Doubles wing donut vs horse shoe.

[Cyborg Pirate]

I have always used donut wings both singles and doubles. Never used a horse shoe. Has anyone used both before? Opinions thoughts? I have a an opportunity to buy a horse shoe style wing at a great price. But never used one. Thanks

 

[Caveeagle]

I have always used horseshoe style wings and never had an issue. I think it's just a matter of what you get used to, because I felt less stable and did not like the one donut wing I tried.

YMMV

 

[Jack Hammer]

Some people say the difference is dramatic, some people say the difference is minimal. I think it depends on ones trim and diving style. For me they dive pretty similar. I prefer a donut as it tends to make the overall package smaller, hence less drag.

 

[runsongas]

i don't have a problem with my older oxycheq which is a horseshoe

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I'm one who thinks this is just a matter of what you're used to. I've used donuts and horseshoes and can't say that it makes any difference at all, to me.

 

[tbone1004]

I prefer horseshoes for doubles, donuts for singles.
In singles I'm typically much closer to actually being "balanced" so getting all of the gas out of the wing can be a bit more difficult. Requires some body rotation before you dump, i.e. roll slightly left shoulder down, go slightly head up, then roll slightly right shoulder down, then head down, then dump. This rolls the air around the wing.
In doubles, I usually have enough gas in there that I'm never trying to actually get it all out and the donut allows me to "pack" air in one side of the wing or the other to offset an imbalance in roll, usually due to nitrox stage/deco bottles.
That said, my doubles wing is a donut and I've been able to pack it to one side decently well and it's fine.

 

[Caveeagle]

I prefer horseshoes for doubles, donuts for singles.
In singles I'm typically much closer to actually being "balanced" so getting all of the gas out of the wing can be a bit more difficult. Requires some body rotation before you dump, i.e. roll slightly left shoulder down, go slightly head up, then roll slightly right shoulder down, then head down, then dump. This rolls the air around the wing.
In doubles, I usually have enough gas in there that I'm never trying to actually get it all out and the donut allows me to "pack" air in one side of the wing or the other to offset an imbalance in roll, usually due to nitrox stage/deco bottles.
That said, my doubles wing is a donut and I've been able to pack it to one side decently well and it's fine.

Interesting perspective. Maybe it's just a difference in wings I am using but I find I am more in control of the L/R balance with my horseshoe wing. When entering the Devils system head down, with a stage..I can stay pretty balanced. I can actually hear the air swooshing from one side to the other when I shift position. I find it more predictable. However, I expect brand and size makes a big difference.

The op might also consider bungeed vs non bungee wing. I am pretty new to CCR, but my O2ptima wing (donut) has bungees that I have had to adjust to keep the L/R balance even. FWIW

 

[tbone1004]

Interesting perspective. Maybe it's just a difference in wings I am using but I find I am more in control of the L/R balance with my horseshoe wing. When entering the Devils system head down, with a stage..I can stay pretty balanced. I can actually hear the air swooshing from one side to the other when I shift position. I find it more predictable. However, I expect brand and size makes a big difference.

The op might also consider bungeed vs non bungee wing. I am pretty new to CCR, but my O2ptima wing (donut) has bungees that I have had to adjust to keep the L/R balance even. FWIW

you're definitely in more control with horseshoe wings, the only issue I have with them for singles is that if you're diving at a point where you need to get every last bit of gas out of them, they're a bit more difficult to fully dump requiring the dance described above.

 

[Bob DBF]

I started diving a BP/W with a single tank donut wing. When I put togather a set of old school doubles I ran across a good deal on a horseshoe wing for doubles and picked it up. It was different, but not any more than getting used to any new rig I've tried.

And if it's a good deal, pick it up, try it, and if you don't care for it, it should be easy to sell it off.


Bob

 

[Cyborg Pirate]

Thank you everyone for the info and advice! I pulled the trigger. Got the horseshoe. It really was a great deal. With shipping half price of a brand new one before shipping. It was on a mannequin in the shop in a glass case. So essentially brand new. Who knows I may like the horse shoe for doubles more

I carry 1 lift bag rolled up and bungeed to Lower holes on BP (this is on all my set ups). I have noticed when I do a tech dive with the HP120’s (tall tanks) and deco bottles. I need a lot of air in wing at the surface. This puts a lot of squeeze on my waist/stomach. Maybe with the horse shoe vs donut it won’t squeeze as much.... So get to do some wing swapping and plying around with it. Darn another reason for some dives.... if you look at my avatar you can see how the donut runs between my butt and the tanks. I only need to get a lot of air for lift with the deco bottles and at the surface to keep my head above the water. Otherwise this is never an issue of squeeze. While I was think about the horse shoe wing last night, I kinda justified it that way. Either way I wanted another wing for the LP72 twinset I am building.