Any disadvantages of a light BCD/Wing (XDEEP GHOST)?

[MrTW]

Hi there,

I am contemplating to buy the Xdeep Ghost.

The wing is pretty light since it is made out of titanium and geared towards travelling, which is the main reason I am interested in it.

I am planning on using the wing mostly in tropical/warm waters but also occasionally in SOCAL (COLD ).

My question: is there any significant disadvantage in purchasing a very light wing/BCD in terms of weight stabilization, comfort, etc?

The light weight should be nice for tropical climates but what about cold waters with a 7mm, hoodie, etc.?

Also, if anyone can share experiences with that particular wing would be great as there are only minimal reviews of the Ghost.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[tbone1004]

support local business, buy Deep Sea Supply, hand made in Pasadena. If you want a light travel plate, then get the kydex plate from him, and don't look back. Steel would be better for local diving and I choose to travel with steel vs my kydex plate.

There are minimal reviews of the xdeep in this country for a reason, let's just say that Dive Right in Scuba doesn't drop manufacturers easily and they dropped xdeep for a good reason... Doesn't say made out of titanium, it says an Al/Mg alloy. Either way says total rig weight is about 5lbs, and I think the DSS rig is lighter if you go Kydex and remove the d-rings on the crotch strap.

 

[tridacna]

Ghost is fantastic. Super light and totally versatile. I use one for travel and have never had any issues. It weighs almost nothing and is totally comfortable. I have no hesitation recommending it.

 

[runsongas]

a light plate just means more weight on your weight belt in cold water. you could always just get a steel plate for your local diving.

 

[The Laconic]

You can find my review in SB somewhere.

I later sold it.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I second TBone's referal to DSS.
Pretty hard to beat his deals and quality.
If I had any freedom plates I would offer you one of those in aluminum, but I dont have any.
I recommend buying the lighter plate for now because you can use it in either warm or cold water, just add a few lbs to your weightbelt for cold water. Figure it this way, they used to use plastic backpacks years ago in our waters and made up the difference on their weightbelt, and wearers of poodle jackets in cold water don't have any built in balast whatsoever, so even with a kydex from DSS or aluminum from some other brand you're still ahead.
It also depends on the ratio of cold water vs warm water dives. If you find yourself doing more cold water then get a steel and just suck it up for warm water with luggage fees, or buy two plates. They're not that much.

If it was me I would probably pass on the ghost, it looks too gimmicky for my tastes.

 

[MrTW]

support local business, buy Deep Sea Supply, hand made in Pasadena. If you want a light travel plate, then get the kydex plate from him, and don't look back. Steel would be better for local diving and I choose to travel with steel vs my kydex plate.

There are minimal reviews of the xdeep in this country for a reason, let's just say that Dive Right in Scuba doesn't drop manufacturers easily and they dropped xdeep for a good reason... Doesn't say made out of titanium, it says an Al/Mg alloy. Either way says total rig weight is about 5lbs, and I think the DSS rig is lighter if you go Kydex and remove the d-rings on the crotch strap.

Excellent, great information. I will check out DSS.

 

[MrTW]

Ghost is fantastic. Super light and totally versatile. I use one for travel and have never had any issues. It weighs almost nothing and is totally comfortable. I have no hesitation recommending it.

Thank you for the feedback. It appears super light and makes travel easy. I tried one on in my local DS but did not pull the trigger back then. However, I did find the wing very very comfy (on land that is though).

 

[MrTW]

a light plate just means more weight on your weight belt in cold water. you could always just get a steel plate for your local diving.

Truthfully, I only dove a wing a few times and had rolling/balance issues on almost all dives.

I did deep dives though and had a large pony attached; I wanted to blame the unstable buoyancy on the undistributed weight.

Logically, i would assume that adding simply more weight in a distributed manner should be no issue but i am an absolute wing newbie when it comes to that.

 

[MrTW]

You can find my review in SB somewhere.

I later sold it.

I just read your review - excellent input; thank you!