Don't be afraid of playing on your own. Develop a system that works for you. Make your own harnesses if it seems right. HAVE FUN. That's the reason we dive, isn't it?
I was watching the new(ish) Steve Jobs movie last week. There was a scene that triggered some thought in my mind. In that scene, Steve Jobs is arguing with Steve Wozniak about the approach to computer design.
Wozniak championed flexibility, options.... more ports for ancillaries, more ability for users to open up a PC and make changes to the board and chips, THAT was what the
existing market wanted.
In contrast, Steve Jobs wanted a sealed unit. Users wouldn't have the option to open up the PC. They got only what came in the box. Apple would dictate the functionality and users wouldn't be able to tweak or refine it. Ancillaries were hard-wired. etc etc etc
Steve Jobs explained that '
serious users' wanted flexible and modular, but serious users were a minority of the future market. Most people....
casual users at home and in the office... would greater appreciate a sealed unit PC.... no modularity and no need to tweak, configure or upgrade etc...
I thought that was a great illustration of what happens with sidemount equipment manufacturers.
Serious users want modular systems or 'bare bones' rigs. They want to tweak, refine, upgrade, experiment etc...
However, the vast majority of people
won't be
serious users, they are
'casual' users
.... and they won't appreciate what
serious users enjoy or value in a sidemount design.
Casual users want a 'sealed' unit... something 'off-the-shelf' that requires no tinkering, no adaptation and minimal set-up and configuration.
To
casual users of sidemount rig, the raw optimization of the rig is less important than the basic ease of use and aesthetics. Think iPhone versus Android....
When sidemount (just like personal computers) hit the mainstream, it caused a division in user needs/wants. The pre-mainstream generation of
serious users might struggle to understand that
casual users appreciate about having choice and flexibility taken away from them.
For me... I always disliked Hollis sidemounts. I hated feeling 'railroaded' into whatever solution Hollis determined was optimum. I knew there were optimizations to make... but Hollis didn't allow me to do that to the extent I wanted. Everything was sewn together etc etc
.So when you are designing 'sealed units' for
casual users, it becomes much more important to integrate the latest design evolution and functionality within the product. That evolution actually stems from what the
serious users are evolving with their rigs.
Think about Edd's modifications to the SMS100... and how that later reflected in the HOG and Halcyon sidemount rigs...
THAT is precisely why some manufacturers may seem to be attempting to 'standardize' how sidemount is approached. For the same reason that Apple sought to 'standardize' consumer expectations of what a personal computer, a media player and now a smartphone should provide them with.
For that reason, there are now
also two types of sidemount system on the market. There are the modular units that are most enjoyed by
serious users.... and there are 'sealed' units for the
casual users. Compare an SMS50 with an XDeep....
The new Hollis Katana seems to be aimed at
serious users... and that's a first for Hollis. It's the first rig they've made that I quite like. Why? Because I know I can optimize it.
I recently reviewed the new TecLine 16 sidemount (
read the review here).... it has two variants.
One is very modular....the other is very 'sealed'. Identical units in many respects... but one of them (Avenger) you can remove/replace the buttplate with offset D-rings, change the 'DIR' harness, change your D-rings etc etc etc....
The other variant (Side 2) is sewn together with extra padding, a comfort harness, no-detachable buttplate etc etc etc..... the scope for user modification has been deliberately removed.
With the Tecline sidemount...we see how a single manufacturer has identified and separated the needs of
serious and
casual users. I'd be fascinated to know which unit sold the most....(I can guess which will...)
To the '
serious user' it's unfathomable why
anyone would want their options removed. Why remove the 'fun' of being able to fine-tune and optimize the rig for individual use.
To the '
casual user', all those options and issues just seem like a hassle. They want a rig they can pull off the shelf, strap on and go... the fine details of optimizing performance are an irrelevance. To them THAT is more fun.
Sidemount went mainstream... and that meant
casual users form the majority of the market share. Hollis outsell XDeep and Razor. That's why stuff got standardized with some mainstream manufacturers. It remains modular with specialist manufacturers, who target
serious users.
In those standardized 'sealed units', evolution became staged, rather than fluid. A design is released that reflects the current 'best ideas'... years pass... the
serious users evolve designs... and then new 'sealed units' are released for
casual users that reflect perceived improvements and what functions are currently desirable.
The problem, as mentioned in the previous post, is that many
casual users (and the manufacturers that target them) don't differentiate between the needs of steel and aluminum cylinders divers.... the 'two design schools' concept is overlooked.