EPSEALON VEGA ORANGE FINS: TEST AT SEA

NOT FOR ALL, EXCELLENT IN SHALLOW WATER

The staff of Nadirspearfishing.com, always committed to research and evaluation of new products for spearfishing and freediving, has had the opportunity to test the new "orange vega" fins by Epsealon. This company has added a line of products in its 2015 catalog that follows the common path of safety and visibility at sea. In pursuing such a goal they have designed the Vega fins (a product already listed in 2014 catalog)  in orange version.

For those who do not know them, they are one-piece fins with blade in techno-polymer designed to be as comfortable as possible during long time finning. The main feature is represented by the flexibility and lightness of the materials used that rank them among the lightest ones on the market, only 909gr. The footpocket is made of thermoplastic material, a soft and comfortable material that gives a pleasant sensation to the foot when kicking and really allows user to forget of having it on. The blade is also soft but still responsive and efficient. It is made through an injection molding process and after that the footpocket is molded over. Such a process allows both materials to fuse into a one-piece fin and they destined to never fall apart.

It is a good product, however, is not intended to be used efficiently by all kind of spearos and for all types of fishing. They are ideal for spearos who are used to soft fin and have a relatively small silhouette. They are ideal for prolonged surface swimming and for dives within 10-12 meters depth. I have personally tested these fins and although I do not match with the target size of this product (height: 185 cm, weight 85kg) I could appreciate their performance in surface swimming (it’s me the one swimming in the video below). You can exploit the full power of the leg because the fin allows you to expand the breadth of the kicking and to use all the muscles. Moving on the surface, as you can see, is quite fast although the pace of finning is low. The flexible materials used allow you to not overload muscles and joints, especially after 3-4 hours swimming.

In regards to the fins in relation to different techniques they are suitable for ambush technique at depth no greater than 10 meters and for fishing in the backwash. In the following video you can see the excellent elastic properties of the fin and its performance in water, but you will also be able to note that it is very visible while swimming on surface as the video operator is at about 30 meters from the tester.

EPSEALON SCORPION MIMETIC WETSUIT

RED CAMOUFLAGE, NICE FINISHES

The famous French firm EPSEALON at the end of 2014 presented its new product line called "SCORPION" and characterized by a very appealing red camouflage. The line consists of a wetsuit, gloves, socks and vest, all made with the same camouflage.

We had the chance to test the scorpion 5mm wetsuit which at first glance does not disappoint. It is produced with mimetic Lycra outside and open cell yamamoto 019 ultra flexible neoprene inside. You can note how soft it is by just touching it and once you wear it you get the final confirmation as the neoprene adheres to the skin without being constricting.

The suit is entirely mimetic, even the bottom area and the closing stripe between the legs. On both knees and elbows you can find  a thick latex protection against abrasion that does not stiffen the wetsuit and once you wear it you don’t feel its presence.

On the chest area a 5mm thermoformed neoprene pad makes loading the speargun easier, but the real gem is represented by the finishes on wrists, face and ankles which remind those of a scuba dry suit. They are in fact made of black jersey neoprene outside and lined neoprene inside to prevent as much as possible the access of water from those points. Furthermore, the long john pants also end with a finish with right such a purpose, in fact on the upper end you can find a large stripe of lined neoprene inside and outside.

Finally, much attention on the joints of the various neoprene parts. Each part is glued to each other and subsequently sewn with double blind stitches and at the end of each seam it has been applied a drop of latex to avoid the annoying fraying due to normal use.

The fit is excellent and the problem of the size was resolved through the use of a table with measures that guides the user to the best choice according to his own sizes.

Moreover jacket and pants are sold separately, so if you want a larger jacket and a smaller pant or vice versa this is possible with EPSEALON.

For example, I am tall 185cm, weight 85kg and I have the following chest measures 102/90/88. A size 4 for both pants and jacket fits me like a glove. Right length for arms and legs and the face oval adheres well without forcing or leaving many air spaces.

Definitely a safe bargain for this summer. In Italy there are unfortunately no distributors but in Spain there is a website that is selling online and it is strongly recommended also because it offers to all the readers of nadirspearfishing additional discount on all products (just ask to our staff via e-mail). 

Then check it out: http://passionchasse.eu/it/mute/9-scorpion-yamo19.html

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SALVIMAR PREDATHOR 100: THE TEST

MEDITERRANEAN TESTING DAY

The editors of Nadirspearfishing.com had the privilege to test the new Predathor speargun by SALVIMAR within the European project called "mediterranean testing day" of which they were co-ordinators for all Spanish, French and Italian testers.
This new speargun is designed to conceptually revolutionize the pneumatic gun both in design and functionality. Salvimar’s drive for innovation was not aimed to extra ordinary performances research which as you know does not guarantee a reliable product in time but to the realization of an easy to use speargun for the average user including solutions to common problems.

