Hi I did AFF earlier this year and I'm looking for my first set of kit. I've been offered a Sabre (1) 170 and a PD 170 to put into my first rig. I'm looking for your opinions on these canopies? Pros and cons. I'm 5'8, 57kg and 28 jumps. Thanks! P
Short answer - Personally, I'd find out how many jumps each has, and when / if either has been relined or had any mods or repairs made to it.
All things being equal, I'd lean toward the Sabre, but I'd then get an experienced jumper to jump the it a few times to see if it suffers from the hard openings that some Sabres do.
Don't just jump at the first canopies you see though! Do your research, keep looking and try and test jump any canopies you find, or get someone you trust to do it for you. It's a sad truth that newbies can sometimes get stung buying old or inappropriate canopies by someone capitalising on their excitement to get into the sport.
Remember, you'll be flying it for a while, so there's no rush to get the first one you find bought and packed!
(This post was edited by yoink on Nov 3, 2009, 1:23 PM)
When buying your first rig you want to get it right because it is a fair sized outlay of cash. One thing newbies tend not to consider is the strong possibility that you will want something different fairly soon (say 100 jumps from now) and resale value and ease is very important. The Sabre 1 is a more advanced generation of canopy and tends to hold its value better than a PD 170. This doesn't mean that it is necessarily the better deal, but it is a factor you should consider.
All other things equal, the Sabre is a better canopy. But... and it is a big but, as a previous poster mentioned, some (certainly not most, but a fair amount) of Sabres have a mean disposition and can kick your ass when they open. It would be worthwhile, if you can, to do 20 or so jumps on the Sabre to find out if it is one of "those" Sabres. The PD... I would do a few jumps if you can, but you are going to see pretty consistent characteristics from it on all jumps.
The Sabre has much better resale value when you are finished with it. If you jump a lot, with your weight.. you will be done with it and looking for something new after a few hundred jumps. What is important to note though, is that while you may be done with it after a few hundred jumps, that is by no means at all a reason to be looking for something smaller right now. It is a good choice for your weight and experience level as of now. One thing to consider (if you haven't already bought your rig) is to buy a rig that you would have to really cram that 170 into. That way you can jump down a few sizes and not have to worry about the smaller canopies being to small for the rig. This is a common problem for newer jumpers when they start to downsize and can't buy a new rig because they are spending every penny on jumps and the new canopy. Plus you will get better at packing real quick. Something that will really help if you end up buying a brand new ZP canopy as a second canopy.
Don't forget to match your canopy choice intelligently with your reserve choice as well. They aren't two separate pieces of gear as much as they are parts that must work together as one complete system.
Just my 2 cents. I am NOT a rigger or an instructor, but have experience with your situation.
I started with a Sabre 170 (I weighed about 65Kg and later put on weight (naturally, not lead) up to about 75kg) and enjoyed it. It has a very strong flare and is forgiving on landing. I also did some double front riser and 90 front riser approaches as I got more proficient with it. I sold the rig with the Sabre the same day I bought my new rig with a Samurai 150, so as others have said there are certainly no issues on-selling them.
Thanks everyone for the tips and help!! I've been offered my choice of the canopies free of charge by friendly locals!! Good point on the size of the container for future downsizing, hadn't thought of that.
