Apeks WSX-25/45? Versus xDeep and/or Katana?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

I don't think so. I dive with a guy that has one and his even balls a bit. Not that you keep the thing pumped to max anyway. I like you, see the APEKS and the Stealth to pretty much be the same rig. Here he is in his Stealth with aluminums at the end of a dive.

View attachment 418651

End of dive, you have the wing practically empty. Best comparison would be at beginning with full gas load.
 
End of dive, you have the wing practically empty. Best comparison would be at beginning with full gas load.

Point was, even at the end of the dive with a minimal amount of lift needed, the Stealth still is pulling from the back. I will see if I can find some beginning footage.
 
Same dive at the beginning..

Stealth.JPG
 
Does the Stealth Tec have baffles in it? Those keep it from doing so much of a beach ball effect?

Hard to describe. It's not baffled. It's shaped better.... the way it wraps the torso and is secured at the harness and top 'plate' of the wing. It's a neater solution. Subtle things.

The Apeks WSX doesn't really innovate much beyond the concepts first seen with the Razor. Beach ball wasn't tackled. It wasn't a big issue with the 25.... but, in my opinion, it should have been properly addressed with the 45.

A friend, and sidemount instructor, dives WSX-45 here... he felt compelled to send the rig away to a sewing shop and got some custom modifications on the wing... and also some custom harness hardware made.

I think he's happy with it now... it certainly improved the beach ball. He's a big guy...and still felt the WSX-45 wing was oversize (dimensions, not volume).

Not yet seen/tried putting someone very petite into one... I'm honestly scratching my head how that'd work out ...?

The Stealth Tec, on the other hand, is much more discrete when filled toward capacity. It's a step beyond, IMHO.

Some small refinements here and there.... which point to some genuine user expertise driving the design process. Like, for instance, the small tabs in the upper wing that you run your bungees through... and go a long way to keeping your upper wing flush to the back. Small design touches... that totally hit the nail on the head...

However... worth noting... that 'beach ball' is primarily an aesthetic issue. It's not something you'd particularly feel in the water. It might annoy you in photos though.

People doing big restrictions in caves and wrecks would be the minority who'd care about beach ball wings from an equipment wear-tear/failure perspective.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, everyone.

I went ahead and ordered a dual bladder Apeks 45. It was a good price and they don't currently carry xDeep. Given that I am a long way from starting any kind of cave training (at least 2 years), it sounds like the Apeks should be decent to get me started with SM diving.

I'm sure I'll be back with more questions after it arrives. :-D
 
Point was, even at the end of the dive with a minimal amount of lift needed, the Stealth still is pulling from the back. I will see if I can find some beginning footage.

Keep in mind that proper adjustment of the wing is important. Lower bungee/attachment not being tight enough is a common problem and you'll get a look exactly like the frame you posted.
 
There's a nice and simple hack/mod that quickly fixes the issue of Stealth Tec rising up at the bottom. It keeps the wing very snug and streamlined.

There's really no need for the rig to look like Doby's does...
 
Last edited:
The Apeks will be fine, really its oranges to apricots! I think the main difference between the 45 and the Xdeep is bladder shape. The apeks has a common pillow bladder shape when compared to the tec that is more of a U shape. It has more buoyancy on the sides and is controlled by the hard/ridged "plate" on the xdeep. Its obviously more difficult to manufacture and undoubtedly took more time to develop. Even other manufacturers that use a pillow shape took steps to add baffles or other means to stop the ballooning effect of a large lift wing. Regardless, the apeks will work and I'm sure you'll dig it.
 
I brought the Apeks WSX-45 home yesterday. I ordered the dual bladder. The shop says they ordered the dual bladder. What was in the box was the single bladder. They said they have another delivery coming next week that is supposed to be a dual bladder and they'll swap me.

In the meantime, I had a look and found something I was not expecting.

Based on posts I read, I was expecting the wing to have no internal baffling to combat the beachball effect. But, it turns out it does have 3 baffles welded into. Here are pictures from the diver's body side of the wing. Wing empty and wing fully inflated.

The baffles seem like they do what I would have thought would be considered a good job of preventing the beachball. Without those baffles, fully inflated, it WOULD be a beach ball.

I'm just hoping the dual bladder is the same. Based on the picture of the dual bladder wing on the Apeks site, I'm pretty sure the dual is the same. The picture there shows the diver's body side of the dual wing and you can see the same baffle welding.

Also, side note, the entire wing is made of a material that feels kind of like the ScubaPro Hydros BCD material. I.e. it feels like it would shed water and dry almost instantly. I like it.

I can't wait for the correct wing to arrive and get some pool time with it!

2017-07-27%2010.42.19.jpg

2017-07-27%2010.44.00.jpg
 
Last edited:

Back
Top Bottom