BC's with "Elevator" Lever

[KOMPRESSOR]

The BP/W tech macho crowd remind me of Hummer drivers -- are they compensating for something, perhaps?

I have yet to dive with my new ProQDi but i sure love the way it fits. And here for the record is an excerpt from the ScubaDiving magazine review:

"Pretty near perfect" is how one test diver described the new Pro QD i3, which received the highest scores from test divers in this BC test. From contoured shoulders to swiveling buckles to the efficient SureLock integrated-weight system, there are a lot of nice features on this new BC but none more noteworthy than the new i3 integrated inflate/deflate system. It replaces the traditional corrugated inflater hose with an inflate/deflate lever that is conveniently located on the left lobe of the BC, where your hand can find it every time. To vent air, internal push rods mechanically open both the right shoulder and lower rear deflate valves simultaneously, and in our tests, we were able to empty the BC in seconds during both feet-first and head-first descents.​

I have no expectations that this will affect the many condemnations by the backplate Taliban, but I hope it inspires you to do your troll thing on another discussion string.

Merry xmas!

Hey, what kind of BS is this, really?

Divers have different needs for sure. You apparantly need to go somewhere warm to dive. Some of us dive just about every vacant hour, and even does it as kind of work. I have barely tested this BCD in a pool. I'm a decently experienced diver, so I manage to dive with most gear without loosing bouyancy control. Even with this one in any conditions, no problems. But this BCD does NOT make it any easier to have control. I have posted earlier what I think of it, PRO's and CON's. There are both, and I have supported one poster with weak fingers that it has some potencial for a group of divers with physical problems. Other than that, I leave it up to you to enjoy your investment. You may be very happy with it, and you may be annoyed. I don't really care. But when someone asks for advice I'm willingly sharing my experience and evaluations. MY experience, and MY evaluations.

I'd say this one's not going to be a classic! Wait ten years and prove me wrong my friend, if you can! :blinking:

 

[markrovner]

My apologies! I was aiming my remarks at those who have not seen, touched, or dived with an i3 BC -- which is the majority of posters on the board.

mark

 

[24940]

The BP/W tech macho crowd remind me of Hummer drivers -- are they compensating for something, perhaps?

I have yet to dive with my new ProQDi but i sure love the way it fits. And here for the record is an excerpt from the ScubaDiving magazine review:

"Bla blah blah, yada yada yada."
​

SD Magazine has always had a policy against biting the hand that feeds it. If something performs poorly, they'll play it down by pointing out how ergonomic or aesthetic it is.

I recently read an article on new fins in Scuba Diving Magazine and noticed how poorly the numbers for the new SP split fin were. They were among the worst, if not the worst, but the write up made them sound great. It should have read "If you want an overpriced fin that performs worse than fins costing 1/3 as much, this is the fin for you.".

Dive mags are as probably #2 in my book as the source of problems in the industry that could easily be resolved. They can't be trusted as a source of objective information. Take a look at the article on 9 innovative BCs in SD Mag. 9 BCs and not a bad review? Even negatives are played down "small but accessible" is how they describe a pocket that is easy to reach, but too small to put anything into.

I wouldn't be surprised to read an endorsement someday that read "Although 3 divers died testing this gear, they were very comfortable and color coordinated at the time of their demise."

 

[evil_xander]

My apologies! I was aiming my remarks at those who have not seen, touched, or dived with an i3 BC -- which is the majority of posters on the board.

mark

You dived a BP/W?

 

[MikeFerrara]

My apologies! I was aiming my remarks at those who have not seen, touched, or dived with an i3 BC -- which is the majority of posters on the board.

mark

You think it's acceptable behavior to insult them? I admit to having pretty strong opinions but you seem just plain unfriendly.

 

[CBulla]

Hmm.. Its not in my consideration list as 1) the jackets my "size" don't fit my budda gut with their cumberbun wrap around, those which do look like a Santa Clause jacket on me 2) most are positively buoyant and I dislike adding more weight to my gear than I have to, 3) I like simple, I mean really simple, I mean so simple I can switch any part any time. I've been known to dive with a 1st stage, SPG and reg stuck to a simple cydex plate deal (or like when I first started diving cold riveted purple webbing to the tank itself) and a steel 72 tank. 4) I am not aware of a jacket that can accomodate double tank configuration.

