Rabitech Or Rob Allen????

[heebes]

hello all,
i may open up a can of worms with this one, but here it goes.
what speargun do you like better, RABITECH or a ROB ALLEN?

i like the idea of the south african rail gun. now help me decide which one to buy. thanks for the help.

 

[miles]

Hiya heebes

Simply type in "rabitech" in the search button at the top of the screen. You'll have enough information to keep you busy for a good couple of hours!!!!

Both are awesome weapons, so either which way, you can't go wrong!!!!!

If after going through all the info.available on the forum, and you still can't decide, just go down to you local dive shop and see which one takes your fancy.

From a Die-hard Rabitech spearo!!!

Regards
miles

 

[defofthecrown]

Miles I'm shocked... I thought you had converted. He'll never catch a 180lb tuna w/ one of those puny euro guns, tisk tisk. Leading a man astray :rcard


(for the record I love both my rabitechs equally).

 

[GALADION]

Being a European (actually Med!) spearo, I am temptet to provide you with another option made in E.U. and that is Seatec Trb Gabbiano.
Technically speaking, although when we speak of "railguns" mostly we refer to SA guns, this baby is also a railgun because it also has a full lenght rail, though a much more sophisticated one, as it is in the shape of a squid bone sleeve which covers the aluminum barrel and made out of a material that contributes to the surprising bouyancy, fast tracking and reduced recoil of the gun.
I know all this because my dive buddy recently bought one and (before the unfortunate event of wrecking it by driving over it with his truck) I used it a couple of times. Now I am on the verge of buying one for myself!

If you are interested, you can find more info about this gun (and Rabitechs) from posts written by Mikko, Lutzspearo and Dave (sorry if I forgot anyone else!!).

Good luck with your search of the "Holy Rail". Anyway, all these guns are outstanding!

 

[Shadowkiller]

this baby is also a railgun because it also has a full lenght rail, though a much more sophisticated one, as it is in the shape of a squid bone sleeve which covers the aluminum barrel and made out of a material that contributes to the surprising bouyancy, fast tracking and reduced recoil of the gun.

How does it reduce recoil?

My dive buddy is on Team Seatec (Australia), and after seing this gun in action, or rather "inaction" I wouldn't buy one for a dollar.

Crappy line release, skinny barrel with an easily broken plastic sleeve. The guns are crap. If Seatec thinks to obtain a portion of the Australian market they need to lift their game in that respect.

The masks, and fins on the other hand are great quality and I enjoy using them. The masks especially are good quality and seal really well.

 

[Huan]

I personally like the idea of a metal rail like the RA guns it is structural ,not a stick on addition. although I believe the new generation of Rabi's is much better constructed.
I also prefer the tried and tested Picasso handle to the Rabitech Own brand, although as above the new Apex series has addressed all of these concerns.
Just my opinion.

 

[Rolando]

First off, let me say that I am biased. However, I do own a RA 110cm and several Rabitechs. I actually believe that the "stick on" rail provides constant contact with the shaft. I've had spearos who have predominantly used RA and have used one of my Rabis and have felt that the the Rabi were even more accurate and just as good. This being said, I believe the Rabbi are slightly cheaper than the RA, thus take a real hard look at the Rabbi and good luck with whatever weapon you choose. At the end of the day, it's not the weapon as much as your skillz.

Dive with Care,
Rolo

 

[EEZerik]

Hello, I have both and sell both

I have used quite a few guns and you can check them out at:

www.sumora.com

I am sure that either way you go, you cannot go wrong. Rabitech is my favorite, though =) Deadly accurate!!

Best regards and kind wishes during this holiday season of spearing,

Erik Sun
Sumora Dive Tools
eriks@ucla.edu

 

[Mikko]

Shadow,

Umm...I do not know what to say.....
Gabbiano is a fantastic gun, but in a completely different category than RA or Rabitech!

They can not really be compared.
Seatec is meant for much lighter applications and due to its light construction and hydrodynamic barrel is one of the best guns for deep aspetto's.

Would I choose to use on in Med, probably yes, in OZ...hell no.

The barrel of Gabbiano has actually proven quite durable up here. Guns get some serious beating here on rocks. The line release is a tad fiddly, but if there is a problem with it, it can be fixed easily.

Seatec masks indeed are great..and pretty cheap too.

There are other folks too on this forum who have used both Rabitechs and Gabbiano.
As far as I know, they have been happy with their both guns and realizing that they are suitable for different kind of diving.

When I come down to OZ (one day that is)...I'll take one tuned Gabbiano with me and show you what it is capable of...and then switch to my trusted Rabbi's.

