Posts by lidiver

    If pressed for time, you could cut the extra 10cm. In half hour you should be done with cutting, drilling, setting the flopper and sharpening.


    That doesn't deal you your frustration, but depending where you got it from they might give you a credit towards a new purchase.


    Another thought is that extra 10cm on a 179cm shaft means nothing - the extra diameter has an impact larger than the extra 10cm.


    Last, on some of the euros I'm using 5/16 shafts (Beuchat does accept it), and I love them. This diameter is much easier to find in US. If 5/16 is too heavy try 9/32 (7.14mm). For me I would have so many other things to tune before considering an extra 0.35mm in the diameter of the shaft.


    Stefan

    For years I'm carrying the knife on forearm, on the exterior. I'm a lefty, so I have on the exterior of my right forearm, handle towards the hand, point towards the elbow. If you are concerned about access with both hands, add a 2nd knife on your left arm.
    So far it worked well:
    you can reach it even if you bear hug a fish, and a hand is through the gills. You can see when you put it back. Not in the way when loading a gun. Less chances to tangle, and easy to untangle.


    I used to have the knife on my calf, it was prone to tangles (float line, fishing line etc) and I didn't like the small holes in my suit.


    Stefan

    The Patents are NOT joke - the company that I work for was involved in quite a few battles from both ends regarding patents, and rest assured these are not a joke.


    If a company owns a patent for a product that is now copied by and sold as "mako" (or "pursuit"), then the patent owner has plenty of legal actions to go after the patent infringement. The fact that the product is manufactured in Asia and only sold under the mako brand doesn't protect mako from a law suit.


    If somebody can post a link to the patents that mako (or pursuit) is in infringement for, then the discussion would move on a more professional level. In absence of that information, this post could be seen as pure envy for ones success and a lame attempt to bash a competitor.


    As for the mako products: the only ones I bought are the floppers at $5 a piece, and some rubber. I won't comment on the rubber, but the floppers initially looked poorly designed and I got a bit frustrated as I got at least 20 of them. However after installing them on 5/16 shafts they proved to be great.


    Regarding the guns: one of my buddies has one, and after holding one I realized why a few folks complained about accuracy: the loading tab is pushing the hand "low" hence loosing the euro handle advantage. After removing the loading tab the gun became more accurate. Big problem, small fix, but shows a lack of understanding of basic euro guns features.


    I am impressed by their large barrel. Noisy due to the Al rail, but impressive none the less. Unfortunately it does push the shaft a bit higher and that doesn't help with accuracy.


    As for suits: the vast majority of my suits are bought from scubapro.com (Spain), shipped to NY for a total of $170 for apnea suits 3.5 mm or 5 mm, Cressi. Not the best suits in the market, but i get a few years out of them. Same as band rubber, most neoprene comes from the same sources and it is of only a few types. Paying for the camo pattern, inner lining (if any) is a taste I still have to acquire.


    I have a huge respect for IP (proven IP through a patent), so let see where Mako is at fault.


    Regards,
    Stefan

    Cool review. I remember the original post from Dan and his frustration when he cut the footpocket (the post must still be on the gear review).


    How does the blade compare to the C4 40 blade? - is it stiffer just the blade, or with the footpockets rails?
    Which C4 are you comparing with - the Mustang doesn't have any footpocket rails, while other C4 are using regular footpockets hence they have the tendons.


    What are the overall dimensions - full length with the footpocket, width?


    What is the warranty and how long did it take to receive them?


    How deep the dives? did you get a chance to count the kicks on deeper dives? Any current to speak off?


    What is your constitution (height, weight)?


    Thanks,
    Stefan

    The reason why the claim resonated with some folks is that the footpocket failure was not uncommon. I did have a pair of Omer M. bought in 2000 that in a few years both footpockets failed - the rails broke, at 1/5" from where the rails starts from the footpocket.


    I never used them with scuba and the blades were in very good shape (no chips/cracks) showing that i never stood on the fins on rock nor did I push on the bottom.


    The failure occured after a few years of usage, so I didn't bother filing a claim - I just stopped buying Omer fins.


    Unfortunately the same thing happen with a pair of Picasso fins (black team) after a few years of usage - broken footpockets, perfect blades.


    In NE we don't have a year-around season, so it sounded "possible" that for somebody diving a lot more the footpockets could fail within a year.


    I agree that in light of Mark's comments, bubba's claim looks fishy.

    I agree that many things change in 10 years, and it is quite possible that a new bag from leisurepro will not last as long. The point was both ways, one of them being that at $20 introductory price the pursuit bag is an awesome deal, and even at 29 it competes with a company that was accused on some forums of selling stuff from the black market...


