Lookma removable slider - re-installation time

[maggyrider 10]

I am thinking about getting a removable slider for my Katana 120 - mainly not for performance reasons but rather because I really hate the handling of the current slider after opening and the limitiations of my field of view as well as the slider pressing against my arms while leaning forward in the harness while have my hands all the way up or on the rears.
I have already seen the PD removable slider live and know the handling and the additional time required to reinstall it but would prefer the Lookma slider as I live in Germany, the delivery time is shorter, there is no PD RS for Katanas, the price is lower, etc. Can anybody with personal experience give an estimation on the time needed to reinstall the slider after landing? (I do a lot of work jumps so packing time is a big issue for me)
Also I have seen that most of the other removable sliders on the market use yellow cable to fix the slider grommets to the actual slider while the Lookma slider relies on a standard line. Has anybody ever experienced any problems with this beeing not reliable?
If - coincidentally - somebody is jumping a Katana 120 with a Lookma slider - do you have any recommendations on sizing or is the PD standard size (20x31 inches) fine?

Nice words are not always true - and true words are not always nice.

[holie 0]

... just ask Frank!
[email protected]

I do jump my third lookma slider ... but all on icarus canopies.

[maggyrider 10]

So how long does it take you to reinstall the slider after landing?

While I will ask Frank from Lookma, I would prefer to have my questions answered by somebody that can give an impartial opinion.

Nice words are not always true - and true words are not always nice.

[Pobrause 6]

Have about 200 jumps on a Katana 120 with lookma RDS.
Version with the one release in the middle

Packing takes only about a minute or less longer (30 sek is possible), so its a non issue. I still am faster than most people with normal slider.
When you get used to it it also is faster and easier than the PD or Icarus removable slider to reinstall. Idiot proof system, very easy to use, easier and better and faster and simpler than the PD and Icarus versions IMO
Lookma sliders are tough and build like tanks, seen them with 2000+ jumps and still looking good and working like on the first day, they last forever.

Have the removable slider in exactly the same size as the standard one.

Openings are... umm... well... interesting?!
on about 50% of the jumps it snivels katanalike for 250 meters and opens beautifully onheading, the other 50% are a variation of slammers, twists and generally nasty and barely tollerable openings especially when doing more than 10 jumps a day with heavyish cameras on your helmet.
I tried close to everything with my packjobs, slider in, slider out, nose in, nose out, nose rolled, stabis folded under, very tight packing versus sloppy packing, rolling, stuffing, doublestowing, let a very experienced packer do some packjobs... you name it.

BEWARE OF PERSONAL OPNINION RESULTING FROM VERY LIMMITED EXPERIENCE:
IMO -->
The problem with the lookma RDS IMO is that the slider grommets are on the outside of the edges of the slider and not on the inside. This allows the canopy to spread further appart upon inflation/ snivel than with the regular slider.
This might lead to quicker inflation.
With the regular slider I had only good openings.

::EDIT::
After contacting Lookma with this Issue and beeing answered within 2 hours (!!

So fault is on the user side as always... dumb me, never buying used again!!




Please can somebody offer a sollution? I really, really love to fly the Katana. Xfire, Zulu, Vengeance and all the others are a joke compared to the versatility and controll range this beauty offers. Would hate to let it go because it doesn't work with a removable slider =/

-------------------------------------------------------

To absent friends

[tomireland 0]

A friend and I both have Lookma removable sliders on a KA120. The slider size comes up a little larger than what came with the canopy even though i gave the same dims. Both only jumping the slider and not full RDS.

Installation - around 60 seconds once you get use to it/its worn in a little/you get the technique. I do it on the landing area and its all done before the load has all landed. The 'lines' that go through the locking 'cords' are stiff to begin and can make it a little slower.

Openings - They have actually made them better. Both terminal and h&p. With the original slider it 'searched' and then picked a direction to go, not always on heading. With the Lookma slider the slider takes slightly longer to come down, sometimes sticks a little half way, but it seems to have reduced the searching and stopped the 'whip' to its chosen direction. Now its more of a gentle change of direction.

Easy to remove, i have the single handle in the middle. I give it a yank in each direction and its off.

Customer service and delivery was great. Inside two weeks from order to delivery.

I haven't checked this but was told that the slider size is the same for KA107/VE103 etc so you should be able to keep it for those.

0.02p

[padalcek 9]

Exactly how long it takes to reattach the slider depends largely on your proficiency on the system you're using.
Frank does offer kill-line collapsible/RDS combo, designed specifically for people like you, who might not always have time between loads to deal with all the extra steps of RDS.