First BP/W purchase

[GreenDiverDown]

I'm with jonnythan... start with a SS plate unless you are definitely planning on the warm water stuff that you mentioned. In that case, an Al plate and standard STA would be about right. It would leave you with no ditchable but with that little amount of weight it really shouldn't matter. If you get a STA-less setup you also could use an Al plate and a small weight belt or a SS plate without any extra. I suppose the trick here is to be sure that you are determining your weight requirement the right way. 3 or 4 pounds are needed just to offset the buoyancy of an emty Al80. I always wonder if folks are taking that into account when they say they need very little weight. In your case that would mean you only need 1 pound to offset the buoyancy of you and your 3 mil. If your body is significantly negative then that is certainly possible. I'm just saying make sure that you know how much weight you need at the end of your dive with a nearly emty tank.

I wouldn't go for an unknown deal but I'm sure that if you call them they will tell you what brand it is.

They also sell Oxy and OMS. Either of those would be fine if you want to get something local.


Actually whether you get the DSS, OXY or OMS, you will be happy and whatever you choose chances are 6 months from now you will be saying that you think it's the best.

Here are some other places to look...
http://salvodiving.com/
http://www.golemgear.com/
http://www.extreme-exposure.com/

 

[steveann]

I find it amusing that you guys tell him to go SS right away. SS is nice, if you need it. Aluminum is nice, too. Especially in that you can ALWAYS add weight to your rig, while you can never remove the weight of your bp. A 6 lb. SS plate would mean that he'd need -1 lbs of lead on his weightbelt to dive in Florida. Last time I checked, there wasn't a -1 lb lead weight size around.

As far as the setups, my advice is this. Check them both out. Feel them. Put them on. Don't just buy one on our reccomendations. I've spent months researching my bp/w setup, and I have looked at, felt, virtually molested every wing and bp on the market. I've tried on Oxycheqs, Halcyons, OMS, DR, and many more. They all have their ups and downs. It's up to you to pick what fits you best though.

Of course, I'll add in what I've thought of each of the rigs I have played with, but again, take these with a grain of salt.

OMS. Nice backplates. Lots of holes for attachments. Nice deburring, edges are super smooth. A bit more expensive than some. Harnesses are decent, the Comfort harness has some nice features, and is pretty comfortable (go figure, it's a Comfort harness). Wings, nice features, tough construction. Bungies are nice, even if they'll kill you underwater (of course, I think it's the water that kills you, not the bungies) Red is a hot looking color. Lots of choices in wing size (I would probably go 45-60 for northern, 32 for southern diving)

Oxycheq. Nice backplates again. Less holes than OMS. Multiple sizes, though. Easier to get a good fit. Needs some deburring from the factory. Harnesses are something I haven't played with, but the Hog harnesses are usually the same across the board (it's kinda hard to innovate on a long piece of 2" webbing) Wings- Dang nice wings. The bladders are thicker than some wings (bag and all). Bulletproof design. Lots, and I do mean lots, of size choices.

Halcyon. Nice BP, not so many holes. Also, why the square holes for the tank bands? Square hole not meant for round bolt. Harnesses are nice. Again, 2" webbing hard to innovate.

DSS. Bacplates look ok. Not sure about the plastic inserts. Why have plastic which can break when you can have metal? Needs deburred from the factory. Decent amount of holes. Harness I saw was comfort harness. Nice looking, but velcro holds the upper portion of the straps together. Not too sure about that. Nice looking wing. And then you pick it up. Whereas the Oxycheq and OMS wings are hefty and rugged feeling, the DSS rig is flimsy feeling. My buddy summed up my feeling about it when he said it feels like a Walmart wing. Not sure how durable it will be. Overall, a decent product with awesome feedback/customer service from what I've seen. Will it be as good as a "big brand" setup? Only time will tell.

Those are my perceptions on four of the more popular brands of bp/w setups. Personally, I'll be diving an OMS aluminum bp with either a comfort harness or deluxe harness and either a 60# bungied OMS wing or a 32# Oxycheq mach V. Of course, like I said, it's all about what you feel best about. If you don't like your rig, then your rig, and your diving, will suck. You like your rig, you dive it like you like it. And forget what everyone else tells you is the best and greatest thing, make the choice for yourself, from your own observations.

As an aside, if you're looking for some other insights, check this website out, and give the phone number in the upper left corner a call or email them (the call's long distance, but so may of us have unlimited these days). http://www.escubashop.com

The website is a shop dealing with OMS and Oxycheq. The owner is a rather serious tech diver, and he's dove everything from OMS to Oxycheq to Halcyon to a piece of scrap iron he drilled holes in that he found in his backyard. And, if you're set on a hog setup, you might be able to get a nice deal on a demo plate setup from him. He'll definitely try to be competitive with the NESS and DSS rigs.

Steve

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

DSS a WalMart wing? Wow...that's a really unfair characterization I would say. The outser shell is tough as hell. If it weighs less than others, that's a good thing IMO.

I'll give you whatever tools you want and as long as you want to get those plastic fittings out of a DSS plate. My bet is you hurt yourself before you get even one of them out.

To the OP, I recommend the DSS over DiveRite. The DSS singles rig focuses more on the needs of a single tank diver and has a lot of great innovations.

Cheers

 

[scubadobadoo]

It is DR that NESS sells with the package. You have a choice on what wing, plate, and harness you want all for the same price. You DON'T need a STA with the 30# wing assuming it is still the DR Venture wing that I also purchased from them when I bought this package. I was pleased with the service and the gear. If you buy from NESS then go ahead and add the weight pockets too at that price because those things sell for about 100 bucks alone. An extra 35 or so for $100 weight pockets is a good deal.

