Has anyone seen or used the new Scubapro Hydros Pro BCD

[FezUSA]

BPW isn't going to fly for my wife, just going to a back inflate is quite the change. Probably going to get her the Hydros Pro. Question though, I see it can be bought in the UK for around £515 with free s&h to a UK address. That equates to $673 at the current exchange rate. From what I can tell, it appears to be exactly the same as what can be bought in the US, anyone know different? If it's the same, any thoughts on why the huge price discrepancy?

My eldest son's girlfriend will soon be wrapping up her exchange program, maybe I can have it delivered to her and she'll bring it back. Otherwise I can have it sent to my parents address and they can bring it on their next trip (they're normally partial year residents and spend 6 mo either side of the pond). That's a savings of $243. Many of the UK dealers will also sell it in the colour you want (e.g. pink - important to her!) at no additional cost, saving another $40. For that price, knowing I will only be rec diving single AL80's in warm water (rash mostly, occ. 3mm full) maybe I'll get one rather than a BPW kit.

Would there be issues with service or warranty etc. going this route?

 

[merlinscuba]

Maybe I should walk away?

Stay the course, man. My wife and I have been diving the HP for the last 6 months with no issues. As for comfort and versatility, it leads the pack, by far. If possible, I'd recommend a you try a test dive with the HP just see how it feels to you.

 

[MichaelMc]

Anyway, gear issues in remote areas, consumer protection, turnaround on shipping times, etc... are all huge issues in my part of the world (Indonesia). If I buy it, I am gonna be stuck with it all the bullsh-t that might come with it.

Maybe I should walk away? The shipment is coming direct from Scubapro so I am 99% sure way I will get the latest version, but... I don't know. The idea of a broken shoulder strap on a boat in the middle of nowhere Indonesia sounds stupid-awful.

If you're paying retail for the Hydros, you could get harness weight pockets, harness, steel plate, and two wings. Aside from the wing(s), the other bits are practically bullet proof durable (steel plate and industrial webbing) or very durable and repair/replace/modifiable anywhere (heavy sewn pockets on 2" webbing). I agree, a walking argument for BP/W.

Many experienced divers choose to dive BP/Ws next to multiple shops well stocked with conventional BCs. At the far end of a remote supply chain the flexible/durable/modular argument is even stronger....

 

[matts1w]

If you're paying retail for the Hydros, you could get harness weight pockets, harness, steel plate, and two wings. Aside from the wing(s), the other bits are practically bullet proof durable (steel plate and industrial webbing) or very durable and repair/replace/modifiable anywhere (heavy sewn pockets on 2" webbing). I agree, a walking argument for BP/W.

Many experienced divers choose to dive BP/Ws next to multiple shops well stocked with conventional BCs. At the far end of a remote supply chain the flexible/durable/modular argument is even stronger....

Am currently diving BP/W... Like I said in the original is post, I want to make some changes. I know that goes against conventional ScubaBoard wisdom, but this is my second time with a hog bp/w and am once again heading back to a more "Knighthawk-ish" strategy. Anyway... I decided I am not going to tempt fate to with the Hydros Pro shoulder strap issue and decided to just swap out the hog harness and go with the Scubapro XTEC mega harness or whatever they call it now and the SP weight pockets. I will actually cost me a bit more, but I will get something tried and tested. More importantly I hope my lower back will agree.

 

[MichaelMc]

Am currently diving BP/W... Like I said in the original is post, I want to make some changes.

I totally missed that you had a backplate. I was not reading carefully. My bad.

I’m a fan of easily customizable gear. How you find you need to customize it is a separate issue.

Not sure of your back issue, but SumpUK on Facebook was threading the waist strap through a rucksack type padded waist belt. That might allow carrying more of the weight on your hips, if that is the issue. Might be worth a scroll through his posts to get ideas.

 

[ams511]

Am currently diving BP/W... Like I said in the original is post, I want to make some changes. I know that goes against conventional ScubaBoard wisdom, but this is my second time with a hog bp/w and am once again heading back to a more "Knighthawk-ish" strategy. Anyway... I decided I am not going to tempt fate to with the Hydros Pro shoulder strap issue and decided to just swap out the hog harness and go with the Scubapro XTEC mega harness or whatever they call it now and the SP weight pockets. I will actually cost me a bit more, but I will get something tried and tested. More importantly I hope my lower back will agree.

If you have lower back problems I would suggest yoga and stretching exercises. It helped me.

I am not sure what is available in your part of the world but if you find a conventional BC more comfortable then you may want to try a plastic backplate. Something like this or this. The only potential problem is they may not align with the slots of your wing. These are made in China so I would suspect you can find them anywhere.

I am surprised the pockets and harness is more than an XTEC.

 

[matts1w]

If you have lower back problems I would suggest yoga and stretching exercises. It helped me.... I am surprised the pockets and harness is more than an XTEC.

My back issues are weird. I do yoga and lift pretty much every day, am normal weight, and only use two kg of weight when I dive a 3 mil. I wrestled through college and coached for another 20 years so aches and pains are just kinda par for the course. I guess my hips and back are the price I paid for school. So it goes.

You are of course correct: the harness and pockets are far less the Hydros Pro, but that leaves me nothing to sell outside of some webbing. I got the current rig with a keyman price, so I could have sold it for pretty much what I paid for it. Subtract that from the Hydros Pro price and it is actually sightly more money to keep the five year old wing and add the new harness. Im cool with that and think I made the right call. I will see how it goes using the weight packets using the backplate again. If Im still aching at the end of an hour will try you advice with something softer. Thanks!

 

[Kalicocat]

Im cool with that and think I made the right call. I will see how it goes using the weight packets using the backplate again.

Matt, you made the right call. I like my Bella better than I like my Hydros Pro. It has had many issues and many revisions. It also looks like the Knighthawk and Ladyhawk are discontinued in the ScubaPro 2019 catalog so that's likely why you can't find your size.

 

[Scratch_Monkey]

Given the discussions in this thread, this article may be relevant:

Scubapro Hydros Pro Updates - 2018 | Orpheus Dive

For what it's worth, I have a hydros pro and, so far, have not had any issues. I did take it back to my shop and asked them to update the straps at the suggestion of scubapro customer service and they did.

 

[Tchau]

I really wanted the Hydros Pro but the shoulder strap issues are forcing me to look for alternatives. Seahawk 2 seems to be a better option.