piece of junk

[archman]

Those wrist mounted flip-a-page dive slates.

I've got three of those lovelies. Can't do any complicated surveys without 'em.

Reiterating other poster's complaints:
1. SCUDA. I used it more as a novelty to evoke alarm in other divers.
2. Red laser pointers. They all suck balls, even the pricier high-wavelength models. I'm not about to cough up $250 for a green-light model, though.
3. Mesh tank covers. Once you dive through heavy vegetation, you'll see how much they blow.
4. Retractors (small-sized). I love the high-force locking types and have used them for years, but the smaller models are flimsy affairs that have trouble keeping a friggin' slate retracted. The purpose of these small retractors continues to elude me.

Other pieces of garbage:
-Innovative Scuba Concepts QII slate. Heed my words, this "new and improved" model is pure crap. I only keep mine around to show off it's lameness to other people. I don't see how they're still selling those things.
-FishFlips. http://www.fishflips.net/ As a marine biology teacher, I can wholeheartedly vouch for their inferiority over standard plastic ID slates. Not practical at all.

Products that are just plain irritating:
-Front-Zip Wetsuits. You need to dislocate your shoulder to get out of certain models.
-Positively-Buoyant Fins. Not benefical during D&D drills.
-Plastic Clips. We all know why.
-Glo-Toobs. Specifically, the on/off switch design.

 

[scubapro50]

here's an item you don't see too much now ..... one of those small round temperature gauges that clipped to your watch band ...... (1st) they never fit a metal watch band (2) they didn't fit about half of the rubber watchbands and (3) this small temperature gague (the size of a nickel) NEVER WORKED RIGHT ...... I own one that sits in my drawer along with the 1968 Central Skin Diving catalogue I purchased it out of for $4.95 .... I think the catalogue is worth more on Ebay than the temperature gague is now ...........................................................................

 

[terrasmak]

Halcyon ACB , the last generation of them. I have yet to try out the new version , but Halcyon did swap my old ones out for me. They look much better, and i doubt i will have the same problems with the new ones.

 

[terrasmak]

Tusa Dive computer, put my son at 80 feet when sitting on the boat then into deco. Crazy alarms for no apparent reason. Then locked up! Returned for credit as it only had 6 dives on it.

Let me guess IQ700 my buddy was at 240fsw with a major deco violation after we got out of the water, then it locked up, swapped it out at the LDS. 3 Dives later 80 fsw and counting as we drove to the LDS to get it swapped again. Tusa says they had a bad batch, a few Diverites had the same problem.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

You are correct! These the Tusa and the dive rite are made by Seiko. I would have thought they would have recalled them.

Let me guess IQ700 my buddy was at 240fsw with a major deco violation after we got out of the water, then it locked up, swapped it out at the LDS. 3 Dives later 80 fsw and counting as we drove to the LDS to get it swapped again. Tusa says they had a bad batch, a few Diverites had the same problem.

 

[NorthernShrinkage]

Dacor viper regulator ,Any mask with a built in purge especialy in cold water ,
Anything lime green:mooner:

 

[427Dave]

I just posted a thread about really great diving gear that has held up over time .... this is the flip side and I want to know what is (or was) the biggest piece of junk you have every had the misfortune of diving with. I think the SCUBAPRO DECO METER was the worst peice of gear I ever owned. It earned the nickname "bend-o-matic" because it was so off on so many dives .................... Got a piece of equipment you love to hate ... post it here and warn other divers to stay away from it on ebay ....

I was even dummer.... I bought two of them in the 70's, then you find out neither of them matched one another, ????? Just caused more confusion.... I think my son still has them hanging on the wall, polished up they look cool...

 

[MaxBottomtime]

The only piece of gear I ever regretted buying was the Dacor RIG bc. The integrated weight pouches were held on only by Velcro. I lost two pouches. It was marketed as a "tech" bc yet the back ripped out after a few dives in steel doubles. I used grommets to repair it but the material ripped again on the next dive.

 

[markfm]

Those little tank knockers that they sell with a plastic ball mounted on a piece of low-quality surgical tubing to go around your tank. I never owned one but whenever I see anyone try to use one the tubing breaks. And they don't make any noise to speak of either.

Hey, you did say "junk."

Another vote for those! (Got a little shaker can now, works really well.)

 

[pescador775]

I stand by the Scubapro DCP deco meter. Over 20 years, one failure resulting in a return. The later mods were more conservative, hence, gave a slightly different reading. The diver can detect this difference by observing the calibration or end point of the pointer. SOS adjusted the internal gears to produce that result. Dropping the meter on a hard surface could produce a change in calibration as well but it is also observable. It was a remarkable advance for the time.

Prior to that, in the '50's, Healthways produced a back pack with a little buoy accessory which was about the size of a yo-yo. In the event of ditching, the buoy popped loose allowing the diver to return later to locate the breathing apparatus, somewhere on the bottom. About these packs, the Hawaiians placed a great deal of stock in their "Hawaiian" back pack with rigid frame. Ugh. Adjustable jacket vests without a crotch strap, ouch. Big, menacing, pointed, dive knives made of soft stainless. Huge gauges with 5000 psi scale. Worse, small gauges with same scale. Do you even know anyone who needs a 5000 psi gauge? A 4,000 psi is easier to interpret. Dive computers which are complex and increase the divers workload. Who wants to read a 60 page manual at the beginning of each season so the diver can refresh at least some of the features? Already mentioned I guess, plastic buckles on fins and masks, junk. Stretch elements in weight belts. Just get a rubber belt. Inner bladders for vests and wings. Bulky, they were well known for trapping air in pockets between the layers. Extremely long hoses of any kind, arghhh. Adding a boot to any tank but particularly flat bottom tanks. Buckles that snag on kelp. Buoyant tanks. Monster, 100 cf, aluminum tanks with BCD stuffed with weights. Back zippers that require a buddy, who is already suited up, to attempt to close for you. The latter two combined are like suiting up a hard hat diver. The SP regulator that had an audible alarm. The peculiar US Divers mouthpiece, "comfo-bite". Oval masks with nose pockets and purge valves.