Please help sort out BPW options.

[Grajan]

:06: I've been doing a little research on BP wing options and come up with the following short list. I am inclined towards option 3 but would appreciate any input.

Thanks

1. Deepsea Supply full rig:
$445
30lb wing, plastic back plate, Hog harness
+ Great warm water plate, no STA looks well made, price good.
- ‘U’ shaped wing not as user friendly as ‘O’ shaped

2. Halcyon Pioneer full rig
$485
27lb wing, Al back plate, Hog harness
+ ‘O’ shaped wing, no STA, looks well made, price good.
- Al plate not as good as plastic for intended use, Single skin wing, image problems (DIR logos)

3. Deepsea Supply plate and harness, OMS STA, OMS Signature wing
$563
30lb wing, plastic back plate, Hog harness
+ O’ shaped wing AND Favorite back plate, all looks well made
- May have compatibility issues, getting pricier

4. Halcyon Eclipse full rig
$595
30lb wing, Al back plate, Hog harness
+ ‘O’ shaped wing, good inflator, looks well made.
- Al plate not as good as plastic for intended use, image problems (DIR logos), price.

5. Deepsea Supply plate and harness, Eclipse wing
$636
30lb wing, plastic back plate, Hog harness
+ O’ shaped wing AND Favorite back plate, good inflator, all looks well made
- May have compatibility issues, very pricey

 

[Laser]

What kind of diving do you do?

 

[jonnythan]

I've heard plenty of good things about the DSS wings, and no reports of issues with its shape. The only bad things I've heard about it have come from DIR guys who have never used one.

 

[Grajan]

Mainly warm water reef diving, some temperate (7mm wet).

Lots of night diving, little or no overhead, no deco.

What kind of diving do you do?

 

[Mark Vlahos]

Mainly warm water reef diving, some temperate (7mm wet).

Lots of night diving, little or no overhead, no deco.

Why are you only looking at plastic and aluminum plates? For single tank diving I would rather use a stainless steel plate, even when I travel.

Mark Vlahos

 

[jonnythan]

What makes plastic superior to aluminum for your intended use?

 

[docmartin]

personally i dive a pioneer setup. however, the DSS stuff looks really good. among other things i love the fact that you can remove the wing so easily without having to unthread the cam bands. more specifically to your setups:
option 1 and 2 look good to me. i don't see any advantages in the other options that would justify the extra $$$. i am not sure what you see as the disadvantage of the Al bp over plastic? so it comes down to how important a protective outer bag is to you vs your dislike for U-shaped wings. i think the extra protection comes in handy when you dive a lot of wrecks. otherwise, i don't see much of an advantage. as far as the u-shape, i am not sure to what degree this is a real as opposed to a perceived issue. i can't speak from personal experience since i have always dived O's. however, i do like that the DSS wing has the exhaust outlet centered on your back vs the pioneer where it is on the left side. that may outweigh any slight venting disadvantage from a u-shape.

 

[Grajan]

Thanks for all the quick input.

Mark,
When I am diving 3mm I hardly use any weight as it is, so just the plate would probably overweight me. I would like to keep a little dumpable ballast as well as the ability to adjust trim between my waist and back..

Jonnythan,
The reason for my preference for plastic over Aluminum is too much experience with Al corrosion in salt water - it is pretty messy.

Docmartin,
The main reason I am upgrading is because I am fed up with struggling to fully vent my 'U' shaped back inflate BC (SQ Balance). I must admit this is primarily because of a very poor inflator hose location and the central v side inflator installation is a good point.

 

[matt t.]

I'd go with option #4. Well made (not to say the others aren't). Bladder is protected inside the Nylon cover (Pioneer wing nylon cover IS the bladder). Aluminum plates aren't a problem in salt water if gear is rinsed after diving and properly cared for. Best eventual re-sale of any of the gear listed. Why worry about the "DIR" logos? If you hate them that much they come off easily enough. Just my .02.....

 

[Grajan]

Not really being serious about the logos......

All my previous BC's have been bladderless and I've never had a leak yet so I'm not sure the case is made. How much difference is there in the streamlining between the Pioneer (no STA) and the Eclipse?

I'd go with option #4. Well made (not to say the others aren't). Bladder is protected inside the Nylon cover (Pioneer wing nylon cover IS the bladder). Aluminum plates aren't a problem in salt water if gear is rinsed after diving and properly cared for. Best eventual re-sale of any of the gear listed. Why worry about the "DIR" logos? If you hate them that much they come off easily enough. Just my .02.....