Deep Sea Supply status, May 2019 edition

[Eric Sedletzky]

I can see the $50 for changing a bladder on a LCD wing as being somewhat profitable, but when Tobin wrote the steps to replacing the bladder on the Torus line, I could see it was a big time dump and probably unprofitable. You could not just hire someone to do that, you needed someone skilled. I agree with you there is no point for that design.

You may have forgotten, but Tobin did produce a single wall wing at the same time as Oxycheq and Halcyon. It was abandoned pretty quickly. In fairness, Oxycheq and Halcyon also abandoned the design. There was a thread years ago from an instructor from the Far East (I think Japan) that used the single wall wing for his dive school. They fell apart relatively quickly. The instructor posted photos, I don't remember Tobin's response.

I think the only company that still sells single wall wings is UTD, except for the Express Tech wing. I believe Apeks discontinued the WTX-3 model here in the US. Halcyon has a single wall wing but I think you need to purchase the package.

Halcyon’s single walled wing leaked air through the seams because they didn’t fuse the seams correctly and didn’t do something correctly with the internal urethane coating, according to Patrick of Oxycheq. Patrick actually had the best single walled wing of the era with his Razor series wings. In fact, there are many of them still in service still to this day. They are eagerly sought after down in Socal by a certain group of lobster divers. In fact, I just fit one to a Freedom Plate for a guy in my shop recently. I don’t remember Tobins single walled wing. If it was anything like the Halcyon version with leaking seams then I doubt there are any still in service.
FYI, most or all jacket and back inflate BC’s are single walled and they seem to hold up just fine.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with a good single walled wing. They are simple in construction, they are light and flexible, they pack really well, and they are repairable, not a pretty repair but a repair none the less.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@ams511 (who does not log dives....)
stated:
@Sam Miller III I don't think Sea Tec had any patents on double bag construction. I have a Sea Quest horsecollar BC with a double-bag. I assume it is a contemporary with the Sea Tec Sunfish.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What an interesting statement …..
Are you certain ? 100 percent certain ?
Sea Quest & Sea Tec....Very interesting '

I would enjoy learning more -- perhaps you can enlignen the masses
SDM

 

[ams511]

@Sam Miller III (Scuba Legend)
Stated:
@ams511 What an interesting statement …..
Are you certain ? 100 percent certain ?
Sea Quest & Sea Tec....Very interesting '

I would enjoy learning more -- perhaps you can enlignen the masses SDM
____________________________________________________________

I don't think the masses care, you are the only one.

Sam the Man, I did a quick internet search and found Mr. Ruscigno holds a patent for the detonator assembly (#4161797) filed in 1976. That patent would have expired in 1996 if he did not let it lapse before. He also holds a patent for pulsating hydrotherapy system (#4552132) filed in 1984. There a few patents under Seatec, but I don't think it is the same company. Also none of them are scuba related.

I pulled out my horsecollar BCs and cannot find a manufacturing date on any of them. So I cannot be 100% certain they were made at the same time. I estimate looking at old catalogs that they are from the early 1980s. The Sea Quest is in very bad shape. When comparing it with the Seatec it looks very similar, the fittings and inflator are similar, it has a double bag (disintegrated) but it does not have a CO2 detonator.

What is interesting, in the 1974 US Divers Catalog (page 24), they mention double-bag construction and some models (BC 1) have a CO2 detonator. This is two years before Mr. Ruscigno's patent. So I am not sure what Mr. Ruscigno's patent covered, perhaps just a better method.

I hope you are enlightened. To the masses, sorry for the thread jack.

 

[2airishuman]

Tobin mentioned that the most wing punctures are pinch flats caused by the plate contacting the wing. Making the wing easier to remove from the plate was suppose to reduce the problem.

One of his several innovations but I never could get used to it. I started out removing the wing after every dive and using those little rubber buttons to hold it in place. An extra step before and after the dive and then the wing had to be rolled up and stored. Ultimately I just fastened the wing to the backplate with book screws and leave it there unless I need to pack everything down for air travel or am switching to a different wing. Much easier.

I try to be careful with how I store the backplate and wing but I suppose eventually I'll make a mistake and get a pinch flat.

I never found it a big deal to thread cam buckles so didn't see much value in having a wing that could be pulled off without unthreading them cam bands.

 

[ams511]

@2airishuman

DSS's marketing was based on new divers and divers switching over to BP/W. Any time a new diver posted a question about BP/W then the cheerleaders came out and said you need to talk to Tobin. So his innovations made sense to the uninitiated. I used a Halcyon before and it had an STA and I would disassemble everything before soaking. Most of my diving was local so I would put the BC into a bin plate-down and never had a problem with the Halcyon.

 

[divad]

@2airishuman

DSS's marketing was based on new divers and divers switching over to BP/W. Any time a new diver posted a question about BP/W then the cheerleaders came out and said you need to talk to Tobin. So his innovations made sense to the uninitiated.

Long time Nay-Sayer here.......feeling vindicated.

 

[grf88]

Pinch flats seemed to be a common theme with DSS wing threads. My 20 year old Oxycheq wing has been constantly abused with my heavy Fred T plate frequently being jammed on top of it in tank holders etc. and has never had a problem.

 

[rhwestfall]

The only success to me of DSS was his long & x-long plates (being 6'-7", tttthey were a nice item), his DSMB, and his (now duplicated) hardware and accessories. He was one of the first sources I could find for a wide center hole spool that was great for gloves in cold water.

The wings weren't really to my liking, and I still prefer my VDH and Oxy wings over them.

 

[Couv]

The wings weren't really to my liking, and I still prefer my VDH and Oxy wings over them.

To my recollection, I've not seen a DSS wing. The non-removable/repairable bladder would be a deal breaker for me as I'm a DIY sort of person. Other than that, what leads you to say the above? I too have Oxy and VDH wings and I'm impressed by the quality. I've never had a pinch flat. The replaceable compression fittings and seals are certainly a bonus, not to mention the fittings are not bonded to the bladder. However, I was given to understand the DSS wings also have replaceable fittings.

Cheers,

Couv

 

[divad]

The non-removable/repairable bladder would be a deal breaker for me as I'm a DIY sort of person.

Imagine a car with the hood welded to the body.