Spearing Product of the Year?/Favourite gear?

[Mr. X]

I was just washing the salt out of my gear and it occurred to me that I really like some of my gear but feel quite indifferent about other pieces. I thought it might be interesting to find out what folks' favourite gear is -- what floats your boat, as it were.

Here are my favourites:
* Omer Alien mask - any colour, it just works, no hassle
* Rob Allen Limpet sheath - simple, inexpensive but very effective
* Elios wetsuit - simple, tough, made to measure perfection?
* Rob Allen Marseille Belt - simple, super-tough but well finished too.
* Beachat size large gloves - they fit like a glove!

I'm really pretty indifferent to the rest of the gear, although it works fine (... maybe I think the rest could be improved upon:hmm). I know some of you must have used a lot of different gear (Spearo Dave, Spaghetti, Ted, Foxfish, Bill, ...) -- so tell us, which are products that really hit the spot for you?

 

[spaghetti]

Mr. X, didn't you get also a Seac Sub mask time ago? What's wrong with it?
Now back to the question, as I understand it (the pieces of gear I would never change, sell or forget about):
*Omer Asia mask
* these three spearguns: Omer Master Competition 106, Seatec Gabbiano 77 and Mares Medisten 70 (The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit: I hopefully found peace after years of tribulation, continuously buying and selling guns in the quest for the perfect one. Now I'd say I'm done with these three).
* old rusty Cressi Killer knife
* my mtm 5mm open cell Diansub jacket

 

[Marwan]

ahhhh grear question:
these are not in order of importance
1 - Rob Allen Speed Stringer
2 - C4 mr carbon speargun
3 - Cressi world competition wetsuit
4 - specialfins hybrid (medium stiffness)
5 - Omer Shardana Float

so 3 of the 5 are italian

 

[Mr. X]

Mr. X, didn't you get also a Seac Sub mask time ago? What's wrong with it?
Now back to the question, as I understand it (the pieces of gear I would never change, sell or forget about):
*Omer Asia mask
* these three spearguns: Omer Master Competition 106, Seatec Gabbiano 77 and Mares Medisten 70 (The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit: I hopefully found peace after years of tribulation, continuously buying and selling guns in the quest for the perfect one. Now I'd say I'm done with these three).
* old rusty Cressi Killer knife
* my mtm 5mm open cell Diansub jacket

Hi Spaghetti, there is nothing wrong with the Seac Sub mask & snorkel - I just haven't used them, they are kept as spares. I don't swap my gear around once I am happy with it. If I lost my mask & snorkel, you might well hear me rave about the Seac Sub gear -- it certainly looks "the biz" and fits well in dry test. Also, as the mask comes with a proper, fitted plastic box - it is easier to store.

The holy trinity of spearguns rofl excellent!

I really like my Rob Allen railgun too but am finding the 90cm barrel can be a bit of a drag in normal vis. round here (originally I order at 80cm, thinking it would be the best all round size - but ended up with the 90, which is very good sometimes, esp. in Cornwall). Thinking of getting a 70/75cm - Rob Allen, Commanche or Seatec Gabbiano or...C4 (if they make one) perhaps?

Marwan, the C4s look fantastic -- can you tell us a bit about it?

 

[deep thinker]

Hmm good question.
1-My 1.1 apex
2-Picasso black team fins, best buy ever.
3-Seakodive bc knife, who ever said scuba gear cant be used by spearos.
4-New rubber weight belt
5-Shark sheild as its the only way my wife will let me into the water

 

[capetownguy]

heehee number 5 is good! im exactly the same
1. shark shield (gfriends orders...but i kinda like it seeing as it works)
2. 1.15 rabitech stealth carbon (its new..so havnt used it but its apparently really good, hehe)
3. rabitech predator wetsuit
4. picasso black team fins...i agree with deep thinker....awesome!!!!!!
5. omer alien mask....with zoom snorkel which i loved but got pulled off by the kelp one dirty dive!

 

[deep thinker]

What thickness suit did you end up bying bud?

 

[capetownguy]

got the 5mm olive green..... hoping that the waters gna be good this weekend!

