JFMonetta 0 #1 February 25, 2011 Looking at purchasing my 1st rig. I'm 155lbs and am looking in the 170 sqft range... What's the pros and cons of the Safire2 vs Pilot vs Sabre2 ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thrillstalker 0 #2 February 25, 2011 i have a sabre2 so ill comment on that one. i absolutely love the canopy. it flies great, flares great, and is all around fun. it is a very general canopy. it doesn't excel at anything, but there are no real cons either. i get end cell closure on almost every opening, but i've gotten used to it. off heading openings are also common, but my packing and deployment position are getting better and so are the openings."Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phoenixlpr 0 #3 February 25, 2011 QuoteLooking at purchasing my 1st rig. I'm 155lbs and am looking in the 170 sqft range... What's the pros and cons of the Safire2 vs Pilot vs Sabre2 ? Have you tried searching? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreefdiver 0 #4 February 25, 2011 I have a Sabre2 I've read that the Sabre2 performs better with swooping and handling. They are both great general purpose canopies. I don't know anything about the Pilot. you should be able to load up a 150 w/o any problems, taking it easy till you 'grow' into it's "higher performance" capabilities, but I don't know your experience or skill level. Have you spoke with local instructors / ST&A? here is a pretty decent guide to check out: http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdfDS#727, DB Cooper #41, POPS #11065, SCR #13183, FA #2125, SCS #8306, HALO #309 SRA #5930 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #5 February 25, 2011 Quote What's the pros and cons of the Safire2 vs Pilot vs Sabre2? This is nearly impossible for anyone to answer. One person's Pro would be another's Con - for example "Longer recovery arc" might suit one pilot and not another. Generally they are all suitable first canopies (if appropriately sized) but only you can decide which you like the best. Demo then decide!"The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
artard 0 #6 February 26, 2011 We've had this thread several times before, and everyone agreed that the Safire2 is the best canopyhttp://www.mixcloud.com/prajna http://vimeo.com/avidya Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #7 February 26, 2011 QuoteWe've had this thread several times before, and everyone agreed that the Safire2 is the best canopy Riiiight. As I remember the experienced jumpers in the threads said that all the canopies are great canopies and each one had their favorite. Personally, out of the three I prefer the Sabre2, but then again, I've jumped all three.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drdive 0 #8 February 26, 2011 Flip a coin. All are similar. You would probably be happy with any of the 3. If you have time, demo all 3."We saved your gear. Now you can sell it when you get out of the hospital and upsize!!" "K-Dub" " Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jurn 0 #9 February 26, 2011 I've jumped both the Pilot and Sabre2. They are both pretty similar as some others have commented. However i found there are some differences. I will not claim that these differences are the thruth as there can be a lot of factors affecting the canopies that i'm not taking into account (container type, line type, #jumps on the canopy, my experience level at the time, etc) Pilot: -More consistant openings than sabre2. you get the same every time. Also a bit more on heading. -Flatter glide than Sabre2 -More responsive toggles than sabre2 -Less flare than sabre2 (Pilot has a good flare, but Sabre 2 is better) -slower than sabre2 Sabre: -openings vary a lot. Twists and turns a bit during the opening sequence, and you can count on the endcells being closed..... Can open quite hard ocasionally (guess that can happen to any canopy) -Faster than a Pilot -Very good flare All in all they are quite similar canopies, and i guess you'll be happy with any one of them. For me the main differences came down to opening and flare. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkwing 4 #10 February 26, 2011 I much prefer the Pilot to the Sabre2, but haven't jumped the Safire2. The reasons are as articulated by Jurn, above. -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joellercoaster 6 #11 February 26, 2011 +1 The flare on my Pilot 132 is not quite as good as that on the missus' Sabre2 135, but not enough to make me want to change. The rest of its characteristics, as mentioned above, I like more. They're both great though. I'd buy either of them. And AggieDave, ITYHBT -- "I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan "You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockola 0 #12 February 27, 2011 Quote Sabre: -openings vary a lot. Twists and turns a bit during the opening sequence, and you can count on the endcells being closed... Done 200 jumps on a Sabre2 @ WL 1.5, haven't had end cell closure once. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites