Omer vs. JBL

[Scoobiedoo]

Hi,
I'm a Newbie to Spearfishing. I'm curious on how the Omer guns rate vs. the JBL's - price for price?

Say guns around the $200 mark. 54" or so.

???

[Spearo_Fla]

for a few more bucks I'd opt. for an Aimrite Railgun.

http://wongspearguns.com/railguns.htm

but thats just me....

[PatMyGreen]

Seriously, thats apples to oranges.

JBLs are good entry level guns for scuba spearing, if you get the right one for your conditions and target species. Omers are more specialized freediving/Euro style guns. I do have friends that shoot very well with them and love them on scuba too though.
JBL will be cheaper I'd think. I have a Competition Magnum XHD that I use as a lineshafting gun and a loner to friends that has been great to me. I have no practical experience with the Omers.

The best way to go is find friends that have them and see if you can shoot theirs' a time or 2 and see what works best for you.

[PatMyGreen]

Spearo Fla make a good point. You'll be better served to spend more money out of the gates on a quality gun than a cheaper gun that will just fit a tight budget and barely get the job done. Just educate yourself as best you can as to what you need before you "pull the trigger" so to speak.

[FreediveNewport]

Omer excalliber Aluminum, 130cm will run you just about $200.
You will be much happier with this gun then any JBL of equal length. It is important to remember that JBLs have an extended butt that you wont find on a euro gun. This makes the guns seem bigger then they actually are. The shaft on a 54" JBL will be considerably shorter then that of a comperable euro gun. Also the band stretch, which equals power and speed, will be less on the JBL. Basically put a JBL and an OMER next to each other * same over all size * and the OMER will have a longer shaft, and will deliver more power. check out sperfishinggear.com if you want to compair some guns. They have a good variety and really good prices.
good hunting
Rob

[jrstheking]

looks like there is good feedback, so i have a question if yall dotn mind. if you were to rate (1-10) a spearfishing specialities rhino 48'' to a AB Billar gun.
Thanks for teh input
Will

[100days-a-year]

Hard to say one gun is better.JBL shoots bigger AJs,grouper,snapper in tougher conditions(Rigs) than the others have to date.So much for more=better.

Biller and SS are basically the same gun except the Rhino finish or commercial muzzle guns.I have seen quite few divers with $3K in dive gear and $1K in a speargun totally humiliated by an old guy in a BC that is older than some members here shooting a speargun that looked like a bad erector-set(beat-up JBL 450XHD)It is as often quoted here "the indian and not the arrows"

As much as the Wong,Riffe and other high-end guns are works of art,thier rate of repetitive fire is slowed by the wrap/open muzzle.Adding a enclosed track adds the added dilemna of having to stuff the shaft down instead of laying it in and sliding it into the trigger mech.Really super for long shots on a few really nice fish and pelagics.Not as well on trying to get 5-10 shots in 120'at Fla's bottom fish.

Best bet is to own as many guns as you need or can affordAlmost every good spearfisherman I know and almost every commercial diver I can think of use either a SS,Biller or old SeaHornet.

[EL TIBURON]

I wouldn't use a JBL if my life depended on it!!!!!
If you end up buying one I'd reccomend throwing it off a cliff so there will be one less JBL around.

[ROCK BOTTOM]

Originally Posted by EL TIBURON

I wouldn't use a JBL if my life depended on it!!!!!
If you end up buying one I'd reccomend throwing it off a cliff so there will be one less JBL around.

That's a little harsh, don't you think, E.T.

There are a lot of people who wouldn't spend their money on anything other than a JBL. I own every size JBL as well as Riffe and Wong spearguns. Each gun has it's particular pros and cons and each has a time and place for use. Could I spend more money to replace my JBLs with higher quality guns? Yes, but, why?

More fish in the Louisiana record books were killed by JBLs than any other speargun made, period. I bet that it's not that different in California, either. And I'm not talking little pansy-ass WSB. I am talking about near 500# sharks, huge Warsaw Grouper and massive Amberjack.

Yes, you are entitled to your opinion but a little respect would be nice.

Zz

[Bill McIntyre]

Originally Posted by ROCK BOTTOM

And I'm not talking little pansy-ass WSB. I am talking about near 500# sharks, huge Warsaw Grouper and massive Amberjack.
Zz

I think the term approved by the Great One for "pansy-ass WSB" is now "oversized sea trout." But whichever name is used, I'm still mystified about the meaning. Is this an attempt do dis the fish itself, or the people who hunt them? They really are a pretty noble fish. They are too spooky to get near a scuba diver, they are often challenging to hunt, even when freediving, and the initial run is amazingly strong. When a friend from Hawaii shot his first one while diving with me last week, he said it took about 105 feet of his 109 feet of reel line before he got it stopped.

Its amazing how something like gun brands will degrade into something nasty, but there really is a difference in what is required of a gun for different kinds of fish and different areas, and maybe we shouldn't act as if someone had flushed our Koran or Bible down the toilet when discussing the subject.

