anyone using a Aqualung with the i3 system?

[ams511]

Why is it rude? I think your comment is way off base. Your advice is based on the less than 1% of scuba divers that actually go into tech diving. Therefore all divers should forget about bcd's, and Aqua Lung is stupid for having the i3 because you someday might go into tech?

Good one.

When I learned how to dive in 1992 probably 99% of all BCs were jacket style except for "Tec BCs" which were back inflate. Now 20 years latter back inflate BCs seems to be the majority while the old stab jackets are the minority. Why is that?

A few years back Aqualung in their infinite wisdom marketed something called a "status" first stage. The thing was supposed to light up if the IP was bad. They no longer market it why? After all if it was a good idea back then it should be a good idea today.

Also if Aqualung is so smart Mares must be really dumb because they had a similar product for years called "air trim" and from a quick look at at their website they no longer sell it. I wonder why is that?

The "air trim" or "I3" is designed for divers that have difficulty mastering basic buoyancy probably because of poor training or rusty skills. Aqualung is not stupid for selling an I3 because they can con some divers into buying it. If this is the future of diving then why don't all their BCs have I3? You must either work at a dive store or have money to burn because I don't understand why someone would buy a piece of equipment that limits what kind of diving he or she can do. Especially when you are paying more to be limited.

Also the gear is non-standard so if you use it you better explain it well to your buddy because if something happens he/she may not know what to do with it. Also it is overly complex so what happens when something breaks? Can it be fixed quickly? Anyone can swap out a power inflator but if the I3 breaks how is it repaired? I really don't see any advantages to the system and it does carry a number of disadvantages.

---------- Post Merged at 02:03 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:45 PM ----------

My smart ass comment was aimed along the lines of "the cheap power inflator works fine, why replace what works." IE, a slide rule worked fine as well, but those folks have embraced advances in technology and are now using computers. And before the argument that technological developments in diving aren't quite the same, I am sure the old heads discussed the single hose vs double hose second stages, horse collar vs BC, etc. Again, it was meant to be funny.

Your analogy is not correct. Slide rules were replaced by calculators (not computers) when calculators could do more than a slide rule could do at an affordable price. I fail to see what an I3 can do that a conventional power inflator cannot. Also the idea is not new, Mares had it for years and it never really caught on. If you are traveling somewhere and your power inflator dies any dive shop will have a replacement. If you are on a boat someone may have a spare one, I know I do. But if your i3 dies then you are SOL, you are going to need someone to fix it preferably trained in how to fix it.

---------- Post Merged at 02:35 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:45 PM ----------

Any tips on how you did that? I was thinking of adding a crotch strap to my Dimension, and my wife wanted to do so to her Lotus.

Crotch straps usually come with a pre-made loop in the front and back is plain webbing that you make a loop with using a tri-glide. If you are able to get at the webbing in the back of the bc you can just loop it around the webbing and use the tri-glide to hold it in place. Alternatively if there is a slot in the backplate you can use that.

 

[randl]

Back inflate BCs aren't the majority. People buy what they train on and they train on jackets.

I bought the i3 because I liked it and it was reviewed very well in the article I happened to read. From an anecdotal standpoint, I've had two power inflators break over the years - both failed to dump from the inflator. I continued to use the BC for dozens of dives in both cases by using the manual dump when I needed it. The i3 also has a manual inflator and manual dump so no one would be SOL.

I have no "dog in this fight" and don't care what folks like or don't like or what they choose to buy. I just think the info should be balanced.

 

[ams511]

Randl, Take a look at manufacturers product lines and you will see how prominent back inflation BCs have become. Scubapro sells 4 models and Aqualung 6. These numbers exclude true backplate and wings. Manufacturers would not be making them if they don't sell.

I differ from you in that I would not dive gear I know is broken. I would rather fix it and dive properly functioning gear. If the inflator won't dump how do you know something else will not go wrong with it? As you probably know a standard inflator can be fixed for $10 including the tool or replaced for $30.

