too good to be true- OMS SS Backplate w/ Comfort Harness OMS SS System II < $200

[tep]

I've been researching backplate options the past few weeks, and looking at the usual sites to get an idea of what kind of investment I'd be looking at.

DGX, Hollis, Dive Rite, etc - it looks like I'd be look at ar least $600 or so. But I always check my LDS, because I want to suppor them.

And I found this

OMS SS Backplate w/ Comfort Harness OMS SS System II​

for $199 - is seems to be everything except the wing.

Is this something that's discontinued? I see a few other places around the net with similar prices, with indicationst that "quantities are limited".

What am I missing?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Wings are between $199 for DGX up to $300-$400 for some other brands. Plus you need cam bands ($25-$30 each) and maybe a STA ($50-$75) so add it all up and you’ll be paying what the other ones are complete. And then you’ll have a comfort harness which many people going to a BP/W ditch anyway in favor of a simple one piece Hog harness.
Basically you’re buying a plate for $200, so no it isn’t such a good deal.
Or buy a DGX full BP/W package for $399.

 

[lowwall]

Here's a pic so folks will know what you are talking about.

This is from House of Scuba which also has it listed at $200. OMS SS Backplate w/ Comfort Harness OMS SS System II

That is a good price if you want all that crap stuck on your harness. It's also the normal price for a backplate and a one piece harness, which is what I prefer.

 

[DogDiver]

Way too many plastic fasteners. Especially on that very narrow crotch strap. The twins won’t like that narrow crotch strap.

 

[tep]

Thanks for the info - I went back and re-checked the math - so I can get the full-up DGX with a steel plate for 499, so I think I see what you're getting at.

Side note - I have limited mobility in one of my shoulders, so that's what was making the comfort harness attractive. I think I need to actually wear a one piece harness to decide if I can make that work.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Thanks for the info - I went back and re-checked the math - so I can get the full-up DGX with a steel plate for 499, so I think I see what you're getting at.

Side note - I have limited mobility in one of my shoulders, so that's what was making the comfort harness attractive. I think I need to actually wear a one piece harness to decide if I can make that work.

Those doubles style plates are supposed to be set pretty loose and the crotch strap takes up the slack. If you pull the left strap away from your chest with your right thumb then slide your left hand under the strap and push your arm out forward is a lot quicker and easier then trying to put your arms back and shimmy the rig off that way. If someone doesn’t already have a bad shoulders, they will after trying to remove the rig with arms back.

 

[lowwall]

Side note - I have limited mobility in one of my shoulders, so that's what was making the comfort harness attractive. I think I need to actually wear a one piece harness to decide if I can make that work.

If Eric's technique doesn't work, you can add a break or a loop of extra webbing on one side. Once you have one arm out, the other is easy. Here's a couple of pictures from an earlier thread where we discussed this: Subgravity Paragon harness

 

[Altamira]

Thanks for the info - I went back and re-checked the math - so I can get the full-up DGX with a steel plate for 499, so I think I see what you're getting at.

Side note - I have limited mobility in one of my shoulders, so that's what was making the comfort harness attractive. I think I need to actually wear a one piece harness to decide if I can make that work.

Can you make the one piece harness work with one bad shoulder? Yes you can. However, as someone with reduced mobility in both shoulders, I would never go back to a one piece, even if I only had one bad shoulder. Why should you have to work around a problem that has such an easy and simple solution: A comfort harness?

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Side note - I have limited mobility in one of my shoulders, so that's what was making the comfort harness attractive. I think I need to actually wear a one piece harness to decide if I can make that work.

I recommend you look at the Sub Gravity BP/W system. They have an adjustable/quick release harness that is clean, simple and no plastic parts. I have their aluminum backplate with the adjustable harness and I love the harness. Paragon Single Tank Package - SubGravity

 

[Jcp2]

It’s important to reduce the number of plastic clips and buckles because of the high number of divers succumbing to a grisly gate because of a mission critical failure of these fragile parts /s.