I've had my creatures leash now for 7 years. I guess I need to go harder!

Following your advice, just bought an O&E XT Premium.

Seems comfy, now I'll wait for bigger waves to test it..

A note of caution with the O&E One XT I learnt the hard way.

I bought a 7ft to use on my 8'5" Degenerate in small to medium surf. It's got a pretty small rail saver and if you attach it the conventional way it's not long enough. It was marginal, the surf was good and I stupidly thought I'd just give it a go.

Results below.

Repairs and replacement done. I've now extended the loop and it sits in the right place but is harder to attach/remove.

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Shabadoo said..
It's got a pretty small rail saver and if you attach it the conventional way it's not long enough.

Ah yes, and the built-in cord is not strong enough for serious waves (guess how I found out :-) )

Now I cut all the built-in cords of my O&E ONE XTs and put 2 dyneema cords of the appropriate length.

I bought the O&E premium 9'r
Overall, I like the leash... but here are some points to consider when choosing one that suits you.

It seems long, but never measured it... I should have ordered the 8ft, it would have been perfect for all my 9 to 9'5 boards.

MY ankles in a wetsuit are too big for standard ankle cuffs (which I prefer), so I bought one for the calf.
Because of the very long calf cuff, I can't wear on my ankle, as I usually do with the longer cuffs.
The long wrap is very long and the end of the velcro and flaps around, waiting for a solid wave to unwrap it.
So.... I must wear on my knee, which it was meant for, but I wish I had ordered the ankle leash. (my knee doesn't like being pulled around)

I really like the stretch of the cord, it greatly reduces the tug.

The leash attachment is too thin IMO
I cut the supplied leash string out the moment I took out of the package.
I simply attach to the hefty strings that are permanently left in all my leash plugs.... that way, they don't get used every session.

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colas said..

Shabadoo said..
It's got a pretty small rail saver and if you attach it the conventional way it's not long enough.

Ah yes, and the built-in cord is not strong enough for serious waves (guess how I found out :-) )

Now I cut all the built-in cords of my O&E ONE XTs and put 2 dyneema cords of the appropriate length.

Hey Colas, I like Dyneema, I have spliced it for tug boats etc, but while we don't want to be separated from our boards I think there should be a weak link in the setup and with dyneema this would be the plug or the leggy.I don't have the answer on this ,just putting the question out there.I would think the weak link should be the leggy or the attaching cord.
I use two plugs and two polyester 8 plait cords thinking one cord may break but leave me attached to the board by the second cord.
I got this from Supthecreek and it sounds good to me.

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lukemin said..
Hey Colas, I like Dyneema, I have spliced it for tug boats etc, but while we don't want to be separated from our boards I think there should be a weak link in the setup and with dyneema this would be the plug or the leggy

I don't think the plug will fail. In my experience, it is always the cord that end up failing ultimately, once you get everything else bombproof. But yes, I have seen pics of plugs failing.

Also, for the plug strings, I am also wary of the abrasion over time, even if my 3mm dyneema strings are rated for 1 ton traction when new (so 2 tons for a loop). I lightly sand the edges of the plug to round them.

But I am not a big wave rider, so I have never used more than 8mm cords. I guess in bigger waves with very thick leashes, two plugs is kind of mandatory. I have even seen 2 leashes used...