I started diving in 1985 with a used Scubapro Buoyancy Control Pack. It had been discontinued a few years before, but was in nearly all respects a BP/wing - just with a narrower cam pac compared to the more or less standard plate we see today. Even then, I had to listen to a whole bunch of "you're gonna die!" nay sayers as it would not float me face up if I surfaced unconscious. What I knew that they did not is that in the water it was so much more comfortable and so much more stable/controllable. As for the face up/face down issue, I just planned to dive in a manner that ensured i stayed conscious....duh. Many of us drilled a small hole in the pack and filled it with lead shot to reduce the weight on our belts. They held about 6 pounds so again they were very close to a modern SS plate in that regard.
The lean years were afterI wore it out. I tried a used Watergill ATpac for awhile - it had a broader plate but it was thicker to allow for weight integration via marbles and lead shot inside the plate that was dumpable through a door on the bottom - but the inflator and OPV arrangement was sub optimum compared to the Scubapro BCP.
It was a relief when BP wings finally became available again in the mid 1990s.
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If you liked the double hose, I'd suggest a DA Aquamaster with the Pheonix Royal Aquamaster (PRAM) upgrade added to it. It provides a balanced first stage (using Conshelf/Titan parts) along with 3 high pressure ports as well as 3 low pressure ports (in addition to the Hookah port) by replacing the first stage/inlet assembly.
I have two of them, both with newly made reproduction silicone diaphragms, silicone hoses, silicone mushroom valves and butterfly valve. Both were also re-chromed so they look like the new 1958/2008 and 1959/2009 regs they are.
There is also a new second stage assembly available for the DAA, but I have not added that addition yet given that I have no issues with the current level of excellent performance.