R
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Are the handles useful for donning the rig by lifting it up and over your head?
Hammerhead Backplate - Built-in-Handles
- Thread starter darylm74
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Ben_ca
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awap:
The best way to do that is to reach thru the harness past your elbows and grab the cylinder... grabbing the plate won't work.
The Kraken
He Who Glows in the Dark Waters (ADVISOR)
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Stephen Ash:
In fact, it'll huuuuuuurrrrrrrrrttttt !!!
the Kraken
The handles are also a good conversation starter. There are times (tankless) I'll carry it by the hndle and times I'll use the strap. It's nice to have but it's far from useful and given the option of selecting again, I'd go with the version without the handles.
R
redacted
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Stephen Ash:
I'm pretty sure I grab my plate (no handles) when I do that, but I could well be wrong. I'll have to check again on Thursday. No sense in wasting sick leave.
Mandy3206
Contributor
The handles are usefull in the way that they lighten the plate a bit.
If you need a plate lighter than 6# but heavier than 2#, those handles in the plates are usefull.
If you need a plate lighter than 6# but heavier than 2#, those handles in the plates are usefull.
kazinvan
Contributor
I have the Hammerhead plate without the handles. When I ordered it, I could not justify getting the handles on mine. The harness is always attached to the plate, so why would you need any more places to pick up your rig? I honestly think I would never use them. Also, if I recall correctly, I think the guys at Hammerhead said that most plates they sell don't have the handles, but don't quote me on that.
I used to put my tank on this way when I dived out of inflatables. The tanks were just aluminum 80s and after I got everyone else geared up, I didn't have a lot of time to mess with getting a bc on the conventional way. It was 2 seconds to thread my arms through, throw the tank up, slap it against my back, and roll out of the boat.
I had an old Seaquest bc that lent itself well to the over-the-head method. The problem was that then the other guys in the boat had to start doing it that way, and then we had some problems.
When I ran commercial charters, sometimes I'd get some cowboy who had watched a little too much "Sea Hunt" try and sling his tank on John Wayne-style. After I damnnear got my skull fractured when one guy lost his grip, that was the end of that.
Anyone doing this maneuver with a steel tank is crazy - too much momentary torque on the back. One little muscle goes the wrong way or you mess up a nerve and *blammo* - no back.
Normal diving with all this heavy gear is taking enough of a toll on people's backs these days now.
I had an old Seaquest bc that lent itself well to the over-the-head method. The problem was that then the other guys in the boat had to start doing it that way, and then we had some problems.
When I ran commercial charters, sometimes I'd get some cowboy who had watched a little too much "Sea Hunt" try and sling his tank on John Wayne-style. After I damnnear got my skull fractured when one guy lost his grip, that was the end of that.
Anyone doing this maneuver with a steel tank is crazy - too much momentary torque on the back. One little muscle goes the wrong way or you mess up a nerve and *blammo* - no back.
Normal diving with all this heavy gear is taking enough of a toll on people's backs these days now.
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