Halcyon Eclipse worth the money?

[nickbutcher]

I use the Halcyon 40lb singles wing...

...I’m naturally very buoyant.

Those two statements seem mutually exclusive. If you're weighted correctly, why would you need 40lb of lift, especially if you have the redundant buoyancy of a drysuit?

 

[Storker]

I don't know why they even offer a 40lb wing as an option for single tank diving. Why would anybody need that amount of lift?

With a 10x300 steel, weighted for my winter undersuit and the way I split my weight between my rig and my belt, I need almost that much to float my rig when I'm not attached to it. I really prefer my rig to be able to become positively buoyant by itself, and 30# isn't enough.

Besides, I think it's rather nice to be able to float a little higher than "nose at surface" level while waiting for pickup. Particularly if there's a bit of chop.

 

[nickbutcher]

With a 10x300 steel, weighted for my winter undersuit and the way I split my weight between my rig and my belt, I need almost that much to float my rig when I'm not attached to it. I really prefer my rig to be able to become positively buoyant by itself, and 30# isn't enough.

Besides, I think it's rather nice to be able to float a little higher than "nose at surface" level while waiting for pickup. Particularly if there's a bit of chop.

Good sound reasons.

As a dyed-in-the-wool CCR diver, I'd only ever use a single cylinder OC rig in a tropical paradise, so guess I'd never have those problems.

When I want a bit of extra surface lift in a swell, I just use my DSMB as a lifebuoy.

 

[NothingClever]

As far as the Halcyon goes, I have four so I can’t make an impartial recommendation...

Did you receive a complementary ascot?

 

[Tony1964]

I must admit I am a little torn between the 30 vs 40 wings!
I’m a big guy - not a fat guy who wears a 7mm neoprene, steel 12 litre & steel 3 litre, plus 6 kilos of lead.
I’m used to diving both Buddy Command & Apeks Black ice BCD, which have huge lift!
Would be nice before spending the money to have chance to try the smaller wing but as that’s not likely better to much lift than not enough!

 

[runsongas]

take a look at the apeks d40 also.

WTX-D40 PSD Single Cylinder Wing

WTX-D40 Single Cylinder Wing

 

[Ouvea]

If you're in the UK, you might want to consider Agir Brokk. Shipping from Sweden should be very quick. The wings are very well constructed and vent very easily, as easily as the Eclipse that I sold. The outer bladder material, imho, is more resilient and stronger than the fabric that Halcyon uses. The downside is that you must use an STA as the Agir Brokk wings do not have slots for cam bands. Received mine within two weeks of ordering and I'm on the Pacific Ocean coast of the United States. If you need a bit more lift, the company has a wing with 36lbs of lift. I split my weights between a weight belt and cam bands, with a canister light, a 30lb wing just doesn't cut it with a full tank. I don't make it a habit of removing my SCUBA unit at the surface, but I do want to make sure it doesn't sink to the bottom, should the need arise. I have used the company's Harpa Loop system. It takes 10 seconds to install and works as advertised.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

With a 10x300 steel, weighted for my winter undersuit and the way I split my weight between my rig and my belt, I need almost that much to float my rig when I'm not attached to it. I really prefer my rig to be able to become positively buoyant by itself, and 30# isn't enough.

Besides, I think it's rather nice to be able to float a little higher than "nose at surface" level while waiting for pickup. Particularly if there's a bit of chop.

I have a 40 that I use for most of my recreational diving, since my four steel tanks (two LP 121s and two HP 130s) are the most frequent picks. Lacking built-in buoyancy and generally not diving anything thicker than a 3-mil with a heavily compacted semidry top over it, the extra lift comes in handy although it comes with a drag penalty.

I've owned Halcyons for over 14 years now and before that would borrow one whenever I got the chance, so I'm not impartial either. I admit there's a bit of sticker shock to it as when my first wing finally wore out after a decade of heavy use I tried just picking up a replacement at the store, which was a mistake.

One thing I will note is that while the original model I bought in 2005 had the option to thread the cam straps through the backplate, as of 2015 when I had to get a replacement wing I also had to get an STA as the shop wasn't selling that particular model. I think the Pioneer 27 was the one I got originally that had the cam strap slots and the Eclipse 30 I replaced it with didn't.

 

[runsongas]

the eclipse has the cam band slots back now

 

[sbijou]

I bought an Eclipse over eight years ago with the standard harness. A year ago, the shell started fraying near the O. P. valve.

A) Halcyon was still in business, didn't relocate and disappear, or sold to another company and

B) Replaced the entire wing without any questions or cost - within a week.

To me, the cost was well worth it.