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Omer/Manny Pole Spears

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
i came close to buying it, but i ended up buying the folding polespear instead, almost half the price and more suited to my needs
 
Marwan,

I had a polespear years ago when I was a kid...used it to hunt crabs and cuttlefish in shallow water. I recently became interested in spearfishing and couldn't find one in egypt and gave up trying to make my own and ended up with a shitty second hand speargun i got in small shop in alex. i hate the gun and find that it's actually made it much harder for me to learn about finding and stalking fish. Any suggestions on how to get or make a polespear in egypt? I take it you ordered yours by mail. How was it with customs? Thanks. Kol sana winta tayyeb.

motaz
 
I'm skeptical

that Manny's little spear-job is really worth shelling out well over 200 bones for. The thing that kills me the most, I think, is the 2.5 foot tahitian shaft that comprises the third and last segment of the spear. That thing is going to bend like a mofo, even if it is made of spring-steel - which I'm not sure it is - and most likely makes the weapon less accurate.

Polespears, because of their wieldiness, can be deadly accurate. A little practice has enabled me to launch a cheapo Trident fiberglass polespear a good 15 feet and nail bullseyes within less than inches on cardboard boxes in my backyard. The cheapo trident has been an extremely effective spearfishing tool for me, as well, and it only cost me 20 bucks.

That being said, if I had all the cash in the world, I'd go for the Henley gold death. That thing . . . because of its sheer thickness and sturdiness, could be outfitted with a thick-ass 20 mm band that would give it, I'm guessing, well over a 25 to 30 foot range, though speed would be an issue at such a distance (have to learn to lead).

I also own a foldspear, and I'm moderately satisfied with it, with the high-powered band. The nicest thing about it is how compact the thing is, and it is very nice to be able to holster and swim with the thing for shore entry and the like.

Motaz: if you have money, and easy access to quality construction materials
(good aircraft aluminum tube or carbon fiber), I'd recommend making your own! It can be a very satisfying endeavor to do so. Otherwise, there are plenty of european sites that will sell you at least a foldspear for equivalent of 100 dollars US or less (which is still expensive for what you're getting). Spearo.com will take care of you just fine on that front.

Happy pole-spearing!
 
moataz,
kol sana wenta tayyeb, check out spearfishinggear.com, you'll find a couple of polespears there, i paid something like 300 LE in customs for fedex. Im not sure about the figure as i had ordered other things as well. I normally prefer spearguns, but i wanted to try something different, i guess i f you do get a shitty gun its not any fun.
 
thanks deirmendjian and marwan,

yeah, i think if i'm going to spend 100 dollars i might as well get a speargun. i'd tried to make a polespear here but couldn't quite get my hands on good material. i found aluminum pipes that were a good diameter but they seemed to bend too easily. I also couldn't come up with an effective way of attaching the speartip in a way that didn;t require elaborate craftsmanship. There is some good material here, though, I just have to ask around some more. And also about the bands...i thought about surgical tubing but last time i checked the medical supplies shops none had any. Someone told me there's a similar kind of rbber tubing used in some car engines but i can't imagine what.

does anyone have any ideas on how to attach a speartip to an aluminum pole? i think the challenge is how to attach a short 6mm wide steel rod to the aluminum tubing so that it's both properly alinged and sturdy. all suggestions much-appreciated.
 
Re: I'm skeptical

deirmendjian said:
that Manny's little spear-job is really worth shelling out well over 200 bones for. The thing that kills me the most, I think, is the 2.5 foot tahitian shaft that comprises the third and last segment of the spear. That thing is going to bend like a mofo, even if it is made of spring-steel - which I'm not sure it is - and most likely makes the weapon less accurate.

Polespears, because of their wieldiness, can be deadly accurate. A little practice has enabled me to launch a cheapo Trident fiberglass polespear a good 15 feet and nail bullseyes within less than inches on cardboard boxes in my backyard.....QUOTE]

rofl Man, where were you when we were looking for some pro advice on how to make a good polespear! No offense my man but you're a bit off the mark here...

First of all you don't test any speargun or polespear or any underwater shooting device out of the water. Not only is it dangerous but things (like ballistics) behave slightly different under water than they do on land....

