How do you judge or form an opinion on gear you have not tried?

[Teamcasa]

Ah, but Dave, perhaps your friend is a coprophiliac and is getting it because he knew all along that it was crap

So, how do you like your new BC's?

 

[24940]

In some cases, yes. OTOH, If after diving with something new maybe you could have a change of heart? For instance, I long time diver had nothing but harsh words for the new Aqualung I3 BC. Yet after trying one out on a demo dive trip, he had to admit that he really like the way it performed and placed an order for him and his wife.

I saw an I3 demo at the LDS and realized the #1 cool innovation was its worst feature and rendered it unusable for my needs. Sometimes, I use my left hand for things other than adjusting buoyancy. It is physically impossible to do anything with your left hand while adjusting buoyancy with this BCD. I didn't need to dive the BCD to realize this, but I tried it anyway.

I've never dived the OMS BWD, either. However, the fact that a leak in the bladder would result in all air being squeezed out is something I don't need to experience to appreciate the implications. Likewise, the additional effort required to manually inflate against the bungees is less than ideal.

 

[DeltaWardog]

My interest in new/funky/gimmicky gear is directly proportional to the amount of people on scubaboard who bash it without having tried it.

Pretty soon I'll own a Kronos reg (damn bubbles), i3 inflator bcd (stupid hoses/buttons), and I've already got a waterproof snorkel (saved me once) and split fins (I'm lazy). I really need that datamask so I can get rid of all analog gauges and never have to move my hands from the 'tucked-into-cummerbund-expert-finner position', after all I would hate to get caught looking ungraceful by all the photographers in the water these days.

Flip up fins might have some utility but you lose SO many style points for wearing them. I'll wait for the kind that retract into the boot completely like a switchblade.

 

[Luis H]

The fact that humans cannot breath water makes setting the priority of Above/Below water "solutions" very easy.

But feel free to do whatever it is that you do. No skin off my back.

Humans can’t move at 60+ mph either, but we get very comfortable driving in cars and other machinery that allows us to survive that other limitation in us. As comfort level rises with the water environment and with the equipment we design to exist in it, you will realize that your concern is not that big of a deal. Having good respect for any danger (in the water or out) is healthy, but I always believe that the most dangerous part of diving is driving to the dive site (and I don’t get any adrenaline rush driving ...or diving for that matter).

Just remember to have fun when you are diving…

 

[Gombessa]

So, how do you like your new BC's?

Couldn't be happier; smells like spring flowers

 

[RonFrank]

Do you really need to dive something to know it's crap?

Depends on what it is?

 

[Teamcasa]

I saw an I3 demo at the LDS and realized the #1 cool innovation was its worst feature and rendered it unusable for my needs. Sometimes, I use my left hand for things other than adjusting buoyancy. It is physically impossible to do anything with your left hand while adjusting buoyancy with this BCD. I didn't need to dive the BCD to realize this, but I tried it anyway.

I've never dived the OMS BWD, either. However, the fact that a leak in the bladder would result in all air being squeezed out is something I don't need to experience to appreciate the implications. Likewise, the additional effort required to manually inflate against the bungees is less than ideal.

How do you adjust your buoyancy with your current gear? You don’t use any hands? I’m genuinely curious.

And a leak in a non-bungeed BC wont deflate either?

 

[24940]

How do you adjust your buoyancy with your current gear? You don’t use any hands? I’m genuinely curious.

And a leak in a non-bungeed BC wont deflate either?

Same as most, I use my left hand. I can also equalize, clear my mask, illuminate my gauges or signal with my light at the same time as adjusting buoyancy.

In the horizontal, tacoing will retain some air. If vertical, I could remove my butt dump valve and still have 80%(?) of my wings buoyancy capacity. Think of an inverted paper cup.

 

[djanni]

snip... "But on the "solution looking for a problem" page, I heard recently about a mask with a digitial SPG in the bottom left of your vision that is wirelessly connected so you don't need to grab your conventional SPG to monitor your air. Now I can see a use for this in low-viz commercial diving, but I cannot imagine that this has any huge benefit to most sport divers who still have at least one functioning arm. I have never ever seen one of these masks, let alone used one, but I still feel comfortable expressing the view that it sounds like a gizmo that is of very limited practical use except to the laziest sport diver in the world."

Gee, based on that logic anything more than an analog, brass and glass SPG and a dive table would be a gizmo.

I'm reluctant to try a DataMask because I'm afraid the mask will fit well and I'll find myself shelling out about $1,500.

I think the world is fortunate to have all these gizmo's and I hope they keep coming. Before PC's (another gizmo) and all the assorted gizmos it spawned, we would never have had this conversation because I'm too lazy to hand write everyone a letter on the subject, saddle the horse and take the letter to the post office.

 

[Blackwood]

My interest in new/funky/gimmicky gear is directly proportional to the amount of people on scubaboard who bash it without having tried it.

Pretty soon I'll own a Kronos reg (damn bubbles), i3 inflator bcd (stupid hoses/buttons), and I've already got a waterproof snorkel (saved me once) and split fins (I'm lazy). I really need that datamask so I can get rid of all analog gauges and never have to move my hands from the 'tucked-into-cummerbund-expert-finner position', after all I would hate to get caught looking ungraceful by all the photographers in the water these days.

Flip up fins might have some utility but you lose SO many style points for wearing them. I'll wait for the kind that retract into the boot completely like a switchblade.

haha.

Better get a double-bladdered BCD with an Air2 on each hose.

I'm reluctant to try a DataMask because I'm afraid the mask will fit well and I'll find myself shelling out about $1,500.

Even if it fit like a dream I'd not buy one. I've lost too many masks.