Advice on lift capacity for BP&W

[Abhijit Roy]

@Abhijit Roy BP/W is hard to try-before-buy. How often and where do you dive? We can try to co-ordinate and you can dive with the DSS 30lb wing, steel plate and the 8lb weight plates. I've used that with 7mm farmer john + dive jacket combo, 8mm semi dry and I still use it with my drysuit, thick Thinsulate undies and steel tank on the occasions I do single tank dives.

I live in San Francisco. I see you are from bay area too! Woot!!! We can try testing at Monterey if it works out. My "dive trip" is in July for the cenotes. But the main reason for looking for BP&W is to take it to Truk in Nov. I am planning to get certified in extended range nitrox before I go and wanted to use the BP&W for my cert.

 

[stuartv]

Dang, I miss living in SF! :-(

If you are worried about suit compression you can measure its buoyancy in a pool. Roll up the wetsuit and put it in a mesh bag and add weight until it sinks.

I have never been able to figure out how doing that doesn't result in air trapped in the rolled up wetsuit that throws off the measurement.

 

[1bubbleoff]

Dang, I miss living in SF! :-(



I have never been able to figure out how doing that doesn't result in air trapped in the rolled up wetsuit that throws off the measurement.

SINK IT FIRST...than REMOVE lead to determine final #

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

@ams511 the problem is any customer service stuff combined with the companies general mentality towards quality. Incidentally, regulators are a lot easier to machine properly than it is to RF weld bladders and sew covers properly. Machining is easy, computers do it. Sewing is done by people... and that is where you do get what you pay for... The quality control of DUI's drysuits over the last few years should say enough about that one. When the focus goes from quality to money, it's never a good thing

Machining is easy, but if you need precission, it takes competence and devotion. It is easy do do bad machining.

And yes, I talk about CNC machinery, and yes, I got the competence and experience to know what i am talking about.

 

[ams511]

Dang, I miss living in SF! :-(

I have never been able to figure out how doing that doesn't result in air trapped in the rolled up wetsuit that throws off the measurement.

It probably does trap some air Stuart, so it is an approximation, but if you take care rolling it up I can't imagine it being too much. The suit compression may also be an approximation, some people claim the stretchy neoprene compresses more than the non-stretchy kind.

 

[tbone1004]

It probably does trap some air Stuart, so it is an approximation, but if you take care rolling it up I can't imagine it being too much. The suit compression may also be an approximation, some people claim the stretchy neoprene compresses more than the non-stretchy kind.

you can put the suit into the bag once it's in the water to eliminate air trapping. The stretchy neo does compress more than the non-stretchy kind, however that is a function of the density of the rubber. Stretchy neo has more air, less rubber vs. the non-stretchy kind. The non-stretchy kind loses "less" buoyancy because less of its buoyancy is from compressible air vs. non-compressible rubber. The neoprene is only slightly less dense than water so it doesn't contribute a lot, but it's there and also makes the cells less compressible because there is more structural support from the rubber.

@Magnus Lundstedt I'm well aware, but the machines are capable of doing it, and with the Chinese it's all about how tight you hold their quality standards which comes from $$$. They can produce regulators with precision that is easily on par with Poseidon, Apeks, Scubapro, etc. if you make them. Deep6 is a perfect example of it. They can also make complete junk if you don't make them. Tell the machines to run faster because they want to make a buck and it's game over

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

@Magnus Lundstedt I'm well aware, but the machines are capable of doing it, and with the Chinese it's all about how tight you hold their quality standards which comes from $$$. They can produce regulators with precision that is easily on par with Poseidon, Apeks, Scubapro, etc. if you make them. Deep6 is a perfect example of it. They can also make complete junk if you don't make them. Tell the machines to run faster because they want to make a buck and it's game over

Nobody can produce regulators that is in pair with Poseidon ;-)

 

[tbone1004]

Nobody can produce regulators that is in pair with Poseidon ;-)

I dive Poseidon much to the dismay of my main dive buddy @victorzamora who would rather drown than breathe on them. I don't disagree with you on design, but they can easily machine on par with Poseidon

 

[victorzamora]

I dive Poseidon much to the dismay of my main dive buddy @victorzamora who would ALMOST rather drown than breathe on them. I don't disagree with you on design, but they can easily machine on par with Poseidon

Made a slight correction above in bold. And your newly retuned and rebuilt ones are less bad and have actually left the realm of "atrocious."

 

[KathyIGH]

I don't doubt Kathy's story but you need to remember that a regulator is much more complicated than a wing. Also most (but not all) wings use standard parts. So if you need a new inflator, dump valve, elbow, etc. you can buy one from DGX or your LDS. I am not sure of foreign availability. The only thing you cannot buy is a new bladder. You can patch an old one if necessary.

Also the takeaway I get from the story is DUI did the right thing by recalling the regulators in the US, while their European partner didn't. Unless you are buying in Europe, I don't see the relevance.

I have no first hand experience with OMS and I don't own any of their gear.

Obviously this is just my opinion... Abhijit was asking what was going on at OMS. OMS is one company and DUI and BtS handled the regulators in two entirely different ways. Does this impact a company? I guess time will tell.