Ozwald
Contributor
Anyone have any feedback on this unit?
SCUBA PRO X-TEK "form"
- Thread starter Ozwald
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* Horseshoe (HS) Wing, 27 kg / 60 lb lift capacity.
* 1680 DEN Ballistic Nylon outer shell.
* 420 DEN Nylon inner bladder.
* Three-piece Form-Harness-System with padded shoulders and back pack for the ultimate in comfort. Quick release buckles on both left and right shoulders for easy removal. Convertible for single cylinder use.
* Stainless Steel back plate.
* Anatomically optimized back padding.
* Adjustable shoulder straps for snug individual fit.
* 50mm crotch strap with two stainless steel D-rings.
As with any ScubaPro Product this is going to be we made and Good Quality. However, this is not the one that I would recommend for Doubles and as a Tec BC. Although they give you D-Rings, less is better and these are Non Adjustable (stitched into place). IMO a basic BP&W is what you need. With 2in webbing you can adjust d-rings up and down for optimum placement and the Doubles will actually sit on you better with the 1 piece harness. One piece harness will also not have any extra material hanging as this particular unit does because of the Plastic quick release clips. There is also no need for a chest strap and the extra material around the waist. RH rear lower OPV is unnecessary and the plastic knob for the dumps are excessively big. I also don't care for the button design as well, i would rather have the more traditional one. Also, No need for bungees.
If you are going to doubles here is what I would go with:
Halcyon Evolve MC Systems
SP X-TEK Pure Tek System is a close (Halcyon has better inflator, smaller ball on OPV and better OPV placement) copy of the Halcyon!
* 1680 DEN Ballistic Nylon outer shell.
* 420 DEN Nylon inner bladder.
* Three-piece Form-Harness-System with padded shoulders and back pack for the ultimate in comfort. Quick release buckles on both left and right shoulders for easy removal. Convertible for single cylinder use.
* Stainless Steel back plate.
* Anatomically optimized back padding.
* Adjustable shoulder straps for snug individual fit.
* 50mm crotch strap with two stainless steel D-rings.
As with any ScubaPro Product this is going to be we made and Good Quality. However, this is not the one that I would recommend for Doubles and as a Tec BC. Although they give you D-Rings, less is better and these are Non Adjustable (stitched into place). IMO a basic BP&W is what you need. With 2in webbing you can adjust d-rings up and down for optimum placement and the Doubles will actually sit on you better with the 1 piece harness. One piece harness will also not have any extra material hanging as this particular unit does because of the Plastic quick release clips. There is also no need for a chest strap and the extra material around the waist. RH rear lower OPV is unnecessary and the plastic knob for the dumps are excessively big. I also don't care for the button design as well, i would rather have the more traditional one. Also, No need for bungees.
If you are going to doubles here is what I would go with:
Halcyon Evolve MC Systems
SP X-TEK Pure Tek System is a close (Halcyon has better inflator, smaller ball on OPV and better OPV placement) copy of the Halcyon!
Wayne is on the mark with regard to the X-Tek Form. The three 1" d-rings per side are really useless and the D-rings on the shoulder straps are both non adjustable and too numerous. It really is very much like their original Rec Tek harness from the 1990's, which was in essence a Transpac I - made by Sonaform just like it was for Dive Rite. Which is to say it is cutting edge tech - for 20 years ago.
I also agree that two lower demps valves are not needed and add an additional failure point. To be fair though, IIRC Scubapro had two dumps on their redundant bladder wing, and a single lower dump on their single bladder tek doubles wing so it's a non issue.
The bungee system is more consistent with the Dive Rite approach with their Rec Wing and in that regard it does harken back to the 1990's - but to be fair the bungee system is located on the under side of the wing (not like the bungee wing of death from OMS) where is streamlined, not prone to snagging and not prone to trapping gas. Plus it is adjustable so over compression of the wing is not an issue and it is easily inactivated by simply removing the bungee if you don't want it to create a wing in line with a DIR approach.
Where Wayne is slightly misleading is that Scubapro's Pure Tek harness, plate and doubles wing are pretty close to the Halcyon system. In fact it is for all intents and purposes a Halcyon plate, it uses a one piece webbing harness with the specified number of adjustable D-rings and does away with the extra padding and crap. And as noted above, the doubles wing is fine as is or with minor mods per your taste and philosophy.
