Power Tool - Yes or No?

[Avikus 0]

Good day!

So last weekend, I got informed that a lovely 80 jumps wonder came to a fellow packer, that just borrowed my tool, that no one uses the Power Tool for packing normal rig, it is only used for tandems.

So, I'm a packer myself for many years, use the power tool since day 1. Seen a lot of DZ with a lot of packers using them. But I couldn't justify answering to Mr Know-it-all because I don't really have facts about this subject (I won't reply to something I don't have all the fact) but just opinion and what I saw right.

So I came here to ask you, are the Power Tool not getting used as much as I thought? Am I doing it wrong?

And what about you, are you for or against using them?

Thanks,

Avikus - Packer and Jumper - Hate landing with the plane!

[JWest 0]

You can use whatever works for you. Seriously it doesn't matter.

[gowlerk 2,193]

Lots of people use them, lots of people don't. Hurts my hand so I don't, at least not for closing rigs. It kinda bugs me to see people wear them around their necks. Doesn't seem wise to me.

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

[justme12001 0]

I use a powertool to pack normal rigs and tandem rigs. It is much more comfortable to me.

Use whatever you want!

[Southern_Man 0]

Pretty much all the packers I know use them, including me. Just much easier on your hands to use it, which is important when you are doing nothing but packing rigs all day. All of us CAN pack without them, but why would you when 1. it saves your hands and 2. you have it on you all the time anyway because you are using it when you pack tandems.

I'd say ~50% of fun jumpers I know use them, but that is just a shot in the dark figures.

"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

[Pobrause 6]

Wtf is a 'Power Tool'?

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

To absent friends

[SethInMI 174]

I don't use a power tool, but the only criticism I have heard about them is they can be used to close tight rigs that are really too tight and should not be closed. But that is more of a user issue than the tool itself.

It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less".

[decompresion 2]

The only correct tool to use for packing anything is a string that is handmade out of orange dacron lines woven with hairs from Bill Booth's beard, a dried piece of grass from the main landing area in Elsinore, a piece of straw from the hat of Eloy's S&TA (Burke), with a patented helical sweep of iFly's Alan Metni (Pat number: US7028542 B2) after being ceremoniously dunked in the Z-Hills swoop pond by the golden Knight's 8-way team while being filmed by Joe Jennings AND Norman Kent and delivered to the packer using Mike Mullin's super king air being flown by Dave (the pilot) from skydiveradio.

That, or just use anything that happens to be lying around the packing mat.

There are no dangerous dives
Only dangerous divers

[justme12001 0]

https://www.chutingstar.com/skydive/power-tool

[sammielu 3]

Please don't jump with a snag hazard like that around your neck. If it snags on the plane during climbout, another jumper or their equipment during a collision, or on one of your canopies/risers/ 3 rings during deployment or a cut away - it would be a very bad day for you. If you don't have a pocket, put it in your sock or hand it to a friend. Seriously, keep your head ON.

And pack with whatever you want.

[Pobrause 6]

lol, power tool, thaahaha
I was kinda expecting an electrical devise that helps you close rigs in a strange way ^^

those were invented as packboys here in germany, the inventor beeing Ulli Wambach. There are a lot of bad copies on the market, it's not just a metal stick with a spectra line. Can't say anything about the chutingstarversion though.
www.riggingloft.de
http://www.packboy.com/
links for credit to the man, who deserves the credit for them!

they are sold as 'Original Packboy'
Pretty mutch everybody here closes his rig with a packboy, and definitely not only tandemrigs.
Its easier, faster and my girlfriend would only be able to close 40 rigs a day instead of 100 without them.

The only point against them that actually makes sense is that when used improperly you could damage the grommets on the closing flaps. But having seen thousands of packjobs done by hundreds of different people I never encountered this problem in real life.

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To absent friends

[Pobrause 6]

sammielu

Please don't jump with a snag hazard like that around your neck.

definitely!

not only because of the obvious snag hazard and beheading capacity but more importantly they open up quite easily and tend to get lost when dropped at 10.000ft
Not the cheapest packing tool to loose on a regular basis

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To absent friends

[Avikus 0]

Always take mine off... well mr 80 some jump wonder should be told this.

Avikus - Packer and Jumper - Hate landing with the plane!

[councilman24 37]

Tell 80 jump wonder to pound dirt. I used a wooden toggle from an old round to pack my strato cloud into a strato star container in 1981. Along with two feet.

