gowlerk

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Posts posted by gowlerk

  1. Quote

    vigil allows you to change the battery yourselve adn be now under limited warrenty. get a cypress



    What is it with people who own Cypri and feel such a strong need to slam other devices? Is it related to a need to brag about all the money they spend? Or are people just emotionally attached to this miracle device that that may save them from doom?

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  2. I've been told that any time nylon webbing has had enough uv exposure to be noticeable to the eye, it will have lost at least half of it's strength. I am betting that before long some one with much more knowledge than me is going to post some hard facts about this.
    Hiding a problem by coloring it would obviously be wrong. Dyeing it solely to change the color is not technically feasible, as well as possibly damaging to the material. Harness webbing has colored threads woven into them for identification purposes.
    All in all there are several good reasons not to try this.

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  3. Quote

    You might be surprised. The forces involved during opening are pretty significant. If you could open it with your hands, odds are 120mph of wind would have done the same.



    That may be true, hard to say with out a test drop. But I will say that it wanted to maintain it's cocooned and S folded shape, like a brick. If it started to come out of that shape, I'm sure the airflow would do the rest. But I'm not sure it would have been able to start.

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  4. Early this summer I bought an ebay rig that had been a closet queen for 10 years. I came with a Diablo 170 and a PDR160, both packed. Judging from the rusty hardware it was not stored in a cool dry place.
    The Diablo came out of the bag in a brick, I had to peel it apart to hang it up. There is no way this thing would have opened, that old South African ZP fabric may as well have been coated with glue. Although it works fine now.
    The PDR on the other hand, stored just as poorly, and for just as long seemed like a normal repack. It didn't even seem to stay wrinkled longer than usual. I sort of wish I could have tested it first. I guess if I had just put the rig on and jumped it, I would have!

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  7. Poll? You would take a vote to decide this when RI is a phone call away? You are just kidding, right?

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  8. I have a Reflex to pack. DOM 05/01 Serial#2162. Part # RA01-1 (1) The only manual I can find is for a Reflex II. I'm not sure if there is a difference or not. It's possible that it is a Reflex II, but nothing on it indicates so. I'm guessing there is some knowledge about this available in this forum.

    If you can give me some information on this, please let me know.

    Thanks
    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  9. I agree with all the reasons you list for possible delays. I'm not asking for Mars to explain the hold up. I'm just saying that they need to keep us informed about the launch date. Once they announce one, they should follow through or give a new estimate of the date. They should do this as soon as possible after they realize that they can't deliver on time. I can be patient, but I need information that is realistic and timely. The time they gave has come and gone without a word. Who knows? Maybe there are hundreds of them sitting in the warehouse ready to ship next week.

    I'm right with you on the fantasy thing, but I would note that if you happen to own an AAD that Big Brother won't let you use, and he also won't let you jump without one, it's going to feel pretty real.

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  10. Just as a matter of interest, have any container manufacturers approved the Astra for installation? Of course none have banned it so can it be used?

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  11. That may be among the reasons they have not yet done what they said they would do. When you announce a launch date for a new product, you need to follow through. Or at least keep your potential customers informed of changes. Otherwise you look like you are not organized or professional. This is not the image the AAD industry should be stiving for at this time of turmoil.

    Ken

    Quote

    It may be they haven't gotten container manufacturers to sign off on it yet (approved use).


    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  12. Actually the website looks nice to me, but obviously English is not their first language. The user's manual is there, and the English is much better in it, but not perfect.

    I can remember when the Cypres website was not the slick marketing tool it now is. Don't let the glitter fool you!

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  13. After a splashy announcement at the PIA Symposium, including a shipping date of June 2011 we have heard nothing from the distributor or the manufacturer about this product.

    I fully understand that this is a complex project, and that delays are almost inevitable. But at the very least, the customers need an update on when or even if this product will be made available. I am waiting for more information so that I can make a decision. As far as I can see, the announcement was made so that people would hold off on buying and therefore potentially boost sales.

