What wings are you using with your Freedom Plate?

[ams511]

I really miss good simple single walled wings. I wish somebody would make one.

Unless they changed the design, the Apeks WTX3 wing is single-walled. Also the wing on the Zeagle Express Tech is single-walled.

---------- Post added May 9th, 2013 at 02:22 PM ----------

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Back then people had to be able to figure out things. There was a learning curve to BP/W systems and you kind of had to be "in the know" to get the stuff set up and working properly. Now everyone expects to be spoon fed and have stuff ready to dive out of the box without seemingly having to bother with learning how to use it or set it up.

I don't think the "time" had anything to do with it. The difference was early BP/W users were experienced technical divers. If you are selling to more experienced divers you do not need to hold their hand as much as newbies. Your challenge is that your plate is only for single tank diving. As such it has limited appeal to experienced technical divers that primarily dive doubles and have been increasingly moving to side-mount. So your market is primarily single-tank divers which may or may not be experienced and may never have seen a BP/W setup except on the internet.

 

[GillScales]

I've been using either an older oxy 18# wing, or a seatec horse collar SEATEC HOME

For that vintage look and feel. I wish the industry had gone straight to the former from the latter, rather than all those years with the damn jacket bc.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Unless they changed the design, the Apeks WTX3 wing is single-walled. Also the wing on the Zeagle Express Tech is single-walled.

---------- Post added May 9th, 2013 at 02:22 PM ----------



I don't think the "time" had anything to do with it. The difference was early BP/W users were experienced technical divers. If you are selling to more experienced divers you do not need to hold their hand as much as newbies. Your challenge is that your plate is only for single tank diving. As such it has limited appeal to experienced technical divers that primarily dive doubles and have been increasingly moving to side-mount. So your market is primarily single-tank divers which may or may not be experienced and may never have seen a BP/W setup except on the internet.

Thanks for the info on the wings.

Believe it or not, seasoned tech divers or former tech divers are one of my customer bases when they single tank dive. Probably because of their experience levels they are able to visualize what the concept is.
I don't know anything about side mount, we don't do anything like that here on the west coast in the ocean as far as I know.
The new breed of tech diver doesn't have any use for my product.
I sell a lot to old school divers who started a long time ago with back packs, then followed the trends and went jackets like everybody else, and now see the Freedom Plate with modernized features and it fits their style.
Other than that it's a random assortment of divers who buy the plate.
There are a few new divers who buy the plate but mostly those are divers who have seen one or maybe have tried a friends and fall in love with it.
It definitely doesn't fit the mainstream heard mentality.
The heard mentality would be the LDS diver who gets sold a jacket or back inflate and told that's how it is.
The other heard mentality is the internet diver who gets into a conventional BP/W because everybody says that's what they need to get.
Dive shops won't carry it for political reasons.

So yeah, it's a tough sale. But I believe in it and so do many other users once they try one. It's going to be reserved for people who like something very special and very nice.
I know it will never be what DSS or Halcyon or Dive Rite, or any of the other conventional plates are in sales and popularity, but that's OK because I can only make so many and I like being different.

Like I said, over 90% of people using BP/W units are diving single tanks so I think I can have a little piece of the pie.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Merry has an Oxycheq on hers. I was too cheap to buy a new wing, so I sliced up the slots on my Halcyon 27# wing to fit the tank bands. I still don't know why Halcyon felt the need to design their wings so they wouldn't fit other plates. I've been diving the Freedom Plate since Eric first loaned me a demo model to show around SoCal. If I had grandkids, they would be diving my plate long after I'm gone. Aside from my Jetfins, the Freedom Plate is the only piece of gear I will never change.

 

[mtldiver]

I've had the Freedom Plate for 4 years now and love it! Use an Oxycheq Mach V 30#. I use the rail with lead I poured in (your advice) for cold water and remove the rail and lead for warm water. Your new design sounds great....

Mark

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I just got a new Hog 32 Lb. wing in from Jim Lapenta (thanks Jim, best deal I ever did).

This so far from what I've seen with how it sets up is the best combo for the Freedom Plate I've seen.
It's almost like the plate was designed for the wing, but this is the first time I've actually had my hands on one.
The slots are in the right spots, the height is perfect, it self aligns beautifully when cam banded down to a tank, the center panel is good enough size that the outer wing air chamber part has room to fully inflate, and the wing overall is not too long.
I also love the corrugated LP inflator hose and the inflator itself is a nice change from the generic one that Oxycheq uses.
I can't wait to dive this bad boy.
I'll post some pics when I get a chance.

Overall: Thoroughly impressed!

 

[Akimbo]

OxyCheq 30Lb Mack V Extreme, you have seen photos of my configuration. I recently switched to the Hog power inflator, which I like better. Time will tell if it is more reliable.

 

[buddhasummer]

I just got a new Hog 32 Lb. wing in from Jim Lapenta (thanks Jim, best deal I ever did).

This so far from what I've seen with how it sets up is the best combo for the Freedom Plate I've seen.
It's almost like the plate was designed for the wing, but this is the first time I've actually had my hands on one.
The slots are in the right spots, the height is perfect, it self aligns beautifully when cam banded down to a tank, the center panel is good enough size that the outer wing air chamber part has room to fully inflate, and the wing overall is not too long.
I also love the corrugated LP inflator hose and the inflator itself is a nice change from the generic one that Oxycheq uses.
I can't wait to dive this bad boy.
I'll post some pics when I get a chance.

Overall: Thoroughly impressed!

Will your new design work with an Oxy Mach V 30 with the roll control tabs?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Will your new design work with an Oxy Mach V 30 with the roll control tabs?

Yes, no problem.
I've been using the Oxy Mach V 40# for several years now.
I went ahead and cut off the roll control tabs because they were useless with Freedom Plate since the rail has two edges that act as stabilizers already.
But as I remember the roll control tabs didn't really pose any problems either way. I just thought it was a little cleaner with them gone.

 

[danaero]

Eric,

Any pics of the Hog wing with your FP by any chance? Also, have you heard of anyone using the Hollis S25 wing with your plate?