SP Hydros Pro vs Halcyon Eclipse

[BullDiver]

I'm a new diver looking to buy my first BC. I plan on being in the sport for a long time so I don't want to buy a "beginner" BC and have to upgrade later. Right now my plan is to remain recreational but who knows what the future holds. I'm in Florida so most of my diving will be done around here and then wherever I travel, so warm water. Most of my diving will be done in a 3mm suit, possibly 5mm in the colder months.

Originally I was set on the ScubaPro Hydros Pro, but now after reading many threads on here I've been taking a look at the Halcyon Eclipse as a BP/W option. With the Halcyon I would probably go with the aluminum backplate and the 20lb wing. The XS hydros pro has 36lbs of lift which seems a little bit excessive for warm water diving.

Halcyon claims to be infinitely adjustable, but is there a limit to this? I'm a small female so I need it to be able to get small enough to hold me tight. The hydros pro has female sizes which is a plus. I have all scubapro products currently because I like the quality and easy access to being serviced. Do BP/W need to be serviced like other BCs? Both setups are similarly priced so that is not a factor.

If anyone has any other suggestions for a BC system for a small female I would definitely consider any possibilities. Thanks.

 

[stuartv]

Deep Sea Supply

Deep Sea Supply -Backplates & Wings-SMB-HoseHat_Single tank & doubles Tank Scuba rigs_

Tobin has back plates in different sizes. A Small is stated to fit divers under 5' 3" tall. He probably has a size that is right for you.

For warm water, single tank diving in a 3mm, if you're going to be using an AL80, I would probably go with a stainless steel plate. But, if you'll be using steel tanks or diving in just a bathing suit, then a Kydex plate might be a better option. I have both and they are very nice.

DSS has donut (aka Torus) wings and horseshoe (aka LCD) wings. Planning for up to a 5mm suit, you would probably want the Torus 26 or LCD 30. Personally, I prefer donut shaped wings over horseshoe. But, the DSS wings have a tradeoff. His donut wings have no zipper, so if you get a puncture or pinch flat in the bladder, you can't fix it yourself. The LCD wings have a zipper and you can fix a flat, if you need to. In any case, a puncture or a pinch flat is not a very likely occurrence. But, Tobin himself has posted here that 95% of his repairs are for pinch flats, so they do happen. This tradeoff is why I had an LCD30 but sold it. I wanted a donut wing, but one that I could repair myself, so I bought a Hog 23# wing and sold my DSS wing.

The DSS wings are great if you don't mind the tradeoff (or don't perceive a horseshoe wing as a compromise at all). And he sells complete rigs for $460. Quite a savings over the others you're looking at, I think. And the DSS stuff is TOP quality. Easily as good or better than SP or Halcyon.

 

[tbone1004]

if you are a small female and want to stay with Halcyon you will want to go with their small size plates depending on your height. Deep Sea Supply also makes small pattern plates and will be several hundred dollars cheaper.
They are truly infinitely adjustable so no worries about how small you are
BP/W do not need to be "serviced" per se, you can rebuild the inflators but that is typically only done when they start leaking, it's not a PM type item. The only other things are the dump valve and those either work or they don't.

I would also consider going with a SS plate since women tend to be a bit floatier and they will allow you to remove quite a bit of weight from your weight belt which is nice. In a 3mm with an al80 in salt water, you should be either neutral or need about 2-4 lbs with a SS plate

 

[BoltSnap]

ALL people I know who bought the SP Hydros BC are raving about it. It is supposed to fit all sizes no problem.

 

[eelnoraa]

While they are both BC, but they are really apples to oranges. Halcyon represents one of the highest end BP/W, their price reflects it. Both quality of the product and the cosmetic/attention to details are top notch. Their customer service is also as good as it gets. They also get a very high demand on the 2nd hand market if you ever want to sell it. I kind of don't SP BC are in the same league.

Having that said. Eclipse is although almost infinitely adjustable, it is not adjustable on the fly, not while the BC is on you and definitely not during the dive. There will be some learning curve at the beginning. So in terms of putting the BC on and taking it off, it could be more challenging until you get used to it. In water, I think BP/W is a superior product myself. So giving the choice and your budget, it is a no brainer, get the Halcyon. As Tbone said, they make a small size plate. Get that if you are a relatively small person. I am 5'6", I use their smaller plate.

 

[BullDiver]

I guess I didn't really consider that even though I am in shape that women in general have a higher body fat percentage than men, makes sense. So my assumption would be that a small stainless steal backplate is a couple pounds lighter than a regular sized one? If going with the Eclipse (but I will still look into DSS) should I go with 20 or 30lb wing?

 

[tbone1004]

I guess I didn't really consider that even though I am in shape that women in general have a higher body fat percentage than men, makes sense. So my assumption would be that a small stainless steal backplate is a couple pounds lighter than a regular sized one? If going with the Eclipse (but I will still look into DSS) should I go with 20 or 30lb wing?

generally lower muscle mass as well, so the total combination regardless of how fit you are generally makes you a bit more positively buoyant. Not a bad thing, just a thing, but if you're almost always wearing a 3mm or 5mm, you definitely want a SS plate if using AL80 tanks and really most steel tanks as well.

I would go with a roughly 30lb wing due to the 5mm wetsuit. 20lb will be marginal at best with a 5mm wetsuit ime

 

[stuartv]

I guess I didn't really consider that even though I am in shape that women in general have a higher body fat percentage than men, makes sense. So my assumption would be that a small stainless steal backplate is a couple pounds lighter than a regular sized one? If going with the Eclipse (but I will still look into DSS) should I go with 20 or 30lb wing?

If you click the DSS link I posted and then click into the details on the different back plates, the specs like how much they weigh are given.

 

[BullDiver]

generally lower muscle mass as well, so the total combination regardless of how fit you are generally makes you a bit more positively buoyant. Not a bad thing, just a thing, but if you're almost always wearing a 3mm or 5mm, you definitely want a SS plate if using AL80 tanks and really most steel tanks as well.

I would go with a roughly 30lb wing due to the 5mm wetsuit. 20lb will be marginal at best with a 5mm wetsuit ime

I think you're right, an SS plate is probably best. I am in a perpetual state of cold so there are probably very few instances I will be in anything less than a 3mm. Just curious, why does having a thicker suit require more lift? I thought thicker suits provide more buoyancy?

 

[stuartv]

I think you're right, an SS plate is probably best. I am in a perpetual state of cold so there are probably very few instances I will be in anything less than a 3mm. Just curious, why does having a thicker suit require more lift? I thought thicker suits provide more buoyancy?

Thick suits compress more as you go deeper, so you lose more buoyancy.

At the beginning of your dive, when you are at your max depth, you will need more lift to compensate for the extra loss of buoyancy from a thicker suit.