You Sir are an optimist. IME the life of a product is when the warranty runs out. Thus "lifetime warranty".
SP Hydros Pro vs Halcyon Eclipse
- Thread starter BullDiver
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You Sir are an optimist. IME the life of a product is when the warranty runs out. Thus "lifetime warranty".
Count me another happy Hydros user. On the bus back from a dive trip with a couple BP/W divers - all I can say is I'm extremely happy with my decision. Now, I don't think there are any features that I couldn't get from a BP/W. Except maybe the grippiness, the whole thing being monoprene makes it super stable.
Maybe it cost a couple hundred bucks more. I didn't have to spend any time on assembly or thinking about what I wanted or how it should be set up. Came with a perfectly sized gear bag, fits fantastic, sits upright on the surface, excellent trim underwater. Has all the benefits of a BP/W and none of the drawbacks.
If you don't like it don't buy it, but if you can afford it it's a fantastic rig. Last thought - it irks me when people call it a jacket. It isn't. It's a BP/W, the only difference being that the backplate is molded out of hard plastic and monoprene.
Maybe it cost a couple hundred bucks more. I didn't have to spend any time on assembly or thinking about what I wanted or how it should be set up. Came with a perfectly sized gear bag, fits fantastic, sits upright on the surface, excellent trim underwater. Has all the benefits of a BP/W and none of the drawbacks.
If you don't like it don't buy it, but if you can afford it it's a fantastic rig. Last thought - it irks me when people call it a jacket. It isn't. It's a BP/W, the only difference being that the backplate is molded out of hard plastic and monoprene.
You can use it to dive doubles?
You can swap out the air cell for different sizes, to have the optimal size for the planned dive?
It reduces the amount of lead you need to carry by as much as 6 pounds?
It's inexpensive to buy and super cheap to replace parts when they eventually become worn?
With all those benefits, it sounds really sweet!
Tralfamadore
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Hydros pro looks cool but I could never get around being stuck with a 40.5 lb bungeed wing for every single dive.
No sense bringing up double as a disadvantage. No one diving doubles is purchasing a hydros pro. It's intended for recreational single tank divers.
I haven't tried one but I have seen one and I have to argue that it is at the end of the day still a jacket/back inflate style bcd. It just lacks all of the true benefits of a bp/wing system. Btw a bp/wing can still be just that while not having a metal backplate.
No sense bringing up double as a disadvantage. No one diving doubles is purchasing a hydros pro. It's intended for recreational single tank divers.
I haven't tried one but I have seen one and I have to argue that it is at the end of the day still a jacket/back inflate style bcd. It just lacks all of the true benefits of a bp/wing system. Btw a bp/wing can still be just that while not having a metal backplate.
When you saw one, explain how you came to the conclusion that it's a jacket in any way? And lacks ALL the benefits of a BPW? Man that BPW koolaid is mighty strong in this town.
Tralfamadore
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I guess I have to reiterate what was said directly above my post...
The wing is fixed to the unit and is massively oversized.
Still much more bulky than a backplate with webbing. More weight will be required especially if using those absurd weight pockets.
Plastic components everywhere.
Essentially double the price of a bp/w.
Weighs about the same as my bp/wing while being much more positively bouyant.
It's nice that it claims to be at least neutrally bouyant. Bp/wing is negative. Less weight required.
Component parts for a bp/w are essentially universal. Same can't be said the for the Hydros pro.
These are a few of the main advantages of a backplate and wing system that the hydros simply can't match.
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My BP/W rigs are all webbing and steel. Not a single piece of plastic you could drop a tank on and break, except for the wing inflator, hose, elbow, and OPV. And those things are very inexpensive and easy to swap out.
No, but if I were going to dive with doubles I'd probably buy side mount specific rig like the Xdeep Stealth.
The wing never gets in the way, so why would I want to swap it out for a smaller one? I can dive in a rash guard in the tropics or a 7mm in cold water without modifying my BCD. I don't know, to me that's a good thing.
Maybe not by 6lbs, but I dropped a bunch of weight when I bought it and stopped renting. Since there are pockets I don't mind the lead. And it packs down small enough that I can get all my gear carry-on only.
The difference in price is hard for some to swallow, but I don't have much to spend my money on except airfare and scuba diving. So for me I don't care how much it costs and there's a ScubaPro dealer/service shop 15min my house.
Yea, like I said I'm really happy with it and am definitely not jealous of the BP/W guys in my club. In fact, some might be thinking about buying a Hydros
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Ridiculous answer. I asked you to explain the jacket reference. You provided a sesquipedalian diatribe against the Hydros without answering my question. Do you actually know what a jacket is?
Tralfamadore
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