I think we need to compare apples with apples. In this case, I respectfully suggest that it would entail comparing a SP HP to a SP BPW, or a BPW from a brand that is comparable to SP. The fact that there are cheaper BPWs from brands that target a lower price point or income bracket is, at least to me, neither here not there because the person who buys a SP HP may probably not look to purchase those brands.
The Hydros Pro is a top of the line integrated BCD. If you want to compare apples to apples, you would compare it to a top of the line BP/W. ScubaPro does NOT make a BP/W that I would consider to be anywhere near top of the line. Top of the line BP/W rig brands would include (strictly in my opinion) Dive Rite, Halcyon, Deep Sea Supply, Deep 6 Gear. And there are others - that is just a list of some of the "top" manufacturers.
As one "apple", you can get a complete Deep Sea Supply BP/W rig for $460.
I have been diving just over 3 years. I bought a BP/W immediately after finishing my initial OW certification and have dived nothing else (for back mount) since. I currently have 3 BPs and 5 (or more?) wings. I am an avowed BP/W lover.
I bought a Hydros Pro on Thursday. I used it in the pool yesterday and today while helping to teach some OW students.
The Hydros Pro is awesome! The highlights on what I like:
- With a 3/2mm full wetsuit and an HP100 steel tank, I needed no weights at all. I ran my tank yesterday down to about 350 psi. I could still descend with no effort from the surface with just an exhale. I dived it today and tried an AL80 that I ran down until it got hard to breathe and my AI SPG showed just 85 psi left. With the tank that empty, I could descend and stay down with 4 # of lead, but I had to really mind my breathing. With 6#, I could descend and stay on the bottom, no problem. Side note to this: When I dive a single steel tank, my 3/2 suit, and my normal stainless steel BP/W, apparently, I am actually somewhere around 5# over weighted....
- I was able to achieve good trim very easily. It was actually easier than with my BP/W. With my BP/W, it seems like it concentrates more of the weight closer to my butt and makes my feet more prone to sink. I end up setting my tank up as high as I can, to get the weight up higher. That means I hit my head on my 1st stage (just a little bit) when trying to be flat and look straight ahead. The Hydros does not have that weight down around waist, so I was able to set the tank in a little lower, where I can't quite touch my 1st stage with my head and I'm still able to get flat in the water. At this point, I'm comparing the Hydros to my current single tank rig which has a Freedom Contour Plate for the back plate. Maybe the shape of the Freedom plate itself is an issue. Maybe a normal BP that doesn't have that dog bone shape would have the weight a little higher and make my feet be not quite so prone to sinking. Regardless, the Hydros let me get good trim immediately with a comfortable tank position.
- It goes on easily. Once on and cinched down, I don't even feel it on me and it does not move at all. The material definitely has some "tack" to keep it from sliding around on my wetsuit. No crotch strap needed.
- It doesn't have (or need) any padding.
- Even with the standard weight pockets on it, the front/chest area feels pretty "not cluttered". And, it comes with the extra straps to let me remove the weight pockets, replace them with just plain webbing (all quickly and easily), and have no more "clutter" around my waist or front than what I have with my usual BP/W rig.
- It has trim weight pockets on the wing itself. Given how little weight I need, those pockets should handle any that I do need, so I don't anticipate a problem in removing the waist belt QR weight pockets and using what they call the "travel" waist belt straps. Which means the whole rig will pack down to be very compact, in a suitcase, for example.
- The wing is a lot higher capacity than I need, but the bungee system seems to keep it pretty well streamlined. Also, a normal concern for using a "too big" wing is not being able to dump gas out of it when you only have a little bit in it. I was using minimal gas in the wing and I had no trouble with dumping it as needed.
Things I don't like as much:
- All the plastic clips and buckles. There's no doubt that my BP/W is much more bulletproof. A tank will not fall over onto my BP/W and break anything. With the Hydros, that seems like something that actually could happen.
And that is really all I can think of that I really don't like as much. It's not a tech rig. I wouldn't use it for technical dives. So, things like the extra shoulder dump valve and the big plastic pull knobs for the dump valves don't really bother me.
