Halcyon b/w or hydros pro for cold water?

[yuliyahol]

Hi,
I'm looking for a BCD for cold water and choosing between Halcyon b/w or hydros PRO. Besides cold water I'm planning to use it for warm water as well and travel a lot.

Thanks in advance!

 

[happy-diver]

Halcyon b/w

Beautiful piece of equipment

the other just looks beautiful

 

[rongoodman]

BP/W for sure, whether Halcyon or something else. (I've been diving my Halcyon Eclipse for 12 years now and love it.) SS plate and weighted STA for your local cold water diving, and you can remove the STA weight for warm water travel. Depending on how much additional weight you need a pair of trim weight pouches on your belt will be less bulky than the ACB weight pockets, or you could put a trim weight pouch on the left and the weighted bellows pocket on the right(my current preference).

 

[divad]

Hi,
I'm looking for a BCD for cold water and choosing between Halcyon b/w or hydros PRO.

Which is the "PRO" part of a Hydros?

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Which is the "PRO" part of a Hydros?

The BC IS a professional piece of equipment that is where the PRO comes from. If you purchase this BC you will be considered a professional diver and will be looked upon as one. Or maybe it is just marketing BS .

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Definitely the Halcyon. That SP Hydro Pro just looks like a mess.

 

[DBPacific]

I've seen both used. Not sure which exact model of a Halcyon b/w you're asking about (or even if there are multiple) but Halcyon b/w rigs (and weight belts) are the university standard for the uni I'm working with in Maine and I know divers I work with in Oregon who use Hydros Pro. The Hydro has more hardware and more features to get used to, biggest I know of being the integrated weights. The Halcyons here are very simple, minimalist b/w rigs and as long as the straps are sized properly to you, won't give you any issues. If you like feeling as though you're carrying basically nothing underwater, like minimalism, and you don't mind weight belts, do the Halcyon (if you like integrated weights, I'm pretty sure Dive Rite integrated weight pockets would fit on the nylon without a problem). I'm not really sure that the added features of the Hydros are worth the price but I have heard good things about them. Neither should give you trouble in cold water.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I vote Halcyon. You can switch up the wings as needed for lift, especially if you are traveling to somewhere warm from somewhere cold where you have more exposure protection and need more lift. You will probably have less longevity issues with the Halcyon compared to the Scubapro. On top of that, it is a true BPW that is more modular and you can switch up the backplate accordingly as needed, etc. My disclaimer is that I have friends that each own Halcyons and the Scubapro but I do not own either. I have dived extensively with owners of both. If I were buying today given those 2 choices, I would go Halcyon. Given the quality and longevity issues I have seen with the latter, it is an easy decision for me, especially at that price point and will serve anyone from recreational to tech.

 

[chris kippax]

Go with the Halcyon, the hydros sounds like it is one rough handling away from destruction.

You are on a slippery slope now!
A cold water single tank BP/W is not appropriate for travel IMHO. When you say cold water do you mean wetsuit or drysuit?

I use a Halcyon 40lb wing with STA & SS plate for coldwater Drysuit & 7mm wetsuit. It is just about perfect for a 7mm wetsuit with next to no additional weight required.
For warm water & travel I use a VDH 18 and aluminium plate.
Both rigs are great quality. I had a warranty repair on the Halcyon and they replaced the entire wing shell no questions asked.

 

[Dogbowl]

Yup yup yup definitely the Halcyon bpw.