vjb.knife
Contributor
Well I don't buy bridges anymore but I do own the Atomic BC2, as well as an Apeks Black Ice and an Apeks WTX setup for doubles. I have had the Black Ice for almost 3 years now and have used it two to three times a week minimum in Hawaii with very little wear on it, but my guess is that I take care of my gear better than most people. I have a lot of equipment that is still fit to dive after 40 years of use.
Overall I like the BC2 it has a very good fit and operational feel to it. It does have some problems which I wrote up in a review to Atomic and they said that they were aware of most of the things that I had concerns with and were working on fixes. I work as a diver here in Hawaii for a Submarine company as the Lead Diver and have previously worked as a Commercial Diver, so between that and diving recreationally with my wife I get a few dives in every week. I like the Apeks Black Ice a lot and feel that for the money it is a great piece of equipment. I think the BC2 fits and swims better and is a little more comfortable. The problems that I have are small and for the most part I have made some workarounds and corrections. The tank band and tank neck strap are the most annoying. I don't own any single tanks so I end up using the ones at work and the ones supplied on the local dive boats, which means several different diameter tanks. I do not find the main tank band to be easy to adjust from tank to tank of to get off of the tank when I am finished with the dive, which can be a pain in the A$$. Also the tail end of the tank band is made to be captured in the part of the band that is around the tank but it does not hold it well and the loose strap end up sticking out and flapping in the breeze so to speak. I have a small Velcro strap around the band to catch and hold the band end if it comes loose. the small strap that goes up around the neck of the tank is sewn onto the backplate wrong; the buckle ends up underneath the part of the strap that goes around the tank neck and when tensioned it is hard to get to the buckle to release it and to attach it. It should have been reversed for easy attachment and release. I will eventually cut it off and sew it back on the right way. There is little pocket space to put things into. The BC2 comes with one thin pocket that is about 10" x 2" X 2" and about big enough for one of two small wrenches or a handful of nuts and bolts, which I have to carry on a regular basis at work. They did send me another pocket of the same size, but I have installed a larger pocket from another maker. These are the major beefs that I have with the BC2. I would have liked to have another dump valve on the lower left hand side, but it does not seem to hurt operation too much.
There are some nice positive that I should state as well. The fit and feel of the BC2 is very nice, it definitely molds to the diver and feels attached, moving with you effortlessly. I believe it is very streamlined and provides less drag in the water when swimming. The trim weights fitting in the backside of the wing help with that and they provide nice balance in and on top of the water if you have to float upright. The material that the BC2 is made of is very tough and after 40 or 50 dives is showing no wear marks of any kind. The silicone retractor bands for the wing work very well to prevent the wing from flapping around when deflated. The crotch strap is a welcome part on this bc; as a commercial diver this was standard equipment with any type of harness of helmet that I have used. The last really nice feature that I can think of is the inflator hose. The mouthpiece and inflate / deflate button assembly is easy to remove / screw off so the a hose can be attached to flush out the inside of the bladder. It works well when removing and reinstalling and makes this task a breeze to do thoroughly.
Yeah it is expensive and probably way too expensive but I enjoy diving it and do not go on dives for bragging rights for any of my equipment no matter how expensive or inexpensive it may be.
Overall I like the BC2 it has a very good fit and operational feel to it. It does have some problems which I wrote up in a review to Atomic and they said that they were aware of most of the things that I had concerns with and were working on fixes. I work as a diver here in Hawaii for a Submarine company as the Lead Diver and have previously worked as a Commercial Diver, so between that and diving recreationally with my wife I get a few dives in every week. I like the Apeks Black Ice a lot and feel that for the money it is a great piece of equipment. I think the BC2 fits and swims better and is a little more comfortable. The problems that I have are small and for the most part I have made some workarounds and corrections. The tank band and tank neck strap are the most annoying. I don't own any single tanks so I end up using the ones at work and the ones supplied on the local dive boats, which means several different diameter tanks. I do not find the main tank band to be easy to adjust from tank to tank of to get off of the tank when I am finished with the dive, which can be a pain in the A$$. Also the tail end of the tank band is made to be captured in the part of the band that is around the tank but it does not hold it well and the loose strap end up sticking out and flapping in the breeze so to speak. I have a small Velcro strap around the band to catch and hold the band end if it comes loose. the small strap that goes up around the neck of the tank is sewn onto the backplate wrong; the buckle ends up underneath the part of the strap that goes around the tank neck and when tensioned it is hard to get to the buckle to release it and to attach it. It should have been reversed for easy attachment and release. I will eventually cut it off and sew it back on the right way. There is little pocket space to put things into. The BC2 comes with one thin pocket that is about 10" x 2" X 2" and about big enough for one of two small wrenches or a handful of nuts and bolts, which I have to carry on a regular basis at work. They did send me another pocket of the same size, but I have installed a larger pocket from another maker. These are the major beefs that I have with the BC2. I would have liked to have another dump valve on the lower left hand side, but it does not seem to hurt operation too much.
There are some nice positive that I should state as well. The fit and feel of the BC2 is very nice, it definitely molds to the diver and feels attached, moving with you effortlessly. I believe it is very streamlined and provides less drag in the water when swimming. The trim weights fitting in the backside of the wing help with that and they provide nice balance in and on top of the water if you have to float upright. The material that the BC2 is made of is very tough and after 40 or 50 dives is showing no wear marks of any kind. The silicone retractor bands for the wing work very well to prevent the wing from flapping around when deflated. The crotch strap is a welcome part on this bc; as a commercial diver this was standard equipment with any type of harness of helmet that I have used. The last really nice feature that I can think of is the inflator hose. The mouthpiece and inflate / deflate button assembly is easy to remove / screw off so the a hose can be attached to flush out the inside of the bladder. It works well when removing and reinstalling and makes this task a breeze to do thoroughly.
Yeah it is expensive and probably way too expensive but I enjoy diving it and do not go on dives for bragging rights for any of my equipment no matter how expensive or inexpensive it may be.
