H.u.b.

[Joffren]

I am a novice diver and am interested in the Mare's
H.U.B. I have, of course, heard as many positive things as I have negative. Some feedback please!!!

 

[Quarrior]

I am a novice diver and am interested in the Mare's
H.U.B. I have, of course, heard as many positive things as I have negative. Some feedback please!!!

Hi and welcome to the board. As for the H.U.B, I looked at one of those when I first started diving and joined the board. Asked basically the same question you did. Answer I received back was to 1) search the board, there is a huge amount of information on here about them, 2) do not buy one.

Personally, after doing my research them and various other BCs and testing a few, I finally ended up going with a backplate and wing configuration.

Nothing I've used is as comfortable and adjustable as the BP/W. Given my non-standard size, adjustable is really important to me.

Brian

 

[wedivebc]

Hi and welcome to the board. As for the H.U.B, I looked at one of those when I first started diving and joined the board. Asked basically the same question you did. Answer I received back was to 1) search the board, there is a huge amount of information on here about them, 2) do not buy one.

Personally, after doing my research them and various other BCs and testing a few, I finally ended up going with a backplate and wing configuration.

Nothing I've used is as comfortable and adjustable as the BP/W. Given my non-standard size, adjustable is really important to me.

Brian

I second that. I have never owned a hub but I looked one over at DEMA and thought that would be a service technicians nightmare. Not to mention the annual service bill.
Nothing beats a bp/wing for comfort and adaptablility in my book.
That's just my opinion and I hope you do your own research before you believe anything I might have to say

cheers,

 

[Tamas]

And on the other side of the debate......my dive buddy owns one and he absolutely loves it. For o/w it is the way to go, he claims that with that BC he feels more comfortable under water and better in control then any other. He loves the all-in-one idea and comfort of gear assembly, the trim valves and all, the only peeve he has with it is the large bulky pockets one gets but that can resolved with a smaller octo and such....over all it is a very nicely balanced BC with good weight integration.

In short, try to dive with one before you decide (most dive shops will let you try them in a pool before purchasing), yes the BP/W combos are fare more superior, but for an average O/W diver they are a bit of an overkill and the HUB is very nice.

but of course this is just my $0.02

 

[Boogie711]

...yes the BP/W combos are fare more superior...

And far, FAR cheaper.

 

[jonnythan]

yes the BP/W combos are fare more superior, but for an average O/W diver they are a bit of an overkill and the HUB is very nice.

but of course this is just my $0.02

How can something with 1/10 the complexity, 3/5 the cost, 1/5 the bulk, 1/3 the nylon, twice the reliability, and infinitely greater flexibility be overkill?

 

[Tamas]

Originally Posted by Joffren
I am a novice diver

...this is how! even though the BP/W combos are all that you said, for the average person they seem complicated and not as user friendly. They see a S/S plate with webbing coming out of it (for you and I that is a pro) whereas the HUB looks sharp and comfortable and ready to wear.

See my point now?

 

[Quarrior]

...this is how! even though the BP/W combos are all that you said, for the average person they seem complicated and not as user friendly. They see a S/S plate with webbing coming out of it (for you and I that is a pro) whereas the HUB looks sharp and comfortable and ready to wear.

See my point now?

Guess I'm going to have to bite on this one. What is the definition of a "Novice Diver"? Reason I ask is that I started diving a BP/W on my 26th dive. Put it together myself. Now 10 whole dives later, I couldn't be happier with my choice.

Yes, it does take an ability to follow a diagram to figure out the webbing and a little dexterity to adjust it, but, I seriously doubt anyone who passes their OW is so mechanically disinclined they could not cope with the "complexity".

Brian

 

[Northeastwrecks]

...this is how! even though the BP/W combos are all that you said, for the average person they seem complicated and not as user friendly. They see a S/S plate with webbing coming out of it (for you and I that is a pro) whereas the HUB looks sharp and comfortable and ready to wear.

See my point now?

Oh..... yeah....

I'm confused. I thought that he wanted information on how the HUB WORKS, rather than how it LOOKS.

With regard to its looks, its great if the look you're going for is the "I'm-a-newbie-with-more-money-than-brains" look, coupled with the "I'm-a-risk-taker-who-likes-multiple-failure-points" thing.

With regard to how it works, suffice to say that I've had two divers show up in classes with them. One needed to be rescued because the primary reg is a POS that didn't breathe well on a shallow (80 fsw) dive. The other diver had some type of problem with his joystick and had to sit out a day of dives until we were able to cobble together enough equipment to build a regulator. Why? Because you can't separate the reg from the BC and we weren't about to try disassembling the joystick. If he had had a just about any other type of rig, I could have swapped the inflator out in less then 10 minutes.

Incidentally, the reg we built (using my old POS OMS piston deco reg, someone else's extra SPG and and an octopus that someone had in their bag), breathed better then the primary on the HUB.

I respectfully disagree with any suggestion that the back plate is complicated. The rig comprises one piece of metal, one piece of webbing and one wing with straps. If bought from a decent shop, they should be able to fit it to the diver in about 45 minutes. After that, its fun and easy to dive. It also grows with the diver. I'm using the same plate for staged decompression dives in doubles that I used with my singles wing several years ago.

As for it being inappropriate for newer divers, I've probably fit 20 new divers for BP&W this season. I fit about 45 last season. All of these divers have had the chance to try jackets, and some owned their own gear, so they do know the difference. So far, not one has complained or returned the gear, even though the shop offers a 100 day return policy.

Overall, I can't think of a worse choice for diving gear than a HUB. I'd stop diving before I'd use one.

 

[Paul Evans]

My name up there may be Mr Mares but................

Don,t do it

Airlock works fine but whats the point!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are going to dive in cold water it may well freeze!!!!!!!! even with the ice version.

If you intend keeping anything in the pockets, forget it!!!!!

If you like the concept, Get a airtrim BC and a good set of mares regs - Abyss or Proton Ice - this combination is far far better.

The plumbing in a hub is a nightmare, far to many faliure points - the case it comes in is not worth a cent - the Hub itself is to heavy.

I could go on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love my Airtrim BC but the BP/W is as good (some will say better) for any diver.

Please get advice from sombody with experience if you want to assemble your own BP/W


Just my 2 cents