    The Mars website still says shipping in June. The Alti-2 site has an announcement saying more information will follow the Symposium. I don't know who is dropping the ball here, but the lack of an update is reflecting poorly on both companies.

    Ken Gowler
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  14. All the corrosion off the grommets mostly. Emory cloth and a little Brasso as well. Also surface rust spots off the hardware.
    The bag grommets were green as were the main slider grommets. Fortunately the reserve did not have any.

    I bet you thought I might try to clean the canopy! I thought about it, but as far as I know, there is no way to do so without doing more harm than good.

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  15. Thanks,
    Yes Rob, I spent all afternoon cleaning it up. And yes, I'll be test jumping the main tomorrow. This Diablo is just like brand new except for the stain on the centre cell. Too bad the cell is lemon yellow, It really shows the stain.

    I bought the whole thing for $850. I think I did OK even if I can't save the harness. And I'm starting to think that I can. So I won't be asking for a refund!

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  16. I took a flyer buying an ebay rig. Advertised as a Talon with a PDR 190 and a Triathlon 175. It turned out to be a PDR160 with only 6 packs, and a Diablo 170. And rusted hardware that likely will require a harness rebuild. (but it was cheap!)
    The Diablo looks like fun, but this thing has been in storage for 10 years, and the tube stows used on the closing stows have melted and left stains that go right through the top skin and into the bottom skin of the center cell.
    Does anybody here have experience with the effect this may have on the material?

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  18. That particular size is in high demand and short supply. I'm guessing that with a passed pull test, which should not be a problem, someone would snap it up for at least $450. Of course, if it can't pass the pull test, it is only a car cover.

    There are almost none available used.

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  20. Quote

    I don't know if it's suitable for heavy work although I know it is not suitable for very light work. She said the walking foot ate the hell out of some material she was working on (garment alterations) so she hasn't used it in a few years.



    Be careful here, either you or her do not understand the term "walking foot" This is not a walking foot machine, it only has bottom or "drop feed". It may have very aggressive feed dogs that damaged material. But that would not be a problem, because if it was you would simply change them out.

    I don't actually know of any walking foot ZZ machines. They may exist, but I've not seen one.

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  21. I'm getting sick and tired of the whole Argus response going on. ( or lack of ) I would love to see this company succeed, but it is clear that the ownership of it does not have a clue how to make it happen.

    When a problem is identified with your product, the correct answer is NEVER to start pointing fingers at other people and saying "what about them?" The answer can only be to identify and correct the problem, or the perception of a problem in a straight forward open manner.

    In this industry threatening to sue the companies that your rely on, in an open and public way is about the biggest mistake that can be made. SKYDIVERS HATE LAWSUITS.

    Even if somehow they manage to get manufacturers to rescind the ban, this company is finished. After a debacle like this, no one is going to ever buy or recommend this product again.

    As far as I can see Aviacom is finished, because they have allowed their credibility to be destroyed. And anonymous posters bad mouthing their competitors in this or any other forum have EVEN LESS credibility.

    BOOTHBUSTERS ARE COWARDS

    Ken Gowler
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  22. When you buy a new canopy, it will come with links. When you buy a new container, it will not come with links. That should be clear enough.

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  24. The Tempo is worth about $500 and the rest is worth almost nothing on the American or Canadian market.

    That is my own opinion, nothing more or less. I offer it freely and it's worth every penny it is costing you.

    Ken
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

  25. I just happen to have a freshly washed Micron hanging up to dry here. There is some access to the stitching involved, but not enough room to get a ZZ foot close to do a nice job without a lot of disassembly. No wonder it's not mandatory!

    There is enough room to do a patchy repair in the corner where the damage starts, but that's not what the advisory calls for. The proper repair is way above my pay grade.

    And yes on the right hand side there are a couple of pulled stitches, not enough to worry about yet, but I may tell my customer to send it in to UPT at the season end.

    Ken Gowler
    Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.