Ow in bp/w

[danvolker]

No I'm disputing that BP/Ws are inherently superior. Peoples preferences are just that, preferences.

Ok....The "Trend" is that recreational divers are more likely to walk into a shop today with the belief that the bp/wing IS inherently superior to the Jacket style BC....There has been a big change in this "perception" in the last 15 years....I can't see how anyone can avoid seeing this "trending".

Those of us that like the bp/wing better, do not have much compassion for the shops desiring to hang on to the old style BC.
The trend is going to continue. There will be shops that evolve...there will be shops that won't or can't adapt.....

 

[Ste Wart]

Ok....The "Trend" is that recreational divers are more likely to walk into a shop today with the belief that the bp/wing IS inherently superior to the Jacket style BC....There has been a big change in this "perception" in the last 15 years....I can't see how anyone can avoid seeing this "trending".

Those of us that like the bp/wing better, do not have much compassion for the shops desiring to hang on to the old style BC.
The trend is going to continue. There will be shops that evolve...there will be shops that won't or can't adapt.....

Yeah I agree with you on that one.

However, more for the masses, not just you Dan

Do BP/Ws outsell Jacket BCDs?

Anybody?

 

[dbulmer]

McDonalds outsells most restaurants - are you implying that McDonalds are purveyors of quality food?

 

[danvolker]

Yeah I agree with you on that one.

However, more for the masses, not just you Dan

Do BP/Ws outsell Jacket BCDs?

Anybody?

We all know Jackets outsell bp/wings today, hands down....some day in a couple of years, it may be 50/50

 

[RJP]

Do BP/Ws outsell Jacket BCDs?

Does Aston Martin outsell Honda?

Anybody?

Anybody?

 

[kenny kustom]

Found another shop.
Private lessons for my wife and I, in our bp/w.
Very nice people. Helpful. Willing to teach.
Amazing what difference a decent lds/instructors can make. Very happy!

 

[Ste Wart]

Do BP/Ws outsell Jacket BCDs?

Anybody?

McDonalds outsells most restaurants - are you implying that McDonalds are purveyors of quality food?

Does Aston Martin outsell Honda?

Anybody?

Anybody?

I was hoping that someone may have the figures rather than pithy responses. It was genuine question about percentages. I mean are we BP/W users the dive equivalent of Mac users or are the numbers more balanced?

 

[dbulmer]

Sorry Stewart,
Didn't realise you were being serious.
I think overall BP/W does not sell too well in the general diving population. I think divers on dive forums are more likely to have heard of BP/W and a fair few will have bought a BP/W based on information presented here and on other forums but the vast majority of divers will have been exposed to varieties of the "standard" BCD (whatever that might be).

Also divers who have been diving more than a couple of years may also have seen BP/W on boats etc. I have not seen that many single tank divers with wings in either a club environment or through PADI instruction.

 

[Ste Wart]

Sorry Stewart,
Didn't realise you were being serious.

I do try to keep it to minimum

 

[RJP]

I was hoping that someone may have the figures rather than pithy responses. It was genuine question about percentages. I mean are we BP/W users the dive equivalent of Mac users or are the numbers more balanced?

Tough to get numbers. But fair to assume new divers who buy gear predominantly buy what they are trained in. There's also the idea that, in a "gear intensive" hobby, the uninitiated will gravitate towards things with lots of buckes and clips and d-rings and doo-dads. It's why more people (who know less) buy some Sony receiver with 75 buttons and 50 flashing LEDs on the front instead of a NAD receiver that has four buttons and one knob, or why a "watch collector" with Breitling Bling-o-Graph will not look twice at a Lange or Patek.

At the shop where I DM, I would say we sell as many BP/W rigs as traditional BCDs. Quite possibly more BP/W. A great many OW students buy BP/W rigs because our OW students get to try them for themselves for four OW dives, and they see how different they are (dare I say superior) to the jacket and back-inflate rigs they use in the pool. We often hear that students who use BP/W - who weren't planning on buying their own gear - end up buying a full kit right away once they realize "it doesn't have to be as cumbersome as the gear we used in the pool."