As background, I have a DSS rig with a stainless plate, and I also have an STA and an Oxycheq wing. Before buying my own gear, I rented a Halcyon Eclipse for a two-week dive trip.
Looking to purchase my first BP/W setup and have been researching past threads on this forum. What do you think of the DSS no STA design and rubber nipple wing attachments?
I think it's a great design. The rubber tank cradle holds the tank very securely, and the open cam-band slots allow one to strip the wing from the plate in a jiffy, which makes it trival to store the wing on top of your gear bag while the plate lives on the bottom. It's also really handy for rinsing the wing (which has nothing attached to it anymore).
I did manage to break one of the rubber nipples (probably my fault on a lurching boat), but as Tobin mentioned, they are there more for convenience than necessity. It really posed no problem for the rest of that dive trip (numerous dives). I called Tobin later and he sent me two new ones, gratis.
A couple of other things I like about the wing are the outer shell fabric, which seems tough but is also supple (it stows flat), and the fabric mesh drainage vents which are right on the bottom of the wing (my Oxycheq wing has brass grommets and they are close to the bottom but not right on the bottom, so it does not drain as well).
I've only seen a Halcyon setup in the LDS, finish and quality was outstanding. How do DSS backplates compare with edge finishing, as well as overall finish for the backplates?
I agree that the Halcyon fit and finish are quite nice. I would say that the DSS is every bit as good. The fit and finish on my DSS plate are beautiful (and I'm fussy). I did wonder before I ordered, because for some reason to me the DSS website plate photos made it look a bit rougher (the finish had a galvanized look to me even though I knew the plate was stainless steel), but I went ahead and I have zero complaints in this area -- it's a very nicely made plate.
A few DSS plate features I like:
a) The plates come in five sizes (S, M, L, XL, Long) (I needed a small)
b) There are rubber inserts at the slots which hold the webbing and presumably keep it from wearing as easily
c) The shoulder slots are angled
d) The bottom corners are rounded
One more note on the plate is that the center "rib" is lower profile than many plates (definitely than the Halcyon), so the tank rides a bit closer to your back. This should make for a better, less "tippy" experience, but on the other hand the Halcyon plate "rib" leaves room to stow an SMB there (I have never actually done this, so not sure how well it works, but they do sell an SMB stowage pocket that fits there).
Since I got a bit wordy, to summarize my answers to your main questions:
1) Fit and finish of plate are excellent
2) Rubber tank cradle works well
3) Open cam band slot design is a great feature, IMO.
Blue Sparkle