Cosmographer
Contributor
- Messages
- 149
- Reaction score
- 28
- # of dives
- 200 - 499
Since I need to travel to any worthwhile dive sites, I bought a Wicked Lite because it seemed to be the lightest, most compact BC I could find. Seeing the picture of it rolled up got me all excited, and the first thing I did when I received it was to roll it up just like in the pics. Awesome. It's a good looking BC, and I really wanted to love it, bt unfortunately, I will be buying something else.
First, let me preface my review by disclosing that I am a new diver and this is my first BC. Jacket styles never bothered me, and I was a bit worried about back inflates due to the tendency to go face forward while at the surface. As it tuns out, this was a non-issue. What was an issue, however, was fit. Perhaps this unit was too big for me, though according to Zeagle's sizing chart, this should have been a perfect fit. It felt loose both in and out of the water. I had 2kg in one side, and 1kg in the other pocket, and this differential was enough to force me to twist my BC around a few times to get it straight while underwater. I like the snug feel of a jacket BC when you're walking around on the surface. This unit made me feel like everything was hanging below my butt. Instead of riding high and tight, the Wicked Lite seemed to sling everything a bit too low for my taste. Despite this, it never posed a problem as far as moving in it goes. I don't know if this is a characteristic of the Wicked Lite, all back-inflates, or just a fit issue.
The bigger problem, however, was the bladder. It is a horseshoe shape and there is only one rear dump valve (on the left side). I have experienced several instances during my first few dives of air getting trapped inside. I tried all the obvious positions to get the air to either the top or left rear valve, but was not too successful. As a result, I had to fight the bladder to stay neutral. Eventually, I found that I could get the air moving by positioning myself completely upside-down (fins pointing toward the surface), but that's a pain to do every time.
As a new diver, I don't know if this is a design flaw or something characteristic of all horseshoe bladders with one dump valve. If this unit had a dump valve on either side, it would be a keeper. Unfortunately, I will be buying something else. Maybe an Express Tech with donut wing. It's not that much heavier. I noticed that the donut wing also has only one rear dump valve. Does the donut-shape make a valve on either side unnecessary? Does anyone ever have trapped-air issues with donuts?
In any case, that's my review of the Wicked Lite, for what it's worth.
First, let me preface my review by disclosing that I am a new diver and this is my first BC. Jacket styles never bothered me, and I was a bit worried about back inflates due to the tendency to go face forward while at the surface. As it tuns out, this was a non-issue. What was an issue, however, was fit. Perhaps this unit was too big for me, though according to Zeagle's sizing chart, this should have been a perfect fit. It felt loose both in and out of the water. I had 2kg in one side, and 1kg in the other pocket, and this differential was enough to force me to twist my BC around a few times to get it straight while underwater. I like the snug feel of a jacket BC when you're walking around on the surface. This unit made me feel like everything was hanging below my butt. Instead of riding high and tight, the Wicked Lite seemed to sling everything a bit too low for my taste. Despite this, it never posed a problem as far as moving in it goes. I don't know if this is a characteristic of the Wicked Lite, all back-inflates, or just a fit issue.
The bigger problem, however, was the bladder. It is a horseshoe shape and there is only one rear dump valve (on the left side). I have experienced several instances during my first few dives of air getting trapped inside. I tried all the obvious positions to get the air to either the top or left rear valve, but was not too successful. As a result, I had to fight the bladder to stay neutral. Eventually, I found that I could get the air moving by positioning myself completely upside-down (fins pointing toward the surface), but that's a pain to do every time.
As a new diver, I don't know if this is a design flaw or something characteristic of all horseshoe bladders with one dump valve. If this unit had a dump valve on either side, it would be a keeper. Unfortunately, I will be buying something else. Maybe an Express Tech with donut wing. It's not that much heavier. I noticed that the donut wing also has only one rear dump valve. Does the donut-shape make a valve on either side unnecessary? Does anyone ever have trapped-air issues with donuts?
In any case, that's my review of the Wicked Lite, for what it's worth.
