waterdaughter
Guest
SparkySFD:This weekend I saw a guy wearing what I believe was a "Mares Dragonfly" BC.
There should be a law against selling this kind of crap. The BC was weight integrated and had this really odd inflate/deflate "block" for lack of a better word down by the waist, left side.
This guy was obviously a new diver, wearing new equipment. The dealer should be ashamed. The guy was having weighting difficulties. No fault there. We've all been there. We were helping him put weights in his integrated pouches. A little at a time.
Then it happened. He comes up again, still underweighted. We have him pull the pouches. He pulls both and BAMM. One pouch deploys as designed. The other one......JUST THE HANDLE, NYLON STRAP AND SOME PIECE OF PLASTIC!!!!!
The piece of plastic I believe is something to give shape and help quide out the pouch. The pouch just cinches down over the strap mechanism. Using some kind of barrel lock type of deal. You know the kind that never works for very long.
Had this guy been in a real tight spot and needed to dump weight...all of it, he would have been screwed!
I didnt get to examine the gear over and over for a while. I dont think I need to. This thing and anything that looks like it, should be recalled for SAFETY reasons. This is a BAD design and you should all be aware of it.
Stay Safe!
Sparky
I'm sure that was a very sobering experience and probably scary for the diver especially. I hope this person kept their tags and QC #'s so that the error can be tracked to the source and resolved.
Having said that...I own a Mares Morphos Pro---an air trim, also weight integrated with the "plastic barrel lock" handle you describe. That "block" is the inflator hose, a different location, yes, but works in the same manner---one large yellow button releases the air, and the big grey one adds air to the BC (both buttons accomodate a gloved finger/thumb beautifully) and IMHO, is a more intuitive design than a hose that you might need to search for, because it has floated back behind your ear, etc. It's always right there, over your left pocket...easy! Of course, like anything, it is a matter of personal preference, so long as your buddy knows how to operate as well.
Additionally, an advantage of this "bad design" is that these Mares (not sure of other brands) airtrim BC's can be vented from any position, with that odd "block", so you don't need to hold your arm up over your head to dump when descending.
The construction of the weight pockets, includes a sliding track but the female portion of the lock is part of the weight pouch---in my experience with the BC, the weights do not come out, unless you release the lock, even if you have not inserted them properly along that plastic guide track. (and there is a bit of a knack to it at first) The track is fused to the inside of the weight pocket and is an additional/redundant method of attaching the weight pouch. The handle on the pouch has an extension which slides into this track...so the track is not a part of the weight pouch at all.
I am not sure how all of these pieces would come off without the weight coming out as well? However, if all of it was forced out, (man, you would have to be strong) without unlocking and the weight was still attached to the track, conceivably you could get the whole kit and kaboodle. Still, if you broke the handle and lost the track, there would be nothing to stop the weight from coming out...short of swimming on your back , so if this was a common occurrence, being unable to ditch your weights would not be the issue.
Perhaps you will see this response as a biased opinion to justify my own purchase of a similar system, but still, I would humbly suggest that it is possible that while this particular BC was defective, it does not necessarily follow that this family of BCD design, (which is increasingy popular ) warrants quite such a sweeping generalization.
no offense, just my .02
Cathy