Banded/Unbanded Debate

[Mandy3206]

I'm not sure how to quantify how tight my bungees are. I installed them according to OMS's instructions: Stretch bungees before installing and install on a fully inflated wing.

I installed mine in the loose side, just tied a knot right on the tips of the bungies on a fully deflated wing and have never had a problem.

Trying to tie the bungies with a full bladder prooved to be a bit dificult. I think that with the bigger wings like 60# or 100# bladders, band tying can be more critical and dificult to adjust, but for 45# it's not a problem at all.

Also is good to notice that the bladder on the 100# wing and 45# wing is the same and that the outer shell is the one that restricts the volume of the bladder and the bladder never gets stressed by the air inside it.

 

[xiSkiGuy]

Trying to tie the bungies with a full bladder prooved to be a bit dificult.

Lets just say it involved hemostats. . .

 

[Tamas]

The quote was "decreased ability to orally inflate."

I've experienced this. Therefore it's proved. ...case closed.

Roak

For you maybe. But 1 persons inability to inflate the bladder should not be the determining factor

 

[BigBoB]

I started my tech life with the huge double bladder OMS BWOD. I bought it because that is what my instructor used. I loved it until I popped two of the bands on the same side in a wreck. I did not really enjoy diving lopsided the entire transit out through the engine rooms. I had major problems after that getting the bungees tied back exactly right and all of my dives after that just didn't feel right.

I switched to a Dive Rite wing and removed the gusset chord completely. Makes for way better diving IMHO.

I do miss just hitting the deflate/exhaust on the BWOD and having the air come pouring out. The outer shell seemed a lot higher quality on the OMS than any other wing that I have seen/used.

 

[Mandy3206]

You've orally inflated your BC until the OPV opened up? :wow:

Not that I've experienced trouble inflating a bungied wing but man I've never filled a wing to that point,

Yes, I've done it many times, after my diving has ended, I clean the gear very well and part of my cleaning ritual is to fully inflate the wing and rinse it very well, also when rinsing the inside of the wing, it's easier for me to slosh around the clean water inside the bladder with a fully inflated wing.

I've never used more than a few burst of air in my wing while diving, only at the surface where I like to lay back on my fully inflated ZODIAC

 

[Tamas]

... I loved it until I popped two of the bands on the same side in a wreck. I did not really enjoy diving lopsided the entire transit out through the engine rooms.

how did you manage that? how much air did you have in there? my wings do not even protrude past my shoulders/arms. and why were you lopsided? too much air in the wing maybe?

The outer shell seemed a lot highter quality on the OMS than any other wing that I have seen/used.

they are the toughest material I have seen by far, thus a puncture and the dreaded/alleged air squeeze would be hard to imagine

 

[roakey]

For you maybe. But 1 persons inability to inflate the bladder should not be the determining factor

Bingo! Just the back pedaling I predicted! Thank you for following through, you bungee folks are so predictable (this discussion has happened at least a half a dozen times before on this board, always with the same results).

Yes, the guy had his bungees adjusted waaaaay too tight. Not only was it quite difficult to inflate orally, but you if you let off the purge button a moment too late as you were manually inflating, the air would come blasting out -- yet another problem. These problems do not exist with unbungeed wings.

Bungees have dubious merit and some serious downsides, which is why I don't like them.

Roak

 

[Mandy3206]

The outer shell seemed a lot highter quality on the OMS than any other wing that I have seen/used.

I agree completely with this statement

 

[xiSkiGuy]

Bingo! Just the back pedaling I predicted! Thank you for following through, you bungee folks are so predictable (this discussion has happened at least a half a dozen times before on this board, always with the same results).

You win! You win! We'll all go home and cut our bungees off. . . :icon_roll :icon_roll

 

[Tamas]

Bingo! Just the back pedaling I predicted! Thank you for following through, you bungee folks are so predictable (this discussion has happened at least a half a dozen times before on this board, always with the same results).

Yes, the guy had his bungees adjusted waaaaay too tight. Not only was it quite difficult to inflate orally, but you if you let off the purge button a moment too late as you were manually inflating, the air would come blasting out -- yet another problem. These problems do not exist with unbungeed wings.

Bungees have dubious merit and some serious downsides, which is why I don't like them.

Roak

Well then clearly it was his problem and not the other people that can think logically and read instructions. You don't happen to be generalising one persons misfortune, by any chance and then blaming the whole thing on that are you? Now that wouldn't be playing nice.

Fact is that YOU like what YOU like, and I like what I like. YOU dive with what YOU want to dive with and I dive the way I want to dive. What pisses me off is people arguing and trying to force their way down someone's throat based on non-existent facts, lack of information that they heard and were 'taught' to believe without even knowing it - think for yourselves. If it doesn't work for you then do not use it but do not tell me that it is not right. Let me be the judge of it!

But it seems that arguing about this is like arguing about politics and religion. There is never a right answer despite what people seem to believe.