Bad canopy in classifieds

[darrenspooner 0]

I owned a canopy a while back that I bought without test jumping (my stupid fault) from a respected dealer. It was a bad spanker everytime. I did everything that was suggested and just about managed to tame it enough so that it was just about manageable, but still a real spanker. I wasn't very experienced (and I'm still not) but I just thought this was a characteristic of that canopy because I'd read that other people with this type of canopy had hard openings. I sold it and was contacted 3 months later by the buyer saying the openings were horrendous. They told me their rigger had checked it and it was 'probably' defective or below standard. I felt guilty so I told them I would do the right thing. I didn't specifically say that I would refund the money but I strongly inferred it. I never heard from them again.

I have just seen the same canopy (it is unmistakable and unique) for sale in a classifieds somewhere. Its not being sold by the same person that bought it from me last year. This means they sold it on, and the new owner is selling it on too. But the ad makes no mention of opening problems.

Should I whistleblow or contact the seller? I don't know how safe or unsafe this canopy is. I did about 50 jumps on it I think, and although it never gave me any serious injuries, its definitely not right and opened too hard to ever enjoy using it.

[hookitt 0]

Do you mean the Sabre 150? It's the only one I noticed from the UK on the first page.

If it is one of the harder opening Sabres it can be tamed easily with a different slider or a slider pocket.

If it actually does open fast, then it should have been fixed long ago starting with you. You sold it to someone knowing it was a fast opening canopy. Do you expect the next owner to do anything different?

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[skydiverton 0]

You sold it yourself too!!!
Now it is wrong for another person to sell it?

If you really think this is a bad canopy why did you sell it?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Using your droque to gain stability is a bad habit,
Especially when you are jumping a sport rig

[Malev 0]

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Do you mean the Sabre 150? It's the only one I noticed from the UK on the first page.

I don't think Darren is talking about this main; I know the canopy and its owner and it is being sold due to downsizing and not (to the best of my knowledge) due to hard openings. I'm certainly not aware of it ever having had an opening problem.

[darrenspooner 0]

No, its not the Sabre 150.

I sold it as a bad canopy unwittingly and I was prepared to give a full refund. Someone else jumped it before I sold it and didn't have problems. I was just too inexperienced to know, and genuinely thought it was just how those canopies were.

[CloudOnMyTongue 0]

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I sold it as a bad canopy unwittingly and I was prepared to give a full refund.

You say you were prepared to give a refund. Why don't you refund it's new owner?


Buy this canopy from the new seller.

[GravityGirl 0]

Why don't you contact the new owner and suggest he/she contact the manufacturer for a possible solution to the opening issue if it still exsists.

If you feel somewhat responsible, then offer to split any incidental costs with him/her. Shipping, slider mod, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

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Why don't you contact the new owner and suggest he/she contact the manufacturer for a possible solution to the opening issue if it still exists.

That is exactly what I would recommend.

[SnurgeMunkey 0]

Just to clear one thing up,
The sabre (1) 150 for sale in the UK by Karen Stryczek is NOT the canopy Darren Spooner is talking about!

As a further note on Sabre canopies....
I have done 600 Jumps on a Sabre (1) 170 and my girlfriend 350 jumps on a sabre (1) 150 and our canopies have never given us a hard opening. I even jumped her canopy many times wingloaded up to 1.3 and also never experienced a hard opening on it.
I used to speed the openings up on my canopy due to long snivels.
I have now downsized to a sabre2 150 and my girlfriend to a sabre2 135 of which we have yet to experience a hard opening. Guess we must have our body position and packing technique dialled in.

Best advice would be to test jump any new canopy. I would only be too happy to let you jump before purchasing!

As a final note my Girlfriends canopy is still for sale and has now been reduced in price so check it out,
only 350 jumps from new and never given a hard opening!

Perhaps next time Mr. Darren Spooner, you could think about the other people who are selling well looked after legitimate gear with no problems before starting a thread which degenerates into another boring issue regarding 'slammers' on Sabre canopies.