Halcyon??

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Alright guys new to the forum, but not new to diving. Im a dive store owner looking at bringing in the Halcyon line. How do you guys like it? Do you think this type of setup would scare some people if I introduce it in Open water classes as well as tech.........Just lookin for some input and or opinions....from what I see though, they are the best of the best

 

[Jasonmh]

Well, in my view (not always the most popular) I think their stuff is great. I own quite a bit of H stuff: 4 lights (including 2 18watt can lights), 2 BP, 2 wings, 2 manifolds, multiple SMBs, reels and spools, pockets, etc. and I have never had a problem with any of it. Any time I have contacted them with a question or for help they have been excellent. My LDS is an H dealer, which helps. I know that some people do teach with a BP&W starting in OW with great success, maybe some of them will chime in on that topic.

 

[PerroneFord]

Whoa man, this can get ugly...

Ok my opinion:

Halcyon makes nice gear. Some of it, from my experience, is the best available. Some of it is on par with other quality gear. Some of it, I just don't care for.

Will it scare OW divers? Perhaps. But what a GREAT opportunity to educate divers about the benefits and potential drawbacks of gear they might not see often. Living in North Florida, we see as many BP/W, canister lights, and double tanks as someone in a recreational setting would see the usual config.

Halcyon has in nearly all cases been very helpful when I've needed something. I cannot say how they treat their retailers or distrubutors. I am not involved at that level.

The brand certainly has pedigree, so I don't know if that is what you are looking for in your shop. It's a matter of marketing I suppose. However, if I was looking to bring in a SINGLE brand to serve the ENTIRE spectrum of technical diving products, it's really hard to beat.

 

[Meng_Tze]

H is very good gear. No doubt about it. But it is also the most expensive in that segment of the market. There are (equally good) alternatives available are more reasonable prices: DR, OMS, Oxycheck etc.

But the H brand does have all the stuff, with the other brands I would not buy some goods, and would buy those form others.

I own H, DR, sea elite, Agir, Golem and some other stuff. It is really all on par.

 

[ppo2_diver]

As mentioned, they are expensive. Their margins are not very high either. You won't make much money from it, unless you start selling a lot of thier stuff. Plus your original order will be a lot of stuff that you might not sell very fast. Especially in our area.

I believe that all new students should learn on a BP/W and long hose configurations. I try to get all of my students in them as soon as possible. I'll even lend out my stuff for their class. I also have them do their OW class on a traditional BCD just to show them the differences between the two.

 

[cmalinowski]

I like my H gear. I wish my LDS would have had someone knowledgable in BPW setups when I was taking open water and purchasing gear. I think it wouldn't be a great idea if you aren't prepared to educate people.

I do applaud you for thinking about it though. I also own DiveRite and some other gear. I like my H wings best, but that's just me. I am sure there are others that are great too. But if I was going to bring in something, H probably isn't such a bad choice.

Just my $.02 worth.

Chris

 

[*Floater*]

Halcyon makes high quality gear and I own a few of their products. The only issue I would have with them (other than price) is the backplate sizing. They only offer one size backplate, even though shorter people are better off with a smaller plate and taller people with a larger one in my opinion (Halcyon may not agree). Both Oxycheq and Deep Sea Supply (DSS) supply different size plates so I'd take a look at those as well, at least for your shorter and taller customers.

As for using Halcyon gear for open water training, I think it's fine, but your instructors should know the tricks for rigging the gear and easy ways to don and doff it. Also, the standard Halcyon harness is meant to be adjusted for the owner of the plate. Adjusting it from person to person can certainly be done, but it not as simple as with traditional BCD's. Also take a look at the DIR hose setup if you'll go with backplates and wings.

 

[Hoosier]

We have one shop who carries all rec. gears and Halcyon stuff in Mid-west. But, I have never seen they recommend Halcyon to most rec. oriented divers. Simply, there is no market for that. This board doesn't represent the local market at all.

Your area might be different, but you must be very wise and competitive because Halcyon allows the internet sale.

 

[Hoyden]

We have one shop who carries all rec. gears and Halcyon stuff in Mid-west. But, I have never seen they recommend Halcyon to most rec. oriented divers. Simply, there is no market for that. This board doesn't represent the local market at all.

Your area might be different, but you must be very wise and competitive because Halcyon allows the internet sale.

Our local shop carries Halcyon and sells a fair amount of it to recreational divers. It is a fairly tec diving oriented shop, but still has more rec customers than tec customers. While bp/w set-ups aren't recommended in OW, when you make it to AOW, it is likely that you will be in lookng at a BP/W. Halcyon is excellent quality product and has more brand recognition among non-tec divers than most other brands producing similar products.

As far as internet sales, Halcyon does not allow discounting or gray market sales - if you do a decent job in your shop, internet sales based on price will not be an issue with Halcyon customers.

JMO,

Jackie

 

[Hoosier]

Our local shop carries Halcyon and sells a fair amount of it to recreational divers. It is a fairly tec diving oriented shop, but still has more rec customers than tec customers. While bp/w set-ups aren't recommended in OW, when you make it to AOW, it is likely that you will be in lookng at a BP/W. Halcyon is excellent quality product and has more brand recognition among non-tec divers than most other brands producing similar products.

As far as internet sales, Halcyon does not allow discounting or gray market sales - if you do a decent job in your shop, internet sales based on price will not be an issue with Halcyon customers.

JMO,

Jackie

I have three full sets of Halcyon BP/W. So, I think I know the product more than enough. Nobody doubts that Halcyon is a good quality product here. We are talking about the business and market share in the market at this moment.

Like you said, your shop is a tech oriented shop. How many shops are tech oriented in the market? How many tech divers are in the market, too? How many divers are using BP/W in the market? Yes, it is a growing trend. If his shop is a DIR oriented shop. I have no question about selecting Halcyon line. But, again, the shop owner is doing the business to make a living, not market monitoring.

In addition, if you search the more, you know that you can get the Halcyon in the discounted price.