Review of XDeep Stealth Tec 2 - July 2018

[Dives4Fun]

I decided to write a review of the XDeep Stealth Tec 2 sidemount rig. Although late to the game, the information is current as of today (July 3, 2018) and I expected the product would be well seasoned by now - any bugs and shortfalls should have been worked out. This will be a 2 part review, one on assembly and one on use. They will be approximately 1 week apart as I am doing the sidemount course next weekend. I will put a final thoughts in after part 2.

Part 1 - Assembly

I recently received my X-Deep Stealth Tec 2 which I purchased as a complete set - harness, droppable weight pouch, butt plate, and Tec Wing (non-RB). It came in a really fancy box and had really fancy sealed zip pouches with the XDeep logo all over it. Looks impressive, but looks are only surface deep!

I assembled this past weekend and that is when the struggle begins. The fancy packages are not labelled with anything meaningful. Despite the manual saying if you buy everything as a kit the wing will be attached - this was not the case. The manual is useless for assembly - the instructions are half baked vaguely referring to adjustment points with yellow arrows pointing to a general vicinity. They also dont show which way things are supposed to be put. I ended up taking it apart and putting it back together only to realize I did something backwards only to take it apart again. The one thing that saved me was a video by Dave from Deep Dive Gear I found on youtube. I guessed at how the buttplate attached after putting on the wing as the instructions didnt have the wing on when assembling it - the wing changed everything - I put it on the only way I could think of doing it. There was also no information on how to make the knots to attach to the wing - "Put the bungee through a suitable mounting loop of the compensator and install a bolt-snap at the end of the loop." I also ending up chopping up my bungee's as I misjudged how long I needed to make the loops - I needed to make them alot longer than I did. Suggested size or range would have been nice.

All the straps are new and really tough to slide through the mounting clips, especially when doing connections on the underside.

One would think that Xdeep could have made some training videos on assembly instead of all the fancy packaging and promotional videos.

Oh, and I have extra parts left over but I never got to the droppable pouch. Of course I will take all these pieces with me to my first class.

My rating of XDeep assembly and instructions - fail

 

[RVBldr]

I did some training on the Stealth Tec about 3 weeks ago through a shop that was an xDeep distributor. Always nice to have someone assemble the rig that knows what they are doing. ;-)

 

[scuba-flea]

I purchased the XDeep Stealth 2.0 Classic back in April. I was a bit daunted by putting it together as well, but was told by my instructor to wait till the class and he would guide me. He also referred me to the videos online at sidemounting.com so I could put it all together in advance, but told me that there would be some changing of things during class anyway based both on the user's body and the instructor's style.

After having the class and following it up with online videos from people other than sidemounting.com as well as talking with many different instructors over the last few months, I don't think XDeep could really put together the rig for you. There are so many different styles of doing things, wearing things, different philosophies. I know I am a bit of a nuub to tech, just dipping my toe in, but no manufacturer could possibly assemble the product even 1/2 way together and even make 10% of their customers happy. Your instructor(s) will help you get it together and customize it as you train and learn.

I spent a lot of time fretting over it before the training started and realized it was all wasted sweat. My instructor, Joe Seda helped me customize the rig to my body through the training from day one till the end. I will probably continue to adjust it as I keep adding sidemount dives to my logbook.

A vendor will not say 'where it this way' as in the tech world if there are 100 sidemount divers in a room, they'll probably have 101 opinions on how to where it. (I'd be the indecisive 2 opinion guy).

Just my two tanks....

 

[JohnnyC]

Sidemount rigs are not jacket BCD's, they require specific fitting and adjustment. That's why instructors tell you to wait until you're taking your course. Otherwise, you can end up with a lot of frustration and potentially ruining your new, fancy investment.

 

[johnohuk]

