BP/W - APEKS vs Oxycheq

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

@CarcharodonCarcharias my opinion for DSS has no bearing on my comments. Merely curiosity on why you felt the need for a local presence. It seems more that you are wanting to support the LDS and I can't fault you on that, but it sounded like you were concerned about servicing of equipment more than the purchasing experience. One of the continuous disclaimers that I will give when people are asking about gear is that there is a list of gear that I have determined through the course of my experience diving that I feel is the best and make no secret about it. The one thing that I feel is a reasonable reason to go against that is if you are either forced to or choose to associate with a specific shop which limits your selection. Nothing wrong with that as there are often many benefits of going that route, but without a clear direction on why, it can be difficult to make that decision.

1. Of those, I would probably go with Dive Rite or Oxycheq depending on pricing. Oxycheq uses very thick bladders and they tend not to pack particularly well in my experience. If you aren't regularly travelling, they are incredibly durable and very well built. I personally would avoid Hollis as you mention neck wringing and if the dealer has to deal with Hollis, they have a very poor customer service reputation until you reach Nick directly which may take a bit. It is well documented on here. Halcyon as mentioned is very high quality with brilliant customer service, but they are very expensive compared to other brands and imo they can't justify it. From a use standpoint, they also require STA's. I am a fan of STA's, but I like to not have to use them, especially if travelling regularly as they are somewhat heavy, extra piece of equipment to deal with, and if you loose the wing nuts, you're in for an interesting day.

2. it sounded originally that you were concerned about the manufacturing and having service locally, not selling locally which changes the tune.

3. can't object to that.

my vote has now been cast for Oxycheq of the two. Grab a Mach V 30lb in whatever color you want. Red would get my vote ;-)
Backplates you'll have to decide, but if you travel, the dogbone and fabric plates are quite nice

LOL. You've read my mind. I am thinking about the red Oxycheq 30# with the red AL plate.

 

[tbone1004]

LOL. You've read my mind. I am thinking about the red Oxycheq 30# with the red AL plate.

look at the steel dogbone in place of the aluminum plate

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

look at the steel dogbone in place of the aluminum plate

Good call. Will do. Tks!

 

[cerich]

Yes you may. LOL. @cerich is quite a popular guy on the forum and D6 has certainly earned high praises for the products and customer service. Tks for the suggestion. However, at this point, I'd like to get something that that has a local presence (easier for parts, maintenance, and service) as @red_barbarian alluded to. It just makes things easier.

where as I got dragged into this..

sure, I like selling gear..BUT most of all I want people to enjoy their gear and their diving, with whatever gear they buy.

If somebody prefers to buy local, I understand their POV and think it's valid.

Just like others (myself included) often prefer buying online. (i am not just talking diving)

there are pro's and con's with both. My job is to make the con list as small as possible with my model.

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

where as I got dragged into this..

sure, I like selling gear..BUT most of all I want people to enjoy their gear and their diving, with whatever gear they buy.

If somebody prefers to buy local, I understand their POV and think it's valid.

Just like others (myself included) often prefer buying online. (i am not just talking diving)

there are pro's and con's with both. My job is to make the con list as small as possible with my model.

I don't mind buying online. But I would like to get a feel for what I am buying. LOL.

Maybe D6 can sponsor me a set of equipment so I can be the poster boy for D6 in the region? haha. Just kidding.

ADEX will be here from April 7-9. Have you thought of getting a booth for the regional shows out there in the near future?

It would be nice to see what other boutique dive equipment manufacturers have to offer at the shows other than the perennial big players.

 

[cerich]

I don't mind buying online. But I would like to get a feel for what I am buying. LOL.

Maybe D6 can sponsor me a set of equipment so I can be the poster boy for D6 in the region? haha. Just kidding.

ADEX will be here from April 7-9. Have you thought of getting a booth for the regional shows out there in the near future?

It would be nice to see what other boutique dive equipment manufacturers have to offer at the shows other than the perennial big players.

I did want to..but shall be on a boat at the time.. so my plan is ADEX next year

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

Give me a heads up if you are going to be at ADEX next year.

 

[admikar]

While I like Apeks regs very much, their wings don't look like anything I'd want.

Give the Apeks wing a pass, the design is not great and parts can be awkward.

I've dove only Apeks, so nothing to compare it with, so would appreciate if you could explain it a bit. I understand parts problem, but what about design, that is wrong?

 

[buddhasummer]

I've dove only Apeks, so nothing to compare it with, so would appreciate if you could explain it a bit. I understand parts problem, but what about design, that is wrong?

Very similar in design/shape to Oxy. The thing I don't like about it is the proprietary dump valve. Although haven't dived one shape is so similar to Oxy, which I dive and like, I can't see what issues there would be. I know some people don't like the narrowness and I have read people say wider wings, H, SP, DRIS, HOG, Hollis etc are more "stable". I've dived Hollis and SP wings and didn't really notice anything. Having said that they were only a few dives, I've been using Oxys for over 10 years so perhaps am just used to them.

 

[eelnoraa]

Particularly apply to Oxy MkV 40lb wing which I owned for a long time. If I have to nip pick the drawback, here are a few:
1) a little too narrow. Not because it causes any "instanbility", but rather, with tank attached, especially 8" tank, the wing couldn't fully inflate to the targeted lift capacity. This is very noticeably with 8" tank.
2) the shell is cut in an asymmetric 3D fashion compare to other wings, but the bladder can't be cut into the same shape because that will have lots of seam, hard to be air tight. What did Oxy do? They make the bladder over size by a big margin. The result is the bladder is folded inside the shell. This result in slower venting.
3) super tough and stiff shell, one of the more difficult wing for packing to travel.

On the positive side, it is extremely low profile. The 40lb version still look very small, and won't taco at all. This make one wing for all situation very easy, just get the 40lb. For #2, venting is slower compare to a Halcyon, but you really need to do back to back dive to tell. For #3, Oxy is an extremely tough wing. I couldn't imagine how it can ever be damage unless one purposely try to.

Will I buy Oxy MkV again? Definitely yes at the cost. I will choose it over Hollis and Dive Rite, which I have used a few of them.