BC's with "Elevator" Lever

[mikeguerrero]

RJP,

I just called my lawyer and I officially made a civil lawsuit against Aqualung for their Seaquest BC line.

My civil lawsuit which is pending sues Aqualung on the grounds of psychological pain and suffering that comes with the purchase of their Pro QD i3.

There were no claims on their instrucion manual nor addendums on their website regarding how the purchase of this particular BC will severely have negative consequences with the diving community.

They should have a disclaimer that clearly states: Purchase may be hazardous to your mind as you continually have to defend the i3 mechanism from potential tech divers on various websites.

I'm thinking if my lawsuit fails then I will open a small clinic and begin psychotherapy for divers of this BC. We will meet once a week after potential attacks from the internet.

Through behavioral modification I should be able to bring back the spirits of these divers and get them back into the ocean.

Wish me luck RJP.... (J/K)

 

[RJP]

How to tell if you got ripped off buying dive gear:

1.) Did you buy dive gear?

2.) Then you got ripped off.

PS - Next you need to sue whomever sold you that "backwards" snorkle in your avatar picture!

 

[dkatchalov]

How to tell if you got ripped off buying dive gear:

1.) Did you buy dive gear?

2.) Then you got ripped off.

+1 Especially if you live outside of US (or in Australia)

PS - Next you need to sue whomever sold you that "backwards" snorkle in your avatar picture!

 

[dkatchalov]

Have read through the entire thread with interest as I am a new diver (15 dives) and going through the whole gear selection process atm.

Thought I'd through in my 2c.

* Only dived rental BCs at the moment. Still remember from my OW course how befuddled I was at this contraption that is supposed to keep you afloat. All the clips, rings, pulleys, straps, etc, etc. I was freaking out each time I forgot to do something up. Not to mention how restrictive the whole thing was and how much extra crap it had (pockets, etc).

* I think diving benefits from the "less is more" philosophy. There are enough things to go wrong in diving that have nothing to do with your gear. I think having simple, clean, streamlined gear should be a priority of any diver, regardless whether they dive 20ft or 1000ft.

* Having researched BCDs when buying one I realised how much marketing goes into each model. All the colors, textures, rings, etc. My BS meter would be going off at most mid-priced BCs and I'd be thinking to myself "is all this crap necessary!?"

* Having "discovered" the bp/w setup I was immediately in love with its simplicity. No gimmicks (except for the transpac and transplate IMHO), no extra crap that comes standard (feel free to add 15 pockets ad 27 d-rings if you want tho). I think the bp/w setup epitomises what diving equipment should be. Mind you though, my first dive on bp/w is this weekend, so I am purely talking from initial impressions here. Hell, look at my previous posts and you'll see that I'm having a hard enough time choosing & putting the whole thing together dork2

To me this i3 (and similar) business is pure commercial gimmickry (is that a word?!). Ascending, descending and controlling buoyancy is a basic activity. You have a hose and two buttons. One to inflate, other to purge. Why re-invent the wheel?! If you are a healthy diver with no special requirements, why the hell would you want levers, etc? How is your buddy supposed to find it in an emergency if they need to inflate your BCD?

At some point, this post turned into a rant.

 

[PerroneFord]

They should have a disclaimer that clearly states: Purchase may be hazardous to your mind as you continually have to defend the i3 mechanism from potential tech divers on various websites.

Mike, I can assure you that the technical divers are not slamming your recreational gear. There are just some things I see on that BC that don't give me much confidence, and there are some things about the way you have your gear configured that are a bit unnerving.

Believe me, if you think people are being harsh with you, lurk on a technical board for a while and see the kind of talk that happens there with gear discussion. There hasn't been an expletive in this thread and no one has called you any ugly, derogatory names. This is a common occurance on technical boards.

I mentioned the BC only having one strap. I'm glad they give you some grippy stuff, but the fact remains, it only has one strap. My gear has grippy straps too. But it has it on TWO straps because I wouldn't purchase anything less. The location of your knife on that BC concerns me. Ideally, you'd like to be able to get to your knife with either hand easily. Where you are keeping your light (dangling down at your waist) concerns me. The very high sids of the BC concern me because it certainly must be hugely restricting. Retractors always concern me because they are known to break.

Anyway, its your BC, you paid good money for it. So enjoy it. But when you go shopping down the road for a new one, hopefully you're bear in mind some of the things folks here have said.

Best of luck.

 

[RoyN]

Well, if they like using the elevator, sure...okay...why not...okay.

And if they don't like it, sure...okay...why not...okay.

Maybe back then I would be argue about it but I'm just going to lax away and not say anything other then, sure...okay...why not...okay.

 

[Coelacanth]

What this thread lacks in direct insults it makes up for in sugar-coated ones...

Mike, I'll defend you and the i3. But keep in mind that my defense is very poor because I haven't even used mine. Nonetheless! I shall back you up in the only way I know how: a crappily done photoshop!

This dramatically reenacts my struggle to use a rental BC (well, rental EVERYTHING) during certification and my wish for easier deflation with big gloves...

 

[Paco II]

Since ScubaBoard has clearly become unfriendly to anyone using anything other than a BP/W setup, can we BC users get a 'safe' forum like DIR has?

 

[Geoff_H]

Brilliant work Coelacanth!

 

[RoyN]

No comments on that...picture. :confused2:

I think I'll log out of scubaboard, go lose some more weight to become a real skinny person, get some fresh air and leave. You people sure have alot of time on your hands.