 

[foxfish]

Well I never seem completely satisfied with any of my gear, I am always on the look out for better stuff. I do think made to measure suits are worth the effort to buy, my last few suits have been off the shelf & just don't seem to keep me warm for long enough. My alien is the best mask I have used to date but has some restricted vision when looking at the surface while on the surface. Knifes are always catching weed or falling off, boots fall to bits if you walk over stones, gloves last one season, guns are out of the ark & snorkels taste horrible.
Maybe my jet fins are my favorite, I have owned them for 20 + years when that long ago they were state of the art! But still I use them for shallow water hunting because "A" they sink & "B" you can stand up in them without falling over.
Even the best quality suits only last one or sometimes two seasons, my present suit is 18 months old & looking very thread bare.

 

[KWM]

For me it would be
1) Sporasub 'Pure' carbon fins, been using for the past 3 years have taken a real battering but are still going strong. That said I have just bought a new pair from Carbon Tek in Spain and they are the buisness. ( The 'pure' are no longer available. )
2) Omer Alien mask. Can't find any faults with it.
3) Elios made to measure suit. Camo nylon outer trousers with open cell jacket.
4) Pimped 68cm sporasub gun ( bought many years ago from 'Spaniard') fitted with a titinum three pronger.
5) 3.8m Bombard, with 15hp mariner engine.

Kev

 

[Mr. X]

Foxfish, can't believe you didn't mention the Mamba. I imagine your gear gets heavy usage, one year of your speaing is probably 4 or 5 of mine. Re. the knife, have you tried a flat knife with a flat, buckle-less sheath? Mine is trouble free (hence limpet sheath on my list above); although I rarely draw my knife now as I use the stringer spike for dispatching. [Having written this last week -- I dispatched 3 fish with the knife a couple of days later - works just fine].

Spaghetti -- fear not, most of the Italian gear I own appears on the list above or is yet to be used.

I wondered who made the Predator wetsuits that I've seen Miles wearing - Rabitech! Did you get the "macro" distruptive pattern (I see Miles has one that is light blue with large patches of dark blue/black).

Shark shields - :inlove SA-style

5) 3.8m Bombard, with 15hp mariner engine.

Nice!

 

[deep thinker]

I wondered who made the Predator wetsuits that I've seen Miles wearing - Rabitech! Did you get the "macro" distruptive pattern (I see Miles has one that is light blue with large patches of dark blue/black).

Shark shields - :inlove SA-style

I have the same one as miles, theyre very warm and is blue and black. They are actually made by coral wetsuits for rabiteck...
Shark sheild just adds a bit of reasurance when in the water

 

[foxfish]

Foxfish, can't believe you didn't mention the Mamba. /QUOTE]

I use my mamba 90 most of the time but it is far from perfect!

 

[spaghetti]

Foxfish, can't believe you didn't mention the Mamba. /QUOTE]

I use my mamba 90 most of the time but it is far from perfect!

Which are the downsides?

 

[foxfish]

Muzzle heavy, not the best trigger, no sight line, cheap handle.

 

[Fondueset]

Technisub Marina Mask
Impulse II snork
Omer Ice fins
Elios suits :inlove
Waterway wings nemo mono
Canon S80, housing and Inon wide
My wee MT0

 

[spaghetti]

So far, 22 on 40 products mentioned as DB users' "personal bests" are from italian brands. My pride!
Could have been even better, but those darn South Africans let us down!!! GRRR!!! (and what makes even more upset is knowing that SA guys would have let us down also in a wine thread!! GRRR!!!).
-Foxfish: you can work outr the floatibility of you mamba making a newprene coat for it from some old wetsuit, and act on trigger sensitivity but I prefer to ask some guys more expert than me before posting how to (there's a small thread/screw behind the trigger, but there's also an other way...
-Mr. X: yes C4 makes 75's: the Monoscocca 75cm and Mr.Carbon 79cm. But how expensive for such a short gun! My "2 cents" suggestions: the cheapest available will do the job of a 75, but if you want something special, Gabbiano because it's sturdy and accurate, Omer XXV because it's light and quick.

 

[podge]

Muzzle heavy, not the best trigger, no sight line, cheap handle.

Foxy all that may be true but what you've done with it is a true work of art.

As for my favourite bit of kit it has to be my own knowledge of my limitations which stop me getting into allsorts of s**t.

Well that and i do like my new Omer 90 T20 speargun.

 

[capetownguy]

Could have been even better, but those darn South Africans let us down!!! GRRR!!! (and what makes even more upset is knowing that SA guys would have let us down also in a wine thread!! GRRR!!!).

rofl rofl rofl rofl sorry man.....send us some complimentary Italian gear and ill write that up in my post next time! :t

 

[Fondueset]

I got my Italian mask from South Africa...I wonder what that means?