My advice is to buy the gear you really WANT as the price dif. really isn't that big here. ALWAYS buy what you WANT after research or you WILL just end up buying it in the future anyway, lol. Trust me on this! Both NESS and DSS have very good reputations here on SB as does the gear they sell. YOU are the one that has to make the choice. Have fun with whatever you decide upon!

http://www.northeastscubasupply.com/specials/BP_Famous_Specials.html

 

[steveann]

DSS a WalMart wing? Wow...that's a really unfair characterization I would say. The outser shell is tough as hell. If it weighs less than others, that's a good thing IMO.

I'll give you whatever tools you want and as long as you want to get those plastic fittings out of a DSS plate. My bet is you hurt yourself before you get even one of them out.

Like I said, it's all based on my observations. The DSS wing seems a bit flimsy to me. It might be tough as nails and hold up just as well as all the other wings out there, but only time will tell that. I know a guy diving one and I'll keep an eye on how he likes it. Until then, my limited experience says "nice wing, but will it stand up?" Smae for the backplate. Nice bp, but will it stand up? Ask me again at the end of the season what I think, and my opinion might have changed. Ask me again in a couple of years and it might be different still.

 

[TSandM]

Well, I don't exactly know how old my DSS wing is, because I bought it used from NW Grateful Diver, and I don't know how long he had had it. But I have put about 80 dives on it so far, and it's holding up beautifully with no sign of wear.

 

[cool_hardware52]

DSS. Bacplates look ok. Not sure about the plastic inserts. Why have plastic which can break when you can have metal?

Our molded in grommets are made of a thermoplastic elastomer. It's a blend of Polypro and natural rubber, very tough. Same stuff has been used for years in auto's for window guide rails and CV boots. The manufacturer ran some tests where they recovered materials from 20 year old cars, reground it and molded new test samples. 20 year old regrind performed at about 90% of what new virgin material did when tested. I'm not too worried. BTW the grommets are actually molded onto the plates, only way to get em off is to cut them off.

Needs deburred from the factory.

????? Our plates are completely finished, fully hand deburred, and then vibratory finished. Can you be more specific?

Harness I saw was comfort harness. Nice looking, but velcro holds the upper portion of the straps together. Not too sure about that.

Our adjustable harness does use velcro on the upper shoulder straps, over 24 square inches loaded in shear. The weight of the rig actually compresses the faces of the velcro together.

We of course also offer a "Hogarthian" style harness.

Nice looking wing. And then you pick it up. Whereas the Oxycheq and OMS wings are hefty and rugged feeling, the DSS rig is flimsy feeling. My buddy summed up my feeling about it when he said it feels like a Walmart wing. Not sure how durable it will be. Overall, a decent product with awesome feedback/customer service from what I've seen. Will it be as good as a "big brand" setup? Only time will tell.

Walmart?? 1050 Ballisitic Nylon outer shell, 138 bonded Nylon thread, top stitched, #10 YKK zippers. 12 mil RF welded urethane inner bladders. Made in the USA.

I'd be happy to anwser any other questions.


Tobin

 

[Codyjp]

i ordered my DSS single tank setup. am really excited! I fondled the Dive Rite, and the Halcyone BP/wings as well. and i settled on the DSS after hours of research etc. I also ended up ordering it strait from DSS instead of buying it at my shop which was a bit odd. The shop wouldn't sell me a package on what i wanted without paying a lot more. anyways, now off to solve the weight issues...

 

[Codyjp]

i ordered my DSS single tank setup. am really excited! I fondled the Dive Rite, and the Halcyone BP/wings as well. and i settled on the DSS after hours of research etc. The DSS seemed to be by far the MOST sturdy of them all and also by far the best made to. the plate is finished really nice and the plastic inserts are great. the wing is nearly bulletproof and i need that! I also ended up ordering it straight from DSS instead of buying it at my shop which was a bit odd. The shop wouldn't sell me a package on what i wanted without paying a lot more. anyways, now off to solve the weight issues...

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I got the aluminum plate and the 30 lb Venture wing from Northeast Scuba after Xmas, it came with a delux harness and the cost was like $325 plus shipping (he had a special that included a pocket and a knife and the crotch strap too) It was Dive Rite gear.

Before even using it, I cut a piece of 8-in diameter PVC pipe and used three bolts from the garage to make a Single tank adapter. I added a scuba pro tank strap and the rig has worked ok for me. If you are diving in warm water (Miami) definitely go for the aluminum plate not SS.

I have a good 40 lbs of blubber on me (over your 150 lb weight) and use only 8 lbs of lead with a full 5mm suit and an aluminum tank (this winter). For the summer, with a thin suit and a steel tank, I will be slightly overweighted with no weight belt. A SS plate would not work for me and I can assure you that you will be overweighted for at least 6 months out of the year in Miami. Why swim around with a bunch of extra air in your BC?

I have tried very hard to like this BP/W set up for single tank diving, which is all I do. I have not experienced the wonderful benefits over my old Sea Quest BC's. I may have read too much hype on this board, I convinced myself that the improvement in streamline-ness would be worth the expense of a new rig. It may be slightly more streamlined than my old setups, but I honestly can't feel a big difference.

I have been using the crotch strap for aluminum tanks and been skipping it for big steel tanks. The crotch strap is not uncomfortable, but I would like to simplify my gear and eliminate it all together. It is just one more damn thing to put on each dive and sometimes I will do 6 or more dives per day so every little bit of extra work getting dressed matters.

I just got a new (used) Sea Quest back inflate BC and I may be selling the entire BP/w set up. I will have to do a few comparison dives and try to decide.