Has anyone seen or used the new Scubapro Hydros Pro BCD

[mr diver]

A bit confused on the Integrated weight system. What is the max weight recommended per pocket, is it 4.5 kilos? Or 4.5 kilos total for 2 pockets?
The back trim, 2 kilos for both?
Thanks.

 

[rombre]

My understanding was 2 x 4kg + 2 x 2kg, i.e. 12kg max

 

[diver0008]

much less frustrating

I have an AquaLung Axiom i3. I don't find it frustrating at all, and very comfortable, with nice conveniences.

 

[diver0008]

you're a piece of work

You are so thick

Careful gentlemen. No need to get testy. We're just talking here.

 

[diver0008]

Why does every discussion on this board have to degenerate into BP/W versus other BCD's!!! It is so pathetic.

Very strange indeed.

 

[diver0008]

It has gotten so bad here because of the BPW cyberbullies, people are scared to engage in discussions of this sort on SB. I have MANY people send me PM's of support when I am involved in these discussions and they always express their extreme hesitation to get involved in the discussions because of the expected attacks by the BPW bullies. One particular extremely aggressive and rude BPW vendor on SB is just plain rude and is a bully. This vendor along with his entourage dominate the BCD discussions and get involved in harassing the unsuspecting members who happen to inquire about BCD's and don't have the knowledge or insights of what's going on here on SB. It just makes for a totally obnoxious threatening environment. I find it impossible to recommend SB to any of my friends or students because of this bullying taking place on SB.

One of the worst things these bullies do is their constant attempts to convince other SB members, especially the new ones, that their LDS is trying to scam them because the LDS is trying to sell them a BCD jacket. They attack the credibility and integrity of all LDS' and make them appear as charlatans to their students and potential customers.

The word "elitists" comes to mind.

That word is getting a bad reputation lately.

Deservedly, in my opinion.

 

[AlexL]

Very strange indeed.

so, i stopped by the LDS today to drop off tanks to get filled, and got to try on one of the hyrdos BCDs owned the staff.

• there are a few places where wear would be a concern (under the shoulder d-rings, and the area around the lower webbing near the 'plate'), but they are covered with a lifetime warranty. apparently the replacement parts are modular, and the whole unit is completely serviceable at the retail location.
  
• the chest strap is completely removal-able, and does not seem to be needed. seriously, the molded shoulder straps are quite nice.
• not sure why they stuck mounting bosses for doubles, yet did not rate it for doubles?
  
• one thing i did not like was how it tended to cling when doffing; i consider myself to have deciently flexible shoulders, and it required a bit of a dance to remove. not going to ding it too hard for that, as it might work a lot better when wet.
  
• didnt get any details on how buoyant it was, but it seemed considerably less 'fluffy' than the knighthawk series.
• its noticeably shorter than the same size nighthawk; if you need more weight, you can easily add a belt without it interfering.

so if someone who was considering purchasing one asked my opinion, i'd say its a nice, relatively clean and simple BCD, without any major obvious flaws.

this i say in clear conscious, and without hesitation, as a fully committed member of the second church of plate and wing. (praise be their trim)

 

[Simon50]

I tried a Hydros in the pool last weekend and here are my thoughts as compared to my primary BCD (Litehawk):

1. The rubber does not grab or pinch skin or chest hair as much as I thought it would but it is easier to put on and take off wet.
2. On the surface you stay upright as opposed to the Litehawk, which pushes you forward.
3. The hanger strap has a nice detachable latch.
4. The balance while underwater is nice and it does not ride up as much as the Litehawk.
5. The pockets stay put but can be removed easily or detached entirely.
6. The rear trim pockets are larger than the Litehawk's
7. It dries quickly and folds up into a relatively small package.

Overall I liked it but it is not significantly better than my Litehawk and definitely not $500-700 better.

 

[mockney]

I have around ten dives with my Hydros BCD - I have been enjoying the experience over my old Force-T full jacket BCD I have to admit I am enjoying the feel and overall comfort fit of the Hydros.

I found the Hydros keeps me slightly more upright on the surface, whereas before I could lay back easier, but its not anything that has discouraged me from enjoying my new BCD

We recently got back from our Christmas holiday in the Maldives. Normally I only take my dive log and computer. The Hydros comes with a carry on bag and you can easy fit the BCD including weight pockets, computer, regs, I was also able to fit in a 1mm rasher and the hybrid shorts, a book plus a few other bits and pieces. All in all I'm impressed with its compact travel capabilities.

Looking forward to it coming along on all my future holidays!.

 

[Slow]

Recent trip with Hydros. Easily packed Hydros with integrated weight pockets, mask, regs and camera gear (Oly TG-4 with housing and SeaDragon strobe) in carry on and "personal bag."

Added a pocket to my Hydros by hanging a pocket off the back of the colored weight pocket cover (detach rear screw/attachment point and slide pocket on). Pocket a bit hard to access but still usable. Contained large SMB, reel, folding knife and flash light. Only real problem was late in trip I must have sat on it on dive boat. Rear attachment point pulled out of the rubber. Pocket didn't fall off and no damage to rubber. Attachment point easily replaced. Still...think I'll switch to thigh pocket.

Hung 6cft pony bottle from shoulder D-ring. Tried both sides. Worked well. Pony bottle actually got used once (not by me, I donated it to someone else who had a catastrophic air leak and then wanted a quick dive to 30ft to retrieve a reel). I'm very happy with this arrangement.

Shoved loop of alternate reg (octo) hose into opening in top of weight pocket. Stayed put and easy to deploy. (Got deployed in above-described leak situation.)

Trim was very nice. Only issue was when I had pony and pocket on same side. Caused some roll trim issues. Fixed by asymmetrical weights or moving pony to other side. May have been some issue with air getting a bit stuck on one side. Probably exacerbated by the fact I was overweighted. Issue gone after adjustments to load. At surface, sit back on it, relax and enjoy the view...unless the view is 10ft waves, it's your first-ever ocean dive and you forgot your Dramamine (I didn't puke till I stood on dry land though).

BC rides better than anything I've used before. Even loosely strapped on it never moves. You forget you're wearing it. Rides well out of the water too. Very secure feeling walking loaded up around boat.

Donning was a little tricky for me with the pony on. Even fully extended, shoulder straps grab wetsuit so well it doesn't completely easily slip on. Found easiest way to slip into it was to squat lower than the BC when tank in racks on the boat, then kind of stand up and into it. Adjust shoulders a bit to slide BC down my back. Then do up waist belt. Then cinch down shoulders. Sternum strap optional even with pony on. I always did it up. Once I was used to it, process of donning was straightforward. Donning in water does not have any issue.

Doffing totally easy. No issues.

Rinses very easily. Dries seemingly in minutes.

11 dives. Looks brand new. I've borrowed one from a LDS employee who whores his Hydros out. It gets hard use all over the world. It also still looks new. He uses the harness with small added weight pockets. I'll likely be setting up similarly.

TLDR: disappears on your back. Good trim. No muss, no fuss.