Ater much debate regarding AL vs. SS BP, 27 lbs vs. 55 lbs Wings, Halcyon vs. Dive Rite, I ended up with an AL Halcyon with 27 lbs. wings. To be honest I got the setup about a month ago, but I just did my first dive with it last weekend. Everything worked great, although I do have the following complaints...
1) I don't like the new Pioneer wings which have the STA built into them. It's made so that the cam straps hold the BP and wing together, but it makes it very difficult to get everything lined up straight and keep it that way. And it looks like it will be difficult to bold them together in such a way that the tank does not rest on the bolts (although I am going to try that before my next dive).
2) I'm not real fond of the Halcyon cam straps, although they might grow on me I guess. I find them a little more difficult to connect than those on traditional BCs.
3) I also got the Halcyon Storage Pak because I thought it would provide some protection from the bolts (which at the time I thought would be holding this sucker together), and also a nice place to store a lift bag, safety sausage, etc... And it is all of that (except for the bolts since it doesn't have any), but I'm not fond of the cheap plastic bolts which come with it to connect it to the BP.
I went with AL BP because I primary dive wet, and during the summer when I dive in my Microprene I usually only wear 4-6 lbs on my weight belt, so with the SS I wouldn't be wearing any and I didn't think not having any ditchable weight would be a good idea. I'm also hoping to get a Steel LP95 or LP104 soon and then I'd be overweighted.
Although I'm slowly accumulating enough gear to dive doubles I still have a ways to go, so I got the 27 lbs. wing for my single AL80.
In retrospect I might have just done with the Dive Rite, my LDS carries those and they less $$, but the Halcyon has so much hype that I just had to see it. It also already has some nicely positioned innertubes to hold backup lights, extra crotch strap belt, etc...
It really is amazing how expensive the whole setup is though compared to its simplicity, although I will grant you that my SeaQuest QD Pro cost about the same amount.
It's just too bad I have no mechanical ability what-so-ever, because anyone who does would be able to make their own BP, buy their own webbing, D-rings, and buckle, and then only worry about getting an already made wing, and make one of these for much less money (and I've seen several designs posted on the web).