Since I already have a plethora of BP/Ws, you might wonder why I would buy the Hydros. That answer is simple: I'm a fairly new OW instructor and I'm helping teach classes regularly. Our students are fitted with normal integrated BCDs, including quick release weight pockets. With my BP/W, I have not been able to do a proper demo to students of things like weight pocket remove and replace and BCD remove and replace. In classes so far, one of the other instructors has always done those demos. I wanted an integrated BCD for myself, to use when I'm teaching, so that I can demonstrate the complete list of skills myself.
Now that I have actually tried the Hydros, I will be seriously debating whether to use it or my BP/W for any future single tank "fun" dives that I do.
One last note about what I think of the BP/W Myth. Ever since I started diving, I have seen many posts here on SB that, essentially, suggest that if you start off with a BP/W, you will be already set in case you eventually decide to pursue tech diving. The implication is that you will save money by already having a BP and for tech diving, you can just buy a different wing, slap it on the same BP you've been using, and go. I call it the BP/W Myth because I don't personally know a single certified tech diver that has only one BP and uses it for both single tank and doubles diving. If you decide to go tech, whether you already have a BP/W or not, you will almost certainly end up buying not just a doubles wing but also a BP (or a second BP, if you already have one for single tank diving).
You can save money by starting with a BP/W, yes. But, that is because you can get a decent BP/W rig for around $300 (or maybe even less with suitable shopping skillz). And most people that buy an integrated BCD spend more. But then, a lot of people who buy a BP/W also spend more. Regardless, I don't think anyone saves money on the road to tech diving by virtue of buying a BP/W as their first OW BCD. You MAY spread out the spending a little by starting with just 1 BP and 2 wings (one for single tank and one for doubles), but you will almost certainly end up with a 2nd BP at some point.
In the end, even though I went down the BP/W road when I started diving, looking back, I just really don't see that path as having all the advantages that I read about here. To me, the only major advantage is that you can buy a nice BP/W for a lot less money than what you'd spend for most (but not all) integrated BCDs that are on the nicer side. E.g. No way I would have bought a Hydros at normal street price. But, working at a shop has its perks and I got the Hydros for what I consider to be a pretty reasonable price for a nice BCD (of any type).
One other thing that people tout about a BP/W is how it can be made to fit anyone. That is pretty true. But, if I want something to fit ME, do I really care if what I buy can fit anyone else? I don't personally put much value in the fact that I could make my BP/W fit anyone from really small to really big. They're such a pain to adjust and "fit" to someone, that I would be pretty reluctant to let anyone else use my BP/W anyway, unless they would very close to my size and could dive it with no adjustments. OTOH, if you want to borrow my Hydros, no problem! It won't accommodate the extremes of size like a BP/W will, but it will accommodate a pretty big size range - and it's much quicker and easier to change it from fitting someone else to fitting me.
Last, the BP/W fans talk about how a BP/W lets you achieve better trim and use less lead. Well, it's true you can use less lead. If the BP weighs 5 or 6 # and you are using 5 or more pounds of lead, then sure, you can use less lead. But, if you aren't using any lead now, then a BP is just putting you in the position of being over weighted and nothing you can do about it. Also, with the BP, you don't have much control over where the weight is distributed. For most people, that's not a real problem and they can still achieve good trim. But, some people turn out to need their weight distributed differently, in order to get good trim. In those cases, it can actually be an advantage to NOT have 5 or 6 # in a BP and, instead, have that weight in the form of lead that you can position wherever you need it. Up high, on a tank strap, to counter feet that want to sink. On a waist belt, to try and counter a tendency to go head down/feet up. A neutral "BP" (like the Hydros Pro, for example) is actually MORE flexible than a traditional BP, when it comes to dialing in trim. All that said, if you are diving in colder water, you probably use more lead and then a SS BP can definitely be nice for letting you use less lead, but still enough to position wherever you need in order to get good trim.
So, to the OP, if you haven't bought something yet, and you are willing to spend the money for a Hydros Pro, I suspect you would be very happy with it. OTOH, if you want to save some bucks, a good BP/W setup will probably cost a lot less and, in the end, I suspect you would be very happy with it, too - after you invest the time to get it fitted and adjusted properly for you.
