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Actually, I was kinda proud to 'pass' the interview!
Did he "let" you make a purchase, or do you have to join the fraternity first? Have to "off" anyone to join the gang? 
Oh, well, good for you.
What is kydex, anyway? Plastic? Looks cool... Definitely curious.
The label on the plate says "thermoplastic". I get another 10% discount for each successful 'drive-by' I do in South Carolina though.
Hahahahahhaaaa!!! Dude, you're awesome.
You've got $1,000 to spend on a rig (no regs, no fins, masks etc. - just your buoyancy gig/rig).
How would you spend it
(btw the wink smiley is defective mods)
Fair?
True... Make sure the strap is threaded properly (it often isn't) and then wet the rig before you tighten it down on the tank. Or... Bring your own travel rig with the strap that I provided a link to. I still don't see that problem as a reason to doff your rig underwater and attempt a fix - get your buddy to do it. It's tough to make happen underwater if it's not on someone's back anyway.
...But hey, that's just my opinion - the solution that has worked for me, that I'm suggesting to you. You may have another solution - or another opinion.
Kern, *I* wasn't the focus of the thread that you posted a link to - the focus was Tobin's customer, whom I stuck up for. You're right - there weren't nice things said to me, but worse, there weren't nice things said to his customer. It was out of control.
I didn't ask for the thread to be closed. NetDoc decided to do that, and I have a feeling it was at Tobin's request. The entire thread didn't look good for anyone, and frankly, it's Tobin's place... So if he didn't like it, it was his choice what to do with it.
...Which is probably why the thread is closed (and apparently deleted) today. I would agree that this was probably the best thing, but my opinion wasn't the deciding factor.
Re: The Freedom Plate: Eric and I have already talked. The plate isn't mine - I have never purchased one from him or ScubaToys. I did, however, use one of my guy's, because I'd heard a lot about it here and was excited to try it out. I'm sure that Eric knows who I'm talking about.
The plate came to me because my guy asked me to "fix it." Apparently, he couldn't figure it out either, so he brought it to work with him one day. I spent quite a bit of time rigging and rerigging, and my frustration plainly shows through in my review.
For what it's worth, I had no idea that Eric was available here or anywhere online. You have to understand - I see all kinds of funky new products all the time, and when something doesn't work, there's rarely someone to call and talk to... So we never bothered to try to get in touch with someone regarding the plate and why it wasn't working - it was an easy assumption that somebody simply wasn't thinking when they made the plate. Most new products are like that - which is why I said I was the opposite of "sheltered," and it's a dramatically incorrect assumption that I'm "closed minded" or "stuck in the past" or "set in my ways" or whatever I was accused of. Believe me, that's the opposite description of me, and the reason why I'm so attached to backplates, wings, brass n glass, solid rubber items, and the lack of color in fabrics... I see it all, often, and know what works and what doesn't.
Based on my brief discussions with Eric, though, I can see that plainly, it wasn't rigged properly when it was brought to me, and the different things I did to rig it weren't correct, either. What's worse is that there were no screws connecting the plate to it's channel when it was brought to me - there were standard backplate bolts, topped with nylocks. These nylocks don't come with the plate, apparently - I had no way of knowing that.
The bottom line is that the plate made absolutely no sense whatsoever rigged the way it was, and without a center channel, the nylocks were only padded by the cam bands, which did a terrible job under tension. The harness rubbed, the nylocks were painful, and the whole thing was just a really bad idea - which is exactly what I reported in my review.
...But in studying the picture on ScubaToys and discussing things with Eric, clearly, the poor review is unwarranted and undeserved because of a poor rigging job. Let's face it - I had no idea that the plate wasn't supposed to be rigged like any other plate, and apparently my guy wasn't either because he brought it to me in frustration.
I've written the guys at ScubaToys and asked them to remove my review. An apology to Eric for the poor review - clearly, the product needs to be assembled properly and rigged properly before a valid review can be written... And it wasn't.
