Apeks wing?

[billt4sf]

We live in Bali and dive frequently in Raja Ampat. Just got back from a trip and have another one in a few weeks, during which time I have to get a new wing as I pinched the Deep See Supply one resulting in a leak (dove 10 days with this leak! But I do not wish to repeat that little exercise!).

Unfortunately there are not so many choices here in Bali.

I could get Apeks 30 lb. wing with a steel BP or a Halcyon for twice the price. I am a recreational diver, no caves, nothing below 30m for the most part, just regular diving!

The Apeks wing looked good to me but I really don't know what to look for. (The DSS wing worked fine for me for many years). There may be other options on the island, but there are not very many BP/W divers around here so I am not so sure.

Anyway is there a strong consensus on Apeks?

Thanks in advance.

- Bill

 

[t3chnobrat]

Hi Bill - I use the Apex WTX-D30 and Apeks steel plate (no STA) with hp80's and hp117's for rec diving and love it. The construction of the wing is solid and material is pretty heavy. I don't see how it could be easily pinched. Just my 2 cents. In fairness to other brands, I didn't look around too hard. I liked what i saw, the wing was quality and streamlined (what i was looking for) and i just went with it.
-J

 

[swimlikethefish]

The only downside I see is the inflator and dump valves are proprietary to apeks. Meaning they are not the universal style that DSS has on their wings. If you have a local service facility that services apeks then I would not be put off in the least. I too like the style and design of it, minus the proprietary valves that is.

 

[icechip]

I use the Apeks WTX3 38# wing with a Hollis SS backplate and really like it. Good and rugged. Am planning to get another one for a back-up.

 

[runsongas]

the apeks wing will work fine for you, but if you have a dss lcd, i would look into replacing the bladder. should be cheaper than buying a whole new wing.

 

[Diver0001]

We live in Bali and dive frequently in Raja Ampat. Just got back from a trip and have another one in a few weeks, during which time I have to get a new wing as I pinched the Deep See Supply one resulting in a leak (dove 10 days with this leak! But I do not wish to repeat that little exercise!).

Unfortunately there are not so many choices here in Bali.

I could get Apeks 30 lb. wing with a steel BP or a Halcyon for twice the price. I am a recreational diver, no caves, nothing below 30m for the most part, just regular diving!

The Apeks wing looked good to me but I really don't know what to look for. (The DSS wing worked fine for me for many years). There may be other options on the island, but there are not very many BP/W divers around here so I am not so sure.

Anyway is there a strong consensus on Apeks?

Thanks in advance.

- Bill

I can't really advise you on what to buy but I own an Apeks 30lb wing and dive it with a backplate (no STA). The little stabilizing rods in the wing, in addition to keeping the tank closer to your back, make the STA redundant. I have a lot of experience diving in jackets and I have a lot of experience diving technically in a BP/W but only bought the Apeks recently.

What I *can* tell you is that it is far and away the most stable BCD I've ever used with a single tank. I wish I had the video to share with you but my buddy took video of me studying some fishes in this gear (I didn't know he was filming me) and for extended periods of time I made so little motion that you could be forgiven for thinking you were looking at a photograph as opposed to a free floating diver. That's how stable it is. I should say that I was in a drysuit as well and the drysuit makes buoyancy control considerably easier than a wetsuit. (i.e. if you look at youtube videos of people with "super human" buoyancy control they're all in drysuits, and that's not a coincidence).

What I didn't like so much about the Apeks 30lb wing is that you need to be a little more patient than you would like to be when dumping it. Because of the form of the wing you need to go feet down a little and really get that shoulder up to vent it fully. A normal jacket, in that respect, dumps much quicker and is much more forgiving of body position. This is a common characteristic of jackets in comparison to wings in general.

I'm not going to tell you not to buy a Halcyon but I will say that I'm exceedingly happy with the BP and Apeks wing for a single 10l or single AL80. I haven't tried it with other tanks yet.

R..

 

[Umuntu]

I have two Apeks Wings. A WTX-18 and a WTX-30 PSD.

They are both excellent quality. For single tank diving, the contoured tailoring of the Wing at the top and bottom means the Wing leaves room for the tank.

The only downside I see is the inflator and dump valves are proprietary to apeks. Meaning they are not the universal style that DSS has on their wings. If you have a local service facility that services apeks then I would not be put off in the least. I too like the style and design of it, minus the proprietary valves that is.

The Apeks Inflator unit is the standard design, it just has higher quality stainless steel components rather than plastic.

The dump valve is really simple to service. All it needs is the occasional rinsing of the valve. No O-rings, no seats to replace .

The most important tip when re-installing the dump valve is Step 2 on Page 2 of the instructions.

 

[billt4sf]

Thanks, all!

I do not have an option to replace the bladder here in Bali. If I were in the States, that's what I'd do.

I found with my DSS wing that I had to go vertical to dump it completely so I am used to that.

One more question: it does not fit well onto my existing aluminum BP. Close, but when we thread the webbing through my old BP and the Apeks wing, it pulled on the wing slots and it's probably not a good idea.

I would have to get a new BP as well, and the only thing they have in stock is a SS BP. Looks like it weighs 2kg or so, my current one is aluminum which weighs I think 2 lbs. I normally carry 3kg of lead, so the numbers are OK, but it's 1 more kg in the airline bags -- meh. I'm not sure if it would affect my trim, or the ability to adjust my trim. I usually have 2kg in a pocket on my upper strap and one kg in a pocket on my waist.

Seems to me like it should be fine -- any thoughts?

- Bill in Bali

 

[Umuntu]

Thanks, all!

I do not have an option to replace the bladder here in Bali. If I were in the States, that's what I'd do.

I found with my DSS wing that I had to go vertical to dump it completely so I am used to that.

One more question: it does not fit well onto my existing aluminum BP. Close, but when we thread the webbing through my old BP and the Apeks wing, it pulled on the wing slots and it's probably not a good idea.

I would have to get a new BP as well, and the only thing they have in stock is a SS BP. Looks like it weighs 2kg or so, my current one is aluminum which weighs I think 2 lbs. I normally carry 3kg of lead, so the numbers are OK, but it's 1 more kg in the airline bags -- meh. I'm not sure if it would affect my trim, or the ability to adjust my trim. I usually have 2kg in a pocket on my upper strap and one kg in a pocket on my waist.

Seems to me like it should be fine -- any thoughts?

- Bill in Bali

use a drill to lengthen the slots on your BP !

If you don't have a drill, ask a local machine shop if mechanic to do it for you. Just measure how much extra you need first.

 

[Diver0001]

Thanks, all!

I do not have an option to replace the bladder here in Bali. If I were in the States, that's what I'd do.

I found with my DSS wing that I had to go vertical to dump it completely so I am used to that.

One more question: it does not fit well onto my existing aluminum BP. Close, but when we thread the webbing through my old BP and the Apeks wing, it pulled on the wing slots and it's probably not a good idea.

I would have to get a new BP as well, and the only thing they have in stock is a SS BP. Looks like it weighs 2kg or so, my current one is aluminum which weighs I think 2 lbs. I normally carry 3kg of lead, so the numbers are OK, but it's 1 more kg in the airline bags -- meh. I'm not sure if it would affect my trim, or the ability to adjust my trim. I usually have 2kg in a pocket on my upper strap and one kg in a pocket on my waist.

Seems to me like it should be fine -- any thoughts?

- Bill in Bali

I used mine recently with an AL80 and a steel backplate and it was fine. It did put me close to my baggage weight limit but not over.

R..