Advice on buying a BCD

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stev

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Hey guys I am about to finish my Advance dive. I always rented a back inflated BCD and now decided to buy one. I was interested in buying a new Balance but came across this deal ( Halcyon Eclipse BCD) and wanted to get some opinion on it. He dropped it down to $575 since its missing the crotch strap and says ill need to replace it. I was told it was bought in November 2012 and has been on a few 10 dives ( bought it for his son who stopped diving). I weigh 177 lbs and am 5'9 feet and dive with a 3mm wetsuit (but am considering diving with none since its warm here). I was wondering if its the right size and if its worth the buy? Any advice would be great!

Thank you for your time and answer

Steve
 
You really can't go wrong with a halcyon backplate and wing. The price seems a little high, but not totally out of line. There are a few on ebay going for a little less, but not sure how shipping to Hawaii would work.

I can't recommend highly enough starting with a backplate/wing setup. A backplate and wing will grow with you as you continue diving. Don't let anyone convince you a BP/W setup is for tech diving only. The single length of webbing is infinitely adjustable (my 5'6" wife can wear mine with a two minute adjustment, and I'm 6'6"), so you should have little trouble getting it properly fitted.

And while not typically a selling point of dive gear, it'll hold its value. Not many BCD's out there will hold their value quite like a Halcyon BP&W.
 
how much would it be to replace the crotch strap?
 
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If you have a Jo Ann Fabrics store or similar and a couple tri glides and a D ring or two (think about $5 in hardware) $3 worth of soft 2 inch webbing will about do it. I have made more than few crotch straps for under $10.00. Some mfg's offer a complete harness kit and you can build your own new BPW rig for less than $400.00 as Robert said in another thread. I sell HOG and Manta rigs and offer the option to mix and match set ups. And at way less than the price you are looking at for a used rig.
 
As Jim Lapenta has said already, it's a piece of webbing a couple of triglides and D rings.
The easiest way to attach it is with a bolt and washer on the bottom of the backplate and it'll take you longer to buy the webbing, triglides etc than to attach it.

The crotch strap makes everything snug and comfy.
With your height and weight the Eclipse will fit you easily.

The link you provided shows a 40lb wing.

I use the 40lb wing myself in the UK but I think you'd suit a 30lb wing better for warm water wetsuit diving.
 
To add to my last post, if you want more info I have an essay/article on BPW's for recreational divers that I send to people free of charge. But it's a large file and I need an email address to send it to. Can't PM or post it here easily.
 
halcyon are a great make but there are others out there at a better price such as the scubapro x tec systems , saying that i definatly prefer to dive in a wing easy to adjust, really helps set your trim just right . its the way to go











www.oceanviewdive.com
 
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Steve,

There's no magic to a backplate and wing, and as others have recommended, I think it's a great start if you're buying gear. This will allow you to dive everything from the easiest recreational dives, all the way to extreme tech, and you hardly have to change anything in terms of your buoyancy device.

I would not buy a used Halcyon for over $400 when I can buy a new backplate and wing from sources like DiveGearExpress.com, DiveRightInScuba.com, and tons of others who can web it for you and everything for around $300. Another supplier is DeepSeaSupply.com, and people on this board rave about them.

You really could buy the plate and wing separately, so you can get the wing you want (donut, horseshoe, coated bladder, etc.), and since backplates are pretty generic buy whichever you find a good deal on.

Happy to chat with you on PM if you are interested in putting your own rig together.

Mike
 
I wish BPW would come out with an i3 inflation system. For now I'm sticking with my jacket style i3. I detest that corrugated hose setup :-|
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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