Much better openings with a Storm (or Sabre) than Sabre 2?

[D-Fens 0]

Hello.

I currently jump a Sabre 2 150 loaded at about 1.2. It has served me well and I like it, but now I've decided to focus more on WS flight and thus my priorities have changed a bit what I want in a canopy: I want quicker openings and something that handles line twists well.

I haven't jumped that many skydiving canopies, and I've never had a line twist with my Sabre 2, so I can't speak about line twist behavior. However, I think my Sabre 2 openings are a bit slow. In BASE jumping I love the openings I get with my Troll 245, they are quick, to the point. When I BASE my track suit, I feel extremely comfortable with my Troll and I don't hesitate to pull in full flight. I'd not want to do that with my Sabre 2.

How does the Sabre 2 compare with, for example, Storm or Sabre 1 or Spectre? Is it a noticeable difference?

[kallend 1,618]

I retired my Spectre on account of its age. Very nice openings and even flew straight ahead when in line twists.

I now have a Storm 135. Also generally well behaved, but shows some directional instability until the brakes are released. The few times I have had line twists with the Storm it seems to come out by itself, but not straight ahead. Neither of them have any tendency to spin up like my Stiletto did.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[ifell 0]

I sold a Sabre2 I had when I decided to focus only on wingsuiting and bought a Storm. That said the Sabre2 did spin up on me a bunch of times but it was always well behaved with the twists. It kept flying well! The Storm's openings are "calmer" than my Sabre2, haven't really had any twists on the 100 jumps I put on it... btw I can't pack for shit

I am happy with the openings but I don't like the fact it has a steep glide and the brakes are very low, I bought it used so the lines should be in trim and my rigger seems to think so too but I feel like I can't shut it down like I did with Sabre2

[TomEuckeStar 0]

I’d recommend looking into the Pulse. I’ve had great openings, it wants to fly straight, and it does a great job making it back from long spots. The small pack volume is also a plus. I still prefer the storm for the sportier canopy experience, but if you are just looking for a canopy that gets you on the ground and treats you right every time then the Pulse might be it. Take my advice with a grain of salt though, I’ve only demoed the Pulse a few times and haven’t gotten to know it as intimately as the Sabre2, Spectre, or Silhouette.

[kallend 1,618]

Quote

I sold a Sabre2 I had when I decided to focus only on wingsuiting and bought a Storm. That said the Sabre2 did spin up on me a bunch of times but it was always well behaved with the twists. It kept flying well! The Storm's openings are "calmer" than my Sabre2, haven't really had any twists on the 100 jumps I put on it... btw I can't pack for shit

I am happy with the openings but I don't like the fact it has a steep glide and the brakes are very low, I bought it used so the lines should be in trim and my rigger seems to think so too but I feel like I can't shut it down like I did with Sabre2

Agree on the steep glide. My Storm shuts down nicely, however, and has a very good flare (better than my Spectre had). I have landed it at Moab when the density altitude was some 7,000ft, with no problems.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[skydivinmartin 0]

I'm ordering a new canopy soon, my Cobalt has spun up too often. The Pulse opens well with a wing suit? I understood it was elliptical, between the Katana and Sabre 2? Also, I'd appreciate any impressions on the latter for wing suit, it's my first choice at this point, thanks.

[dirtbox 0]

why not consider a pilot? Good openings, lands great, flies stable in line twists and you can make t back from longs spots ... I demoed a storm last year for a bit and didn't care for its landings (and at the time my normal canopy was a triathlon so I was used to landing 7 cells).

[lurch 0]

Its old, but for me Sabres are the way to go.
I put about 450 jumps on a Sabre 2 with a wingsuit. I loved the flat glide but the twists were unpredictable and often. It was well behaved in twists, but I hate twists and it did it a lot. Eventually downsized to a Sabre 135 and flew that canopy to rags. Loved it. Chopped it once due to a wild twist ride, and had twists a lot till I worked out the packjob. Properly packed it simply didn't ever get twists at all, neat, fast, mostly on-heading 4 to 500 foot openings. Nice solid comfy ka-thump every time.

When the canopy finally just wore the hell out, it was still opening flawlessly but the fabric was getting so worn I didn't really trust it anymore, started expecting it to blow a cell sometime so I snagged a freshly relined Sabre 120, loading it about 1.6. Love it. Openings are perfect, exactly the same as the 135, my one complaint is the canopy has a very steep glide and doesn't get squat for distance, but by now I'm flying very large wingsuits and I seldom miss the DZ so I really don't need long glide anyway. So long as I know where I am, I use the suit to get where I'm going, it flies better than the canopy does.
If what you really want is quick openings and drama-free reliability, Sabre 1 all the way. And these puppies are cheap and plentiful, too.
-B

Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.