Airtrim - comments from the LDS

Beezle · Sep 27, 2002

Greetings all,

I was down at my LDS today and they had a Dacor Nautica with Airtrim on blowout (bad choice of words?) for $249. Well.. that's WAY less then LP that has is for $384 so I asked why the Dacor was on clearance.

The manager told me... "Those things aren't very safe... what if you needed to do a manual fill?? What then?.. We decided not to carry airtrim BC's for that reason."

Ok. He makes valid points... Anyone else have any comments on this?

I have my weight dead-on so I barely make any adjustments, but when I am shooting video I need every so often to compensate for my rather large video housing.. The airtrim idea sounds like exactly what I'm looking for, but I would much rather be safe.

PS, I love how the LDS doesn't think it's very safe... but will still sell it to me!! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzzzzzy

Cheers,

Beezle

Beezle · Sep 27, 2002

Follow up - OOOPS It was an Dacor Xtremelle AT I was looking at, not the Nautica.. Still... $100 less then LP...

Cheers,

Beezle

jeffsterinsf · Sep 27, 2002

Don't know anything about the BC in question, but the price doesn't seem to be wildly unique:

http://sports.bizrate.com/marketpla...id--12180100,keyword--Wetsuit,start--200.html

shows sportschalet having it at $280 (I know nothing about them save seeing their ads in the paper.)

Be prepared for a bunch of responses about why you need a BC, and this one in particular. Almost edited that last sentence, but it flows well with the next thought -- once you are set for neutral bouyancy, you shouldn't have to deal with your BC or wings until you either change depth significantly, or the bouyancy of your tanks and air changes significantly. You sound like you are already properly weighted in such a way that there isn't a whole lot of air in your BC anyways. Seems like their patented hydrostatic doohickey is just one more solution to a problem that isn't significant.

crosing · Apr 9, 2003

Nautica AirTrim does have manual inflation. There is a tube in the right side pocket you can use to manually inflate the BC. I bought one for $250 and am planning on using it in a pool for the first time this weekend.

MaresMan1 · Apr 11, 2003

I have the Mares version of this BC and I have never had a problem with it. It works very well as long as you keep it clean (like any BC). The trim capability is much better than the standard BCs.

There is a tube that you can use for manual inflation, just as you would on a standard BC. Your LDS is giving you a load of crap, for some reason.

If it were so unsafe, why would Cressi, ScubaPro and Sequest be introducing their own versions of the Airtrim system. Hmmmm?

Enjoy the ride
:mean:

rdriver · Apr 11, 2003

I had a Mares with dragon fly airtrim too, and it work just fine,
The manual tube was tucked away inside the right side pocket, it's just a little different to get use too having you hand at your side rather than above your head....... I think annual inspections may run you a little more because the valving on the airtrim is a little more complex than your average BC valve.
Rob

Edge · Apr 21, 2003

Well take it from someone who has had the Mares version of the airtrim and done many dives with it. The valve system is not all that complicated, took mine apart after more than 60 dives and hardly found any crud in it, even after it got dragged in the sand by a not so savvy friend. I figure that the easiest way to clear the airtrim package is to run high pressure water through one of the spaces between the buttons and once in a while open it up and flush the system.

The manual inflate in the pocket is a little troublesome to use but I'm weighted nicely enough to have almost no air in the BC at 30m while I add a little air to compensate for heavy battery packs or cameras.

bwerb · Apr 21, 2003

don't you guys think this is a little complicated for a BC? Isn't simple, clean, functional the order of the day? I just have a bit of a hard time buying into the gimmick factor of these new airtrim bc's. A bit of time in the pool with a few weights moved around and a bit of tank adjustment should allow you to completely dial in almost any BC. I just don't know if it is necessary to go this route. If you want to and like it go ahead...I'm just wondering what advantages people are seeing in this new system which are not solveable in something simpler.

Brian

wreckchick · Apr 22, 2003

I have the Mares version of this BC and I got it because it was about $200 less than the standard version. I like it because I don't have another hose hanging around and it's very easy to control the amount of air you're adding or letting out. The inflator hose can be a little bit of pain to use, but it does work.

My only complaint is that it's bulky and heavy on land, but it's very comfortable in the water.

I say give it a whirl for that price!

Rachel

MaresMan1 · Apr 24, 2003

I use the Mares Morphos Airtrim and have no problems with it.

I agree with Biscuit when it comes to ease of trim. Simple and always in the same place. Same hose and connector from the first stage, same function in a fixed position. Not a gimmick at all, one button inflate, one button deflate; just a different way to do the same function.

The added thing for me is that the Morphos is a composite system that has back and jacket inflation. When under, performs like a back inflate BC. On the surface it is like an armchair, propping you up.

All this and it folds into a 1x1.5' cocoon for easy travel and is very light for a BC.

I had a couple of my Tec/Rec buddies try the BC and they were impressed with it's performance, even though they don't like jacket BCs.

While it's not a BP/W, I am still very happy with it as you can tell.

Enjoy the Ride
:mean:

Airtrim - comments from the LDS

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