The thing about a lot of bp/w divers is that the configuration is purely comfort and virtually unlimited configuration options. I can switch from a higher lift wing and doubles to a single tank set up between dives in a matter of minutes. My rig adjusted for me can be adjusted to someone else half my size in a few minutes time and really fit them, not having go find the one marked M or S on a hanger. There isn't a hangers of gear isn't at a lake.

Its a cute rig, and if it works for you, great! If its comfortable and does what you want it to do while diving, then thats what matters. I'd seen the pictures and my old boss talked about buying one several times, but I'd never seen any reviews on them from someone who acutally used one.

In regards to the references naming those of us who prefer the plate/wing set up dive taliban is both obnoxious and completely out of place. Sure there are some zelots who are a little more obnoxious than others on both sides, but lets just stop the name and antagonization stuff here.

 

[24940]

The Black Diamond will support doubles, not that I'd want to. It is way too bulky and has a lot of slop compared to a bp. Even adding a crotch strap doesn't provide near the stability of a BP.

One thing to note about BP/W divers: The vast majority have dived jackets at some point. They made an informed decision to move to BP/W.

I try everything I can get my hands on. I tried the I3 for a couple hours and found it to be no better in some areas and worse than others as compared to a BP/W. I would advise someone to use it only if they were unable to operate the buttons on a standard inflator.

 

[Zieg]

Actually it's pretty much the opposite. If you take a good look, most "tech" gear (if you want to clasify things that way) is really simple, functional and modular. That makes it easy to have what you need and only what you need for whatever dive you're doing without making any real changes to the way the whole thing works.




Since you didn't seem to offer any real content, I wouldn't expect it to affect much of anything. To use terms like "Taliban" and "Big mouth, teeny weeny" towards others as you accuse them of being a troll and suggesting that they take their discussion to another thread seems hypocritical in the extreme and in very poor taste.

Why all the personal attacks? Are you trying to compensate for something?

I dunno, Mike, he may have a bit of a point here. His wording and description may be a bit etreme, but people do tend to get extreme on this board sometimes. I've gotten a general feeling that alot of divers here on this forum describe the bp/w as the end all of bc configuration. Some have a serious elitist attitude about their bp/w and toward non bp/w users.

Besides, I think he may have meant this a bit tongue-in-cheek. Describing some of the elitists on this board as "Taliban" can be pretty accurate and funny.

Just for information, I have and use both a bp/w and a classic scubapro jacket. I love them both.

 

[MikeFerrara]

SD Magazine has always had a policy against biting the hand that feeds it. If something performs poorly, they'll play it down by pointing out how ergonomic or aesthetic it is.

I recently read their article on new fins and noticed how poorly the numbers for the new SP split fin were. They were among the worse, if not the worse, but the write up made them sound great. It should have read "If you want an overpriced fin that performs worse than fins costing 1/3 as much, this is the fin for you.".

Dive mags are as probably #2 in my book as the source of problems in the industry that could easily be resolved. They can't be trusted as a source of objective information.

You need to read carefully and think. To get the whole story, you need other sources. In my opinion, SD magazine has always been about the worst one out there.

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

The Black Diamond will support doubles, not that I'd want to. It is way too bulky and has a lot of slop compared to a bp. Even adding a crotch strap doesn't provide near the stability of a BP.

Yeah, imagine those SOLID SS bolts from your doubles getting a firm grip through the....PLASTIC BACKBONE of the Black Diamond!
-Make sure those are tiny doubles though. I've seen it. It works, for a while at least. But it will come off one day.

One thing to note about BP/W divers: The vast majority have dived jackets at some point. They made an informed decision to move to BP/W.

Try ALL of them, right? :blinking:

I try everything I can get my hands on. I tried the I3 for a couple hours and found it to be no better in some areas and worse than others as compared to a BP/W. I would advise someone to use it only if they were unable to operate the buttons on a standard inflator.

Hey! Stealing points from my post, are you? Well, we both agree on very much it seems. Good points!