Cheers,
Mikko

 

[GALADION]

How does it reduce recoil?

My dive buddy is on Team Seatec (Australia), and after seing this gun in action, or rather "inaction" I wouldn't buy one for a dollar.

Crappy line release, skinny barrel with an easily broken plastic sleeve. The guns are crap. If Seatec thinks to obtain a portion of the Australian market they need to lift their game in that respect.

The masks, and fins on the other hand are great quality and I enjoy using them. The masks especially are good quality and seal really well.

Is there any chance that we are refering to two different guns?
The description you gave seems to fit to Seatec TRB S which is indeed a much less sophisticated gun than Gabbiano.
As for the matter of the reduced recoil, this happens due to several factors. One is the squid bone shape (a sleeve over the aluminum barrel made of a composite material which I don't know how it is called but it is certainly not plastic) of the barrel which during the "firing" of the gun doesn't permit the muzzle to lift. Also that same sleeve gives added mass to the gun which absorbs some recoil too. Then it is the geometry of the gun, the angle of the slings in relation to the shaft and barrel plus the aid of the rail contribute to a much smoother shot.

I am not trying to say that Gabbianos are better than SA rail guns. They are all useful but under different conditions as Mikko already said.

I just made a suggestion.

 

[Shadowkiller]

Is there any chance that we are refering to two different guns?

Sounds like it...

These Seatec guns have clip type line release, circular plastic sleeve over an aluminium barrel, screwin rubbers and soft-grey shafts (kinda like galvanised steel). No squidbone sleeve in sight.

None of the guns I have seen have stickers on them, other than the Seatec brand sticker.

One other problem is that the gun my mate was using had a hairpin trigger, as in: You undo the safety and it fires.

Sounds like the Gabbiano is much better than whats available here...
If its as good as it sounds, I hope we get some down here soon. Otherwise Seatec is gonna get a bad rep before they even get going.

Got a pic of the Gabbiano?

 

[Mikko]

Yep...that is TRBS allright.....
Seatec actually makes the best euro spears in my opinion. Their Extreme shafts are tough as nails and totally reek cool what it comes to looks....sell pretty darn well too!!! Gabbianos are always sold with these as default option. They have golden inox coating and have pretty special looking flopper system with grooves to accomodate the flopper for better penetration.

Our national team had a heaps of euro shafts with them in Chile, only ones that took the beating well (rock fishing) were the Seatec Extremes.

Shadow, do a search here with word Gabbiano....will bring up at least two threads with pics.

Cheers,
Mikko

 

[LutzSpearo]

I own a Rabi, and have also used a RA. I used both before I bought my Stealth 120, it just worked better for me. If you've narrowed your choices to just these two guns, make an effort to try both before deciding, you will feel better about your purchase.

But generally, your decision depends on what kind of spearfishing you are going to be doing. Since I, like most people, can't own 20 different guns right now, I try to choose a gun based on a typical day of diving for me. I like my Rabi because its comfortable to use, powerful and accurate. I know I can rely on it to shoot straight and hold up to abuse. So when I can only take one gun, I use my Stealth.

As for the Gabbiano, it is an AWESOME gun. I like it more than my Rabi for laying on the bottom and shooting fish that only grow to meduim or small sizes. It is a dream to handle, I've never used a gun that is this easy to dive with, track, aim etc. It is very durable, too. I have dragged mine all over rocks and such while diving from shore in Japan, and it still looks great, and shoots so straight! Rabispearo used it a few days ago, and while the diving conditions were "less than ideal" as he says, he still had positive things to say about it.

But, your decision should be based on what your typical day of spearing involves. If you want a great all-around gun that you will be real excited about, get a Rabi.

BTW Mikko, I finally mounted the reel, its sweet. The shooting line was wearing out (I guess thats a good thing, it means I'm using it!), so I just tied the dynema straight from the reel to the shaft. It works fine, and is a very simple setup. It also allows me to vary how many wraps I use, depending on vis etc. Anyway, thanks for setting me up with this, by far the best spearfishing-related purchase I've ever made...my fins are a close second though!

 

[sturgeon]

Heebes,

I own both (RA & Rabi Apex) and much prefer the RA. There are little things on the RA that just plain make sense to me that I've become very used to that the Apex does not have. The RA is a well built gun, meant to last, with a very practical and efficient design. With the rabi I've had to make modifications. For one, I had to cut off that monstrosity of a loading pad on the back of the handle. I also had to figure out someway to attach a clip to the back of the handle (Ra has a great system for this). Another thing I don't appreciate about the Rabi is that my trigger rusts like crazy even though I thoroughly rinse it with fresh water every time I use it. Who on earth would build a speargun with parts on it that rust?

