Review
Gadget Guy (November 1999 issue)
By Daryl Carson
| The Reel McCoy For cave and tech divers, the line reel is literally a lifeline to the surface, but it’s also a must have for many ordinary gadgaholics because it can be used to navigate with complete confidence in low visibility or at night. Of course, if you tangle the thing up, what’s the point? To spare divers the disastrous consequences of a tangle, be it certain death or just embarrassment, Reef Scuba Accessories has designed The S.E.A.L. Reel with an anti-freespooling trigger. The trigger must be depressed to release line and if the reel is dropped, the trigger snaps back into place, preventing excess line from being deployed. Line can be taken in while the trigger is released, but will otherwise lock into a notch in the spool. The anti-freespooling device can also be disengaged, allowing the reel to be used “normally.” Divers who use reels on a regular basis develop the habit of always keeping a finger or two on the reel’s spool to prevent excess slack in the line. Test dives proved that the trigger mechanism didn’t interfere with this practice. The device was most convenient when tying the reel off. Passing the reel from hand to hand is when tangles are likely to occur, but the trigger mechanism kept slack to a minimum. Reef Scuba Accessories: (800) 633-4837.
Copyright © 1990-2008 Reef Scuba Accessories, Inc., 905 Shillelagh Rd Bldg 2, Chesapeake, VA 23323 USA
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