Doughnut or horseshoe wings??

[Shark Bait!]

What are the major differences between the two? Advantages and disadvantages of both?

 

[awdemeo]

great post i was wondering that to

 

[The Kraken]

The horse shoe wing is just that, it's shaped like a horse shoe. If one is in a heads down position, the air, if any can become trapped on one side or the other of the wing. This is problematic in that it can cause some buoyancy/lateral trim issues.

The donut wing, however, is continuous in its tubular construction, not unlike an inner tube.
The donut wing allows the air in the wing to migrate around the bladder without regard to the position of the diver or the wing.

For these reasons I prefer a donut wing for singles.

Double tanks are another matter.

the K

 

[dkktsunami]

What are the major differences between the two? Advantages and disadvantages of both?

I have both, wife uses one. Both are Golem 35# wings, the same except for the air pass through (donut). The donut seems to offer more stability but I couldn't prove this.

 

[halocline]

The donut wing allows the air in the wing to migrate around the bladder without regard to the position of the diver or the wing.

the K

Really the only difference is when you're substantially heads down. On small wings especially, it's unusual for air to travel under the cylinder. I think other factors, especially size and fit around the tank, are much more influential in determining how the wing vents.

Virtually all horseshoe wings are bigger and wider than the current small donut wings, and I believe this skews the comparison. The small DSS horseshoe wings vent VERY easily.

This topic has been argued ad nauseum. There was a pretty entertaining battle between Tobin (DSS) and Patrick (oxycheq). If you're willing to use the search function you'll find way more discussion than you want.