 5 laminate purple heart and mahogany wood stock...

speargun.com

I would like to hear your opinions on these choices and your preferences. If you've owned these guns please let me hear your thoughts.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I haven’t owned any of those guns although the RIFFE is manufactured about 5 miles from my house. But I know a lot of people who own the Riffe Maurauder and are very happy with it.

I’ll confess to a strong preference for wood guns in general. I’ve drilled holes in every gun I’ve owned. If you get a new reel with different hole pattern than your last reel you can just drill new holes to mount it. I don’t think you can do that with carbon fiber.

 

[Kodama]

I have a Carbontek Mantis which is rebranded by Sigalsub and really love the gun. But that was AFTER I did a bunch of improvements on it. (Including drilling holes in the carbon)

If you are looking to get a classic setup Carbon gun I would look at C4. Their new model Gladius seems quite promising.

What fish will you be hunting? Deep reef , shore diving or blue water?

 

[Savagedragon]

I have a Carbontek Mantis which is rebranded by Sigalsub and really love the gun. But that was AFTER I did a bunch of improvements on it. (Including drilling holes in the carbon)

If you are looking to get a classic setup Carbon gun I would look at C4. Their new model Gladius seems quite promising.

What fish will you be hunting? Deep reef , shore diving or blue water?

I already have a Graphite 116, running with double 14mm and 7mm shaft. I use it for the reef and it suits me just fine. The Gladius looks like it has a horrible setup out of the box. The thing comes with a 6.75mm shaft I believe and seeing as it can accommodate 2 rubbers, I don't see why I should change my Graphite to a Gladius.

So what I am looking for right now is something heavier than my twin rubber Graphite.

I'll be mostly doing reefs and shore dives.. my home island is quite shallow so it's around 8-12 meters here but I do want to travel around more and possibly go deeper in Indonesia, Philippines or Vanuatu etc. And also I want the gun to work 'well enough' in blue water situations, basically some light bluewater fish would be fine.

I understand why some people like wood, but the maintenance is what puts me off about wooden spearguns. However the Marauder is making me reconsider... it's a very sexy and powerful gun.

I've seen reviews about the Mantis from Carbontek but not so much the Wahoo series. Some people call the Wahoo's bodywork is basically a carbon version of the Abellans... which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. The only weird thing about the Wahoo series is how short the spearshaft is. For example the 130 Wahoo comes with a 155cm spearshaft. As far as I know, a classic setup would call for a 170 shaft or at least 165 for a gun that size.

The MK II from Underpressure is quite affordable but I can't find any review about the gun or the brand at all. I just know some spearos who use their 75-90cm series on Youtube.

 

[Savagedragon]

I haven’t owned any of those guns although the RIFFE is manufactured about 5 miles from my house. But I know a lot of people who own the Riffe Maurauder and are very happy with it.

I’ll confess to a strong preference for wood guns in general. I’ve drilled holes in every gun I’ve owned. If you get a new reel with different hole pattern than your last reel you can just drill new holes to mount it. I don’t think you can do that with carbon fiber.

Thanks for your input. On the other hand carbon guns require zero maintenance. I've never owned a wooden speargun before but I despise maintenance. Aesthetics wise I am more inclined towards carbon but the Riffe Marauder is a very beautiful beast I have to say. Which is strange since I've never found wooden spearguns that pretty.

 

[Benthic]

Wood gun if you want a lifetime gun, on that list i'd say the Marauder would be the most versatile and able to accommodate different shafts and band setup for different hunting conditions. We set them up in the store for everything from reef to bluewater. For versatility go with the 55. And wood guns definitely don't require more maintenance. Maybe that belief comes from the fact that they will require a little bit oiling, but other than that will be more durable and far outlast composite guns!

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I agree with Benthic about the lack of maintenance with wood guns. Its my opinion that maintaining the finish is mostly a matter of appearance. I know two different guys who had Riffe Islands for many years and took pride in the fact that they had never touched them with a drop of oil. One of these guys was at my house the night before a trip and I offered to oil the gun but he jerked it out of my hands. He wanted it white. They looked like bleached driftwood but they still worked fine.

I'm not quite that cavalier about it. I might wipe my guns down with a coat of Tung oil twice a year or so. No sanding, no prep, just put some oil on a cloth and wipe them down.

Edit: I should clarify. I was talking about teak not needing much care. Other woods may need more protection.