    It is tough to make a bag that will "be fillled and keep stuff snug" all the time. Maybe in Fl. the gear is always the same, but here we do use different suits during the season. Between a 3mm suit and a 6mm suit there is enough variance in space so that the bag will feel empty with the 3mm. Also my suit (xxl) looks twice as big comparade to my buddy's (M).


    A 40" bag would be nice in my opinion, but I might be the only one who would like to have his stuff bundled together.


    Stefan

    I have 2 of them that I'm using for 10 years now. I got them at Leisurepro.


    For some conditions I would prefer a "vertical" bag (like a back-pack). On smaller boats it helps to get all your stuff, including fins, on a vertical bag (less footprint on the deck).


    If you get the bags from the manufacturer, can you get a longer version let's say 40" at only 30% price increase? A 40" would allow us to store the fins inside (easier transport, better protection). There are 40" bags out there, but they cost a lot more than $30.


    Stefan

    If you're to string the fish on the float line you're better off with some sort of break-away system, and string the fish straight from the shaft (push it back from the shaft onto the floatline. If the shot is in soft meat use the shaft as the needle and thread it once more through gills or eyes.


    Problems:
    1. sharks
    2. bones/gills will ruin the float line (either fray the polly, or poke the tube)


    Pros:
    If you're in a school of mahis, you can keep a stringed fish swimming close to you and that will atract more mahis. No wasted time to remove the fish from the shaft - hence it is faster that the speed needle from mako.

    Yes, the braid is very loose. I made a 100ft line and a 30ft line... it took less than half hour to push it through. I helps using some sort of rod on the front end of the tube.

    I posted 2 pictures - one with the line package as it is sold by Home Depot, and in the other I pushed out through the braided line one end of the tube to show that the tube is not attached to anything, and it is sealed. With the tube the line is quite stiff and I don't have to deal with too many tangles. I'm using the line mostly to attach the jetski to myself when drifting, and in some spots I can do only one or 2 drops per drift - so I'm recovering the line many times with no real space to store it properly, and usually in a rush because at the end of the drift there are some very nasty rips so there is no time nor space to bring it in nicely.


    I believe the tube is 1/4 used for water lines. It might be 19 cents per ft (not sure), and the line is like 12 cents per ft.

    I'm using for a couple of years a modified braided poly line from home depot - inside the thicker line I inserted some pvc tube like a core for flotation. it doesn't play any role for strength, but the poly rope is already rated higher than what most of us need. The thin pvc tube is sealed so it will increase the flotation and add the stiffness to prevent knots.since the pvc is inside the braided line is less exposed to abrasion and punctures, and the to the stress from clips / pulls etc.

    If you're still looking to sell it for 200 I'll take it (plus shipping). No need for the broomstick.


    There was another very cool approach (I forgot if on this forum or spearboard) on replacing the muzzle with a teak muzzle, 6" or 8" long - that increases the band stretch and buoyancy.


    Stefan

    Jeff,
    The speed is one factor, but in my opinion the main element is energy: the loaded bands have an energy determined by the force used to pull them, and by how far they were pulled. When released, "a good amount" of that energy is transferred to the shaft (and some is lost). The energy that is transferred to the shaft (most of it) will translate into speed, and is depended on the mass of the shaft: the heavier the shaft, the lower the speed so that the compound result would be the same energy.


    So a heavier shaft will travel slower, but with the same energy as a lighter shaft.


    As the shaft moves through water, it will loose a good part of that energy due to friction/collision with the water (so the shaft energy will be transferred to the water by moving or heating the water). The energy loss is dependent of 2 factors: the section of the shaft, and the SQUARE of the speed - so the speed is a more important factor in the energy loss than the section of the shaft. That explains why a heavier shaft will better retain the energy on the longer shots compared to a thinner shaft, so that at the impact with the target a heavier shaft will have a better chance to penetrate.


    Band speed? Not so important in the range we're talking about (3 or 4 bands for most of our guns). I can say that adding a 4th 5/8 bands on my riffe did make a difference.


    When would be the band speed become irrelevant? At the point where the mass of the shaft becomes irrelevant in the total energy... So if you would shoot a 1mm carbon shaft that doesn't flex and weighs about 1 gram, then band speed would be very important.


    My 2 cents, looking for change..


    Stefan

    This is a trick that I got from an old timer that was also a doctor: use some peroxide after each dive (in the evening, at home or on the boat is ok). If you don't dive for awhile, do the maintenance once a month. Warm up the peroxide a bit (microwave is fine), use a dropper and let it sit in your ear for about 5 minutes. If the ear is clogged with "stuff" you'll feel like a boil and will pull all the dirt out. In time it will take care of wax buildup, sand and all other stuff. I tried to mix it with alcohol, but I like it better straight peroxide.


    Stefan