Wing. OMS?

[beanstalker]

Hi, I've recently bought an Apeks SS backplate and harness and now I need to get a wing. Can anybody recommend something that works well with this setup, good quality but not excessively expensive? I have been suggested an OMS:

"One option would be the following wing ( as a cheaper option )
go to h ttp:/ /w ww. leisurepro. com, search under buoyancy compensaters, search the brand OMS, and find the item OMS single bladder without retraction bands 32 lb. lift, its not a single bladder wing it is meant to say single tank but.. don't worry it comes in black as an option unless you really want that red :-) 215 U.S dollars plus 47.50 U.S for shipping. That is an option for a good quality wing at a good price.. currently that total is just under 380 n.z delivered. For your refernce in N.Z that wing would be at retail Much more."

Also I have been told that the Apeks wing is not so great as the material is thin and there is no inner bladder and so it tears easily.

Any advice/comments much appreciated.

[RJP]

Hi, I've recently bought an Apeks SS backplate and harness and now I need to get a wing. Can anybody recommend something that works well with this setup, good quality but not excessively expensive? I have been suggested an OMS:

Will you be diving with anything else? Like maybe, I dunno, a tank? Or maybe two? Size? Wetsuit or dry?

[Dr Wu]

It's a good wing but I would suggest getting it with the retraction bands.

They do no harm yet have the added bonus of enraging people who don't know any better.

[Doc Harry]

I would avoid OMS.

Some of their gear is okay, but their customer service is infamously bad.

I had an OMS wing that literally fell apart after about 60 or so dives. The stitching around the zipper and zipper cover came undone on the inside and it fell apart.

I sent the wing in to OMS for repair. What I experienced with OMS was unbelievable. They were rude and unhelpful. They even didn't even keep my customer information with the wing and they didn't know why the wing was there or who it belonged to. When I called OMS to find out why it was taking so long to get my wing fixed and returned to me, they blamed me for not calling to claim my wing! OMS actually told me that they didn't who the wing belonged to or how to get hold of me and it was my responsibility to call them!

Oh, yeah, and I never did my wing repaired under their warranty. I kept calling and calling. They kept telling me that they would return to the wing to me. Despite the fact that I gave them my name and address again and again, OMS never did repair the wing and return it to me. I just gave up trying to deal with them.

I didn't want that P.O.S. back anyway.

"Caveat emptor"

[beanstalker]

I am diving singles and a semi-dry wetsuit. (I am not actually asking for advice about lift capacity, only quality/workmanship/design so this info was not really needed RJP).

I don't like retraction bands at all, the majority of divers that I've spoken to have nothing good to say about them and they just look like a recipe for trouble to me.

Thanks for the info about OMS Doc Harry, I will bear that in mind.

[Dr Wu]

I don't like retraction bands at all, the majority of divers that I've spoken to have nothing good to say about them and they just look like a recipe for trouble to me.

What sort of trouble?

[Tortuga68]

Their reputation for poor customer service is legendary... but the wings are good quality IMO. A friend I've dived with has the 32# wing the OP refers to, and I own a 45# Larry Green and a redundant bladder bungeed doubles wing. They're much better quality than the Apeks wings I've inspected

You could try ordering from omscloseouts.com if they will ship to NZ (they won't ship to Australia as they have a distributor here... however the distributor didn't answer my e-mail, so I got OMS USA to ship to a friend in CA who forwarded to me)

It's a good wing but I would suggest getting it with the retraction bands

The single tank wings aren't available with bungees

[Dr Wu]

The single tank wings aren't available with bungees

The OMS® 32 lb., 45 lb., 60 lb. lift non-retraction BC's are made from the same superior materials as the banded BC’s. They incorporate a pull dump located at the diver’s side lower left and an inflator hose exiting the center or slightly off center of the BC tank side.
Slots are provided in the non inflated area for Cam Band usage.

OMS Buoyancy Control Systems - Buoyancy Compensator ( BC's ) http://www.OMSdive.com

[Tortuga68]

[I]The OMS® 32 lb., 45 lb., 60 lb. lift non-retraction BC's are made from the same superior materials as the banded BC’s

Non-retraction means no bungees

[Kern]

I don't know anything about their customer service, but my LG 45 is well made & has stood up well over the years it's been dragged through wrecks.

The single tank wings aren't available with bungees

The OMS® 32 lb., 45 lb., 60 lb. lift non-retraction BC's are made from the same superior materials as the banded BC’s. They incorporate a pull dump located at the diver’s side lower left and an inflator hose exiting the center or slightly off center of the BC tank side.
Slots are provided in the non inflated area for Cam Band usage.

OMS Buoyancy Control Systems - Buoyancy Compensator ( BC's ) http://www.OMSdive.com

I don't see what cam band slots have to do with bungees. Their bungeed wings have grommets in the centre panels & tabs at the edges of the wing to hold them in place.