Anyway, just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth.

Scott

 

[w3ac]

Hey gang,
I am really thinking about getting a 130 cm gun and am kinda torn between the Rabi or RA. Has anyobody used a gun of this length and noticed any kind of barrell flex or accuracy problems. I'm probably going to go with twin 16mm bands and a 17/64th inch (6.75mm?) shaft made by yours truely. Stick an OMER 80 reel on and I think I would be stylin for deep reef in clear water. What do you think?

Brad

 

[Murat]

sound like a good setup to me Brad, just a note omer 50 reel is as light as 30 but still can hold good amount of line... it has very good capacity/weight ration...

 

[sturgeon]

Brad,

How's it going? Or should I just say 'How'z it’? Good to hear from you again.

I got 2 RA 130's (1 with a reel and 1 without). I like them both. The reel gun I had specifically made for last year's Nationals in HI. Both are aluminum barreled RAs. I have the pelagic reel on the reel gun. This is the same reel I use on my 110 and 120. I like the amount of line it holds. I’ve had big kings strip my reel completely before I could make it to the surface. I like a lot of line on my guns (150 ft min) and I like a decent diameter (2mm min) so I can get a good grip on it so I like the bigger reels. But I get them special mounted perpendicular to the barrel (euro gun style). It makes them much more lower profile and even somewhat lighter (less parts). There's a guy down in Miami who does a great job of this. He makes a special bracket to hold the reel and through bolts it to the barrel.

Hope this helps. Take care.

Scott

 

[mjacobs]

Hi Brad. I shoot a 140 RA in clear water and my son shoots a 150, both with 7mm RA shafts. Both have twin 16mm bands and are dead-on accurate. I have not noticed any barrell flex, but if there is it makes NO difference. I use a 120 RA 16x2 with 7mm shaft for open reef/bluewater and like that a lot, too. I have only used the 7mm RA shafts on these guns so far.
Mark

 

[EEZerik]

Hi guys, I have both the RA's and the Rabitechs!! I personally like the Rabitech, own 5, and am helping Sumora--It started b/c I truly believed in their products (i started as a customer!!) They carry both Rabitechs and Rob Allens, my number 1 and 2 favorite guns, respectively.

W3ac, some factors you may want to consider are increased maneuverability, better accuracy, and price, which is what draws me to the Rabitechs at the end of the day!! Large Yellowfin 200lbs have been taken with the single barb, and a new world record as well with the Rabitech Stealth!

A couple other past owners of RA's switched to Rabitechs, but both are great guns, no doubt!! W3ac feel free to contact me with any questions and I can provide a more detailed response.

On the following page, you can find Rabitechs and Rob Allens: http://www.sumora.com/railguns.php

For dive reports, and to see different guns in action, Check out the dive reports pagehttp://www.sumora.com/reports.php

Sturgeon: I am very sorry about the rust you have experienced, a couple others have experienced this on the Apex models, though not all! Hopefully the reply below by SA spearfishing Supplies' owner Tim will help you out. When I get new trigger mechs, I will let you know so you can return that one to me and I can exchange u for a new one. In the meantime, you may try a silicone based lubricant, some steel wool and scrub it off.

HAPPY DIVING!!!

Erik Sun
eriks@ucla.edu
erik@sumora.com

There have been some concerns recently about the surface rust build up on the Apex mechanism's s/steel components.
We are using a high grade s/steel that has been hardened. As a consequence of the hardening process, the molecular structure of the s/steel changes. Although it becomes harder, some of the anti - corrosive properties are upset.
We can use 316 s/steel but it will not be hard enough.

It is a similar principle to your dive knife. If you have a dive knife that does not show spot/ surface rust over a period of time, the s/steel being used is not that hard/ inferior.

What Rabitech is doing now is having the s/steel components chrome -plated. This has improved the overall "look" of the components and will prevent surface rust without weakening the steel.

The technical data on this will follow.

I hope this answers all your questions and concerns.

Kind Regards
Timothy Theunissen
(SA Spearfishing Supplies)

 

[uluapoundr]

Hey Brad,
I just got your PM, sorry so late, I left you my email and cell phone number. I have a 130 Rabi, but sorry to say, I haven't had the chance to use it yet. I need a dive partner here in Hilo. I also have a Rob Allen 120 with Pelagic 80 reel, it's a pretty good setup too but I really need to change the bands. I have another pipe gun with the omer 50 reel on it. You're more than welcome to test shoot these guns if you want before you lay down the bucks to buy one. Let me know. Aloha.