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Hi Everyone,
Looking at buying my first speargun and am torn between the Wettie "reef pro" and the Rob Allen Cobia...both at similar price points.
Im only a beginner spear fisher so both would suit my needs....will only be spearfishing South Island butters moki etc.
Anyone on here had experience with either and willing to share their opinion?
Cheers
I've had a few Wettie suits and they've been good. I'm sure Rob Allen suit owners would say the same. For me, it would come down to fit if you can try them on.
I own quite a lot of gear of both brands
Some gear Wettie is perfectly ok, wetsuits, floats, lines etc
But for spearguns stick with Rob Allen. Have two wettie guns that both jam with any hint of sand, even when you felt like you never went near sand.
The RA guns have a huge amount more use and have never once faltered. Much better trigger/handle mech I reckon
Also far better spears
you wont go wrong with either, I have both of thier gear, the biggest thing as a noob is time in the water and a good wetsuit to be warm and comfortable, just pick one and dive lots
Been using robs guns since late 80s when he used to make em in his shed
Can't go wrong, parts easily available etc.
U can buy parts from SA and put it together yourself to save some $
Diving down around chch and kaikoura you want a small gun around 700-750 for butters, cod, moki when starting out. Either brand will be OK for that. If you're hitting the sounds in summer chasing kingies then get an RA 1100 or 1200 with double 14mm rubbers. The wettie guns are OK but they haven't been put together as well as the RA, and those RA springsteel shafts are bloody good!
Both are ok and will do the job but I wouldn't use either. This is purely a personal opinion but Wettie guns will be assembled using various parts from different suppliers and although there is no doubting the RA quality I have never found them very accurate compared to a Euro gun.
Get a 900mm - 1mtr Picasso , Omer or something similar. Great beginner guns, very accurate and capable of taking big fish if something like a Kingie turns up.
There was a French brand called Immersion, avoid these as they had plastic within the trigger components which over time failed and would discharge on their own.... dangerous.
A good suit ( proper freediving one ) is super important. You will be comfortable and warm and be able to focus . Shivering in the water for a couple of hours is no fun and effects your diving.
Honestly, either would be sweet, especially for starting out and for round Chch. In my opinion it won't really make much difference for your first few years. The biggest benefit for you for the first few years is just getting in the water as much as possible, getting comfortable in the water, and learning the behaviour and habitats of your target species. When you figure those out, either brand of gun will do the trick. Plenty of more high end guns you can get into down the line if desired.
Have owned and used both RA and Wettie guns plenty and they've both been solid. I spent 11 years diving round Dunedin so similar conditions and species to Chch- I always used a 1m gun down there. At times a shorter gun (75-90cm) would've been preferable, but always did well with the 1m. I also dived Welly regularly so preferred the 1m in case something bigger showed up. The RA guns are built very well. As noted above the Wettie guns seem to be assembled from various parts, but they're also built well. My first Wettie gun lasted about 8years, and I'm very hard on my gear.
I've always had great service from both Wettie and Oceanhunter.
Re wettie guns they are fully made in nz. Handles, muzzles, barrels and spears now. Have been spearfishing for 17 years and have spent more on gear and used more brands than most people have had hot dinners lol. My 2c is back a nz designed and manufactured brand. The cobra you're referring to is a basic alloy tube gun vs wetties rail gun. The comparable rob allen gun is $450...
You are a bit out of the loop on the guns mate. Picasso and Omer have basically disappeared in nz and wettie guns are fully nz made and designed not put together from other brands parts like they used to a long time ago. Takes a long time to set up manufacturers, design, make/tune demos then get the final product ready to be commercially produced in a small place like nz esp in a niche sport.Quote:
Originally Posted by viper
Yeah it does look like they have all but gone, still euro guns out there though, Mares, Patho's etc. I guess just use what your comfortable with and shoot well with. The gear is better now than it's ever been.Quote:
Originally Posted by superdiver
Don't forget the jandle shoved down on the centre of chest , extra warmth. But stops yhr blue bruises on the sternum when u load proper short rubbers
Good call, my RA just about spears me when I load it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharki
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You aren’t wrong re Euro guns shooting well.Quote:
Originally Posted by viper
My first was a beuchat (still have it) and it shoots straight as anything, have got quite a few piper with it that I’d not even try to get with my bigger guns
But the stainless spears that shoot straight and fast are so light they have no oomph if you shoot a bigger fish
And side by side a RA, Wettie or Freedivers the whole gun looks frail as anything
What size suit are you looking for …I have a xxxl recommended for 125 kg + wettie commercial for sale , worn once great suit I’m a fat barstard but all over to big for me cannot return it for another size so half price ..say $300 plus shipping . Scupper , knee rolls etc ..camo black
Sorry not looking to buy a suit. CheersQuote:
Originally Posted by stingray
I prefer the handle on the Rob Allen. It function great even under high load, I used up to 18mm band on a 130 roller... The great thing is it is the same handle (Vecta 2) across the whole range so even if you buy a Cobia, you can later flick a roller head on it or change tube ect.
Picasso for me, plastic and trigger mechs is a no from me
No accuracy issue with my RA. 120, 130 tuna shot well from factory. On the 120, 130, 90 roller I had to shorten/customize the band. I used a lot of euro gun, most use soft 6.5mm shaft which would bend easily on a kingy. Some were really accurate like Marc Valentin n6., Omer were average, the enclosed track version terrible. The beuchat are pretty good but I did had mundial handle breaking on double band.Quote:
Originally Posted by viper
Pretty much owned, borrowed, or repaired most types of spearguns in NZ.
Mates have had their RA's for 15 years of hard use, and other than new spears, rubbers, and rigging, they are all still functionally perfect. They are heavy guns, but this seems to be the tradeoff to get a robust gun that lasts for years.
Just based on what I have been asked to repair, a lot of the euro guns would never be something I would purchase. Kiwi's seem to really load them up, and they are not designed for it. They appear to be designed to be light and nimble, and when you throw 2 x 16mm rubbers on them, cracks start appearing. Some of the newer ones using all steel mechs, and reinforced handles like the MVD guns are surprisingly solid tho.
Don't think you could go wrong with either the RA or the Wettie. Both will work. Pick the one that best suits your budget.
Got the wettie reef pro 90 and use it for the same reasons as you. I wouldn't go shorter. Can't fault it and it has the spare rubber hole built in and the rail in case you want to upgrade to 2 rubbers and reel