Eclipse 30 or 40

[jaz gill]

Hi
I'm thinking of getting either the Halcyon Eclipse 30 or 40. Main use would be on holidays with an aluminium bp.I think that the heaviest tank that I would be using would be steel 120, and I usually carry about 12lbs of weight while diving in a full 5mm wetsuit. Would the 30 offer sufficient lift or should I opt for the 40.
Thanks for any info. supplied.
regards
Jaz

 

[Derek S]

I would think that if you are mainly going to be using it for holiday diving (ie-little if any cold water, not much thermal protection), then a 30 should suffice. I use a 45 lbs. Pioneer Wing/SS backplate setup, but I dive in water that is cold 34-65*F and use either a 2pc 5mm wetsuit or a drysuit with heavy undergarments.

 

[pdoege]

But I have done dives with the Pioneer 27 and the OxyCheq 30 and 45 wings.

I use a steel BP, LP120, and can light and the 27 would float me, but it was pretty low in the water.

The 30 was better and the 45 is like a fricking raft when it is fully inflated.

You are going to be a bit lighter than I was, so the 30 will probably be fine.

Peter

 

[Stirling]

I have a related question - assuming the Eclipse 30 provides sufficient lift for most of the diving you expect to do, what is the downside to going with the 40? Exactly how much greater *is* the profile / drag / weight (or any other variable) if you move up to the 40? Is there any other downside to the larger wing?

I am also considering the Eclipse, but expect that I will use it mostly for warm water diving with an Al 80, where the 30 would be more than adequate. However, I wouldn't want to get stuck for the cost of another wing, or have to rent or borrow something else, just because every once in a while I might want to do some colder water or other diving that would require me to carry more weight.

I'd really appreciate hearing from some people with experience diving different sized wings (and with some sensitivity to the cost of buying this stuff) about how much importance they attach to using the smallest wing that will do the job.

 

[mweitz]

The 30 and 40 are very close in size. I got the 30 for my wife, and wish I got the 40 they are so close. Extreme Exposure recommended the 40 as well for steel tanks.

I'll try to measure them next time I see the both of them.

Mark

 

[pdoege]

In the single tanks wings, I did not notice much difference between the Pioneer 27 and the Oxycheq 30 and 45 while diving. They felt the same.

The smaller the wing the better the air distribution. You can really feel a few puffs in the Pioneer. The 45 feels a little "slower" on inflation. Air has twice as much room to move around, and you can feel and hear it rumbling as the bubble finds its level.

So, the smaller wings feel nice and tight and the bigger wings feel a bit sloppier.

When surfaced the bigger wings are very nice. With a big steel, can light, steel BP the 27 would float me with just my head and neck out of the water. The 30 got me to my collar bones and the 45 is big enough to get me to my nipple line.

With the 27 in seas over 3 feet or so I would get a lot of water in my face. Definitely not fun in 6 foot seas, but I survived just fine. This is a lot better with the bigger wings.

I also used double and dual wings with singles. The Halcyon 55 double tank wing adds a significant amount of drag in the water. The wing tacos up around the tank and drags on any overhead. It was a real pain.

The Dive Rite 45 dual/single had the same issues. Better, but still pretty crappy.

These big double tank wings feel very, very sloppy. The air rumbles and bubbles and gets stuck more in one part of the wing. You have to wiggle your butt around to get things to settle down. If you lean all the air gargles over to the up side and you have to wiggle it back over when you get done.

Currents catch the big sail that the wing makes and acts like a big old keel. It feels like there is something on your back dragging you around.

Its a pain, but doable.

I use the Oxycheq 45 for all my single tank dives and the Halcyon 55 for all of my double tank dives. The Oxycheq 30 and DiveRite 45 are reserved for loaning.

For what it is worth.

Peter

 

[mobstability]

I guess the decision is up to you.....your LDS might let you test the two different styles before you buy. This would be great for you because rather than relying on us, who differ in size, type of diving, etc, you could see which one fits you. Hope this helps.