Halcyon Pioner 36 and 45

[WJL]

Jackknife once bubbled...
Seems like a good setup. I just purchased a brand new Dive Rite Classic Wing (59 lbs lift), for my Dive Rite SS Backplate, but I think I like the Halcyon 45 lbs. wing better for my singles.

Anyone got a brand new Halcyon 45 lbs wing, they want to trade with me for my brand new, never been wet, DR Classic Wing?

Although in many situations I live by the rule "if some is good, more is better," this doesn't work for lift capacity. Getting a wing that is too big will increase your drag, making you work harder to get anywhere, and thereby needlessly increasing your gas consumption. I have used the 36 lb wing with a 7mm double layer wetsuit and a PST 104 with no lift problems whatsoever. If anything, the smaller 27 lb wing might be better than the 36 for me. Unless you have extremely unususal requirements, accept the manufacturer's advice and go with the 36 lb Pioneer wing.

 

[dfk68]

I dive the 45# wing because I got it very cheap. It works great underwater but at the surface it tends to push me face down. Since I spend as little time at the surface as possible I see this as little more than an announce. The wing it's self is long but not very wide and it does not "taco". If you are diving in warm waters w/ a shorty and a AL80 do as Halcyon recomends and opt for a smaller wing.

 

[Birdman]

I use the 45 lb wing. At the time I purchased it my local shop was cool enough to also get a 36 lb wing so I could compare them head to head, which I did both in and out of their pool. These wings have the exact same dimensions except for the bellows, which is just a tad wider and extends just a tad further up the wing for the 45. The differences are just plain small. I went with the 45 because I have the habit of hauling a 40 cu ft stage and an argon cylinder, and I like having my head up out of the water. I was pretty low in the water at the surface in the pool with the 36 during my test. I like the 45 just fine both above and under the water. I would have gone with a 36 if I hauled less stuff. I think the 36 would have worked for me, I just didn't want to chance it, since I had just ebayed a pile of stuff to be in a position to get a new wing .