Dive-Rite Wings vs Everyone else.

[HammerNoMore]

LUBOLD8431 once bubbled...
The thing is, I cant believe all these guys out there that buy Halcyon pioneer wings.

I can. What I can't belive is people who would buy somthing that has absolutly no track record. Granted Pioneers may have some QC problems but they are known and minor. The Oxycheck wing is a complete unknown.

Personally, I never buy anything until it's received some consumer testing first. OMS has a new singles wing and in a couple of years, when it's had some testing, I might condsider it. I'll never consider the Oxycheck wing, but that's a different story.

I do have to agree with Big-T though. Your enthusiam about these wings is quite similar to Dir Tech Diver's enthusiam about Halcyon products.

James

 

[Big-t-2538]

James Goddard once bubbled...


I can. What I can't belive is people who would buy somthing that has absolutly no track record. Granted Pioneers may have some QC problems but they are known and minor. The Oxycheck wing is a complete unknown.

While I understand your position, what I have read about the new wing sounds really promising.

It has a bladder and a shell...the single wing has a little more lift than the Halcyon, which may very well be good for double AL80s.

The only thing I don't like (from the website photos anyway) is the length of the inflator hose, and that the inflator button is on the outside of the inflator hose.

I am eagerly awaiting some reports, and while I do think lubold is a bit biased, he is the only person I know that has the singles wing and is going to dive it....I expect more reports soon.

I wouldn't decsribe his enthusiasm on the same level as Tec's affinity for Halcyon....I would categorize it as a high school football player going out for his first date with who he thinks will be the prom queen.

 

[HammerNoMore]

Big-t-2538 once bubbled...
It has a bladder and a shell...the single wing has a little more lift than the Halcyon, which may very well be good for double AL80s.

Hmm? I could be wrong here, but I believe the OxyCheck wing comes in 30# and 45#. Halcyon's wing comes in 18# (if you can find one), 27#, 36# and 45#.

So yes, the 30# wing has more lift than the 27# Pioneer, but Halcyon is offering more choices. Personally I use the 36#, but I would love to have the 18# for traveling. I would be surprised if OxyCheck doesn't have a smaller wing in the works.

I wouldn't decsribe his enthusiasm on the same level as Tec's affinity for Halcyon....I would categorize it as a high school football player going out for his first date with who he thinks will be the prom queen.

:rofl: But since he's already seen the wing, I guess he already knows it will be the prom queen. What he doesn't know is will she put out....

 

[AquaBob]

I appreciate the banter. Even if others may think you are being overly enthusiastic, all comments and information add to the data.

Once again, no one seems to be talking about the Dive-rite wings. One comment about it being too big and bulky, and one comment about not liking the design.

I'm not really interested in being a Beta tester for a new wing. This may be a mistake given the number of positive comments about the Oxycheq. Does anyone have any experience with this company regarding other products? What is the company's track record for customer service AFTER a purchase????
What do the Oxycheq wings cost?


I'm in a pretty lousy place -- the closest dive shops are about 3 hours away so I haven't had a chance to look at any wings in person.

I was leaning toward the DR TrekWing. Given the cold water encumberances, I thought it would be one of the better choices -- at least in the same ballpark as the Pioneer #36 and without the QC problems. The lack of positive comments has me starting to think differently.



Big-T..... what did you not like about the DR design?

 

[HammerNoMore]

AquaBob once bubbled...
I was leaning toward the DR TrekWing. Given the cold water encumberances, I thought it would be one of the better choices -- at least in the same ballpark as the Pioneer #36 and without the QC problems. The lack of positive comments has me starting to think differently.

1. The trek wing has a bungie. There have been many discusions on the value of bungies and a quick search will enlighten you on this.

2. The trek wing wraps around the tank when using single cylinders. This has already been pointed out. The reason is that this wing is not a singles wing. Dive Rite acknowleges this problem stating:

"Trek Wings include a gusset-control cord, similar to that found on Rec, Dual Rec, Super and SuperOne Wings. This enables users to better control the shape and lift characteristics of the air cell, and helps prevent Trek Wings from wrapping around the sides of tanks, when the air cell is used with single cylinders."

