Halcyon wings

[maweber]

Hello,
I am switiching to a BP/wing system. I am looking at the Halcyon system with a Pioneer wing. I dive in cold water with a drysuit and a 120 HP steel tank and for deeper diving I sometimes use a 40 cfu aluminum pony bottle in addition. How much lift capacity do I need ? 36 lbs versus 45 lbs ?
What about the differences between the Pioneer and the newer Eclipse wings ? I understand that there are some issues with the adapter system.......
Thanks a lot and dive safely
maweber

 

[Scubaroo]

Difference is that the Pioneer is a bladderless design, and has two rods sewn into the wing to create a tank stabiliser, known as an integrated single tank adapter (STA). The Eclipse is a shell with a bladder, supposed to be more durable. It requires a seperate STA, which adds somewhat to the overall cost, but you get the flexibility of adding a weighted or non-weighted STA to help with trim & weighting. There's several comparable wings on the market.

 

[OE2X]

Hello,
I am switiching to a BP/wing system. I am looking at the Halcyon system with a Pioneer wing. I dive in cold water with a drysuit and a 120 HP steel tank and for deeper diving I sometimes use a 40 cfu aluminum pony bottle in addition. How much lift capacity do I need ? 36 lbs versus 45 lbs ?
What about the differences between the Pioneer and the newer Eclipse wings ? I understand that there are some issues with the adapter system.......
Thanks a lot and dive safely
maweber

Welcome to the board.
I just went through the same thing as you recently. I looked at the Halcyon wings and would have gone with the eclipse because of the added shell. Instead I just bought an Oxycheq Signature wing. Picked it up yesterday and was very impressed with the craftsmanship. One feature that I like (though not sure why) is that the zipper (on the outer shell) to get to the bladder is located on the inside of the wing.
Some will tell you that 45 lbs is overkill and that you should go with the 36 lb. I don't think you will go wrong with either. The cost between the Oxycheq vs. the Eclipse were small and what really sold me on the Signature was that I could get a heavier BP and STA than the Halcyon. My system weighs 16 lbs.

 

[Quarrior]

I second the vote on the Oxycheq 45# single wing. Picked mine up a week ago and love it. Nice thing about it is it is shaped like a oblong donut. Really supports the single tank well on all sides. I also like the zipper just in case I need to get to the bladder for some reason.

 

[dajmitch]

One of the guys I dive w/ has an Oxeycheq 45#. He dives dry w/ a steel 120 and has said he is very happy w/ it. I'll have to ask him about stage bottles.

 

[maweber]

Hi,
thanks a lot. Whenever Halcyon wings are discussed people start quoting the Oxeycheq wing. I guess that must mean s.th. I'll check it out. Where did you get yours from ? I live in San Diego and to my knowledge there is no dealer around. Do you have a website ?

 

[Quarrior]

Interestingly enough, I got ahold of my LDS and told him I wanted one. He contacted Oxycheq ( www.oxcheq.com ) and is now an Oxycheq dealer. They also sell direct.

Hi,
thanks a lot. Whenever Halcyon wings are discussed people start quoting the Oxeycheq wing. I guess that must mean s.th. I'll check it out. Where did you get yours from ? I live in San Diego and to my knowledge there is no dealer around. Do you have a website ?

 

[NINman]

Interestingly enough, I got ahold of my LDS and told him I wanted one. He contacted Oxycheq ( www.oxcheq.com ) and is now an Oxycheq dealer. They also sell direct.

I should have done that. Oh well. Maybe next time. Ordered my 45# the 1st and I am still waiting for it.

 

[Scubaroo]

Well this was a thread hijack!

www.covci.com & www.tech-blue.com are also dealers.

To answer some more of the original question, the 30/36lb wing would probably suffice in this case, as you're in a drysuit. I generally recommend the larger wing for cold water wetsuit divers, where there's more change in buoyancy due to wetsuit compression. I guess if you're diving a thick neoprene drysuit the larger wing may be warranted as well. The larger wing is also better if you want more lift ON the surface - not sure if an extra AL40 would warrant this though.

 

[Quarrior]

Well this was a thread hijack!

Sorry about that. I'm just so pleased with my new gear that I feel compelled to tell people about it when asking about the same type of gear, only more expensive.

It was not my intention to hijack anything.