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Skydiving Gear and Equipment: Main and Reserve Parachutes: Performance Designs : PD Reserve : Reviews: Pages: 1 2 3 [>] [>>]

has contributed 27 reviews

(Review ID:2196)

5 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

Optimum Reserve 193

Rated by: coldsteel on 2009-06-07 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: PD Reserve in Unknown Tag: 'cat_linked'

Pros: Packs small! Outstanding "Pack ability".
Cons: Flys and lands like an F111 canopy

I demo'd a PD Optimum reserve recently. I jumped the OP 193 loaded about 0.9.
The reserve canopy opened just fine at terminal, very firm but quite acceptable. It flew just fine, much like the older F 111 7-cells I used to jump (Pegasus, Paraflite Cruisair, PD 7-cell, etc.). I was not able to stall it at altitude to test it's stall characteristics. I think the brakes where set a little too long. I was hoping for a little stronger flare on the bottom end.

The outstanding qualities of this canopy were it's small pack volume and ease of packing. It packs at least a size smaller.

This is a high quality reserve that may be worth the premium price for those who want a really low volume PD reserve canopy.

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(Review ID:2161)

24 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

PD Reserve ride

Rated by: rgrmike on 2009-04-04 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: PD Reserve in Unknown Tag: 'cat_linked'

Pros: Perfect On heading opening. Great Flair. Fast opening.
Cons: none

I had my first cutaway today. I was on a 2 way from 13.5K. We broke at 5 - open at 4. I threw my BOC. Wham - loudest sound I have ever heard. My main blew the B and C lines on one of the left cells at the canopy. The right side of the canopy blew all of the lines but 2 just above the riser. I started an immediate high speed spin - almost horizontal to the ground.

I yanked my cutaway handle. Before I could yank my reserve handle my RSL opened my reserve. The opening was immediate. It opened perfectly - no twists. It flew on heading.

It was a great ride to the ground. The canopy has a powerful flair and awesome handling.

This is a super reserve; they hold their value extremely well. Thanks PD for the life saving Ride!

-Mike

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(Review ID:2136)

7 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

PD 193 Reserve ride

Rated by: BHawks on 2009-02-08 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: PD Reserve in Unknown Tag: 'cat_linked'

Pros: Fast yet soft, on heading opening.
Cons: Zero

Today we went up for a hop n pop, we were at about 3000 feet. I was the first out the door, I exited, pitched, and the relative wind of the propeller wrapped my main pilot chute down and under me! So I have a pilot chute in tow malfunction at 2500 burning altitude pretty quickly. So I went for my reserve, it opened beautifully, fast, not a slammer and on heading! Can't beat that!

To add on top of this, this was the first reserve I had packed as a new certificated rigger. So I saved my own bacon with my pack job. That makes me feel good to know my work, actually works! Get to buy my self a bottle!

This was my second time looking up at a PD reserve, it is a solid canopy, flew real well, I PLFed it on landing, but I couldn't ask for anything more.

When future customers bring a PD reserve for a repack, I can tell them, I will happy to work on it and it is a solid canopy!

Blue Skies!

Ben

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(Review ID:2129)

2 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

Optima 143

Rated by: dallycat on 2009-01-27 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: PD Reserve in Unknown Tag: 'cat_linked'

Pros: perfect on heading opening, handled and flared like a spectre
Cons: can't think of any

A while back i had the opportunity to jump a Optima 143.

During a sitfly jump with some friends after deploying my Stiletto 150 I felt it spin up instantly and could not kick out even one twist.. being my first cutaway i was a little nervous but after pulling the handles I looked up to see a beautiful orange canopy in a snivel then it opened up perfectly on heading.

Stowed the handles did a flight check to evaluate controls and found it flew much like a spectre. I like the choice of color, high visibility orange, if i am in the sky under my last canopy I want to be seen! The flare was amazing! I'm loading it at around 1.45

I have a pdr 160 in my crw rig that has never been jumped (doing crw i'm sure it will be someday). I would like to put a Optima in that rig as well. Very happy with the Optima and all PD products, never owned any other canopies than PD.

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(Review ID:2055)

11 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

PDR

Rated by: dlee on 2008-09-03 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: PD Reserve in Unknown Tag: 'cat_linked'

Pros: Excellent Reserve, Very reliable, was able to demo this canopy before I *needed* it
Cons: none i can think of

I just had a cutaway and reserve rid this weekend. I have a 126, loaded about 1.6. My malfunction was a spinning thing that had two cell inflated connected to a ball of crap. I chopped. This reserve canopy opened quickly and on heading, and got me home with a nice stand up landing.

As many know, PD has a demo program, where you call or e-mail and send them some money for shipping and they send you a canopy and a return shipping label. I HIGHLY recommend doing this with your reserve. Your reserve is, in many cases, probably going to fly much differently than your main, ZP vs. F-111, Square vs. elliptical, etc. It is better to have your first jump on a canopy not be after you just cut away low over Bubba McNasty's alligator farm or something.

I highly recommend this canopy and I highly you fly your reserve before you REALLY need it.

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(Review ID:1893)

5 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

Finally Used Mine

Rated by: tbrown on 2007-11-06 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: PD Reserve in Unknown Tag: 'cat_linked'

Pros: Sweet opening, handles very well, soft landing
Cons: None

I've been jumping with a PD193 (WL 1.25) in my rig for over 3 years and had never seen my canopy outside of a rigger's loft at repack time. Until last summer, when a slammer opening blew my main canopy to pieces. With my 9 cell suddenly reduced to a 7 cell with no steering lines and blue sky visible through several holes and tears, I bid my main farewell and went to my handles. Although I did pull silver, my RSL beat me to the punch. This was a subterminal opening, so no surprise that it was soft. But it was very quick and on heading (thanks also to my rigger).

