Pro QD with I3
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mikeguerrero
Guest
Buknbull,
I own one, been diving with it since last September. What questions do you have about it? I would be more than happy to answer them all.
MG
I own one, been diving with it since last September. What questions do you have about it? I would be more than happy to answer them all.
MG
I am considering purchasing one of these for myself (and the Pearl for my wife). I am wondering how the inflation is, does it press around your midsection or does it mostly inflate near the back? Is the inflation as 'analog' as I've read it is, meaning does it inflate or deflate small amounts with a small push, larger amounts with a forceful push, etc?
And what do you do in a "stuck inflator" situation with this BCD?
And what do you do in a "stuck inflator" situation with this BCD?
I guess my bigges questions are how it compares to "traditional" bc's. also, how is the quality. and the inflation lever.. is it just a cheesy little lever or is it solid? I know Mares has a similar piece of equipment, and the inflator/deflator seems to be a bit better built. but since you own one.. I'll take any of your advice.
mikeguerrero
Guest
Fellow divers,
The Pro QD i3 is a very realiable piece of hardware. I've been diving it since I got certified Sept 07. I have about 40 dives with it and I do feel comfortable.
My dives have all been in Monterey; Break Water, Mcabee, Lovers Point, and Point Lobos. I have taken the BC down to a max of 60 feet at 48 degrees of temp. Never had any problems with the inflate/deflate lever.
As you dive I enjoy the simplicity of the lever; small taps in either direction will give small bursts of air in or out of your BC. If you hit it longer it inflates/deflates very fast.
One of the benefits of the deflate is that you have both e-valves dump simultaneously. This will allow you to dump air without having to arch your body as do most divers with a traditional BC. This of course is a benefit for me.
A lot of divers ask does it squeeze you? In comparing a back inflate to this type you will feel the air inflate from the inside out; I can only explain it as a comfort zone for me knowing that my BC is doing it's job. It by no means has a constriction feel.
When I inflate my bc at shore and do my surface swim out to my dive spot I enjoy a stomach surface swim snorkle in place with mask. I need to know where I'm heading and can avoid the kelp entanglement versus on back swim out. Also a note that a back swim for this bc doesn't give me the out of water feel that a traditional back inflate bc's are famous for.
Having said that, once I get to my dive site a simple touch of the lever and down I start to go, no hesitations. I did have to get use to my mind knowing that the lever is always at the same point no matter what orientation you are in the water, that is a bonus for me.
I trained many other BC's before getting the i3 and so my logic then was, I wanted to have the air/inflate hose in my hand where I could see it.
This BC is also made of very tough cordura type material that has a robust feel. Another cool feature that I like is that the octupus has a pocket and is not on the outside of my bc. It is handy if I need it and it is nicely secured in a pocket ready for deployment.
It has two pockets that are of a good size and I'm able to place lots of stuff in them. They are hard to see from my angle and I had to train my hands to open/close them without sight. Once I got that packed it was easy.
Remember that once you are down at your depth you will not feel any air around your body, as you surface and you hit the lever for max air, you will feel the security of the bc around your body and its nice in rough waters because you don't have to fight the tendancy of the bc to push you forward as with other bc's.
It also has a generous amount of D-rings 5 to be exact not 6 as is advertised. If I have missed any questions please feel free to post again.
Oh yeah, I also got my wife the Pearl i3 and she has dove it in the pool and already enjoys the comforts of the sports bra and the easy to use lever.
I forgot to mention that the lever is push/rod technology no need to use air to deploy the lever as in other bc's that have a simialar lever.
The rods are very well built and you can feel a robust touch if you run your hands across the bc on dry land.
I have pictures of the two BC's side by side for comparison if you would like for me to post, I will do so.
MG
The Pro QD i3 is a very realiable piece of hardware. I've been diving it since I got certified Sept 07. I have about 40 dives with it and I do feel comfortable.
My dives have all been in Monterey; Break Water, Mcabee, Lovers Point, and Point Lobos. I have taken the BC down to a max of 60 feet at 48 degrees of temp. Never had any problems with the inflate/deflate lever.
As you dive I enjoy the simplicity of the lever; small taps in either direction will give small bursts of air in or out of your BC. If you hit it longer it inflates/deflates very fast.
One of the benefits of the deflate is that you have both e-valves dump simultaneously. This will allow you to dump air without having to arch your body as do most divers with a traditional BC. This of course is a benefit for me.
A lot of divers ask does it squeeze you? In comparing a back inflate to this type you will feel the air inflate from the inside out; I can only explain it as a comfort zone for me knowing that my BC is doing it's job. It by no means has a constriction feel.
When I inflate my bc at shore and do my surface swim out to my dive spot I enjoy a stomach surface swim snorkle in place with mask. I need to know where I'm heading and can avoid the kelp entanglement versus on back swim out. Also a note that a back swim for this bc doesn't give me the out of water feel that a traditional back inflate bc's are famous for.
Having said that, once I get to my dive site a simple touch of the lever and down I start to go, no hesitations. I did have to get use to my mind knowing that the lever is always at the same point no matter what orientation you are in the water, that is a bonus for me.
I trained many other BC's before getting the i3 and so my logic then was, I wanted to have the air/inflate hose in my hand where I could see it.
This BC is also made of very tough cordura type material that has a robust feel. Another cool feature that I like is that the octupus has a pocket and is not on the outside of my bc. It is handy if I need it and it is nicely secured in a pocket ready for deployment.
It has two pockets that are of a good size and I'm able to place lots of stuff in them. They are hard to see from my angle and I had to train my hands to open/close them without sight. Once I got that packed it was easy.
Remember that once you are down at your depth you will not feel any air around your body, as you surface and you hit the lever for max air, you will feel the security of the bc around your body and its nice in rough waters because you don't have to fight the tendancy of the bc to push you forward as with other bc's.
It also has a generous amount of D-rings 5 to be exact not 6 as is advertised. If I have missed any questions please feel free to post again.
Oh yeah, I also got my wife the Pearl i3 and she has dove it in the pool and already enjoys the comforts of the sports bra and the easy to use lever.
I forgot to mention that the lever is push/rod technology no need to use air to deploy the lever as in other bc's that have a simialar lever.
The rods are very well built and you can feel a robust touch if you run your hands across the bc on dry land.
I have pictures of the two BC's side by side for comparison if you would like for me to post, I will do so.
MG
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Mike, I am glad you are still alive. When will you give up that BCD? BP/W is your salvation!
Here's a thread about the I3. Can't imagine anyone adding anything that wasn't already said there. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...eight-systems/209970-bc-s-elevator-lever.html
Mike can you tell me how easy it would be to disconnect the inflator hose in a stuck open situation? Without one of these to go look at I can't tell where the hose connects or how easy it is to get to while wearing the BC. Thanks.
It's the same sort of disconnect as the standard inflator -- if anything, it should be easier, since it's being held in place by the BCD (as opposed to the floppy hose).
The standard hose also has a more substantial rubber grip around the disconnect ring...
mikeguerrero
Guest
Kris is correct, the inflator has a very easy to disconnect hose. It's rubber touch is easy to find and when you pull it back the hose will pop off.
Delta if you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer them.
Delta if you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer them.
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