Review – Dinsmores Auto-Shot Applicator

Dinsmores Autoshot

Review – Dinsmores Auto-Shot Applicator

This was demonstrated to me using the AUTO-STYX (a styls) version and it looked quite impressive. After the demo I asked if there was one for small split shot and out came this model. In the box you get the applicator, a tube of shot (8, 10, or 11), an allen key, and an instruction DVD that explains how the unit works.

Basically, full round shot is poured into the shot holder where it stays, it can’t escape because the cutter blade holds it in place. (A nice piece of design is that the shot holder on the unit is the top to the phial of shot you buy, so you are already buying replacements with new phials.)

You grip the unit and push the top upwards, this pushes the blade upwards too. You shake the unit, which allows one shot only to fall into the primary holding position.

Depress the top to push, using the blade, the shot into the secondary position.

Depress again with force to bring the blade down to cut the shot. The shot being of (legal) lead is fairly easy to cut.

A tight line is then fed into the side mouth and the waiting split shot, then you press the side lever to close the shot.

The line with shot attached is then pulled clear to the front of the unit.

Sounds complicated, but it’s like writing down the instructions for casting a float. They’re difficult to write down, but any kid can do it after a couple of attempts. It’s impossible to overcut the shot and impossible to squeeze it together too hard because of the inbuilt stops to prevent you doing so. The depth that the blade cuts can be adjusted with the allen key to suit, but once set should deliver the correct depth of cut every time. This is clever designing!

There are maximum line diameters recommended for use with the units, but that makes sense because anything much over those and you’re probably going to use bigger shot anyway. The no. 8 applicator will take lines up to 0.18mm maximum, that’s around 4-5lbs depending on the make. The principles of using the AUTO-STYX are almost exactly the same. Spare phials of shot are available and there’s probably between 150 and 200 no. 8 shot in a phial, enough for quite some time.

The pack costs £ 9.99 and refill packs of shot are £ 2 each.

View the instructional Video

Jeff Woodhouse’s VERDICT

If you think it seems expensive, £ 9.99, for a few (well maybe 150) no.8 shot consider this. My eyesight isn’t what it used to be and with hands the size of shovels holding it, twisting it around for the gap, squeezing it closed, is all a little daunting. Hence most of the time now I’ve been using no smaller than no. 6 shot on the final hooklink. NOT ANY MORE! I reckon with a little more practice I could do this even without my contact lenses in, although that would be pushing it perhaps. Not only does it fix the shot to the line, the shot also seems to be perfectly closed and yet it is easy to slide along the line without damage (so far) and for the life of me, I cannot ping them off. The only downside could be removing them in fact, but for most of the time why would you want to? Brilliant device, well thought and engineered!

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