Singles Wing Recommendation

[tbone1004]

Sinbad, I do believe they are coming out of the same factory that makes Dive Rites wings in New York, but at the price they are offering nothing better than the other brands which is why I have a hard time recommending Halcyon. They make great stuff, but it isn't so good that it is worth paying 1.5x the cost of equivalent wings. Sure they are very nice wings, but is it worth paying $490 for the eclipse wing, when you can get one from dive rite for $340? Is that Dive Rite wing really worth an extra $100 over the Hog wings? I'm inclined to say no because the Halcyon wing isn't going to last more than 2x as long as the Hog wings. The Hollis wings certainly aren't worth the slight premium over the Dive Rites, from customer service alone the Dive Rites would be worth a slight premium....

Eric, no need for inspection of the bladder itself. Positive pressure test when you first set up to see if it stays inflated, then a proper bubble check once you hit the water or during cleaning is all that you really need, they're butyl rubber, not a whole lot can go wrong with them other than puncture or pinch damage, both of which will be very obvious if/when they happen. I am a fan of zippered wings, but I never pull the bladders out for inspection or cleaning, they get rinsed on the inside, but that's about it

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Oxycheq makes good wing, tough and streamline, but not without its design fault. I have been using one for 4+ years. You will heard all the good, but here is some not so good I found: Material is too stiff, doesn't pack well. The shape is also narrow, with 8" tank mounted, it won't inflate fully to give advertized lift. My 40lb Oxycheq provide less lift than my 30lb Halcyon with 8" tank mounted (LP95). The inner blader is over size by a big margin so it is folded on all edges inside the shell. In some instance, it will trap air. Overall, it is a decent wing for the cost. It is the toughest for sure. But it is not what I would call the best.

Are you talking about their regular 40 lbs wing or the Mach series which was super streamlined? I believe they had two versions and one of the super streamlined one.

---------- Post added December 19th, 2014 at 10:10 AM ----------

Sinbad, I do believe they are coming out of the same factory that makes Dive Rites wings in New York, but at the price they are offering nothing better than the other brands which is why I have a hard time recommending Halcyon. They make great stuff, but it isn't so good that it is worth paying 1.5x the cost of equivalent wings. Sure they are very nice wings, but is it worth paying $490 for the eclipse wing, when you can get one from dive rite for $340? Is that Dive Rite wing really worth an extra $100 over the Hog wings? I'm inclined to say no because the Halcyon wing isn't going to last more than 2x as long as the Hog wings. The Hollis wings certainly aren't worth the slight premium over the Dive Rites, from customer service alone the Dive Rites would be worth a slight premium....

I feel the same way. Most wings tend to do the job but I have heard from more than one people that Hog wings have an inflator which inflates slower than most wings. Some people love this others think of this as a problem. So we can look at the wings material and stitching and may not notice any difference but attached to a tank and doing a dive, it may have a totally different feel. I dont know. I have yet to try one.

 

[tbone1004]

if you don't like the inflator, get a different one, they're cheap. You can get the same one that Halcyon and Dive Rite use for like $15 from Dive Gear Express..... Halcyon isn't using the metal ones anymore, and while they were nice it was a pain to work with them.... because they needed service so often

 

[scubadiver888]

I purchased a travel setup this summer because I didn't want to haul around my cold water rig. I was going to get the DiveRite Travel XT but ended up getting the Hollis S25 for the same price. I consider the two wings comparable. If I had to pay a premium for the Hollis wing then I probably would have gotten the DiveRite wing.

The DGX package tbone1004 mentioned looks pretty good. If the cost of the DiveRite Travel XT or Hollis S25 are more than the entire DGX package maybe I'd consider getting the DGX package, keep the wing and sell the rest of the gear (or maybe keep it as a backup system). I'd just wonder if maybe the thickness of the bladder or covering are different for the DiveRite or DGX. I've looked at the Hollis and I'm pretty happy with it. I also like the fact that, so long as the plate has cam band slots, the Hollis S25 stabilizer works really well. I have no need for a STA when using the S25. If I went with the Travel XT I'd need a STA. Not sure about the DGX. Extra weight and cost of a STA would make me go for the Hollis. If the weight of the STA put you over the check in limit of your luggage, it could cost you $25 to $50 every time you check your luggage. That is going to cost you a lot more than the price difference between a DiveRite and Hollis wing.

 

[BugHunterNY]

Thanks all! I checkout out the Oxy and hog online, but ultimately needed a quick decision. I work a few blocks from LeisurePro showroom and I popped in today. I didn't like the internal bungee on the Hollis, seemed like it was too tight and bunched up in weird spots. I went with the Dive Rite XT, and I'm almost embarrassed to tell you all how good a deal I got. The guys all know me there, and I think I walked away with it for almost nothing! I don't want to publish the price, but PM me if you're curious .

Tbone, already have the XT lite SS plate, love it, don't need another, lol. Just keeping things simple and having this wing to swap on when necessary. With the lite backplate and sta I should be weighted perfectly in most situations. Too bad I don't travel with my Manta hammer, it's the best 2lb trim weight I've ever found! Haha.


Thanks all for the advice!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[tbone1004]

well there ya go, that works too. Can't argue with getting a good deal from guys that know you and like you.

 

[NAM001]

I use a 30-32. I have used a lp120 with a lavacore once. I struggled to stay up. had to dump the lavacore and put on either an al plate or the 3/2 shorty to handle the full tank. wasnst nice. so long as i am diving a wet suit the 32 is fine. With the 8" tank it sandwitches teh wing between teh tank and plate so it cant inflate fully.

Hey all,

Need a recommendation for a singles wing. On my doubles now I use the ScubaPro X tek horseshoe double bladder. I'm not in love with it, and don't want to get the singles version.

I do not need dual bladder. I'm considering Halcyon Eclipse, Hollis LX 25lb and Dive Rite Travel XT 25lb. Let me know if there's a great one out there that I'm not looking at (and why you love it) and reviews on the above would be awesome!

Thanks!

Oh, most of the time I'll be diving steel 100s or 120s, anywhere from a semi dry to a lavacore skin, potentially a small 19 bail out, but maybe not.

This is for vacation / rec diving.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[eelnoraa]

Are you talking about their regular 40 lbs wing or the Mach series which was super streamlined? I believe they had two versions and one of the super streamlined one.

Signature series Mach IV 40lb is what I have. Yes, it is so streamline, if you put on a 8" tank, the wing won't fully inflate to 40lb. I purposely did test in my pool against an Eclipse 30lb wing. Oxycheq provide less lift when both with 8" tank mounted

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The Mach V came out in '06 I believe.
There were two prior versions of Oxycheq single tank wings. There was the Razor, which was a single walled econo style wing, then there was the signature series wing which was the same basic shape as the Razor but had an inner liner.
Both the previous versions of Oxy's were wider, about like a Hog is now roughly.
Now days the Mach V is all you can get either in the signature series (standard outer material with inner liner), or the Extreme series (same configuration but has the cut and puncture proof outer shell).
There was for a very short time a Mach V that did not have slots when it first came out, just 11" center holes.
The old 18# Razors are actually pretty sought after by Socal divers because of their simplicity, ease of cleaning, and light weight.
I'm sorry I sold all my personal ones several years ago.
I used to be an Oxycheq dealer once upon a time.

 

[decompression]

Has anyone ever used UTD branded wings?

Yes, I've used the 37# alpha/delta, the 20# Z trim, the 60# alpha. All very good quality, US made, great design and now there are more options for super bulletproof as well as cheaper sport versions. My fav is the alpha/delta, a great BM wing and good SM wing with adjustable lift and super streamlined.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk