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Rare scuba cavern reel! Jasper 200-ft. reel by Ralph Hood/Larry Green! - $77 (Wheaton, IL)
condition:
excellent
make / manufacturer:
Ralph Hood
model name / number:
Jasper cavern reel
size / dimensions:
125 feet
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Cavern-sized "Jasper reel" is a dive reel designed by legendary cave diver Ralph Hood and sold over the years by legendary diver Larry Green has about 125 feet of standard #24 cave line on the reel; some say it's 150 feet. I've never unwound it and measured! It's built like a tank and is from a line of reels that is my favorite, but I have two of this cavern size and don't need both. I've got a lot of reels, including Light Monkey, Halcyon, and Hollis which was the absolute worst of all of the reels with the cheapest plastic (not Delrin) that warped, and have used many different brands including those over the years. The Jasper line is well regarded, and very comfortable as well as durable. Once you start using this style, you don't go back to others.
Those who use Jasper reels won't use anything else, if that says anything. The concept is to easily enable disentanglement if the line jumps the spool. This is done via clear Lexan spool ends and plenty of room for fingers to remove entanglements. Quality components including a Delrin center spool, stainless steel hardware, and brass bolt snap ensure durable build like a tank. It is indestructible and will not rust. These Jaspers are getting harder to find nowadays and I'm not sure either Ralph or Larry are still diving.
For the tech purist, remove the brass bolt snap and replace with a stainless steel dual-ended bolt snap. Or, tie a single-ended bolt snap with cave line to it. Metal to metal is a no-no, but after decades of production since the 1990s, that never bothered Ralph or Larry--or me.