The person using it needs to know that they're not making the rig too tight. That may be why the 80 jump wonder was told not to use it. Just like I won't let a baby rigger use a crank tool on a reserve a new jumper needs to be able to learn the feel of the rig when it's right and when it's wrong.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[grimmie 186]

decompresion

The only correct tool to use for packing anything is a string that is handmade out of orange dacron lines woven with hairs from Bill Booth's beard, a dried piece of grass from the main landing area in Elsinore, a piece of straw from the hat of Eloy's S&TA (Burke), with a patented helical sweep of iFly's Alan Metni (Pat number: US7028542 B2) after being ceremoniously dunked in the Z-Hills swoop pond by the golden Knight's 8-way team while being filmed by Joe Jennings AND Norman Kent and delivered to the packer using Mike Mullin's super king air being flown by Dave (the pilot) from skydiveradio.

That, or just use anything that happens to be lying around the packing mat.

Thanks for that.

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

sammielu

Please don't jump with a snag hazard like that around your neck. If it snags on the plane during climbout, another jumper or their equipment during a collision, or on one of your canopies/risers/ 3 rings during deployment or a cut away - it would be a very bad day for you. If you don't have a pocket, put it in your sock or hand it to a friend. Seriously, keep your head ON.

And pack with whatever you want.

Don't wear it around your neck, period.

Jumping, not jumping, whatever.

Having something around your neck that will kill you before it breaks is just plain stupid.

And dangerous.

But nobody's gonna listen. They never do.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[akarunway 1]

Pobrause

Wtf is a 'Power Tool'?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_tool

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

No. The thin piece of spectra makes it harder to get the closing pin in than a pull-up cord, and decent technique closing each flap means tension on the pull up cord isn't high enough to require a better grip from a handle.

[normiss 800]

I'd hate to see the damage a power tool can do to a multimillion dollar aircraft from freefall.

[Zydrius 0]

Spike tool is super nice and super strong. The Best! Made by Peeksteep

http://www.chutingstar.com/peeksteep-spike-parachute-packing-tool

[AdD 1]

Using them is fine as long as you don't substitute power for technique. ie. Don't apply essence force to the closing loop and wear it prematurely.

Life is ez
On the dz
Every jumper's dream
3 rigs and an airstream

[skygypsie 2]

Power tools...absolutely a Packer's best friend !
I was a Lead Packer for 8 seasons (now only for hub, if dz falls behind, teach students).
I've over 10,000 tandem packs (Strong & Vector/Sigma) & at least that many in student & up jumper packs.
Vector Sigma Tandem rigs per mfg. reqs. closing can only be done w/ a power tool.
Sport rigs or for those who would rather modify their closing loops; possibly jeopardizing their openings because they can't close with pull up cord or their own ability, a power tool will solve those issues...its also faster.
They also lessen wear & friction on the closing loop.
I (my hub, as well) teach Pro packing to new students, lending a power tool to them, to learn to use it properly.
Once they have successfully packed & jumped their own pack, they receive their own congrats/grad, power tool....we then have to teach them how to finger trap cypress line to make their own cords.
I have, but would rather close w/ one...& I do wear them around my neck.
When Staff Packing up to 40 tandem rigs/day, w/ allowance for an occasional jump in between, it is much 'safer' & convenient keeping it around the neck, than lying on the floor to lose track of...more importantly to entangle or snag fabric or gear.
You can't keep them in a pocket...beyond multiple contorted body positioning, using most appendages, needed to pack especially tandems, not real smart to keep a sharp steel object where your body meets fabric.
I do Remove Before Flight, however !

* they are also beneficial for removing tightly knotted, broken rubber bands...rather than some packers I've seen leaving a scissors or other cutting tool lying on the packing floor, or those who would rather just add a 'new' one around the broken one

[skygypsie 2]

I have an Original Pack Boy, with "Pack Boy" engraved on the steel.
It was given to me by my instructor (now husband), when I learned to pack, 10 years ago.
It was given to him by his good friend "Tony Rapasky", who died a short time later on a jump.
It is the best 'power tool' I've ever used, but have retired it for sentimental reasons.

~BSBD Tony~

[mathrick 2]

I bought a packboy very early when I was learning to pack, and used it, then around the time I had 30-40 packjobs, I stopped and went back to pull-up cords. I found packboys much easier to lose (mostly because there aren't a million of them always strewn around the packing floor), I can't stuff it in my leg strap like I can with a cord, and I actually find it easier to use a cord than to thread the metal rod through the grommets without letting the spectra loop slip; it just seems to require more careful concentration to get it through successfully. But I imagine I'd judge the balance differently if I had to pack all day; I only pack for myself and occasionally some student canopies, so a "heavy pack day" is maybe 15 jobs for me.

"Skydivers are highly emotional people. They get all excited about their magical black box full of mysterious life saving forces."

[JohnMitchell 16]

skygypsie

Power tools...absolutely a Packer's best friend !

I've only used one a couple of times and I was clumsy with it. For regular rigs, I use a pull up cord, no problems. For tandems, I lay them out for the professional packers.