But only then did I discover what a joy this canopy is to fly, and not just because it was an open reserve that was saving my life. It wasn't sporty or zippy, but it was just the seetest ride. It handled so nicely and responded wonderfully to the toggles. I was able to put down on the the grassy strip at Perris, which is rather small compared to dropzones in the grassier parts of the country. And the landing was a very comfy standup. And I'd even forgotten to make a practice flare on the way down. I love this reserve !

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(Review ID:1801)

3 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

PD176 Reserve

Rated by: tallpaul on 2007-05-20 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: PD Reserve in Unknown Tag: 'cat_linked'

Pros: Instant but comfortable opening, tons of flare for a nice landing
Cons: None at all

A bizarre chance collision in freefall led to my cutaway pad being caught and pulled from my rig, so I had to come to terms with the idea of landing a reserve for the first time pretty quick.
The opening was instantaneous but perfectly comfortable and bruise-free. My main is a 190 but the 176 reserve didn't feel any different to fly and landing it was no drama whatsoever - tons of flare for a nice soft landing.

I hope I won't have to use my reserve again for a long long time, but I know I can count on it if need be. I certainly won't consider anything but a PD for future rigs.

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(Review ID:1757)

15 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

Optima 126 Reserve

Rated by: michaelted57 on 2007-03-05 (user profile) (user reviews)

Review of: PD Reserve in Unknown Tag: 'cat_linked'

Pros: Fast, but relatively soft opening at terminal, great landing, POWERFUL flare. Practically stall proof. Tiny pack volume
Cons: Very fast forward speed when flown with a high wing loading, Costs ~$300 more than a traditional reserve

An aquaintenct of mine at our DZ happens to be a sponsered PD canopy flyer, and so he gets all the cool stuff. This weekend he brought the new 126 Optima Reserve (set up like a main) to the DZ for those of us who might want to try one out. I had just jumped a standard PD-126 last summer when the PD Tour came to our DZ, so I felt I could make a fair comparison.
This new reserve packs up tiny! It looked equavalent to a 109 in pack volume when I put it in my rig. This is great for those of us who like the idea of a bigger reserve; with an Optima Reserve we can get more parachute in our container than we could before.
For reference, I weigh 180 lbs without clothes, and about 205 out-the-door, and I have about 4300 jumps. This loaded the 126 to about 1.6 to 1, which is way high for a reserve.
I took the Optima 126 on a relative-work jump with a recently graduated student because I wanted to see what the opening shoke would be like at terninal. I make a lot of camera jumps, and the opening shock at terminal is a big concern for guy (or gals) with a lot of weight on our heads.
I watched my digital altimeter when I pitched to check my altitude loss during opening. I pitched at 3400 ft exactly. The opening was very firm, but not uncomfortable at all; certainly not any worse than some popular mains. The interesting thing was that as soon as I saw an open canopy over my head, I checked my altitude again, and it read 3150 ft! The opening felt like a very firm, STEADY pull on my harness, but there was no real "shock" as I expected. So this translates into a 250 ft opening with no trauma as is usually associated with such fast openings. NICE!
We had a very stiff upper wind, so we had drifted a long ways in free-fall, and I found myself thinking I probably would not nake it back to the field (even if I had jumped my regular main). I did my CCC and was pleasantly surprised with the powerful flare and responsive turns. I went into half brakes to try to stay aloft in order to get closer to the DZ. The canopy floated very nicely, and I realized that I would make it back easily, so I tried to find the stall point so I could get a better feel for the canopy. I am 5' 10" tall, and I had to take a wrap of brake line on my hands to cause a stall. This thing could be landed in a very tight space if needed. Very quick recovery from the stall too. . . I then applied some rear risers to try to gain some of the lost distance from the stall and to see how the canopy flew in that mode. Rear toggle pressure was not light, but the amount of float gained was impressive. After I got back over the landing area, I decided to not turn into the wind because I was really too low to be making 180 turns on an unfamiliar canopy, so I landed downwind off to the side of the Dz out of the landing pattern. This parachute has a very fast forward speed for a reserve! This could be bad if you have a high wing loading and land unconcious, but you would probably still have the brakes set, so it would be slower than if you had released them. I was able to land the canopy standing up with only about three or four steps out of the landing (downwind with a wind speed of about 4 knots). I am confident that if I had landed into the wind it would have been a one-step landing.
The only thing about this reserve that concerns me is that some will buy an even smaller container thinking they can get a very small packing reserve in it. This will make for some very fast landings under reserves. The idea should be to stay with the same size container, and be able to fit a bigger reserve in it. Remember, this is a FAST parachute.
I would jump this parachute as a main, and like it (alot). It performs more like a main than a traditional reserve, the openings are fast, but not hard, and it packs up very small. This would be a GREAT main parachute for wingsuit flyers or for people who do a lot of big-ways (those of you who do big-ways will understand).
The cost for this reserve is about $300 more than PD's traditional reserves.

In summary: Packs up VERY SMALL, fast but not uncomfortable openings, POWERFUL flare, practically stall proof, fast forward speed (at least at high wing loadings), Slows down in toggles and floats wonderfully, flies like a main, lands more like a main than a traditional reserve, costs about $300 more than a traditional reserve.

When Can I get mine?

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