Halcyon wing worth the extra

[kathydee]

I haven't dove an Oxycheq wing, but own two DSS and one Halcyon Wing. I absolutely love the H wing for stability and ease of gas dumping. I would like to eventually swap them all out to Halcyon.

 

[TSandM]

Interesting. I have done one week in a Halcyon doubles wing, and I didn't like it. The inflator valve, as I understand it, is specifically designed to limit the speed with which the wing can inflate. I can see this as a kind of safety measure, but since no other wing I had dived filled that slowly, I found my "muscle memory" of how long I needed to hold the button to get neutral was quite off, and that resulted in a couple of embarrassing moments. I suppose one would get used to it, but I'll stick to my DSS. I do think the quality of H gear is very good -- it's just that, as with DUI, I've never been convinced that there is enough extra value to make the price worth it.

I don't like Oxycheq customer service. At all.

 

[Atticus]

...I don't like Oxycheq customer service. At all.

Unfortunately I have had the same poor experience with their customer service. I hope our experiences are the exception not the norm. There seem to be a number of satisfied customers out there.

I have had very good customer service from DSS and from Halcyon.

I did a quicky search for a single place with Tobins wing sizing info came up with info spread across a dozen threads. Rather than trying to send you a bunch of links I suggest searching for "Tobin wing drysuit lift" and following through the threads that come up.

Edit: Added the words "I hope" to the sentence "our experiences are the exception and not the norm."

 

[Peter_C]

I was talking to a group of DIR divers on Sunday on a dive site. They all pretty much have H stuff. One of them recommended H wing over others. I have been using Oxy 40lb single wing myself. Honestly, I think its shape is much better than the H Eclipse 40lb. The Oxy is narrower and taco much less. Have that said, I have never use a H wing. I won't know what I missed. I figured all these DIR/GUE Tech divers should have a logical reason to spend more $$ for the H wing.

Just reference, Oxycheq Vertex signature series $288 vs Halcyon's $465. I am really leaning toward the Oxy.

I have an H brand 40lb doubles wing and use an Oxycheq Mach V 40lb for singles. The Oxycheq sure feels heavier duty. For singles I am extremely happy with my Oxycheq and wouldn't want anything else, and I need the 40lber. Never had a problem with one of my wings failing, but Oxycheq does have horrible customer service. I have a horseshoe Oxycheq doubles wing for sale, that I am willing to make a good deal on, if anyone is interested.

 

[dewmercer]

H makes good gear but their prices are high. I have 2 but I hear great things about the Hollis wings.
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[norcal_diver]

I haven't dove an Oxycheq wing, but own two DSS and one Halcyon Wing. I absolutely love the H wing for stability and ease of gas dumping. I would like to eventually swap them all out to Halcyon.

Single for double setup? Is it because of its shape, dump valve location??

I am new to double so can't comment. But for single wing, it seems H is actually at the bottom of these 3. It is entirely the wrong shape to start with (bigger on top, narrower on bottom). The other 2 are opposite, providing more lift on hip area instead of diver's head. The H is also the widest so taco the most.

 

[Atticus]

...But for single wing, it seems H is actually at the bottom of these 3. It is entirely the wrong shape to start with (bigger on top, narrower on bottom).

I used to own a Halcyon single tank wing and never had an issue with the center of lift shifting inappropriately. I was pretty happy with it up until a deck hand punctured it

 

[eelnoraa]

Single for double setup? Is it because of its shape, dump valve location??

I am new to double so can't comment. But for single wing, it seems H is actually at the bottom of these 3. It is entirely the wrong shape to start with (bigger on top, narrower on bottom). The other 2 are opposite, providing more lift on hip area instead of diver's head. The H is also the widest so taco the most.

I agree with you on single wing. Oxycheq's is really low profile compared to DSS and H. It appears to be the toughest too.

I am also in the market for a double wing. My fundie instructor recommended me to get the H. I didn't get a chance to ask why tho. But I found the price is a bit hard to swallow.

 

[aquaregia]

I have two H wings, a 36# and a 55#. I've been happy with both. I recently dove a 38# HOG wing which I didn't like as much (dump felt low), but the backplate wasn't adjusted right for me so it wasn't really a fair shot.