Banded/Unbanded Debate

[BigJetDriver]

As Doc has pointed out in his usual in-depth style, true studies with blind control groups do not exist in this subject. So it remains true that the "problems" said to exist with the BWOD, are truly only "alleged" problems.

I will simply say that well-known wreck divers and cave divers have used and do use the BWOD. They are still with us. :11:

To each his own taste, said the old lady as she kissed the cow!!

Or, more famously: "De gustabus non disputandam!"

 

[xiSkiGuy]

I dive with the BWOD. My experience:

-The wing is somewhat harder to orally inflate at the surface, but is easily manageable. I can’t tell a difference in the effort required to orally inflate while diving. I’ve added air orally at 100ft with no perceived difficulty.
-I haven’t experienced air becoming “trapped” in the folds of the wing.
-The bungees seem to minimize the effects of massive airshifts when compared to non bungeed wings that I have tried.
-The bungees seem to minimize the “taco” effect when using a single tank with a wing designed for doubles (most bungeed wings are designed for doubles). A single tank wing still is better, though.
-I would think that if your wing got punctured below the surface, the surrounding pressure of the water would force air out of the wing, bungeed or not.
-I would conjecture that any loss of streamlining by the “uneven” surface of bungees is compensated by the fact the excess wing isn’t flapping around. Either seems like a minimal effect on streamlining when compared to overall body trim, the lack of pockets, etc.

Try both before you decide.

 

[Tamas]

I dive with the BWOD. My experience:
-The wing is somewhat harder to orally inflate at the surface, but is easily manageable. I can’t tell a difference in the effort required to orally inflate while diving. I’ve added air orally at 100ft with no perceived difficulty.
-I haven’t experienced air becoming “trapped” in the folds of the wing.
-The bungees seem to minimize the effects of massive airshifts when compared to non bungeed wings that I have tried.
-The bungees seem to minimize the “taco” effect when using a single tank with a wing designed for doubles (most bungeed wings are designed for doubles). A single tank wing still is better, though.
-I would think that if your wing got punctured below the surface, the surrounding pressure of the water would force air out of the wing, bungeed or not.
-I would conjecture that any loss of streamlining by the “uneven” surface of bungees is compensated by the fact the excess wing isn’t flapping around. Either seems like a minimal effect on streamlining when compared to overall body trim, the lack of pockets, etc.

Exactly. Except I had no problems inflating the wings at the surface or below, I guess I have big lungs.

But this all boils down to personal preference, filtered or non filtered, some like blondes some like brunettes, some like Chevy's and some strange people even like Fords.....so do not let anyone tell you that one is better then the other just because their cult leader says so.

And BTW I resent the name given to these wings, unless they have been proven that, that was the sole cause of death, it paints an unfair image of a fine piece and proven gear!

UMPF! I have spoken

 

[pants!]

-I would think that if your wing got punctured below the surface, the surrounding pressure of the water would force air out of the wing, bungeed or not.

Well let's talk about an incident that has happened to a few board members in recent months.

When using the power inflator, the LP hose inlet blows off the inflator. You now have a hole in the inflator that directly lets air out of the bladder with nothing in its way. Assuming you're in decent horizontal trim, the inflator is the lowest point of the system and you suffer no immediate buoyancy loss. However, if your wings are bungied, air will be forced out of the inflator mechanism, leading to a sudden, highly significant buoyancy loss.

 

[Tamas]

Well let's talk about an incident that has happened to a few board members in recent months.

When using the power inflator, the LP hose inlet blows off the inflator. You now have a hole in the inflator that directly lets air out of the bladder with nothing in its way. Assuming you're in decent horizontal trim, the inflator is the lowest point of the system and you suffer no immediate buoyancy loss. However, if your wings are bungied, air will be forced out of the inflator mechanism, leading to a sudden, highly significant buoyancy loss.

And this is something in particular that you have witnessed with a bungeed wing? Or are you just speculating that it would happen if the wing was bungeed?

Perhaps the original person could be asked to chime in on how they almost lost their life do to their horrible designed, ill fated wing and now since they converted and joined into the non-bungeed revolution they have been reborn.

 

[xiSkiGuy]

Exactly. Except I had no problems inflating the wings at the surface or below, I guess I have big lungs.

To clarify: I wouldn't exactly say that I have "problems" orally inflating it. I installed the bungees on the wing. The effort required to orally inflate them before I installed the bungees was somewhat less than the effort required after I installed them. It’s still not hard and I can’t tell a difference in the effort required to inflate them at depth when compared to non-bungeed wings or back inflator BCDs or jacket-style BCDs.

I sorta like the term BWOD. It makes me laugh to think about all the hype, hyperbole, death and destruction talk that permeates this board sometimes. Kinda like this thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=115603

 

[pants!]

And this is something in particular that you have witnessed with a bungeed wing? Or are you just speculating that it would happen if the wing was bungeed?

Well if you don't believe me, try it yourself.

Go to 100' in your doubles, and at depth, press and hold the deflate button on your inflator of your bungied wings.

 

[Mandy3206]

I love this topic!

I dive my bungied wings every other weekend and have put close to 125 dives on mine without any problems.

the only place I wouldn't dive them is inside a wreck, I wouldn't want my bungies cut with a sharp edge.

I don't see any problems of entanglement since the bungies keep the wing neatly compressed.

I've been able to check all the other issues presented by the detractors and I can say it's all BS and probably most detractors haven't use one ever.

I can respect peoples choice, but I hate people trashing a good product without ever testing it and basing their opinions on some dive guru doctrine.

I got banded and non banded wings, and rarely use the non banded wing.

Banded is also a correct term for the bungied wing or similar (DR has a similar design but using cords, not bungied)

 

[xiSkiGuy]

Well let's talk about an incident that has happened to a few board members in recent months.

When using the power inflator, the LP hose inlet blows off the inflator. You now have a hole in the inflator that directly lets air out of the bladder with nothing in its way. Assuming you're in decent horizontal trim, the inflator is the lowest point of the system and you suffer no immediate buoyancy loss. However, if your wings are bungied, air will be forced out of the inflator mechanism, leading to a sudden, highly significant buoyancy loss.

I fail to see how a couple of atmospheres of water pressure is any different than the bungees. . .

Death and destruction . . .

 

[pants!]

I fail to see how a couple of atmospheres of water pressure is any different than the bungees. . .

Death and destruction . . .

On an unbungeed wing, when the inflator is below you (as in the case when you're horizontal), nothing whatsoever happens when you press the deflate button on the inflator. Pressure inside the bladder is equal to the pressure outside. The gas inside is compressed.

On the contrary, on a bungied wing, since there is higher pressure inside the bladder due to the pressure being exerted by the bungie, a certain amount of air will leave the bladder through the hole on the inflator.