Just finished my first two dives on a Golem SS 35 lb. singles rig. For anyone in the market, this is a great unit. Here are some of the things I liked about it (and a hogarthian setup in general):
- The feel of the wing. I got to compare the material to an Agir singles wing and a few Halcyon wings. The Golem has a thicker shell and a rough exterior. The name fits the product.
- Trim. I made the switch from a back-inflate bcd with integrated weight. With this setup I was able to remove all the weight off of my belt (8 lbs.) with 6mm of neoprene on and in relatively warm water. Not having weight on my hips made it easy to maintain good form when hovering and descending/ascending. Previously, the weight on my hips - or in the integrated pockets - tended to make it a struggle to be horizontal when not actively swimming.
- Hose length. I had to switch out my low pressure primary to a 7', my secondary to a 22", and my high pressure hose to a 24". Even if someone is not interested in diving this setup, I would advise trying the secondary regulator on a necklace. I sort of wish some of these configurations were covered in my OW or AOW class, since it would have saved me some $$$. Speaking of which... this whole setup was substantially cheaper than anything i've seen at an LDS, regardless of bc style.
- Dump valve. I had a habit of using the power inflator/deflator hose to vent air. Even though this is a horseshoe wing, I found tilting down and rolling a little to vent air was easy after the first few attempts.
- Knife. Strong, small, blunt tipped. Yet it cuts better than my 5" stabber that I used to destroy my console.
- Harness. Standard hogarthian one-piece with a single buckle. This took a little while to adjust, but I find it much simpler once it was fitted. Alot of people like several buckles on a bc however I did not miss them.
This setup does not have an STA installed, but the backplate can be attached to the wing with a screw and a wingnut (there are also stabilizing rods on the wing). The SS buckles kept the tank extremely secure with no shifting to either side and no wiggling at all. Even without the STA, this felt extremely stable and yet comfortable.
Jakub at Golem is one of the nicest people I have met in the diving industry. If you have any questions PM me or contact him at http://www.golemgear.com/.
I'll post pics next time I get in the water with it if anyone is interested.
-V
- The feel of the wing. I got to compare the material to an Agir singles wing and a few Halcyon wings. The Golem has a thicker shell and a rough exterior. The name fits the product.
- Trim. I made the switch from a back-inflate bcd with integrated weight. With this setup I was able to remove all the weight off of my belt (8 lbs.) with 6mm of neoprene on and in relatively warm water. Not having weight on my hips made it easy to maintain good form when hovering and descending/ascending. Previously, the weight on my hips - or in the integrated pockets - tended to make it a struggle to be horizontal when not actively swimming.
- Hose length. I had to switch out my low pressure primary to a 7', my secondary to a 22", and my high pressure hose to a 24". Even if someone is not interested in diving this setup, I would advise trying the secondary regulator on a necklace. I sort of wish some of these configurations were covered in my OW or AOW class, since it would have saved me some $$$. Speaking of which... this whole setup was substantially cheaper than anything i've seen at an LDS, regardless of bc style.
- Dump valve. I had a habit of using the power inflator/deflator hose to vent air. Even though this is a horseshoe wing, I found tilting down and rolling a little to vent air was easy after the first few attempts.
- Knife. Strong, small, blunt tipped. Yet it cuts better than my 5" stabber that I used to destroy my console.
- Harness. Standard hogarthian one-piece with a single buckle. This took a little while to adjust, but I find it much simpler once it was fitted. Alot of people like several buckles on a bc however I did not miss them.
This setup does not have an STA installed, but the backplate can be attached to the wing with a screw and a wingnut (there are also stabilizing rods on the wing). The SS buckles kept the tank extremely secure with no shifting to either side and no wiggling at all. Even without the STA, this felt extremely stable and yet comfortable.
Jakub at Golem is one of the nicest people I have met in the diving industry. If you have any questions PM me or contact him at http://www.golemgear.com/.
I'll post pics next time I get in the water with it if anyone is interested.
-V