In all my years of diving I have never read a bad review from the media, especially when there is a full page ad next to the review. I would rather rely on people opinions, if you like it that is fine but I am still at a loss as what the I3 system fixes.

 

[HowardE]

When I learned how to dive in 1992 probably 99% of all BCs were jacket style except for "Tec BCs" which were back inflate. Now 20 years latter back inflate BCs seems to be the majority while the old stab jackets are the minority. Why is that?

A few years back Aqualung in their infinite wisdom marketed something called a "status" first stage. The thing was supposed to light up if the IP was bad. They no longer market it why? After all if it was a good idea back then it should be a good idea today.

Also if Aqualung is so smart Mares must be really dumb because they had a similar product for years called "air trim" and from a quick look at at their website they no longer sell it. I wonder why is that?

The "air trim" or "I3" is designed for divers that have difficulty mastering basic buoyancy probably because of poor training or rusty skills. Aqualung is not stupid for selling an I3 because they can con some divers into buying it. If this is the future of diving then why don't all their BCs have I3? You must either work at a dive store or have money to burn because I don't understand why someone would buy a piece of equipment that limits what kind of diving he or she can do. Especially when you are paying more to be limited.

Also the gear is non-standard so if you use it you better explain it well to your buddy because if something happens he/she may not know what to do with it. Also it is overly complex so what happens when something breaks? Can it be fixed quickly? Anyone can swap out a power inflator but if the I3 breaks how is it repaired? I really don't see any advantages to the system and it does carry a number of disadvantages.

The system is popular with Aqua Lung buyers, so who can argue with success?

I can't say why the Mares system was a failure? Maybe because it didn't work like it was supposed to?

I can't say why the Aqua Lung system is successful, and sells well... Maybe it's because it works well, like it's supposed to?

Am I tossing out all of my backplates, selling my dive helmet, and going i3? No. But at the same time, for teaching open water, I chose that BCD over other ones, and I actually tried a few from the shops rental fleet.

While you might think, "oh it's easy to swap a power inflator" - guess what... there are more people who would bring their BCD into their dive shop for even such a minor simple repair... Why is that? The answer is... because the average diver isn't you. It's not me either. The average diver really isn't on ScubaBoard at all. The average diver is a once a year vacation diver.

FWIW... the axiom is not a jacket style bcd or stab jacket... It's actually more of a hybrid, with very little inflation in the stomach area (like a jacket) -

So, while you don't see any advantages, or what problem it's trying to solve... try to open your mind a little and think... hmm... maybe it's just different, and not trying to solve a problem at all. From the people who actually tried one, there's no complaints, the only negative comments are from people who haven't actually tried one at all.

If people didn't change, we'd all still be diving horse collars.

 

[live_2_dive]

Randl, Take a look at manufacturers product lines and you will see how prominent back inflation BCs have become. Scubapro sells 4 models and Aqualung 6. These numbers exclude true backplate and wings. Manufacturers would not be making them if they don't sell.

I differ from you in that I would not dive gear I know is broken. I would rather fix it and dive properly functioning gear. If the inflator won't dump how do you know something else will not go wrong with it? As you probably know a standard inflator can be fixed for $10 including the tool or replaced for $30.

In all my years of diving I have never read a bad review from the media, especially when there is a full page ad next to the review. I would rather rely on people opinions, if you like it that is fine but I am still at a loss as what the I3 system fixes.

Aqualung DOES make an i3 system that is a back inflator (the dimension, the model I plan on buying very soon)

As to your last statment...the i3 doesn't necessarily fix anything. It just takes a different approach. I truly have no side on this, I love the i3, and I know there are people that will hate it. We don't all have to like the same gear (that's the beauty of being on a boat with new friends and talking about all your different gear together!) as long as we can all make our own educated decision and respect said decisions of our fellow divers


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PADI Rescue/DM 09100Z7445
Dr Dive/Wet Dream/Sea Cobra/Y-Knot

Diving is my passion...I live to dive!