The pull dump is too large, but a pull dump is required for CE certification. Halcyon also uses a pull dump, and until recently it was also large. However with both Scubpro and Halcyon wings the dump cord is long enough to cut the effing thing off and tie a knot in the cord to use to open the valve - the way any self respecting tech diver does it - so again it's misleading as the dump exists only for CE certification and any user who knows what they are doing will remove it.
I also agree that two lower demps valves are not needed and add an additional failure point. To be fair though, IIRC Scubapro had two dumps on their redundant bladder wing, and a single lower dump on their single bladder tek doubles wing so it's a non issue.
The bungee system is more consistent with the Dive Rite approach with their Rec Wing and in that regard it does harken back to the 1990's - but to be fair the bungee system is located on the under side of the wing (not like the bungee wing of death from OMS) where is streamlined, not prone to snagging and not prone to trapping gas. Plus it is adjustable so over compression of the wing is not an issue and it is easily inactivated by simply removing the bungee if you don't want it to create a wing in line with a DIR approach.
Where Wayne is slightly misleading is that Scubapro's Pure Tek harness, plate and doubles wing are pretty close to the Halcyon system. In fact it is for all intents and purposes a Halcyon plate, it uses a one piece webbing harness with the specified number of adjustable D-rings and does away with the extra padding and crap. And as noted above, the doubles wing is fine as is or with minor mods per your taste and philosophy.
The pull dump is too large, but a pull dump is required for CE certification. Halcyon also uses a pull dump, and until recently it was also large. However with both Scubpro and Halcyon wings the dump cord is long enough to cut the effing thing off and tie a knot in the cord to use to open the valve - the way any self respecting tech diver does it - so again it's misleading as the dump exists only for CE certification and any user who knows what they are doing will remove it.
Of course the OP did not state what kind of diving they planned to do with this if purchased. That element should enter in to any discussion of this particular rigs' suitability. Of course the points raised above are certainly valid ones.
The only BC system I dive with any regularity is the old X-Tek harness (I bought several of them on E-Bay over the years). I greatly prefer it to BP/W for reasons of comfort, stability and ease of extrication should ditching the gear become a necessity (never has in 50 years of diving).
The only BC system I dive with any regularity is the old X-Tek harness (I bought several of them on E-Bay over the years). I greatly prefer it to BP/W for reasons of comfort, stability and ease of extrication should ditching the gear become a necessity (never has in 50 years of diving).
OP
Ozwald
Contributor
Hi guys....yeah I guess I should have elaborated a tad.
The halcyon stuff is great don't get me wrong, in fact i have both an aluminum as well as a SS backplate, singles wing as well as a doubles (donut). Here is the issue. I dive up here in Manitoba mostly although I do head down to warmer climates 4 or 5 times a year. The issue I am finding with my BP/harness is that when I am in my Fusion (mostly all dives up here, yesterday the water temp was 45F below the TC ) I find that the shoulder straps (no padding) are buried into my joint where my shoulder meets my pectoral muscle. I am a fairly muscular guy in that area and although my mobility is good sans drysuit once I don the drysuit it's all I can do to reach my d-rings....in some cases I can't. This to me is a safety hazard. I did try a buddies Transpac and found it very comfortable and easy to manage in terms of equipment stowage and the like.
I guess i should also mention that I dive twin OMS 98's LP steel. Heavy mutha's !!
So.....just to be different I was looking at the SP X-TEK stuff as opposed to the OMS or Diverite. I like the way it looks, Scubapro is a good name and so I am trying the unit out in central Florida on a few cavern dives at the end of the month and wanted to know if anyone had any thoughts on the stuff. I primarily want to buy this unit for diving cold water/drysuit type diving up here and keep my Halcyon gear for travelling and warmer water.
The halcyon stuff is great don't get me wrong, in fact i have both an aluminum as well as a SS backplate, singles wing as well as a doubles (donut). Here is the issue. I dive up here in Manitoba mostly although I do head down to warmer climates 4 or 5 times a year. The issue I am finding with my BP/harness is that when I am in my Fusion (mostly all dives up here, yesterday the water temp was 45F below the TC ) I find that the shoulder straps (no padding) are buried into my joint where my shoulder meets my pectoral muscle. I am a fairly muscular guy in that area and although my mobility is good sans drysuit once I don the drysuit it's all I can do to reach my d-rings....in some cases I can't. This to me is a safety hazard. I did try a buddies Transpac and found it very comfortable and easy to manage in terms of equipment stowage and the like.
