First Rig (awww...bless)...Vortex II..?

[Zoter 0]

Hi everyone.......firstly just wanted to say as a newbie I am Sooo impressed and thankful for all you experienced people out there helping out us new guys......reading these forums have learned alot .

I'll cut to the chase...6ft 2, 15stone (>205lbs) looking for first rig (< 50 jumps....awwww)....

Have been offered the following :

Vortex II container (Javelin copy by Chute Shop)
ZpExe 215 main about 70 jumps, bright green
Decelerator 220 reserve 0 jumps
Collapsable BOC pilot chute/ slider
Cypres DOM 10/01
Hip rings, stainless steel hardware

All for £2K..........I have done my research into the Vortex II containers ( and know the problems ) and the canopies too......but please can I take YOUR opinions on this rig in general.

Whatvere you have to offer me about it, or specific parts of it....I'll be very grateful.......thanks guys and gals

[mota 0]

I have a Vortex II and a cannopy made by Parachutesystems(ex-chute chop), and i have made 300 jumps and i think this gear is Ok.Good relations qualit/price

[Zoter 0]

Ouch !...just been reading a different topic posted ....jeez at my stage of the game I am concentrating more on the freefall side of the game....for the canopy ride down...I want something nice and SAFE that gives me time to think about what just happened..enjoy the view and give out a big 'Yee ..Haww'.......and maybe something that teaches me the 'extras' of canopy flight off student status
why are people so keen to downsize ?........'lern yer shit first...surely...?'

[CJK 0]

I've had my Vortex II and ZP.exe 170 for about 80 jumps now.

First, the container:

LOVELY!!!! I have a pull out and I haven’t had any problems with it so far.

Canopy:
EVEN BETTER!!! I've read that some people have problems with theirs, but so far mine has performed exceptionally well.

I load it to about 1.35 with equipment and it flies like a demon. Turbulence doesn’t seem to be such a big issue for me as for the guys with the ellipticals etc.

It DOES have a more pronounced wing angle so yeah, the ZP.exe comes down a bit faster than other canopies.

My 2 cents worth.

Grounded?!?!?! Whadda ya mean I'm "GROUNDED"?!?!?!?!

[lazyfrog 0]

I know several people with Vortex2... all very happy of their rig.
why are people keen to downsize ??? to be faster on the next load
!! WARNING !! Low openings can be harmful for your health

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Fumer tue, péter pue
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ourson #10, Mosquito Uno, CBT 579

[mr2mk1g 10]

I've done a few jumps on an Exe 215

Its basically a copy of the sabre from what I understand. It flew nicely and will give you lots of room to make mistakes, which is important as a newbie.

You should like it.

[tdhibberd 0]

I've done a couple of jumps on a ZPexe myself, its my understanding that they are trimmed with a greater angle of attack than the equivalent sabre making them a bit faster and a bit more ground hungry as a a result.

It seemed also to be a bit more stable in turbulence but i haven't done enough jumps on one to make any real comment

[nicknitro71 0]

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Vortex II container (Javelin copy by Chute Shop)

It's not a Javelin copy, it's a Wings copy. Anyhow, I demo it at the Ranch. Nice rig. I wish the rise covers went down a bit more. By the way the Hurricane is a sweet canopy...

Memento Audere Semper

903

[Remster 30]

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it's a Wings copy

Will all you people stop to try to point the finge at who copied who?????

AFAIK, the Vortex II came our before the Wings. This is not to say that the Wings is a copy of the Vortex either.

Unless one is using the TSO of another, just because a rig has a patially hidden pop top does not mean its a copy of another rig.....

Remster

[nicknitro71 0]

I did not know that.

Do you know the exact release time fot both?

Anyhow to my untrained eyes the Wings and Vortex II look very, very much alike. But then again I'm jumping a Dolphin...and a vintage Warp III...

Memento Audere Semper

903

[Remster 30]

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Do you know the exact release time fot both?

nope, hence the AFAIK....