3. The wing is not round. A round wing prevents trapping air on one side when in a heads down position.

If you don't want the Pioneer because of QC problems and you don't want to beta test a new wing (which leaves out both OxyCheck and OMS) then there are very few options left.

One option is the DiveRite Travel wing. I've never used it but have seen many good things about it.

Another option is the Deep Outdoors 34# bladder. This is also fairly new, but not as new as the OxyCheck. And is designed, unlike the trek, specificly for single cylinders.

James

 

[Big-t-2538]

AquaBob once bubbled...

Big-T..... what did you not like about the DR design?

well, goddard hit most everything....but I'll give you my opinion anyway...

1 - why a bungee? It looks tacky and serves no purpose on a wing that small anyway

2 - the thing is just too big for singles...look at how wide that thing is in the middle where the tank is going to be...with a little air, it is just going to flop around

What I don't like about the DR travel

1 - bouyancy dump is on the right side....it should be on the left

2 - why is it square...I think that profile wouldn;t work well for supporting a diver in the water...just too many wrong places for the air to naturally go IMO


As for the oxycheq, I was under the impression that they only had the 45# wing out right now, and that there was talk of a 30# wing....at any rate, I would think that I could very well progress to doubles in the near future, and would like to have a wing that could pull double duty (I know it's not the right thing to do, but I'm cheap...) As I understand it, there are people who dive the 36# singles wing with doubles, but not steel doubles...

Anyway, I'd really like to get an oxycheq and the 36 & 45 halcyon sitting next to each other, and put them all on a BP and just look at them on land with a single tank. Since no LDS in my area even carries BPs and Wings, this is definetly a project that is going to take leg-work on my end...

I did dive a halcyon 36# (it might have been a 27...I'll ask) wing in my DIR-F class with no issues other than not liking the single string dump valve, but that is really minor. I am also borrowing the same rig for my wreck dives in MI not this weekend, but next, so I'll get a little more feel for what I do/don't like.

 

[marco]

I have a DR Trek wing on my backplate and can't say that I have ever really experienced and problems with quality, air migration, wrapping etc and I would recommend the wing to anybody who is thinking of buying it. Having said that, the I think anybody should look at all options and buy waht suits them best.

 

[leadweight]

I use the dive rite travel wing, but with a Transpac II harness. The wing (and the whole rig) is just fine, but it is designed to atach to the TP2. To use it with a backplate (even a dive rite bp) will require some modifications.

One of my friends uses the dive rite Trek wing with a BP. He uses the bungee to prevent tank wrap when diving singles. I don't know what he uses with doubles, but he is cave certified and goes off to Florida every now and then to cave dive.

He is not DIR and could not care less about many of the details that DIR types adhere to. For example, he also uses the ABS plastic dive rite single tank adaptor and has some extra d-rings on his harness.

So, if cost is a consideration, the Trek wing ought to work out just fine for single tank recreational diving, with the bungee. Don't let the claims of BWOD scare you off. By the way, my friend uses an aluminum BP for warm salt water diving so that he has some dumpable weight. He usually dives in a skin and does not need much lead.

 

[ElectricZombie]

AquaBob once bubbled...

I've snooped around this board as well as several others and I don't see a whole lot of info on the Dive-Rite wings.

Are the Halcyons that much better, or are they just marketed better?

Please help out the new guy. Gimme some recommendations on wings. I've pretty much decided that I'll go with some of FredT's backplates.

Dive Rite is decent but, I think you can get a better wing for around the same amount.

I have 2 Halcyon wings; a 27lbs for singles and a 55lbs for doubles. I have had zero problems from both. (I've never experienced any leaks, etc like some claim.) Well made and perform great. I highly recommend Halcyon wings.

I have a FredT BP and it is a good plate.

 

[Robert Phillips]

The DR wings I've seen with bungees don't have them wrapped around the bladder like OMS wings, if that makes any difference, I wouldn't know. My friend has his bungees removed on the wing he uses for doubles, so removing the bungee doesn't seem like a problem (for doubles, anyway.)
As for me, I have a Halcyon 27# Pioneer wing and it is great. I will never go back to a standard BC.

Just my 2 psi
Robert