Aqualung dimension i3 bcd

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tbh all you need to say is "push the lever down and I go down, lift it up and I go up", it's not really rocket surgery

What about that odd backup inflator hose on the left shoulder if you have to orally inflate? Regular buddy of mine has one. Don’t like it.
 
The rogue is great or you could get the outlaw and add the rogue waistband if you need pockets and a couple of D rings and you have a great travel bcd
 
I've got about 500 dives on my Dimension i3; no issues, really like it.
 
tbh all you need to say is "push the lever down and I go down, lift it up and I go up", it's not really rocket surgery

I’m not saying it’s difficult to explain to a buddy. I’m saying it’s an extra step people have to remind themselves of and to remember to do by mentioning it to their buddy and reviewing it. It’s easy enough for the owner of the device to become complacent because they’re used to it. The buddy might not notice that it’s different until an issue arises. I’ve observed many buddies that don’t do predive checks or even discuss different weight systems and how they work (removal and insertion) and such prior to dives. You may say just dump the weights, it isn’t complicated and you may be familiar with how yours work but what about your buddy being familiar with it and you being familiar with your buddies? Some are male/female clips, some are velcros, some are just straight pulls and/or oriented in a particular manne. Also, should the inflator malfunction, the buddy should also understand how to manually/orally inflate and deflate. That should also be explained and/or demonstrated.

Buddy checks are important but if it’s skipped, which it shouldn’t be, the consequences are more dire if the equipment is not what most people are used to. I’m suggesting to really go out of one’s way to ensure others’ familiarity with it.

I think these are valid points when you have something that is not what the majority of the diving population has.
 
My first BCD, 12 years ago, was an Aqualung Pro QD with the i3. I bought one for my son (he and I got certified together) also at the same time. We used them for years with no problems; it was a simple and reliable system, at least for us.

When we started teaching, I replaced the oral inflate tube on our Pro QDs with a standard inflator so that we had the same kind of inflator as our students. But we could still use the i3 lever to open the dump valves. Never had a problem with it in years of teaching classes (i.e. a lot of use in the pool and ocean.)

However... I have heard stories like rsingler's in Post #5 above, of the i3 system having random failures. It's a nice system... but it's a complex (by scuba gear standards) system. So failure of an i3 is more likely than a failure of simpler gear.

My mom bought her AL BCD with an i3 about 8 years ago. After about 5 years and roughly 100 dives, she had a problem with the tube (like in rsingler's post) binding and causing problems with the dump valves. She brought it to a local shop, and they sent it to Aqualung (fortunately they're local here in So Cal.) AL refused to repair it, which I found interesting... create a proprietary system and then refuse to repair it when it fails. They suggested she trash the entire BCD and buy a new one.

So I modified it for her: added a standard inflator and converted her dump valves to manual pulls. She got about 5 years from the i3 system, and now her BCD lives on as a normal one.
 
tbh all you need to say is "push the lever down and I go down, lift it up and I go up", it's not really rocket surgery

That sums it up in a nut shell. Now more fussing with the inflator lifting it up to let air out. Try it, I bet you'll be hooked!
 
That sums it up in a nut shell. Now more fussing with the inflator lifting it up to let air out. Try it, I bet you'll be hooked!

I considered the i3 when I bought my first BC. I even dived with it all weekend as a demo. It didn’t work out for me and I ended up with something else. It’s convenient being able to dump in any position, for sure, but the possible issues or complications that arise are not worth that slight benefit of not having to lift a hose which is usually just at the beginning of the dive for me. I think I see it along the same lines as the integrated Air2’s. Saves a hose but has other potential downsides to it which outweighs the benefit. It’s a personal assessment that each person has to make for themselves.
 
I’m not saying it’s difficult to explain to a buddy. I’m saying it’s an extra step people have to remind themselves of and to remember to do by mentioning it to their buddy and reviewing it. It’s easy enough for the owner of the device to become complacent because they’re used to it. The buddy might not notice that it’s different until an issue arises. I’ve observed many buddies that don’t do predive checks or even discuss different weight systems and how they work (removal and insertion) and such prior to dives. You may say just dump the weights, it isn’t complicated and you may be familiar with how yours work but what about your buddy being familiar with it and you being familiar with your buddies? Some are male/female clips, some are velcros, some are just straight pulls and/or oriented in a particular manne. Also, should the inflator malfunction, the buddy should also understand how to manually/orally inflate and deflate. That should also be explained and/or demonstrated.

Buddy checks are important but if it’s skipped, which it shouldn’t be, the consequences are more dire if the equipment is not what most people are used to. I’m suggesting to really go out of one’s way to ensure others’ familiarity with it.

I think these are valid points when you have something that is not what the majority of the diving population has.

yeah I agree, but most of us dive something unique in some way so I don't see that as a failing of the i3,

These days I'm sidemounted with a cave style inflator on my hip rather than my shoulder, ditchable weights on my shoulders and down my spine with velcro tabs, and a long hose wrapped around my neck and either in my mouth or attached to my harness with a pull away clip.

That's WAY more to have to go over with an insta-buddy than my old i3 ever was.

And as for the dumping weights on the i3, see my earlier post, if you just look at them funny they'll dump :wink:
 
This was my first BCD. I still own it and dive it when working with students as a DMC (my Outlaw is near impossible to demonstrate weight removal in). I never had a problem with buddies after I pointed out the lever and manual inflation tube.

I only remember one time the lever got bumped unintentionally. It was a crowded pool session and a DSD diver bumped into me and gave me a pop of air. Never had a problem with the weight pockets myself.

We have instructors who teach wearing them now. They tell their students it's important to know there are different types of gear out there. They demo buoyancy skills using the manual oral inflation tube. Some also add a standard inflation and dump assembly in place of the manual tube (15 second job). I keep one in my pool box so I can demo using the instructor's preferred method.

Over all I find it a comfortable BCD and it's light enough that I have travelled with it.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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