It is entirely made in Italy with 13mm barrel and vacuum muzzle, standard equipped with 7mm shaft and reel with over 50mt capacity.
At first glance you can notice the muzzle has some coiling tips on both sides preventing the line to pass below the barrel and then avoids the possibility that it gets pinched on the rocks of the bottom. There is no loop at the tip to pass the line through coming out of the reel but is totally unnecessary given the perfect solution offered by coiling tips that allow three rounds of 1.5 mm monofilament to be coiled around.

A plastic tip to help aiming is also missing but it is something with relative importance since many spearos do not use it to point the prey. The line of sight it is therefore very clean. In relation to this all fans of video footages should know that SALVIMAR sells a bracket in carbon fiber for video cameras that can be mounted on all sling spearguns and that thanks to a little support available separately can also be fitted on the predathor.

The top feature is represented by the handle made in nylon loaded with fiberglass that was designed to get as close as possible to the handle of a sling speargun with the right angle and ergonomics. The hilt was enlarged to accommodate even larger hands wearing thick gloves. Furthermore the metal bracket that holds the vertical reel is mounted right on the hilt. On the left side, in a raised position, finally, you can find a useful power reducer snap, adjustable in two positions.

Another important feature is the line releaser, directly connected to the trigger that performs well its function safely hosting three loops of 1.5 mm monofilament.
It’s good to know that once the line gets coiled around the line releaser it does not have to be very tight in order to avoid tension on the trigger.
The speargun is sold with an internal pressure ranging between 18 and 20 bar. By removing a green plug on the back of the handle you can reach the valve load whose thread is compatible with a mares manometer.
Several people have tested the speargun with the pressure provided by the manufacturer and found it already powerful but others preferred to take it to 22 bar and found it still good.
Users should know that increasing the internal pressure will clearly cause a greater resistance during loading. With a pressure of 18/20 bar the shaft runs away with an incredible speed. For a performing use with an higher pressure you will need to increase the diameter of the shaft.
The trigger is fluid nevertheless some users may find it harder than normal. We have to remember that SALVIMAR made this product for the masses and that a trigger too sensitive could be dangerous. For this reason it has designed a separate kit to apply a sensitivity adjuster screw which may be mounted safely by you or by an authorized dealer. This modification does not void your warranty!
In water it is remarkable that the gun is pretty silent and the recoil is reduced compared to the average available on the market.
In short it is a weapon that can meet the high expectations of medium-high level spearos and that will provide an excellent basis "geeks" spearos who want to customize it and to whom the SALVIMAR, as mentioned earlier, already provides some solutions.
The final definition for this product is definitely "pneumatic speargun with slings" because it was designed (and successfully I would like to add) to ensure that the sling speargun user could switch to predathor without noticing the difference!

HERE ARE THE LINKS FROM THE OTHER EUROPEAN TESTERS:

pescasub blog (ITALY): http://www.pescasublog.it/pneumatici/salvimar-predathor-100/ 

pescasub.net (SPAIN): http://www.pescasub.net/index.php?pag=banco_de_pruebas%2Fsalvimar%2Fpredathor_vuoto_100

pasionpescasub (SPAIN): http://www.pasionpescasub.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4737

todopescagalicia (SPAIN): http://todopescagalicia.es/pesca-submarina-2/materiales/fusiles/salvimar-predathor-vuoto/

passionchasse (FRANCE): https://www.facebook.com/notes/stephane-dudon/predathor-salvimar/1013176818693703?pnref=story

ACID GREEN SALVIMAR A-BOOST BANDS 

A QUICK PREVIEW FROM THE 2015 SALVIMAR CATALOG

The Italian company decided to unveil one of the new features  available in 2015 catalog that is dedicated to all users of bands spearguns: the A-boost.

It is a new American rubber band characterized by an innovative manufacturing method that improves its performance and by a singular and aggressive acid green color which makes it easy to recognize among the others on the shelves.

Usually bands are produced by coextrusion, this means that the rubber passes through a die that gives it the tubular shape we all know. The A-boost instead is produced by dipping, in other words the band takes on the final shape through several different dips creating a multilayer structure. This manufacturing difference gives the product an excellent “memory” even after being stretched for long time.

After some tests in fact it has been noticed for example that after 30 min of stretching (370%) at the constant temperature of 20° the band gets (compared to the original) only 2% longer!

This new product is only available in 16mm due to the different method of manufacturing, in fact there is a tolerance of 1.5mm more or less on the desired diameter.

The band is black inside and has a 0.5mm thick latex coating that protects it from external agents. Unlike other bands the central hole is 2mm wide while usually it is 3mm (except for sigal ones that are 1mm). The recommended maximum stretching is 380%.

During tests in water with the carbon sapiens 95, the first thing you notice is the ease of loading despite the exaggerated stretching (380%) and the diameter (16mm). The sensation you get both when you load it and when you shoot is the one you get with a progressive band (amber inside). The shaft infact is not launched but it is progressively accompanied out. The main advantage of this is the extreme reduction of recoil as you can see in the video below.

Finally, once it is stretched, the vivid green color of the coating does not “light up” and remains uniform. During the descent, it tends to take on the pastel tones of the surrounding environment.