For what it's worth, I'm sure that my guy will be thrilled to find out that his purchase may not have been in vain after all. Frankly, I'd like to dive the plate again after it's been rigged properly, because it's a new idea with clear promise and something that we all wanted to see work.
Kern, for what it's worth, I have never attacked anyone personally or called anyone names... All of my posts have been directed towards gear or styles or skills or whatever... Never personal insults, which is against the ScubaBoard Terms of Service (TOS), and I'd appreciate reciprocated respect.
and it's great to see someone big enough to admit they were wrong. Again, I mean that. Freedom plate's back on the menu
Kern, *I* wasn't the focus of the thread that you posted a link to - the focus was Tobin's customer, whom I stuck up for. You're right - there weren't nice things said to me, but worse, there weren't nice things said to his customer. It was out of control.
I didn't ask for the thread to be closed. NetDoc decided to do that, and I have a feeling it was at Tobin's request. The entire thread didn't look good for anyone, and frankly, it's Tobin's place... So if he didn't like it, it was his choice what to do with it.
...Which is probably why the thread is closed (and apparently deleted) today. I would agree that this was probably the best thing, but my opinion wasn't the deciding factor.
Re: The Freedom Plate: Eric and I have already talked. The plate isn't mine - I have never purchased one from him or ScubaToys. I did, however, use one of my guy's, because I'd heard a lot about it here and was excited to try it out. I'm sure that Eric knows who I'm talking about.
The plate came to me because my guy asked me to "fix it." Apparently, he couldn't figure it out either, so he brought it to work with him one day. I spent quite a bit of time rigging and rerigging, and my frustration plainly shows through in my review.
For what it's worth, I had no idea that Eric was available here or anywhere online. You have to understand - I see all kinds of funky new products all the time, and when something doesn't work, there's rarely someone to call and talk to... So we never bothered to try to get in touch with someone regarding the plate and why it wasn't working - it was an easy assumption that somebody simply wasn't thinking when they made the plate. Most new products are like that - which is why I said I was the opposite of "sheltered," and it's a dramatically incorrect assumption that I'm "closed minded" or "stuck in the past" or "set in my ways" or whatever I was accused of. Believe me, that's the opposite description of me, and the reason why I'm so attached to backplates, wings, brass n glass, solid rubber items, and the lack of color in fabrics... I see it all, often, and know what works and what doesn't.
Based on my brief discussions with Eric, though, I can see that plainly, it wasn't rigged properly when it was brought to me, and the different things I did to rig it weren't correct, either. What's worse is that there were no screws connecting the plate to it's channel when it was brought to me - there were standard backplate bolts, topped with nylocks. These nylocks don't come with the plate, apparently - I had no way of knowing that.
The bottom line is that the plate made absolutely no sense whatsoever rigged the way it was, and without a center channel, the nylocks were only padded by the cam bands, which did a terrible job under tension. The harness rubbed, the nylocks were painful, and the whole thing was just a really bad idea - which is exactly what I reported in my review.
...But in studying the picture on ScubaToys and discussing things with Eric, clearly, the poor review is unwarranted and undeserved because of a poor rigging job. Let's face it - I had no idea that the plate wasn't supposed to be rigged like any other plate, and apparently my guy wasn't either because he brought it to me in frustration.
I've written the guys at ScubaToys and asked them to remove my review. An apology to Eric for the poor review - clearly, the product needs to be assembled properly and rigged properly before a valid review can be written... And it wasn't.
For what it's worth, I'm sure that my guy will be thrilled to find out that his purchase may not have been in vain after all. Frankly, I'd like to dive the plate again after it's been rigged properly, because it's a new idea with clear promise and something that we all wanted to see work.
Kern, for what it's worth, I have never attacked anyone personally or called anyone names... All of my posts have been directed towards gear or styles or skills or whatever... Never personal insults, which is against the ScubaBoard Terms of Service (TOS), and I'd appreciate reciprocated respect.
