Axiom i3

[ams511]

I love my Axiom i3. It feels great. 1) you wouldn't know how to use it in an emergency? thats what predive buddy checks are for. If your not doing them, then I don't want to be your buddy. 2) The i3 is as complicated lifting a lever up to inflate and pushing it down to deflate. What I really like about the i3 is you can dump air from any position. Up down no matter where you are. I also love the preset tank strap which makes it really easy when doing multiple dives a day. I have prolapsed discs in my back and this BC helps a lot. It is also the same weight as some travel BCs. I say go for it.

Phil, I am just outlining the disadvantages of the a non-conventional BC. It is the OP's money he can purchase what he wants but he should make an informed decision. I watched a video on the "grip-lock" straps and they seem to be very similar to Scubapro style straps with the only advantage of being able to change to different diameter tanks easily. You can add this to any other BC for $45, while Scubapro type is around $20.

 

[Splitlip]

I love my Axiom i3. It feels great. 1) you wouldn't know how to use it in an emergency? thats what predive buddy checks are for. If your not doing them, then I don't want to be your buddy. 2) The i3 is as complicated lifting a lever up to inflate and pushing it down to deflate. What I really like about the i3 is you can dump air from any position. Up down no matter where you are. I also love the preset tank strap which makes it really easy when doing multiple dives a day. I have prolapsed discs in my back and this BC helps a lot. It is also the same weight as some travel BCs. I say go for it.

No disrespect intended here, but every BC feels great. Not sure what the I3 lever has to do with back pain. And I can dump too from any position without the busy little complicated system of cables, hydraulics or whatever.
Often the diver who comes to the aid of a distressed diver is NOT his buddy. Seen it often and done it too. Particularly in low vis situations (night) where some divers get confused about which way is up. It should be nice to know that when a 18 year old dive guide comes to your aid, his muscle memory will kick in and he'll control your position in the water column.
I suspect that when you put your I3 up for sale, like so many others have, you'll shake your head and have a good chuckle.

---------- Post added April 1st, 2014 at 09:39 PM ----------

A gimmick?? dangerous?? Where do you come up with this stuff???

Gimmick, hell yes. Dangerous, see my reply to Phil. I suspect the huge majority of divers (and ocean rescue crew) don't know what an I3 is and would be hunting for a standard inflator in a rescue scenario.

---------- Post added April 1st, 2014 at 10:06 PM ----------

40 years I've been doing this and watched bcd's develop. Snorkel vests, AT Packs, horse collars, STABs, vests, jackets , back inflates, BPW's, weight integrated, air II; there has always been one constant....approaching a distressed diver grab his harness while facing him and one can easily engage the bc inflator with the right hand.
Having said that, I know a diver with one arm. He dives a dss wing with the inflator hose over his right shoulder.

 

[crosshairs]

Gimmick, hell yes. Dangerous, see my reply to Phil. I suspect the huge majority of divers (and ocean rescue crew) don't know what an I3 is and would be hunting for a standard inflator in a rescue scenario.

Then they need a refresher course and some training in new equipment. Not everyone dives the same set up....more so now than ever before.

if I approached someone during a rescue and saw the standard inflator was not there, my next move would be to where the i3 inflator is.....and unlike a standard inflator that may be floating above thier head,or behind their head, or tucked under their arm,or buckled into their BCD, The i3 will always be in the same spot.

 

[Diver_Phil]

No disrespect intended here, but every BC feels great.... Not sure what the I3 lever has to do with back pain......
Often the diver who comes to the aid of a distressed diver is NOT his buddy. Seen it often and done it too. Particularly in low vis situations (night) where some divers get confused about which way is up. It should be nice to know that when a 18 year old dive guide comes to your aid, his muscle memory will kick in and he'll control your position in the water column........

I was not only talking about the i3, I was talking about the Axiom i3 specifically. The i3 lever doesnt feel better on my back, the wrapture system does, and the position of the tank strap. I have not tried a bp/w setup yet, but I may possibly go that route for TECH later on. I plan on having a rec and a tech gear set.

Padi is incorporating the i3 in their training plans. Honestly, the i3 won't go anywhere, so it behooves all Rescue Divers, DM's & Instructors to learn where the i3 lever is. It's really easy, if you look on/feel the divers left side and there is no inflator hose, the i3 will be located lower on the same side by the hip.

 

[ams511]

Not everyone dives the same set up....more so now than ever before.

True, but where does it or should it end? The I3 is not the first unconventional inflator. Mares has the airtrim and I believe they were first. So what if every company came up with their own proprietary type of inflator, would rescues be easier or harder?

 

[ozzydamo]

True, but where does it or should it end? The I3 is not the first unconventional inflator. Mares has the airtrim and I believe they were first. So what if every company came up with their own proprietary type of inflator, would rescues be easier or harder?

And what's that got to do with living in a free society that innovates new designs and concepts???
Gee... we are becoming all communistic these days or is that just old age weeping thru!
You don't like it don't buy it! Simple enough to me.
and don't be a rescue diver if your not up for changes in future, because the most certain thing in the future is change.......

 

[crosshairs]

True, but where does it or should it end? The I3 is not the first unconventional inflator. Mares has the airtrim and I believe they were first. So what if every company came up with their own proprietary type of inflator, would rescues be easier or harder?

As long as they are all located in the same general area, I dont see it being a huge deal...I do understand your point, but we must be ready for changes and adapt as they come, because they certainly will come.

in any scenario where you are bringing up a diver, you can always use your BC to surface the both of you, and lets not forget, that you are supposed to remove the victims equipment anyway.....certainly no one is going to tow a diver in full gear.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Really? Remove all their gear? Maybe if conditions allow it. I like being able to cut the straps, dump the weights, and use the BC as a raft to keep the vic afloat until we get where they can be extricated. I am not going to waste time undoing buckles. If I cut the strap on the I3 will I cut a hose that will not allow the BC to be inflated and stay that way. Also this rig is not common in my area by any means. In order to properly train someone in a rescue scenario where they might encounter someone using one of these contraptions I would need to get my hands on one. In my mind this violates one of the rules I use when teaching classes.
That being that when choosing gear it should allow for intuitive buddy assistance and rescue. Unless someone has trained in this BC or seen one they would not know where to look. It also does not allow for easy self service. A BC that requires complicated service procedures by a tech is something I would not want or advise a student to choose.
Allows for intuitive buddy assist and rescue

 

[crosshairs]

Yes, remove all their gear.....its exercise 7 in the PADI rescue class....any PADI rescue diver has done this exercise...and they should know that you should not be towing a diver in full gear....as far as the buckles they are in the same place they are in every other BC, there is no reason anyone should be cutting straps....but, if your a manly man and really want to use that pig sticker, you can cut all the straps you want, just dont cut the hose and you can still inflate it if you want to..that is if you can find the inflator....which by the way will be at the end of the inflator hose....just like on every BC ever made....

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I am not a PADI instructor. I am not going to use by the book procedures. There is no pig sticker. It's EMT shears or an eezycut. Get rid of the tank and use the bc for additional flotation. I have been personally involved in two rescues of divers in trouble. It was not necessary to get rid of the gear. These were people not diving with me. I had no idea what they were using until I got to them. Had gear removal been necessary I was not going to waste time looking for releases. And I'm an instructor. The average rescue diver from my observations is trained in a course where there is the poor practice of having everyone in similar gear. As such they may not have exposure to this. So use the bc for flotation and when necessary to remove gear use whatever method is fastest. And priority is get the vic out as fast as possible. Screw being neat and by the book.

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