Side mount Options: Razor, Apeks, Xdeep

[306dive306]

Greetings, everyone!

So far I'm a Master Scuba Diver through PADI with Nitrox, Deep, Wreck, Night and Buoyancy specialties besides Rescue but I want to take more serious diving training.

I got in contact with a 5 cave diving instructors in Mexico and they all told me flat out to NOT buy Halcyon, Hollis, or DiveRite side mount rigs because they are too bulky. Amazingly, all 5 said the same thing: choose between Apeks, Razor or XDeep.

The only difference between the 3 rigs mentioned is that the Razor has 2 bladders that function independently from each other.

Can anyone give me some insight into this? I'm in the process of selling my recreational stuff and getting a side mount rig.

Cheers!

 

[Dhboner]

If you are diving warm water with aluminum tanks then the advice you have been given is reasonable. If, on the other hand, you are diving in a drysuit with steel tanks then the Hollis SMS 75 would be my first choice.

 

[decompression]

You are just tipping your toes into sidemount and you've discovered one of the few generalities of sidemount. Colder water and steels = large rigs.....warm water and ALs = small rigs.

What are you going to do more of? Are you willing to buy 2 rigs/wings? Does it matter that you may not have the optimum system all the time?

I teach in Canada but travel a lot as well so I have several rigs. Some could do both, some are task specific.

With you being in Sask, I assume most of your SM will be in Mexico. Therefore, the majority of your instructors will be familiar with the smaller rigs. They travel small and are well suited to the cenotes.

Feel free to pm me if you have more questions.


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[gearhound]

You've definitely opened up a can of worms! It can develop into a religious jihad, but I'll weigh in with my opinions.

I've been diving with the Stealth in Canada for quite a few years with all sorts of different tanks. No issues. Just hiked up a mountain with it last weekend to explore a cave. I'm biased because it's my favourite system to teach and to dive in, but I have owned and dove other systems (Armadillo, Dive Rite, Hollis, UTD).

The Razor is nice, but a pain to adjust if you're going to be switching between exposure suits and weights. I found it to be time consuming for altering. And the dump valves can be tricky in a drysuit and dry gloves. Just takes a bit of practice and muscle memory.

I have a couple of students with the SMS75 also. Super bulky if you add the additional weight plate to the back. One is switching over to the Stealth. That's not on my recommendation either, because I believe you should master whatever rig you own. It's more about the diver than the gear.

I'd be a little leery of the Apeks. Our shop owner (who's a cave diver) had a good look at it and had a few issues with it for more technical cave diving. Plus it only has 25lbs of lift which can be quite low for a lot of cold water divers. She was hoping it would be better because they have a pretty good distribution network in Canada.

Feel free to PM me also if you have any other questions. Our shop is a dealer for the majority of the sidemount rigs. We can give you an honest opinion from actual use. I can give you advice about training in Mexico too. We are headed down there again in 3 weeks on another cave trip. Very excited!!!

 

[306dive306]

Hi guys. Thank you for the quick responses.

It is true... I'm in the process of selecting my first SM rig and have never been in the water in SM config.

I do not see myself diving in cold water regularly. I want to do cave dives and dive some wrecks that require me to go through Deco and Trimix training.

Also, I do not own tanks and have no desire to buy them right now. Whenever I travel I dive with steel tanks, because that's what every boat has available. If I move to a warm country later on in life, who knows?

I appreciate the help!

 

[gearhound]

Look at the Stealth Tec. I just picked up a camo version.

 

[306dive306]

Hi "Gearhound".

Thank you for your input. You touched a very sensitive point that I also noticed: the Apeks only has 25lbs of lift. That's why it is my 3rd option right now.

Since I want to progress into Deco and Trimix diving (up to 100m) I don't think that's enough lift. Even if it is, the more I read, the more inclined I am towards the Razor simply because it has 2 bladders...

I really appreciate the help, guys. Even if you're going to "destroy" my ideas about the Razor. Go ahead... I can take it. LOL

 

[gearhound]

Hahaha! Not trying to destroy the Razor. I really liked the system, and really wanted one. I think HP and Bogaerts' videos were the catalyst behind the current sidemount explosion. Bogaerts definitely has a heavy influence in how sidemount evolved in Mexico. The Stealth just worked out better for my needs.

Just trying to to help a fellow Saskatchewanite out. It's been a while since I cruised up and down 8th street. Seriously, pm me if you have any questions. We've got a couple of Razor divers in our shop.

 

[tiki_bill]

If you're gonna go with the Razor, try to get training from a Razor instructor.

 

[decompression]

Agree with gearhound, he offers solid advice (and I'm jealous he has the camo stealth).


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