Question for the RA fans

[mishu1984]

Im considering getting an RA 130 or 140 for openwater. i went to our local shop in dubai and they had RA's and such. but also they had this brand called Freedivers, which was the exact same thing as the RA's at 75% the price.
any input? is the price difference based on the brand name alone or is there some technical detail that im seeming to miss? both the RA's and the Freedivers had aircraft grade aluminum barrels coated in plastic and integrated rail with the exact same lenght shaft, bands, and identical setup.

 

[slingshaft]

Very interesting observation, One of our newest members Shaun Reid has that business. Here is Freedivers Store site: Buy Spearfishing Equipment - Home
Cheers

 

[kmo]

Freedivers have a very good reputation. A lot of people have been making similar comments in Aus, and have not had a problem with the Freedivers. Freediver shafts have a better rep than recent batches of RA shafts too.

You hear the odd complaint about the RA Vecta handles sticking up too. Having said that, I've never had a problem with mine.

Personally, I'd save the money and go with the Freediver.

 

[shaun.reid]

I live in RSA and know Rob & Shane I personally Use the Freedivers Gun & some of my friends use RA To be honest I think they are on par except for 2 differences - Freedivers are quieter due to the plastic slip on the rail so when hunting reef fish they don’t all dart of at the sound of the gun firing. Secondly the spears last forever I don’t ever rinse my gun off after using it and my spears never rust!!

 

[SurfnSpear]

I agree with the above in a nutshell. I do not have one personally but have used the 110cm and they are a bomb proof gun. A couple of buddy's have travelled the world with their's and shot couta to english bass to African Pompano in Barbados(below)...I get accessories also from them in Durban and it's good stuff.

 

[redline]

Mishu,

I have a couple of Freediver guns and can't say enough good things about them. In all honesty I was skeptical about the guns when I first saw them, but was truly positively surprised when I tried them. Having said that I haven't tried a RA, so I can't make a direct comparison. However, i'd suggest that you get in touch with the local importer of the Freediver guns here in Dubai. He's a super guy, an A-grade spearo, and he can set you up with a gun at lower price than the retailer.

 

[redline]

Errrr... one more thing: I read the post above about the spears, and have to say that I've replaced my freediver spears with RA spears! I can't really qualify why, but i just "felt" that the RA spears were slightly better. Thing is, there's no such thing as a "best gun" and a lot of these issues are subjective and down to personal preference ... but I'm pretty sure that if you try a Freediver, you'll end up buying it.

 

[mishu1984]

Mishu,

I have a couple of Freediver guns and can't say enough good things about them. In all honesty I was skeptical about the guns when I first saw them, but was truly positively surprised when I tried them. Having said that I haven't tried a RA, so I can't make a direct comparison. However, i'd suggest that you get in touch with the local importer of the Freediver guns here in Dubai. He's a super guy, an A-grade spearo, and he can set you up with a gun at lower price than the retailer.

ok. who is the dealer because i was going to get mine from Al-Sammak in Al-Twar center
anyways im in Doha now, so it will have to wait till im back in Dubai