I guess i should also mention that I dive twin OMS 98's LP steel. Heavy mutha's !!
So.....just to be different I was looking at the SP X-TEK stuff as opposed to the OMS or Diverite. I like the way it looks, Scubapro is a good name and so I am trying the unit out in central Florida on a few cavern dives at the end of the month and wanted to know if anyone had any thoughts on the stuff. I primarily want to buy this unit for diving cold water/drysuit type diving up here and keep my Halcyon gear for travelling and warmer water.
The issue I am finding with my BP/harness is that when I am in my Fusion (mostly all dives up here, yesterday the water temp was 45F below the TC ) I find that the shoulder straps (no padding) are buried into my joint where my shoulder meets my pectoral muscle. I am a fairly muscular guy in that area and although my mobility is good sans drysuit once I don the drysuit it's all I can do to reach my d-rings....in some cases I can't.
I know a lot of muscular (stocky) guys that dive a simple BP&W System and they have no issues. I think it sounds like your harness may not be adjusted properly and the placement of your D-Rings may be off as well. The other thing is that, as with a lot of divers (in this case clipping) this may also be a technique issue. Rather than work on technique/muscle memory, divers opt for changing out gear. Not to sound arrogant but I do teach our Tec Dept at the shop and there has yet to be a person that I could not get to reach valves and access D-Rings efficiently in a basic harness system so that is the reason behind my response. Please don't take my response the wrong way, just trying to help and in the end it may actually SAVE you money!
I know a lot of muscular (stocky) guys that dive a simple BP&W System and they have no issues. I think it sounds like your harness may not be adjusted properly and the placement of your D-Rings may be off as well. The other thing is that, as with a lot of divers (in this case clipping) this may also be a technique issue. Rather than work on technique/muscle memory, divers opt for changing out gear. Not to sound arrogant but I do teach our Tec Dept at the shop and there has yet to be a person that I could not get to reach valves and access D-Rings efficiently in a basic harness system so that is the reason behind my response. Please don't take my response the wrong way, just trying to help and in the end it may actually SAVE you money!
OP
Ozwald
Contributor
No ...no worries, I appreciate the input. But, as i mentioned the way the zipper is on my drysuit automatically pushes the straps to the extreme outside almost directly under my armpit. I do have a 45" chest and larger upper arms (not a fat guy) so I think this is where part of the problem lies.
When i tried the Transpac I just found it that much more easy to access the D-rings.
When i tried the Transpac I just found it that much more easy to access the D-rings.
BabyDuck
Contributor
try crossing the straps behind your neck. that brings the straps closer to your neck, further up your shoulders. of course, if you trimmed the webbing, you may need a new webbing.
Marci is really smart, so I'd take her advice and try it.
I also have a 45" chest and dive a Fusion, and I agree with both points - the harness and/or D-rings are probably not adjusted properly.
Crossing the straps on the plate may help by moving the straps a little farther inboard toward the neck. The straps on the transpac are a little closer to center at the top of the "plate" and crossing the straps on a normal backplate creates pretty much the same geometry.
In terms of adjustment, the harness should be snug but not flat out tight, and 3-4 finger widths worth of slack in the shoulder straps before you cinch up the waist strap and crotch strap is about right.
Also, when donning the Fusion, adjust each layer for maximum over head arm extension as you dress. If you position the underwear so that the extra material is in the right place to facilitates overhead arm movements, just before you don the suit, then adjust the suit that same way before you put on the harness, you'll preserve maximum arm and shoulder mobility in the suit, which will help you reach the valves.
I also have a 45" chest and dive a Fusion, and I agree with both points - the harness and/or D-rings are probably not adjusted properly.
Crossing the straps on the plate may help by moving the straps a little farther inboard toward the neck. The straps on the transpac are a little closer to center at the top of the "plate" and crossing the straps on a normal backplate creates pretty much the same geometry.
In terms of adjustment, the harness should be snug but not flat out tight, and 3-4 finger widths worth of slack in the shoulder straps before you cinch up the waist strap and crotch strap is about right.
Also, when donning the Fusion, adjust each layer for maximum over head arm extension as you dress. If you position the underwear so that the extra material is in the right place to facilitates overhead arm movements, just before you don the suit, then adjust the suit that same way before you put on the harness, you'll preserve maximum arm and shoulder mobility in the suit, which will help you reach the valves.
mahjong
Contributor
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