As spearguns price range goes from below 100€ to a few hundreds and more, we decided as Apneapassion to split the categories of the Best Choice in 3: below 100€, between 100 and 200€ and above 200€. This refers to traditional single or double elastic bands solution, excluding solutions such as Roller, Inverter or Vela. For the latter, a specific category has been established.
So we will start with the above 200€ traditional spearguns category, the one where carbon fiber and elliptical section barrels start to appear, and where demanding spearos choose their spearguns. In this category, 3 really excellent spearguns have reached the final: the Cressi Cherokee Power, the Salvimar Hero and the Sigalsub Nemesis Carbon. The winner of the Best Choice by Apneapassion 2023 in this category has been elected the Sigalsub Nemesis Carbon. Still, the battle has been very close, and each of the finalists has great specific pluses. Let’s first see the reasons for the success of the Sigasub Nemesis Carbon.
Reasons of success of the Nemesis Carbon
The Sigalsub Nemesis is a brand in the brand. It is a speargun today well known and appreciated in many markets in the world. With the Sigalsub Nemesis Carbon Pro, meaning the solution that includes double circular bands, we enter the carbon fiber barrel segment with integrated shaft guide. This is very different from a simple circular section carbon fiber barrel solution. The Sigalsub Nemesis Carbon Pro includes double circular Sigalsub Extreme bands and a Sigalsub Sandvik thermically treated 48/50HRC shark fins shaft.
The result is a light, easy to use, all round and powerful speargun, which responds excellently to almost any need of the spearo when it comes to traditional double circular bands sling spearguns. Its strengths are the lightness, ease of swing, all matched with precision, great power and low recoil. The latter impresses as the weight is very reduced. This applies even for greater lengths, so over 100cm, where you still can feel the Sigalsub Nemesis Carbon extremely light and easy to swing. All this, with an excellent price for a high level carbon fiber barrel solution, starting around 200 euros with the glass loaded nylon Edy reel included.
The two challengers
As anticipated, the traditional spearguns above 200€ category has been extremely battled until the end, and most probably the capacity by Sigalsub to bring to the market a very performing and successful speargun with carbon fiber barrel has made just the difference. Still, there is a lot also in the two other competitors.
The Salvimar Hero is a mine of technological innovations and great details, as we have deeply presented in the x-rays article first and the test in the water after. The quality, high end technological solutions and performances of the Salvimar Hero are extraordinary. The only “limit” is that it is a speargun with very specific characteristics, and mostly suitable for aspetto and blue water fishing. It can be considered the winner of the Ocean blue water spearfishing segment, but lacs a little a more overall use. The price? Extremely competitive considering the cost starting from around 250 € for the 65 cm solution, but including the excellent Salvimar Mini Reel, which is the small version of the Max Reel.
The Cressi Cherokee is a myth among spearguns. There just has something in it, especially the grip and the angle between the grip and the barrel, that make it probably the most intuitive and easy to use speargun. The Cressi Cherokee Power version is definitely extremely precise and powerful. The price starting from just below 200 €, but without reel, makes this Cressi speargun the most affordable of the category, with also some interesting solutions well described in our X-Rays article. Still, in the segment above 200€ we would have liked to see solutions like elliptical section or carbon fiber barrel.
The Best Choice by Apneapassion prize evaluation
“Apneapassion underlines that the Best Choice is a fully independent prize, assigned after deep testing by the 9 athletes of the Apneapassion International Official team. The result of the Best Choice does not want to be an indisputable opinion, as personal preferences and adaptations to each product can determine different opinions and likes. Still, the use of a large number of independent athletes (who’s sponsor is only Apneapassion) permits to give spearfishing and freediving enthusiasts our best possible evaluation of each winner. We are open to any company who would want to participate with its most competitive products to the Best Choice by Apneapassion yearly prize. For any additional information contact carlo.forni@apneapassion.com.“