I'd agree the instructions are minimal but if you've had a backplate rig it's doable without an instructor and using youtube! I'd also recommend having a stock of para chord/bungee in various sizes because you don't half need it for SM. Ebay has loads. BTW My Tec 2.0 was pre-built on arrival, whether it was the shop or Xdeep, i couldn't tell you.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'm on the fence about buying one. The other instructor at the shop has one and I like the looks of it. But I already have 4 rigs from 3 different mfgs. 4 if you count me because one of my rigs is my own design and I cut the bulk of the hardware for it myself. The D-rings on it were spares I had, the webbing was leftover bits from custom BPW harnesses I've made for people (hence the black shoulder and waist strap and red crotch strap), and the wing I bought for 140 bucks shipped from deco sidemount.
I could not have done this without the years of experience I have in modifying my other rigs to suit me and help others with theirs.
I look at the XDeep, Razor, Etc as rigs for experienced SM divers if they are going to assemble it without the assistance of an instructor or a bag of parts you take to class with you and assemble it there. The majority of recreational courses don't prepare the average OW, AOW, or even DM and OW instructor for this type of BC. Hence the poor reviews.
My advice to anyone thinking of sidemount, who doesn't have an experienced sidemount instructor to help them, is they should stay away from these or order it and leave it in the bag until you are with your instructor.
Don't buy it because the cool kids are using it. Buy it because it's the right tool for the job. If you're not sure if it's the right tool, buy a rig that's already assembled. Don't disparage a product that doesn't meet your expectations of ease of assembly.
There's plenty of videos and posts in different places about putting one together. Including the issues people have. A little bit of research will reduce the disappointment of the person who was expecting this to be like putting on a jacket or even BPW.

 

[Dives4Fun]

I decided to write a review of the XDeep Stealth Tec 2 sidemount rig. Although late to the game, the information is current as of today (July 3, 2018) and I expected the product would be well seasoned by now - any bugs and shortfalls should have been worked out. This will be a 2 part review, one on assembly and one on use. They will be approximately 1 week apart as I am doing the sidemount course next weekend. I will put a final thoughts in after part 2.

Part 1 - Assembly

I recently received my X-Deep Stealth Tec 2 which I purchased as a complete set - harness, droppable weight pouch, butt plate, and Tec Wing (non-RB). It came in a really fancy box and had really fancy sealed zip pouches with the XDeep logo all over it. Looks impressive, but looks are only surface deep!

I assembled this past weekend and that is when the struggle begins. The fancy packages are not labelled with anything meaningful. Despite the manual saying if you buy everything as a kit the wing will be attached - this was not the case. The manual is useless for assembly - the instructions are half baked vaguely referring to adjustment points with yellow arrows pointing to a general vicinity. They also dont show which way things are supposed to be put. I ended up taking it apart and putting it back together only to realize I did something backwards only to take it apart again. The one thing that saved me was a video by Dave from Deep Dive Gear I found on youtube. I guessed at how the buttplate attached after putting on the wing as the instructions didnt have the wing on when assembling it - the wing changed everything - I put it on the only way I could think of doing it. There was also no information on how to make the knots to attach to the wing - "Put the bungee through a suitable mounting loop of the compensator and install a bolt-snap at the end of the loop." I also ending up chopping up my bungee's as I misjudged how long I needed to make the loops - I needed to make them alot longer than I did. Suggested size or range would have been nice.

All the straps are new and really tough to slide through the mounting clips, especially when doing connections on the underside.

One would think that Xdeep could have made some training videos on assembly instead of all the fancy packaging and promotional videos.

Oh, and I have extra parts left over but I never got to the droppable pouch. Of course I will take all these pieces with me to my first class.

My rating of XDeep assembly and instructions - fail

Part 2 - Usage

I got to use the X-Deep Stealth Tec 2 rig in the pool late last week and at the lake on the weekend. My configuration was I had on a Neoprene Dry Suit, 2x80 Aluminum tanks, a single tec wing (non-RB), butt plate, and the Dive Rite sidemount regulator set. I was using 4x5 lb lead beanbags in the spine pouches and 9 lbs of lead beanbags in each droppable weight pouch (I believe I had a 6 and a 3 in each - it was a really tight fit).

First thing I noticed was that the stealth was the most comfortable system I have ever worn. I had excellent reach and was able to bend over and reach things with ease on land. The configuration I had for the ditchable weights was not ideal and I will have to go back and reconfigure that mainly because trying to put the weights back into the sleeve was very difficult (I had overloaded them). The weights fit in a pouch and then slide part way into a sleeve opening and clip with a plastic fastener to hold it. Not sure why X-Deep did not make the pouches yellow - black would be hard to find if you ever did have to ditch the weights. When I was in the water with it I noticed floating on my back was difficult with the wing inflated and the unit really wanted to put me face down.

Swimming with the unit I found was very simple and I felt like I was gliding through the water. Unclipping aluminum tanks and swimming with them was also very easy - I would imagine this would be a bit more tricky with steel tanks due to the negative buoyancy.

