Best SS Backplate

[canuckdiver]

for quality and price, I am a happy customer of Gary Hoadley.
(he's also a hell of a nice guy)

If you want a super heavy plate, just contact him, he is very approachable about custom work

I also like the looks of fred's plates, I just haven't had any experience with them yet.

 

[RichLockyer]

divernva once bubbled...
Hmmm... didn't see AUL on the list. Probably a good reason.

They have slots that accommodate the STA-less Pioneer wings. No holes for the storage pack though. Don't know where you'd find one... other than the my garage.

I'm quite happy with my AUL Heavy.
It does have holes for the Halcyon pack... maybe they changed the design recently.

 

[RichLockyer]

swimndive once bubbled...
The only real differences that I have noticed may or may not be of interest to you. The Halcyon and AUL's have a lower profile or cross section.

They must have change their design... mine (got it in December) is closer to an OMS than the Halcyon.

 

[JohnF]

I thought they were all the same until Scott Koplin sent me the new travel plate and lightweight sta. I dived those bits in Mexico in January with single tanks and thought "Nice, works the same and I don't have the weight to carry on the plane." But then I mounted doubles on the cut-down lightweight plate to do some cave-diving and realized how much more easily I could reach all the manifold knobs for shutdown drills.

I emailed Scott when I got home and asked why that would be. He replied that he had been doing some research with divers on the left coast and discovered that the angles on the upper slots normally used could be changed, and the result was a better ride position of the plate and tank. I matched my old plate to the new travel plate and sho' nuff, the slots are slightly different. But what a difference in the way the rig rides on my back.

Hope I'm not giving away any trade secrets here, but if any of you get a chance, ya gotta beg, borrow or steal one of the newly configed Koplin plates. It's pretty nice.

Scott's very approachable about this stuff, and he really seems to know his stuff when it comes to the nuances of dive gear design. I'm now impatiently awaiting the intro of the new wings from Oxycheq, the distributor of Scott's gear. If the wings are as good as the plates and STA's, I'm already sold. 8)

JohnF

 

[fugu]

If looking for a heavy plate there is only one choice. Mine. AFAIK nobody else offers one as thick with as much negative buoyancy as my heavy plate, and nobody else offers a comparable STA.

Most manufacturers will tailor their plates to the acccessories they make sell. I tried to make mine as "universal fit" to all the other accessories made by everyone else as practical. I don't manufacture wings and other "goodies", yet. Just plates and hardware.

The "standard" weight (~.125 thick) plate by any of the manufacturers is comparable performance wise if you don't intend to use the Halcyon Pioneer series wing or one that needs strap slots for the tank straps. Compare those on price and availability. There are minor differences in "fit" due to size and bend angles though.

FT

Fred,

I'm going to a tech set up and will need a backplate. Your plate sounds like the best one, but I have a couple of questions if you dont mind.

Will your plate work good with the OMS 100lbs wing, and OMS IQ pack? And if so, can you give me more details on ordering, price, picture etc.

thanx,

fugu

 

[The Kraken]

Mine are the best because I hand finish each and every one of them personally.

 

[Mandy3206]

New OMS BP has a slot to acomodate the 2" crotch strap and slots for tank straps!

 

[sb_diver]

I have one of cool hardware's plates with the extra weight plates he makes. I love it, its really nice not having as much weight on my belt. The plate is a little flatter than others I've seen.