About FredT backplates & are they compatible with Halcyon?

[PnL]

Welcome to the board!

I'm a newly certified diver also and I'm very addicted to it I've been diving every weekend (minus one) since I got certified 5 weeks ago. About three weeks ago I picked up a Halcyon Pioneer 36lbs MC and dove it - great setup! Then I got a Fred T heavy BP/STA since I dive 7 mil out here in SoCal .. I didn't like the STA too much because it put too much weight on my back - which surprised me because I was trying to move some weight off my weight belt. So I'm now using just the Fred T heavy BP w/ integrated STA on the 36lb pioneer wing.

To answer your question about the difference between the Halcyon and Fred T stainless steel backplates: Halcyon SS - 6lbs, Fred T Heavy SS - 9lbs. The Fred T is also drilled for OMS, DiveRite and Halcyon (probably more, but I'm not certain) products so I think its more versatile. The quality seems fine on both of them .. the Halcyon comes polished and I got the 'unfinished' Fred T plate, but a Dremel and flap wheel got it nice and smooth I only have experience with the SS BPs so I can only offer information on the Al plates that I've read about ... and you've probably already read about them

Its a great set up and I think you will really enjoy it - I fell in love with it the first time. Oh .. and setting it up wasn't as difficult as it seemed when I first read up on the BP/wings, but I do recommend testing it out in a pool first just to make sure.

You'll probably get more (better?) information from the more learned folk here ... great board, eh?

Paul

 

[boomx5]

Fred T's plates look real nice and I would like get one of his heavier ones in the near future. I opted to buy the whole Halcyon setup as one package because I didn't want to try and piece everything together. It all came in one package with everything included, all I had to do was bolt on the wings and fit the harness to my body. I bought my setup from Mike Ferrera for a reasonable price and the customer service was great. If you PM him he will answer any questions you might have.

 

[ElectricZombie]

FredT and Halcyon both make great plates. I went with the FredT because 316 steel is a little better than what Halcyon uses. I have no complaints, and have bought more stuff from Fred. He's a nice guy and is very knowledgeable. Honestly, I would get which ever one you liked the looks of the most. The Halcyon is polished and shiney if that matters to you. It is kind of neat though when you get a BP kit from Fred because you get the expericence of how to rig it properly. (Pretty easy by the way)



As far as the bladder, I would get a Halcyon. Probably a 36lbs wing for singles.

 

[SDAnderson]

I have both Halcyon and FredT backplates. Most of my dives are on the FredT for a variety of reasons, but they are both going to do the job for you.

The Bad

• I didn't have FredT smooth the edges of the plate that I bought from him. Oops. Not a major problem, but it took more time (and elbow grease) to correct than I was happy with. My fault, not his, and he will finish his plates for a few dollars.
• I had problems mounting a set of doubles on my FredT because the Highland Mills bands I bought came with bolts that were too big for the mounting holes in his plate. Not a major problem, but it took awhile to get new bolts.
• The new STA-less Halcyon single wings don't fit so well with a STA on the FredT plate. Go figure. After several months of experimenting, I decided that the STA-less design doesn't work very well on either backplate, so I removed the plastic rods in the wing and now it works fine on the FredT with his STA.
• The FredT isn't as shiny as the Halcyon. Oh, well.

The Good

• The steel in the FredT is higher quality - it will resist "stains" better.
• The FredT has more holes and slots punched in it, making it more useable. I also like his bends a little better, it just seems to fit "right." I like the handles.
• I own the long FredT, I really like the extra length and weight.
• The FredT draws the attention of "serious" divers - a great conversation starter and way to get to meet and talk with divers that I can learn something from.
• The FredT was cheaper.

Your results may vary.

Steven

 

[DaveO]

... and Halcyon owners that have seen it have offered good feedback. I have nothing to compare it to, since this is my first BC, but when I compare it to more traditional BCDs, the difference is night and day and I am *not* going back. Functionality in the water is tremendous, and it feels like it's not there at all.

I too liked the idea of supporting "the little guy", and I observed and lurked on this board for some time before joining. One of the things that I observed is that FredT goes out of his way to share his knowledge on this board, and has written long and intricately detailed descriptions of his processes. The fact that he is willing to share his hard-earned proprietary knowledge impressed the heck outta me. Try a search on FredT- he writes *tomes*. If I can talk my wife into getting a bp/wing setup instead of a traditional BCD, I will definitely get another FredT backplate.

