Aqua Lung BCD with i3...To Buy or Not To Buy?

[Eric Sedletzky]

I wonder if there's a way to rig up an elevator lever on my BP/W. I'll have to get to work on that, I might have something there.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

....The bottom line is that if you focus on people who actually own and use an i3 BCD system, the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. If that keeps up, that type of technology is going to catch on, and in 10 or 15 years all new BCDs will have a similar inflator control system.

Actually, both sides tend to be biased. Few people will spend $500+ on a new toy and admit it wast not worthwhile, meanwhile the magazines and retailers will always encourage you to buy new equipment. Conversely those of use diving conventional equipment long enough are satisfied with the current equipment because we finally have our skills to the point where the equipments makes very little difference.

BTW: I clearly remember in 1980 when my LDS was telling me in the future all BCD's would be fully weight integrated. Here we are 30+ years later and while they have made huge inroads for sure, they are still shunned by a significant number of cold water divers because of unexpected releases and/or unbalanced rigs.

 

[doctormike]

It seems to me that most of the people who raise reservations about the i3 system (or the similar system from Mares) have never actually used it.

I hear this type of comment frequently in these forums, and I never understood the logic. The vast majority of people on the board (and certainly the majority of the very experienced divers on the board) will probably not have used any new piece of equipment. However, they may have valuable insights, which shouldn't be disregarded just because they haven't bought this specific piece of gear.

The standard method of inflating and deflating a lift wing - the hose and dump valve(s) - seems to me to be elegant, bulletproof, and time tested. Any system that depends on a complex mechanism with new potential failure points and non-standard parts would need to represent a marked improvement over the old system for me to even consider buying it and trying it. I'm not saying that there aren't people who have bought it and are happy with it, I just don't see the point. It seems like a solution in search of a problem.

M

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I hear this type of comment frequently in these forums, and I never understood the logic. The vast majority of people on the board (and certainly the majority of the very experienced divers on the board) will probably not have used any new piece of equipment. However, they may have valuable insights, which shouldn't be disregarded just because they haven't bought this specific piece of gear.

The standard method of inflating and deflating a lift wing - the hose and dump valve(s) - seems to me to be elegant, bulletproof, and time tested. Any system that depends on a complex mechanism with new potential failure points and non-standard parts would need to represent a marked improvement over the old system for me to even consider buying it and trying it. I'm not saying that there aren't people who have bought it and are happy with it, I just don't see the point. It seems like a solution in search of a problem.

M

What it is, is an effort by the manufacturer to bring to the market another gimmick to stimulate sales. Since to them the old tried and trued inflation system has become stale even though there is absolutely nothing wrong with it they must continue to figure out ways to bring something new to the market so they can hype it as better than last years model or at least better than the old inflator over the shoulder. To me a piece of gear that is over engineered with more features is just more that can go wrong with it and also unnecessarily more expensive.

It seems like diving is dividing more and more. Those that follow the path of the latest LDS toys like BC's with elevator levers, and those that follow the minimalist path of getting back to basics and really learning to dive with a minimum of required gear.
It's almost like the two are running in a parallel universe. Unless a person is on the internet and frequents these boards they probably will not know the alternatives.
I run into this all the time with new divers that join our club. They all went through their LDS's to get certified and were sold all this latest stuff. Then when they join the club and see what we're using they wonder why they were never told about what we use by their LDS. I'm setting one gal up right now with a plate and wing and some other more practical stuff.
She only has maybe 8 dives on her i3 unit and already wants to sell it. This is entirely her idea too, we didn't say a word.

 

[doctormike]

It seems like diving is dividing more and more. Those that follow the path of the latest LDS toys like BC's with elevator levers, and those that follow the minimalist path of getting back to basics and really learning to dive with a minimum of required gear.

I totally agree. Simplicity is such a beautiful thing. This isn't like a rebreather which requires a lot of technology because it is doing something that isn't possible to do otherwise. All your BC needs to do is to hold you and your tank together, act as a flotation aid on the surface and provide enough lift to compensate for the weight of the air that you use during the dive and for buoyancy loss in your exposure suit at depth (proper weighting will minimize the need for such compensation).

Not to start THAT thread again, but I am so much happier since I switched to a simple backplate and wing (same rig for my 3 mm shorty in the Caribbean and my dry suit up north).

 

[Splitlip]

It seems to me that most of the people who raise reservations about the i3 system (or the similar system from Mares) have never actually used it. All the negatives I have ever heard or read about either system are based entirely upon very general speculation, and rooted in a suspicion of anything new. Well, an inflator hose can get tangled up in sometime just as easily as another diver might kick the i3 inflator control, and a panicky diver can screw up your BCD whether its using new technology or not.

The bottom line is that if you focus on people who actually own and use an i3 BCD system, the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. If that keeps up, that type of technology is going to catch on, and in 10 or 15 years all new BCDs will have a similar inflator control system.

Well..I will admit I am the first one in line to defend split fins on the grounds that some of the oponents never tried them or used them incorrectly. Also, I do not need to have seen it snow when I wake up in the morning to know it snowed last night. I even can make an argument for AirII's. But this, LOL.

Go back to DevonDiver's post.

If it is not broke, don't fix it.

Buddies should know the buddy's rig...? What if it he is not your buddy or/and he needs to think outside the box.

Muscle memory.

Ocean Rescue here trains to rescue or recover divers. They know how to use a standard inflator.

My wing has 1 opv and a standard corrugated hose. In my save a dive, I have another hose, an opv, zip chords, ratchet gun and a $35.00 inflator. (ok, I replaced the inflator recently when the one on my wing was feeling "sticky"). I'll put one in the SAD shortly.

And, my hose is 13 inches long. Threaded through my shoulder loop, I have maybe 3-4 inches "dangling". LOL.The SCUBA gods would be hard pressed to kill me by entangling that.