I have not had the pleasure of shooting 500 pound sharks, but I have shot warsaw grouper and amberjack as well as oversized sea trout. In my experience, the warsaw grouper and amberjack tended to permit an almost point-blank shot, while a lot of the oversized sea trout require a long shot. And on many days, I might be lucky to see one oversized sea trout, so I want a gun that will reach out and touch the fish if necessary. The warsaw grouper and amberjack also tended to drag the gun through wrecks or oil rigs where I would not want my nice teak gun to go, while the oversized sea trout are generally in kelp, which doesn't do any damage to a gun.

So a JBL is just fine for the warsaw and amberjack, and in fact that is what I used for them. (Actually, it was so long ago that I was using Swimmaster and Voit, but those were brands eventually bought by JBL and were essentially the same gun.)

As previously stated, reload/recycle rate is also important. If I were shooting red snapper, grouper, triggerfish, etc. all day long at great depths on scuba with limited air or bottom time, I'd probably want a single band gun. But this time of year, the limit for oversized sea trout is one fish, and even during the time of year that I can legally take three fish, one is usually all I want to take. So I'm perfectly willing to slide that shaft into an enclosed track, load multiple bands, and therefore increase my chance of taking that one fish that may be at long range. And of course I'm freediving, so air or no-deco limits are not a factor.

Even in California, my use of a big multi-band gun is somewhat limiting since when I see a calico bass that I might otherwise want to have taken, I wonder whether its worth the trouble to reload the multiband gun. And if I see a halibut, I hesitate to shoot a $100 slip tip into the bottom. However, I'm convinced that the slip tip increases my chances of holding a soft-fleshed oversized sea trout, so I choose to pass on the other fish.

But finally returning to the subject of the thread, given a choice between those brands, I'd go for the Omer for most kinds of diving. If permitted to stretch the choice just a bit, I might consider Spearo FLorida's advice and look at the Aimrite as a more rugged alternative to the Omer, but still the same type of gun.

[Bill McIntyre]

Originally Posted by ROCK BOTTOM

More fish in the Louisiana record books were killed by JBLs than any other speargun made, period. I bet that it's not that different in California, either.
Zz

My previous ramble neglected to address that specific comment. I can guarantee that our record white sea bass, yellowtail, and calico bass were not taken with JBLs. I really don't know about halibut, but since they can be hunted on scuba and taken with short shots, its entirely possible.

[DaKahuna]

Rock Bottom - El Tiburon has shown a history of inflammatory posts without much of anything positive to say. Sorry you got suckered, but you also let it drag you down to his level, that of displaying no real knowledge of what you're talking about.
I own a JBL and a Wong and I can see how the JBL would work great for the kind of conditions you mentioned (rigs, scuba, etc), but there is lots of worthy hunting that they do not excel in.

Scoobie - sorry you are seeing the soap opera side of things so quickly here at the board. I don't have any experience with the Omers, but I think that it would help if you described the type of hunting you plan to do. Scuba or free, species, method (lineshaft, reel, floatline, freeshaft) would all be very helpful info for people to give you the best recommendations.
Sorry it wasn't as easy as you thought it would be!

[ROCK BOTTOM]

Originally Posted by Bill McIntyre

I think the term ...............YAWN................but still the same type of gun.

Bill, dude you are really long winded. I was just pointing out to the inflammatory El Tiburon that he need not be so harsh. I am now pointing out to you that you need not be so verbose.

DaKahuna, Quote "Sorry you got suckered, but you also let it drag you down to his level, that of displaying no real knowledge of what you're talking about."

Now, which part of my post showed that I "displayed no real knowledge" of what I was talking about? And apologizing to Scoobie for the "soap opera", WTF are you talking about? I took a shitty comment by a flamer and you are going to wag your finger at me? Blow it out your ass cause you are full of it!

Zz

[EL TIBURON]

I stand by my statement. I have used JBL's in the past and find them to be of lesser quality than i would like. I had a JBL magnum xhd for a season and it was cosntantly giving me problems.....i just didnt like the gun. I year later i decided to try another JBL this time i took my chances with one of their pole spears because i enjoy the occasional challenge of using one.....i too found this JBL to be a complete P.O.S.
it was slow moving underpowered and was really of no use to me ....I threw it of a cliff where it belongs.............
DaKahuna......as to your comments about me being inflamatory.....yes i am a bit opinionated and i guess i can come off as being blunt ....but these are my personal opinions .....people ask questions and i give answers if you don't like them .....then i'm sorry....by no means am i trying to provoke anyone or tick off anyone...we are all entitled to our own opinions....some peoples just happen to be more valid than others.

[EL TIBURON]

DaKahuna...El Tiburon has shown a history of inflammatory posts without much of anything positive to say. Sorry you got suckered, but you also let it drag you down to his level, that of displaying no real knowledge of what you're talking about.

As to your statement of me not having any real knowledge of what I'm talking about..... Would you like to put your money where your mouth is and go for a dive one of these days.....We live very close to one another......you pick a spot lets see who comes back with the bigger better fish!