 

[Aqua-Andy]

I rely on what I imagine is the same sort of lever technology every time I ride my bike, to operate the brakes and gear shifts. And those work quite well.

How would your bike work if you immersed it in salt water every time you rode it?

 

[whaleboy]

and it dumps air fine, no matter what position?

Ok, I'm no equipment expert, however today at rescue class pool session, we had a assistant
instructor playing the role of victim for us 2 rescue diver candidates. She was wearing an Aqualung
i3. It fills and dumps just fine, my issue with it was, it was cumbersome to operate as a rescuer, most
bc's have a traditional fill and dump on the corrugated hose and it makes it easy to fill the bc.
The i3 fill and dump switch is on the left side over the quick release weights.
Not that you'll need to be rescued anytime soon, however it was something we observed as another
item to aware of when approaching a victim.

 

[Slmason.72]

Any tips on how you did that? I was thinking of adding a crotch strap to my Dimension, and my wife wanted to do so to her Lotus.

The Dimension's hybrid backplate does not have a handy horizontal slot to attach the crotch strap, but it does have two spare verticle slots. As I didn't want to cut a new slot in the mini backplate, I used a piece of pliable 2" webbing through those slots and bent them over at 45* a couple of times so that the ends hung straight down. Used two tri-glides, one to secure the webbing together in a loop and one to hang free to attach a crotch strap to. I used a pre-made crotch strap for its much softer webbing but had to sew a piece into the front loop so it would slide over the larger buckle on the front of the BC. I have pics of this somewhere, but don't have access right now. Will try to remember to post them later.


I don't undstand why people get so passionate about things they have no interest in. If its not for you, great, don't buy it. Personally, I'm not about to take up underwater bike riding any time soon, so I won't be checking to see if there are any bikes built for this purpose, but If that's what floats your boat...

 

[Jake-The-Snake]

I own both a DUI Delta back inflate, and an AquaLung Axiom i3, and in most instances, I will use the Axiom, as it is more comfortable, has/needs no crotch strap, and because after using the i3 system, I love it! IMHO, I love the fact that the i3 system is always in exactly the same spot, and 99% of the time, there is no need to change attitude to dump air. I would not hesitate to buy another.

Time will tell about the longevity of the i3 system, but it really isn't all that complicated, so I'm not worried. And as a pilot, I am used to hearing people shun anything that isn't the accepted, industry norm. But again, IMHO, I applaud Aqualung, and Mares for that matter, for thinking out of the box, hopefully, for their sake, enough people will vote with their wallets, and decide for themselves if i3, or airtrim, was worthy of their R&D dollars.

By the way, Mares still offers 2 models with Airtrim, and of those with whom I have spoken, who had the willingness to try it, were quite fond of the system, but to each their own!

 

[KevinG58]

This i3 thing sure does set off the holy wars. I used one for a couple of years and eventually moved on to a bp/w. NOT because the Seaquest didn't work, just a couple or three irritations:
1. I am a big guy. Sizing for my "diameter" meant the jacket was long relative to the length of my arms, so reaching the inflater/vent lever was always a bit of a stretch. (But the lever was always in the same place.)
2. The depth-compensating cumberbund dealio never worked too well so the jacket was not stable on me. (A home-rigged crotch strap fixed that problem.)
3. Bumping the lever on a crowded dive boat would put extra air in the cell. A regularly occuring irritation. (This never happened to me in the water, but is often brought up as a "potential fatal flaw" of the i3 system.)

The Seaquest never let me down, always worked, the venting system (lever activates both valves) was and is great.

I moved on to the bp/w for:
1. The ability to customize the harness sizing.
2. To utilize the plate weight and its optimized position while wearing a very bouyant XXXL 7 mil wet suit.


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