Best quality gear?

[SeaCobra]

All of the gear is the same made by the same people. I don't care if it is Cressi, TUSA, Oceanic, Scuba Pro, Atomic, or Aqua Lung. You will not notice a difference in their gear for the most part.

Sport, you are just plain wrong.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

To Ditherfish. If you have two sons of diving age that are still growing you are wise to not buy them their own traditional BC's. It would be a waste of money. But if you went with BC's that could grow with them you'd buy once and only have to spend a couple dollars later on to replace components. If you went with a backplate and wing for them they would be able to use them for years and as the grew you'd just have to adjust the webbing.

I wonder if that would really work that way though, especially for the son who is only around 10-12* and will likely get quite a bit taller as he ages. I wear a small-sized backplate, and one of mine (Kydex) I got used because an SB-er had bought it for his child, that child wore it for two years - and then grew out of it - and then he put it up for sale here in the classifieds. The same child then got a medium sized plate with a new harness (the one on the small plate was not long enough to transfer to the new plate).

I suppose it depends on how big the boy(s) are, but I'm just thinking that a youngster cannot necessarily get a backplate that fits well "now" and then will still fit years later.

Of course there still may be more "expansion" capability with a bp/w, but I think that counting on one plate to go from childhood to young adult-hood might be too high an expectation.

Blue Sparkle

*He said just coming into diving age.... not sure what that is but I thought around 10-12?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

True Blue but even so a better option than a BC even with a small plate. Buy a plate for 75, sell it 4 -5 years later and get? Quite likely $75. Spend 400 on a BC sell it a year or two later and get? 200, if they are very lucky. He could get a small plate and be conservative cutting the excess off the harness. Buy a 30lb wing and when it comes time only have to replace the plate.

 

[ams511]

You can try an Oxycheq soft plate, that supposedly fits most divers even children.

 

[Zung]

I too have 2 13 years old AOWD certified twins. I have been able to buy used XXS BCD's for 20 bucks, Scubapro Glide 500 or the like, and that was OK.

Now that they're way over 5', I start looking into the BP/W thingies, be it for the cool factor alone.

 

[Zung]

ams, it's 2 in the morning your time!

Thx for the tip, just found this: they sure look cool, but are they any good?

 

[ams511]

ams, it's 2 in the morning your time!

Thx for the tip, just found this: they sure look cool, but are they any good?

I will let you know. I have ordered it.

 

[Fishpie]

I have been teaching kids (almost exclusively) for the past 10 years.
Under 5' they get a jacket BC.
Over 5' a Plate and 17/18 lb wing with a hog harness.
Reason being... under 5' the reg will hit the back of their head even with crossed straps.

Biggest problem is trying to convince a 12 year old boy that the crotch strap wont emasculate him.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

True Blue but even so a better option than a BC even with a small plate. Buy a plate for 75, sell it 4 -5 years later and get? Quite likely $75. Spend 400 on a BC sell it a year or two later and get? 200, if they are very lucky. He could get a small plate and be conservative cutting the excess off the harness. Buy a 30lb wing and when it comes time only have to replace the plate.

That sounds reasonable to me. I thought you were saying "just get one plate now and then you'll only ever have to replace webbing," and that seemed to me like it might be a bit too optimistic, so I posted my thoughts.

The feeling that I can buy and sell "parts" without a huge loss is something I do like about my rig. My first wing was a good fit "#-wise," but didn't fit me exactly how I wanted it to. I bought another brand wing of a similar size, and figured I'd sell whichever one I liked less. Sure, I knew I would lose some money, but I figure I won't have a problem selling for a reasonable (to me that is around 50%-65%, give or take, depending on condition) percentage of the new price. It's nice to feel that freedom to tweak my rig to be just how I want it.

 

[Zung]

A slight return to the rhetoric: Aqualung launches the new Legend today, and TELLS THE TRUTH:

From their Web: "If you want the same high performance features and ease of breathing as the Legend LUX but without the pink gold finish, you will find it with the Legend LX".

LUX: $995
LX: $680

Pretty comes at a price!