Mistakes are human, but if you don't mind let me just correct a few you made:

1.$200 is list price, you can buy it through stoes on the Internet for less than that. It costs a lot because making it the way we do costs a lot....
2. It's made of spring stainless 17-4PH (precipitation hardened) 5/16" or 8mm stainless steel. Even a big fish has a hard time bending that. That's the standard for high end speargun shafts from any major Mfg. The Henley spear is made of normal 304 stainless which is not spring stainless. It is 3/8" thick which Manny figured for most types of fish less than 30 pounds (achievable by most with a polespear) would be too thick and slow. We (Manny and Omer USA) wanted a compromise between speed and strength.
3. No human could load a pole-spear with 20mm bands, not even Manny, which is why it comes with 1/2" OD rubber, thicker rubber than most polespears use and the limit pretty much of any pole-spear. Remember, when the band is stretched, unlike a speargun, your hand and arm muscles must hold the rubber load.
4. 25-30ft range for a pole-spear? a 6-7 band tuna gun barely has that range...rofl
5. As far as making your own and getting it right on the first try, go for it? We spent two years (1 year playing with different designs, and 1 year making our own prototypes) before we came up with this one. And we even like to think we know what we're doing, after al Manny has been using polespears for 40 years so it has to count for something...;)

These polespears are custom made one by one and machined to exacting standards and tolerances. Anodized aircraft aluminum, a custom knot in the rubber for a float line connection, machine work that I have not seen in any other polespear, and a designed by a guy who spent more time underwater than you and me combined...
 

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The Maestro in action. I never thought you would be able to make shots this long with a pole-spear either...But let's face it, even if you buy it most people won't either unless you're really handy with one like Manny.
 

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Aside from the striped bass, the cero mackerel, and the nice hogfish pictured here Manny even shot a BALLYHOO with his polespear...Now you have to be a pretty darn good shot to take out a ballyhoo (typically a 6-8" baitfish) even with a speargun...
 

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Mark - How long a shot did he make with that thing? Say from tip to target - one of them looks relatively far. I'm used to thinking of these things as being basically good out to about one spear length.
 
Thanks for the added description and photos, Mark. When given the choice between a polespear and a hawiian sling, I prefer the pole. This, because I've only had the privilege of hunting in the Bahamas a couple of times. A polespear takes about 10 minutes to become accurate enough to get dinner. With a hawaiin sling, it's like starting all over with a speargun. Shots too high, too low, a million things to do "wrong". I also like having something sturdy in my hand when diving in unfamiliar waters.

To the point: I currently use a JBL travel spear, and I'm pretty happy with it. A couple things I like:
- tapered endpiece, near the business end.
- aluminum finish (sticks like glue to my kayak gloves)

What I don't like:
- JBL speartips (in general) - clumsy and a pain to take the fish off.
- limited penetration on large fish (because the pole beyond the speartip is too fat)

It seems that the two things I don't like about the JBL would be remedied by the design of that "manny" polespear.

I always prefer hawaiian tips to the "screw-in" variety. The two foot hawaiian on the end of that spear seems like a great idea for two reasons:
1. It gives you better punch on the fish.
2. It gets you 2 feet closer to the fish without sacrificing standard stretch of the pole. Now, some smartass will say, "why not just use an 8 foot pole if you need the extra reach". The answer is, that there are limits to how large you can make the thing before accuracy and speed become compromised. Also, I would bet that this applies to the length of the hawaiian spear as well. There has to be a happy medium with this thing, and I assume that the manufacturer has homed in on it.

My BIGGEST question. Can you replace this spear with any standard hawaiian shaft (after cutting it down obviously). If you could customize the tip to the exact length you wanted, and be able to replace it with any standard shaft, it would be worth owning.

But, if the manufacturer wants to play the "you buy our replacements only" game, I wouldn't be interested. My printer already has me by the sack when it comes to replacing ink cartridges; I don't need my polespear doing the same ;).

Thanks,
Ted
 
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"...a custom knot in the rubber for a float line..."

Can you explain this Mark ?

Cheers
Ed
 
float line is connected to the space between the 2 knots. this way it remains attached to the spear but doesn't affect it;s flight.

at least that was my rigging when I was pole-spear-only. (wow that was a long time ago....)
 
mark
You know what would be reeaally kool?
A video clip with Manny showing what that lil- beauty would do in his hands:martial
Now you got my interest up

hey jon and Ted that looks like One hellava carp theader.

jim
 
Jim,

That would be a step up from my current model. ;)

Jon
 
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Interesting responses, its weird that I don't get the post reply notifs. anymore in my inbox so I'm late as I have to manually look up each thread to see if there were replies. Anyone know why?