I took the unit apart and put it back together so many times - it is very time consuming. I ended up changing the shoulder straps for the adjustable clip ones - it makes it easier to get on and off with the weight that I was diving with.

For actually use and flexibility I am rating this rig an "A". Absolutely beautiful rig.

Part 3 - Personal Comments

I have read the comments posted here and am going to comment. First - my experience is around 40-50 dives total. My viewpoint is not that of hundreds or thousands of dives that many of you have so my perspective may be very different. I respect your opinions and experiences so let me explain mine.

At this stage unless you have experience with sidemount rigs you really need to get a good instructor - one that has dove many different rigs so they can figure out this one and give advice on how it should be setup.

XDeep has made a very good product, has marketed the product well, and has some excellent accessories to modify the rig. They have failed, however, to properly document how to setup the rig and customize it. They also have not made simple statements as to why you may want a particular accessory (ie what is the purpose of the accessory).

This rig is not designed for newer divers and that is a problem. The problem is on several fronts:

Dive agencies certifying divers to advanced levels in a few days
Advertising all over about new equipment
Tours that are requiring specialized equipment (sidemount for example)
Website and magazines showing sidemount videos showing people gliding through the water, transporting their stuff with ease etc
Advertisements and reviews showing gear that is great for not just a particular task, but for everything (sidemount, rebreathers etc)
LDS (Local Dive Stores) needing to keep selling gear to stay in business

This product could easily be made available to newer divers with a standard setup and set of instructions and videos detailing how to do this. Yes, this gear requires hours of tweaking and then can require hours of further customization. There is NO reason each product addon that is made can not have instructions on how to mount the item. I will point out that service manuals have been produced for things far more complex in both assembly and disassembly (ie Laptop computers). There is NO reason not to create the same level of detailed information for sidemount systems. This can include the best way to create knots, the best way to feed straps through the various mounting brackets and plates, feeding the basic harness through the required mounting points, which way to feed the buckles etc.

On XDeep as a company itself - it needs to step up. Their customer service is bad. About a year ago I had heard rumors that a number of LDS had dropped XDeep due to poor service. I emailed them on it and got a response from them saying that it was not true - well I am calling you on it XDeep because clearly it IS TRUE!!!

Your North America distribution is crap. You have poor quality control (my rig was missing pieces such as some bolt clamps) and had extra pieces (various mounting hardware). Your manual says right in it that if you buy everything together the wing will be attached - not on my unit it wasnt. Your fancy zip bags have no useful information on as to what they are for and they all look the same but have different pieces inside. Your manual has only a couple things that are useful in it but is missing gobs of information and 3rd party dive shops are making videos on how to set things up because you havent.

 

[Patoux01]

Seriously, you're buying "advanced" gear while being clueless about it and complain that it doesn't teach you how to dive...

Sorry for being harsh, but that's just how it is.

 

[JohnnyC]

It doesn't sound like you've been to see an instructor familiar with the xDeep system. It also sounds like you still don't have an understanding of the system, if you're 1) putting buckles on your shoulder straps, 2) complaining that you don't know what parts are what, 3) using AL80's with a buttplate, and 4) think that xDeep should change so that they can sell more systems to new divers.

You're attitude towards it as a recreational platform for new divers just demonstrates that you don't have an actual understanding of the product or its intended use.

The fact that you're diving a sidemount system with AL80's with ditchable weight shows that you're not diving a balanced rig, one of the core tenets of diving the Stealth. In fact, I don't know a single Stealth diver who uses ditchable weight. The fact that you're using those AL80's with the buttplate shows that you don't understand the system, sidemount in general, let alone the finer points of diving an xDeep Stealth. And seriously, almost 30 pounds of weight with 2 AL80's?! I wear half that in a drysuit with AL80's in full undergarments and I'm most definitely "floaty." This is why you should go to an xDeep instructor, because you're throwing shade at a company based on your own ignorance and lack of experience.

Sorry dude, you need to take a step back and go see a sidemount instructor familiar with the Stealth and have him fix all the issues that you caused yourself. Otherwise you're going to continue to be a bad example.

About the only accurate statement you've made is that their US distributor is clownshoes.

 

[vovanx]

My humble opinion (a proud Stealth Rec RB owner):

Assembly and instructions - ***
Actual use and flexibility - *****
Customer service - ***
Distributors worldwide - clownshoes

The problem is a common Polish lazyness. The creator of the harness is very experienced and talented diver, but the managers and sales team do not want to do anything and that's why we have A's for actual usability and D's for everything else.