On Pescasub and Apnea magazine you can  read the article about the new Torsion2 system. 

SALVI MAR: A revolutionary barb system

This innovative revolution is called The Torsion 2 system.  It is a patented system which permits the barb to rotate 360 degrees on it’s shaft.  The shaft has been developed by Massimo Quattrone and hosts several advantages, it is especially efficient when fishing big prey.

The Italians are worldly famous for ingenious inventions.  Salvi Mar is no exception to this rule,  the Torsion2 system is a unique spear equipped with a revolutionary system barb.  I saw the first prototype a few years ago in the hands of Massimo Quattrone and was immediately impressed, but I have to admit that the final version left me speechless.  The Torsion2 has a special inox barb which is 1.2 mm thick and 75mm long.  It is equipped with a discharging outlet unlike other models which are typically installed on the shaft milling and fixed by a crosscut rivet: thanks to this outlet the barb can be put on the tip of an arrow and appropriately discharged in its external diameter so that it can rotate 360 degrees on the shaft.  The barb is semi round in shape to prevent it from falling off the cusp.  Salvi Mar has precisely shaped a 60mm long steel cone which is fixed to the tip of the Tahitian Squalo with a special silicon, this silicon is robust enough to resist temperatures up to 280 degrees.  When the barb  is in the rest position it is placed at “zero light” on the metallic bar then a small thin plate is inserted into a narrow slot on the cone to provides a better hold: when you hit the target the single barb is instantly released to enable it to rotate and move vertically for about 85mm.  Underneath, the arrow returns to its normal diameter so the barb is secure in it’s position while over the top it stops on the edge of the cone which has been joined and glued.  There are several advantages to the Torsion2 system:

The hydrodynamics:  The Torsion2 system is compact which means the spear to has a limited frontal section, this characteristic allows very fast flight because of the reduced friction.  The spear is 7.5mm in diameter which is a great advantage as it is 2mm less that any other  barb on the market!

Precision:  It is well known that a flush barb doesn’t change the profile of the cusp so there is more of a guarantee to make a better shot.  With the Torsion2 system the barb is hidden under the protruding parts especially at the end of the spear. 

Penetration:  The Torsion2 allows the spear to pierce without snagging.  The outer surface of the spear is smooth and straight.  The fish can be penetrated efficiently even from a significant distance. 

Retention:  It is the aspect that impressed me most because, I witnessed a dentex almost 6 kg caught by Quattrone on it’s abdomen and it was not lacerated even though it was shot very low down! The reason for this is the barb which moves and adapts to the body of the fish without being a pivot for it.  It rotates 360 degrees, moves up and down for almost 10cm and replicates the functions of a flexible harpoon but benefits from creating very small entrance and exit holes.  Once the fish is penetrated the barb will remain open until manually closed.  Even if the fish is not completely penetrated the barb keeps performing efficiently.  It is not static and always finds a holding point

Robustness:  On this system there are no holes across the spear, therefore it is solid and more resistant compared to other models.  The mechanical properties of the steel Sandvik 17-4PH are notorious.  The cone is joined along its length by a special glue so you can hang the full weight of your body on the pawl without breaking it.  Quattrone tested the Torsion2 on groupers of more than 20kg, on a dentex weighing 13kg, on a tuna and on several big fishes:  everything went ok.



The Ingenious Idea

The idea originated from 2 Ligurian fishermen:  Ivan Barella and Massimo Quattrone.  Barella had the honour to invent and patent the Torsion2 system, the first prototype with a rotating barb and without a rivet.  The system has then been perfected thanks to the “on the field” work undertaken by Quattrone and thanks to technical implementation by Salvi Mar.   Massimo mounted the spear with the new barb on his fishing rifles, he has been continually fishing for almost 2 years and due to first hand experience gained was able to modify and develop it until it was suitable for hunting big catches such as dentex and other big fishes.