Anyhow, Ted the points you summarize are all valid. As you can probably imagine we didn't design the polespear with the marketing concept of selling replacement spearshafts for life with it or the rubber for that matter:) We do sell a 6mm threaded shaft as well, in 17-4PH too of course just like the barbed shaft, for people that want to use a break-away tip. The replacement shafts run less than $30 for either the single barb or the threaded style. Maybe they can be found cheaper elsewhere...1/2" rubber should be available in most dive shops too.

Another thing about the shaft before I forget. The shafts are 5/16"x24 thread for the front of the polespear which is a pretty standard spearshaft thread size. Another thing I should mention is that we also retracted the threads for the spearshaft 2.5" inside the front end to give the shaft good tortional rigidity from side to side flex. We probably should have put that on the website but not all divers are as technically inclined as you so I guess its good you ask here. This makes it so that once the shaft is screwed in it sticks out 27" from the mouth of the polespear.

Point 2 you made is also right on the money. One thing I can add to that, actually two, is that while you can't tell by looking at it when you actually get one of these in your hands you'll think you have more of a whale harpoon and not a pole-spear:) reason being, the OD of the aluminum is 3/4" (20mm).
We did this because with the heavier rubber stretched it's easier to get better leverage and grip aside from machining the grip in the front.

The second cool thing is that we decided to sell the extra knuckles to turn the three piece 8.5' into a 5.5' if someone wants. Last time I dove with Manny in North Carolina we were spearfishing in poor visiblity for striped bass.
We figured being able to take this down 3' in a hurry would be a cool option. Basically with this $18 knucke, you screw it into the female threads of the front section and the knuckle has a hole in it for the band. I think we'll probably include a piece an extra piece of rubber on it too. Leave the back piece in the car if the vis stinks;)

Ed, as Amphib mentioned that's what the second knot is for. It looks very basic and primitive tying it like that but Manny says its the best way to attach a float line without it dragging the back of the pole-spear during the shot and to preset two stretch positions like two notches on a speargun.

Jim, if you go to our website you'll see the animated sequence of that shot on the fish in the pictures. Manny's camera man is pretty good...

A polespear is a rudeimentary spearfishing tool but there are lot's of guys who travel to places like the Bahamas and other places where spearguns are forbidden and the average pole-spear doesn't cut the mustard on serious fish:martial

Mark
 
Very well thought out - another interesting idea would be to design the spear end to accomodate a standard euro-shaft. Obvously it would have to fit down into the handle further - to take any load off the notches - then have some sort of catch to hold it is place - probably with some kind of twist lock mechanism. That way you could choose your own length of shaft - or even use one from your gun (assuming you are of the 'euro' persuasion'). Just a wild and crazy idea :) looks great as-is to me. Definitely makes the 'if i were trapped on a tropical island' list.

Since the pole spear market seems fraught with discerning types - maybe a schematic in the add?

(might want to uncheck, save, then recheck the notification option Mark - stuff like that happens alot)
 
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Obvously it would have to fit down into the handle further - to take any load off the notches - then have some sort of catch to hold it is place - probably with some kind of twist lock mechanism.

Then our customers would question our sanity even further because it would end up being a $300 polespear :)

A schematic is a good idea, Manny doesn't draw schematics though rofl

I'll check the Notification option, thanks Chris!
 
Jon said:
Jim,

That would be a step up from my current model. ;)

Jon

LOL..uh oh..that looks surprisingly like my baby!! A friend got the Henley and we've found that mine is better on the average fish cause its thinner and far faster... but this new one...looks way hotter! Might have to make my black missle into a backup..lol
 
We had the latest batch of Manny Puig Polespears hard anodized. It gives the aluminum a greyish/satin finish. This is now a surgical instrument for spearing fish. The precision of the machine work is perfect I dare say.

I decided to take a few pictures, we're always trying to improve on what's good.

The rear knuckle that accomodates the band can now be unscrewed and used in the front piece as well instead of requiring two.

Mark
 

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