gkrane
Contributor
What SMB spool to all of you use? I do not plan to get into cave diving but really enjoy wreck diving at recreational depths. Not sure if that makes a difference. What spool would you all recommend to use and for class?
Spool suggestions for Fundies class
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sunshower
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I did mine with Halcyon's defender spool. Center is solid, a little easier to hold imo and no chance of getting a finger caught. Price not too bad either. Good luck and enjoy your class.
Extreme Exposure
Extreme Exposure
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gkrane
Contributor
What size would you recommend?
sunshower
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Kinda depends on your dive plans. The 100' is plenty for the class but you may have certs that allow deeper and want a larger one, not sure. Best thing is to talk with your instructor before buying gear. You'll be more likely to get it right the first time and save money by avoiding purchase mistakes.
KevinNM
Contributor
Defender spool for me too. Get the little Hacyon SMB, the big ones are not going to work well at the depths fundamentals classes do SMB deployments. The big ones certainly have their place, but it isn't at 25 feet in a fundamentals class.
I have 100 and 150 ones. For smb a 100 will work fine. I use the cheap Chinese ones with brass double enders. And even my oldest one (now used over 1000 dives) is still doing well. If the brass double enders quit working smooth I replace them with stainless steel, but most of them are still doing it fine. Ok, mosts of my diving is fresh water. But after a week salt water diving I rinse them and then no problems.
Techduikshop.nl
But when I was in Florida, the prices of the cheapest spools there included already a stainless steel double ender where we get the brass ones for the same price.
It looks like spools are cheaper in Florida than here. The prices in Euros are same as in Dollar. The defender spool is here between 40 and 50 euro.
I have the small Halcyon SMB, works fine. The bigger ones are for wreckdiving.
But if you want a cheaper one with almost same size of the small halcyon, then try to get a Polaris or so:
Tec Boje 120cm Orange
Price is 1/3 of the Halcyon and it still works fine. Cut off the big knob of the dumpvalve and you are ready to use it.
Techduikshop.nl
But when I was in Florida, the prices of the cheapest spools there included already a stainless steel double ender where we get the brass ones for the same price.
It looks like spools are cheaper in Florida than here. The prices in Euros are same as in Dollar. The defender spool is here between 40 and 50 euro.
I have the small Halcyon SMB, works fine. The bigger ones are for wreckdiving.
But if you want a cheaper one with almost same size of the small halcyon, then try to get a Polaris or so:
Tec Boje 120cm Orange
Price is 1/3 of the Halcyon and it still works fine. Cut off the big knob of the dumpvalve and you are ready to use it.
I do not like 100' (30m) spools for my primary spool, they are too short. I like to shoot a DSMB around 100' (30m) and so if there is any current it will not make it to the surface (the hypotenuse of the angle angle). I like 150-160' (45-50m) spools for my primary. I have a lot of other sizes but use them for specific tasks.
As far as brands go...a spool is a spool for the most part. Most are synthetic, but there are a few metal ones. All will work for Fundies.
But I do like my Apex or Halcyon spools. Very nice, very expensive. And they are pre-loaded with flat line, so you can get more line on a spool verses round line. But I justify the price in my mind since I use them 2-8 times per week.
But I do like my Apex or Halcyon spools. Very nice, very expensive. And they are pre-loaded with flat line, so you can get more line on a spool verses round line. But I justify the price in my mind since I use them 2-8 times per week.
True, I do same and with thick gloves and cold water I like the 150 ft (45m) spools for smb use most. But for a fundies a 100 will do it. Where there are waves or current you will not use the small 1m smb. We talk about a difference between a deco bouy and a surface marker as the small ones are too small for rougher circumstances, they only help to make a reference easier. For Northsea wreckdiving I have a 1.5 m big bouy with a 45m spool. For trainingdives in flat waters I use the small one. In all cases the spool already attached on the bouy.
(in an entry level course it is a nice skill to practise attaching a spool to a smb, but in rough conditions it is better to have it attached already)
I used an el-cheapo spool for Fundies because I already owned it as well as a 6-ft DAN SMB. A modest 100 feet of line is all you need for Fundies and may be all you need for benign recreational dives. Sure, if you plan on more aggressive diving, such as wrecks at 100 ft. in current in the open sea, you might want a bigger spool or even a reel at that point. However, for most benign recreational dives, whether you're diving a wreck or not, you're going to deploy the SMB at some point during your ascent, not while still at the deepest point of the dive.
Also, not that you asked, but a small (3-ft) SMB is also all you need for Fundies. I suffered with the 6-ft DAN SMB. A larger spool and larger SMB just make it harder, and there's no need to make Fundies any harder on yourself than it already is. The Halcyon SMB is nice. I have one with a tapered profile from DSS, which makes it a snap to deploy, keep erect, stow, and everything else ... except maybe be spotted by someone searching for me.
If I hadn't already owned a spool, I might have gone for a pricier (and perhaps higher quality) spool by Halcyon or Light Monkey. Those seem to be made of delrin, whereas my cheapie was, I think, ABS. But really, I think a spool is a spool. I have never heard of one breaking. My old one is still going strong after many years. My Fundies instructor did ask me whether mine was buoyant, and I had to admit to him I did not know. Turns out, when I let it go mid-water, it was not in fact buoyant--whew! But his question implied there are some cheap spools out there that are positively buoyant. He also asked if I knew whether the line was tied to the spool hub, again implying that unless I had personally unwound it all and observed the knot, my cheap spool might have had line that was not tied to the hub--hard to believe any spool would come that way, but he implied there might be some like that out there. When I recently bought a Halcyon spool, you can bet that the first thing I did was unwind all the line and observe the knot. Oh, I was certain it was securely tied, but now that's just what I do with a new spool. The tidbits of knowledge one picks up in Fundies!
Also, not that you asked, but a small (3-ft) SMB is also all you need for Fundies. I suffered with the 6-ft DAN SMB. A larger spool and larger SMB just make it harder, and there's no need to make Fundies any harder on yourself than it already is. The Halcyon SMB is nice. I have one with a tapered profile from DSS, which makes it a snap to deploy, keep erect, stow, and everything else ... except maybe be spotted by someone searching for me.
If I hadn't already owned a spool, I might have gone for a pricier (and perhaps higher quality) spool by Halcyon or Light Monkey. Those seem to be made of delrin, whereas my cheapie was, I think, ABS. But really, I think a spool is a spool. I have never heard of one breaking. My old one is still going strong after many years. My Fundies instructor did ask me whether mine was buoyant, and I had to admit to him I did not know. Turns out, when I let it go mid-water, it was not in fact buoyant--whew! But his question implied there are some cheap spools out there that are positively buoyant. He also asked if I knew whether the line was tied to the spool hub, again implying that unless I had personally unwound it all and observed the knot, my cheap spool might have had line that was not tied to the hub--hard to believe any spool would come that way, but he implied there might be some like that out there. When I recently bought a Halcyon spool, you can bet that the first thing I did was unwind all the line and observe the knot. Oh, I was certain it was securely tied, but now that's just what I do with a new spool. The tidbits of knowledge one picks up in Fundies!
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