Advice for my First BC, BP/W setup

[stefusa]

I am a newbie in the scuba world, and I want to buy my first BC.
I don't wanna go for the recreational jacket BC because it seems that many people are switching to BP/W setup afterwards.
So at first I was going for Halcyon...
But in the last few months, it seems that their quality is....... (decreasing ??)
And I have seen many good post about DSS rigs.
So I want a single hog rig setup for southern californian diving.
I talk with Tobin and used the excel table for lift calculation and I think between 26 and 30 lbs of lift should go with my 24 pounds bouyant wetsuit.

So I am not so sure about halcyon, I am looking for advices from you (regular divers) which way to go. I am also concerned about the services (warranty and repairs) because I can move back to my country (france) in two years. So I am a little bit worried about repairs form france for a DSS wing whereas it seems to be very good products.

So any suggestions would be appreciated ( I know people will say I dive a X so you have to buy a X, it's the best product ever. But anyhow it will be valuable information)... DSS, Halcyon, Dive rite and all others

Thanks

 

[PerroneFord]

I have a Halcyon Pioneer 27 wing, backplate, and harness. But when you buy a BP/W you are not buying a BC in the traditional sense. It's really just 3 pieces. A steel plate, some 2" nylong webbing, and a wing. Halcyon's primary issue recently has been their inflators. The Stainless steel ones. They've now abandoned them.

There are many quality manufacturers of BP/W systems. DSS as you mentioned is one. Others are Oxycheq, Golem Gear, Dive Rite, and OMS. There are even more but these are the larger ones in the US. DSS is located near to you, so it might make sense for you to go with them.

But once you have your first setup, you can buy wings from nearly anyone. I have three wings currently, and will be buying others fairly soon. None of my wings are from the same manufacturer. Doesn't matter, you just buy what you need.

Repairs should be few and far between. There just isn't much to go wrong with a metal plate, some stainless steel rings, a stainless steel buckle, and some nylon webbing. THe only issue might be with the wing. If you are afraid of this, perhaps you want to see what dealers are available in France. Otherwise it's just a matter of shipping.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

DSS in my opinion. I have the single tank rig with lcd30 wing, ss bp and hog harness. As far as service is concerned I eould not worry about DSS. where your concern would be is with the postal or parcel service you use. Also if there is some ridiculous customs regs in france when you ship it and when it comes back. DSS stands behind their products. Plus you are paying for quality gear. Not to say the others are not but are they any better? Plus with the others you are also paying for the name.

 

[idratherbedivin]

I was in your exact same position minus the moving to a different country part although I am on the other side of the country. I decided to go with the DSS hog singles rig as my first bp/w and have absolutely no regrets. I got the torus 26# wing which is a donut and I like it a lot. I don't think you need to worry too much about the repair issue because this is an extremely durable rig and I believe you could get it repaired by any lds that knew anything about wings. If it was a really really bad problem then you would have to send it to Tobin, but i really cant see what would cause anything more then a little rip. The material is very strong and as long you take care of it you shouldn't have any problems. DSS will definitely be one of the cheaper options as opposed to Halcyon which can be a lot more expensive. I am sure other people will chime in as the DSS rigs are very highly regarded on this site. If you have any specific questions about the rig feel free to pm me.

Haha when I typed this nobody had responded and by the time I pressed enter 2 people had snuck in

 

[TSandM]

I have a DSS singles wing, and I can attest to the superb customer service from this company. Any American manufacturer you buy from would be problematic to get service from in France, simply because of shipping issues. But if you buy a European brand now, you've got two years of dealing with a European manufacturer from the States. Either way, there may be some inconvenience.

I think the DSS singles rig is one of the best buys for the money on the market.

 

[PerroneFord]

She could buy from an American manufacturer with a presence in France...

 

[CompuDude]

I agree with PerroneFord that there isn't likely to be too much in the way of issues.

We're talking about a slab of steel, easily replaceable webbing and standard hardware you can buy locally. No customer service needed. The wing is pretty much the only thing that could go wrong, and give Tobin's level of service I doubt this would be a problem, in the unlikely event you needed help. New wings could be shipped overseas no problem if you needed them, or you could try a local company's wings. Again, of the three pieces to a bp/w, only the wing is really at issue from a service standpoint.

 

[Ron Brandt]

I am a newbie in the scuba world, and I want to buy my first BC.
I don't wanna go for the recreational jacket BC because it seems that many people are switching to BP/W setup afterwards.
So at first I was going for Halcyon...
But in the last few months, it seems that their quality is....... (decreasing ??)
And I have seen many good post about DSS rigs.
So I want a single hog rig setup for southern californian diving.
I talk with Tobin and used the excel table for lift calculation and I think between 26 and 30 lbs of lift should go with my 24 pounds bouyant wetsuit.

So I am not so sure about halcyon, I am looking for advices from you (regular divers) which way to go. I am also concerned about the services (warranty and repairs) because I can move back to my country (france) in two years. So I am a little bit worried about repairs form france for a DSS wing whereas it seems to be very good products.

So any suggestions would be appreciated ( I know people will say I dive a X so you have to buy a X, it's the best product ever. But anyhow it will be valuable information)... DSS, Halcyon, Dive rite and all others

Thanks

The Quality at Oxycheq has gone up.....way up and the Mach V kicks A .Give Patrick an email and explain your situation. That system is guarenteed for two years. Also, a wing is wing and there are lots made in Europe.

Ron

 

[serrada]

I think you'll be fine b/c most wings are high quality. Though I've got little experiance with them. I only just purchased a Oxycheq Mach V. I think Agir and Apeks are European. I'm sure there are others, but you'll be with the DSS, Oxycheq Halcyon etc.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

The Quality at Oxycheq has gone up.....way up and the Mach V kicks A .Give Patrick an email and explain your situation. That system is guarenteed for two years. Also, a wing is wing and there are lots made in Europe.

Ron

Uh... what are you talkin' about, Ron? You know the quality of Oxy has ALWAYS been superb... Patrick's first Sig really got folks thinkin' about how wings should be made. I don't think their quality or customer service has ever been questioned.