For an additional fee, Fred will finish the backplate, removing burrs and edges that result from production. It's a well-spent $15.

Welcome to the board, and enjoy!

 

[GP]

reefraff once bubbled...
The Bad

• 
  I decided that the STA-less design doesn't work very well on either backplate, so I removed the plastic rods in the wing and now it works fine on the FredT with his STA.
  [/B]

• 
  Hmm...interesting. I have a Halcyon SS backplate with the Pioneer 36# STA-less wing but I am using the Halcyon STA with it and it works fine without removing the rods. In fact it came fully assembled this way from Extreme Exposure. While the STA may not be necessary for the STA-less Pioneer wings I like it just for the added weight.

 

[SDAnderson]

GP -

I probably should have elaborated a little about the problems I experienced with my Pioneer wing.

I normally dive LP120's as singles. With an AL80 the problem pretty much didn't appear. Perhaps because of the greater weight and circumferance of the 120's, I had a recurrent problem with the tank twisting off-center on both the Halcyon and FredT backplate, despite two SP straps torqued down to within an inch of their lives. The plastic rods on the wing were spaced far enough apart to use a STA on the Halcyon backplate, but on the FredT they were just a little bit too close together to fit well. Removing the rods didn't require serious surgery to the wing and allowed me to use the backplate and STA with the wing.

Hey, it works!

Steven

 

[zorax]

I have tried four backplates before settling on the Halcyon.

What I like about the Halycon is the electropolish finish, the shallow depth of the "V" since I dive it with singles and this keeps the tank tight, the bends on the lower corners away from your back that prvent the plate from digging in to your wetsuit/drysuit (I gouged a hole in a wetsuit using a plate that didn't have this feature), and the fact that it allows the use of a single tank without an adaptor due to the strap slots.

I use the Halcyon backplate with a 45lb pioneer wing and go STA-less. I love this set up and am going to stick with it. I also like the Dive-Rite polycarbonate STA since it adds no weight and keeps the cylinder tight.

Backplates that were not for me are: OMS, AUL, Abyssmal. The OMS has a 1" crotch strap slot that I didn't like; ebayed it. AUL plate (I believe its a FredT althought it doesn't say so on the AUL site) came unfinished even though I paid for finished; it required that I purchase a full suite of dremel bits + dremel + spend several hours finishing it. This is okay if you're into it, but I really wasn't. This plate has a deeper "V" than the other plates which will cause single tanks to sit farther back. The Abyssmal was a similar story to the AUL. It came unfinished, even though I wasn't informed that this was the case. I duly dremmeled it out, and will probably e-bay it shortly. I tried a heavy STA from AUL, unfinished, spent several hours dremmeling it + found it added too much weight to my back -- resulted in some turtle effects in some positions underwater. I ebayed this about a month back.

 

[PnL]

zorax once bubbled...
What I like about the Halycon is the electropolish finish, the shallow depth of the "V"

This is interesting .. I also noticed the difference in the depth but didn't give it much thought. I got rid of the Fred T heavy STA because it placed the tank out further .. maybe it felt more so because I was using the Fred T heavy bp/sta combo vs. Halcyon SS bp. I'll have to rethink this one .... and just when I thought I had it all figured out!

zorax once bubbled...
I tried a heavy STA from AUL, unfinished, spent several hours dremmeling it + found it added too much weight to my back -- resulted in some turtle effects in some positions underwater.

I also noticed a similar effect although it wasn't very pronounced. Nonetheless I got rid of the STA and re-installed the delrin rods.

 

[divrnr]

My FredT plate ROCKS!!

I took it last night to the local LDS when my son was taking his final pool test and the instructor and DM just had to oogle and stroke it...=-) They thought I had made it custom, I gave them FredT's email to get some. It's a well built plate and just plain looks coooollllll...:mean: The Halcyon plate is fine and so are all the others, but FredT is the guy who actually makes your plate for you, and he can do custom stuff like a different bend on the bottom or a bigger hand hold. I like that! Plus his billy rings are the way to go, the 90degree billy for your left side waist is the best and his 45degree ones for the shoulders are perfect, especially with thick gloves on. Hasta, Joe.