Remster

[dinog3 0]

My first question is why arent you considering other containers? is it a money thing? if so why would you want to pay the least amount of money for the part of your gear that has to work 100% of the time? Your main will malfunction, you will see your reserve occasionally but your container has to work every time. When the shit hits the fan you should know that you did not skimp out on your rig because it was cheaper. For a couple hundred dollars, you could get something like a Mirage.

[ypelchat 0]

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Do you know the exact release time fot both?

nope, hence the AFAIK....

When I bought my Vortex II, my dealer told me that the Vortex incorporates the advantages of the Mirage and the Javelin.



Yves.

[nicknitro71 0]

Do you have any stats backing up the fact that the Vortex II in unsafe to jump?

Memento Audere Semper

903

[Benshepherd 0]

Never jumped a vortex II, but when I bought my rig earlier this year I looked at the Vortex as it was cheaper than the competition. I spoke to two different riggers, both well respected in the UK, both of whom said that the Vortex/ZP rigs were cheap because they were crap quality! One of them actually said that he refused to service any of the South African rigs.
For £2000 there are a lot of other rigs out there.

Ben

[Zoter 0]

"My first question is why arent you considering other containers? is it a money thing? if so why would you want to pay the least amount of money for the part of your gear that has to work 100% of the time? Your main will malfunction, you will see your reserve occasionally but your container has to work every time. When the shit hits the fan you should know that you did not skimp out on your rig because it was cheaper. For a couple hundred dollars, you could get something like a Mirage "



Not really thought about it from that angle....
The advice ( from just about EVERYBODY) is
First Rig....buy second hand...full stop.

And TBH here in the UK I am finding it reasonably difficult to find nearly new second hand rigs that are a decent size for me.......there just dont seem to be that many adverstised....and I am looking!

I want a nearly new container....and of course am going to get it rigger inspected....but if its nearly new...in decent condition...and rigger examination passed....it doesnt make it any different from what most other people are jumping...right?

Anybody got any comments on buying 'nearly new' containers....versus spanking new as a fisrt rig....pros and cons beyond the money factor?

[Zoter 0]

Really....loads of other rigs out there.....Large size?

WHERE??

Im looking on the BPA site, Dirtdive UK site, a few company sites and regularly get info from 4 DZ's 'Bulletin boards'

Anywhere else you could suggest Ben.....help appreciated

[metalslug 36]

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Never jumped a vortex II, but when I bought my rig earlier this year I looked at the Vortex as it was cheaper than the competition. I spoke to two different riggers, both well respected in the UK, both of whom said that the Vortex/ZP rigs were cheap because they were crap quality! One of them actually said that he refused to service any of the South African rigs.
For £2000 there are a lot of other rigs out there.

Ben

I am not at all qualified to be evaluating rig quality.. but I'm fairly sure that the comparatively cheaper pricing of Parachute Systems gear has more to do with economics than quality.

The ZAR/$US/£UK exchange rates are usualy quite favourable for foreign buyers purchasing most South African products, not just skydiving gear.
To buy a brand new Parachute Systems rig of the same specifications mentioned by Zoter will cost closer to £3000 (depending on customised options etc.) so I would assume that the rig being discussed already has a few jumps on it to have decreased its value.

My 0.02

[dinog3 0]

Not really thought about it from that angle....
The advice ( from just about EVERYBODY) is
First Rig....buy second hand...full

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If you think about it, why would you want to buy a used container? Is it because you are going to downsize? If that is why, most everybody will tell you to be patient when you are downsizing. When you buy a new container, it is going to be guaranteed to fit you which is something you are not going to get if you buy used. And when you are ready to significantly downsize, your container shoud be a few years old any way and you most likely be ready to sell it. Some manufacturers like Mirage will allow you to go down one canopy size from the recomended container size without sacrificing safety. So my point is spend the money for a new one that will fit properly and don't be in such a hurry to downsize.

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