Hammerhead or DeepSeaSupply Plate?

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I have bought the Hammerhead weighted STA. I have to say that its made very well be the edges were not rounded smooth and left very sharp. I would think that the Bp are going to be finnished before they ship them. I have also bought some gear from DSS and Tobins rep is very strong on this site so Im sure you cant go wrong with DSS
 
medcop:
I'm sure this has been asked tons of times...but...

Would like to hear some pros/cons of each.
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I like Tobin's stuff (DSS). Additionally, he is on the boards and has great support. He creates some pretty cool stuff. Seems like an all-around nice guy. Smart as all git-out as far as I can tell. Give him a call and you'll see what I mean.

That's not saying that the hammerhead people don't have great qualities. I don't really know of them so I can't pass any judgment on them.

But Tobin rocks.

Chris
 
One difference is that Tobin's plates have elastomeric inserts in the bottom harness slots that serve as tensioners, so you don't have to use a triglide to keep the harness in place. This also reduces fraying.
 
I have both a Hammerhead plate and a DSS plate. Both are good plates. The Hammerhead is a solid, standard backplate but have some features that make it less desirable if you're constantly renting doubles (for example in Mexico). The DSS has some nice, smart features, but can also cause some inconvenience while renting doubles (again in Mexico).

Here's my pros and cons for each plate (some duplicate of the above post):

Hammerhead Pro
Inexpensive
Deep plate nice for doubles with short bolts
Heavy STA and SS is a very nice cold water combo

Hammerhead Con
Bolt holes are the small size, and need to be drilled out for some doubles
Lack of oblong bottom bolt hole requires double bands to be perfectly at 11" apart
minor: Requires hand finishing with dremel and sandpaper for STA
minor: Requires me to cross shoulder straps to fit

DSS Pro
Elastomeric inserts
Integrated weight plates are slick
Shallow BP is nice for singles
Single tank setup is a easier, especially compared to the multi-piece STA unit

DSS Con
More expensive
Shallow plate not usable for tanks that have too short bolts

The Hammerhead plate is on my doubles and I have no immediate need to switch. My DSS plate is for singles, and I prefer this over my Hammerhead STA set up for ease of putting the kit together. In Mexico (guess where I dive a lot), I have a Dive Rite AL BP (thanks to TSandM) :)
 
I have used both and own a hammerhead. I like the hammerhead due to the deeper groove in the middle. On the other hand, I have had to drill out the holes to fit the larger bolts found on some doubles tanks as well as make an oblong hole at the bottom of my plate for bolts which are not spaced 11" apart.

Still, it is a good plate at a great price.

While I liked the rubber portions on the DSS plate, I found the center groove too shallow for my tastes and the plate is more expensive.
 
ae3753:
I have both a Hammerhead plate and a DSS plate. Both are good plates. The Hammerhead is a solid, standard backplate but have some features that make it less desirable if you're constantly renting doubles (for example in Mexico). The DSS has some nice, smart features, but can also cause some inconvenience while renting doubles (again in Mexico).

Here's my pros and cons for each plate (some duplicate of the above post):

Hammerhead Pro
Inexpensive
Deep plate nice for doubles with short bolts
Heavy STA and SS is a very nice cold water combo

Hammerhead Con
Bolt holes are the small size, and need to be drilled out for some doubles
Lack of oblong bottom bolt hole requires double bands to be perfectly at 11" apart
minor: Requires hand finishing with dremel and sandpaper for STA
minor: Requires me to cross shoulder straps to fit

DSS Pro
Elastomeric inserts
Integrated weight plates are slick
Shallow BP is nice for singles
Single tank setup is a easier, especially compared to the multi-piece STA unit

DSS Con
More expensive
Shallow plate not usable for tanks that have too short bolts

The Hammerhead plate is on my doubles and I have no immediate need to switch. My DSS plate is for singles, and I prefer this over my Hammerhead STA set up for ease of putting the kit together. In Mexico (guess where I dive a lot), I have a Dive Rite AL BP (thanks to TSandM) :)
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I have used both and find this to be an accurate description of both. For singles I like the DSS and for doubles I like the Hammerhead. I do with they would make the holes a little larger though
 
Since I am going to be diving single tank for the next year or so...I get the feeling that DSS is the way to go for now?
 
The Hammerhead works just fine with singles and even better with doubes, it is a fine plate for the money, well made and very functional and looks good too. N
 
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https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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