Hard or soft weights?

[jim T.]

It's really just a personal choice/preference. I just bought an XS belt based on several very experienced board divers recommendations and tried both soft and hard weights in the store. I chose the traditional hard/block weights I dove with in the past. (I haven't dove with the XS belt yet, though...)

I have always preferred hard weights as I can "feel" them there while busy with other things underwater. I actually like the slight digging into the hips feel, knowing they're still there and that the belt hasn't loosened or slipped down. The XS belt reduces the hard feel quite a bit but the heft still feels more "present "to me than soft weights so that was my personal choice. I hate, for instance, soft tubular weight belts as they always feel like they're rolling on me. In the XS belt the soft weights felt bulbous and mushy and "odd" but that's just me.

The other reason I chose them was because I'd likely be wearing hard weights when I travel on Carribean charter boats and they'd feel "normal". (The boat usually provides block weights.)

I chose the XS belt because I wanted the option of ditching one pouch at a time and in the store I could push the hard weights out from the bottom pretty easily but the soft weights were trickier.

Some people hate the feel of hard weights on their hips and if you were using a regular/traditional webbing weight belt, it can be tricky dropping (lightly!) the belt on deck without damaging the boat. With the XS pockets there's some padding there and the pockets make the weights pull slightly away from your body so it's kind of a "middle ground".

Over time the block weights are going to be more durable but if you're relatively gentle with soft weight pouches they should last a long time. Eventually the seams or corners wear and leak pellets but can often be re-sewn/repaired. Dropping them on your foot? Soft weights definitely win every time!

 

[Damselfish]

I found hard weights to be pretty comfortable in a simple pocket style belt, much more so than on webbing. They're cheaper and more durable. And you won't have to read all the threads on the best ways to dry them. Yeah, they're not as nice to whatever they hit.

 

[SStrecker]

If you have the extra money to spend, Sea Pearls soft lead weights are definitely the way to go.

 

[tangfish]

Love the sea soft weights. They're also coming out with a new BCD that looks pretty sweet.

 

[crpntr133]

I had never used soft weights till this past weekend. One thing that I noticed is that a 5lb hard takes up a lot less space than a 6lbs soft. Makes only sense since there is space between the shot.

 

[Mandy3206]

I hated the hard weights when I used the conventional webbing weight belt, then I switched to SP pocket weight belt and the dig of the hard weights allmost went away.
Then I switched to soft Sea Pearls and I was in heaven, never noticed that I was wearing weight at all.
After some time I switched to integrated system, and there's no diference with soft or hard here.

To dry the soft weights, after rinsing them with fresh water, I just let them dry in a corner on the floor for a couple of days and then store them in the corner of the closet in my gear room.

 

[dkktsunami]

If you drop four pounds on your foot you will see the difference.

 

[gfisher4792]

I have both, and like both, but for different reasons.

Soft weights: pretty comfy on a weight belt, won't break toes if you drop them.

Hard weights: Much smaller volume for equal weight; 5 lb soft weights are kinda tough to secure in an XS scuba weight belt pocket, but hard 5 lb weight slips right in; dries in what seems like 60 seconds.

Other thoughts: Some people (unknown if any are scientists) worry that with soft weights, and their increased surface area, environmental contamination with lead will increase. True, you probably won't get sick, but any lead that rubs off into the ocean may get into the food chain. Plus, if the weight bag has a hole, you may be spreading lead pellets without knowing it. Compared to how much lead gets left in the ocean by fishermen (I've done it), it may be small, but every little bit may help.

 

[Hoosier]

I am also using both. Actually, I only used to use the soft weight, but the heavy weight like 4 or 5lb, the soft weight pouch can't keep their shape. So, I prefer the hard weigh on that case. The lighter weights (1~3 lb) are doesn't matter.....

Been there done that.....

 

[lowwall]

I have some XS Scuba lead shot weights, and I am curious about whether the lead is encapsulated in any way.

How concerned should I be about handling the weights? I know that I should try not to injest the lead, and I try to wash my hands after handling the weights. I usually rinse out my gear in a bathtub; should I be concerned about taking a bath in the tub afterwards?

Solid lead is actually pretty benign stuff. I used to own a small shop that cast lead bullets for handgun reloaders. In a 40'x30' shop, we would typically have 4 casting machines going with maybe 300 pounds of molten lead in their pots. Also everybody would have to spend a couple hours a day sorting these bare lead bullets. No special precautions were taken, other than providing plenty of ventilation and carefully washing hands before eating. Required periodic blood testing of the employees never showed contamination problems.

Lead contamination comes from inhaling it in gaseous form (and lead boils 2500 degrees F above its melting point, which is why casting operations do not require respirators) and inhaling or ingesting in the form of dust. Since lead is very cohesive, contaminated dust is almost always from lead used an an additive (like in lead paint) rather than pure lead.

Other thoughts: Some people (unknown if any are scientists) worry that with soft weights, and their increased surface area, environmental contamination with lead will increase. True, you probably won't get sick, but any lead that rubs off into the ocean may get into the food chain. Plus, if the weight bag has a hole, you may be spreading lead pellets without knowing it. Compared to how much lead gets left in the ocean by fishermen (I've done it), it may be small, but every little bit may help.

Lead shot has been banned in waterfowl hunting in the U.S. But not because lead levels in the water were increasing - once again, solid lead doesn't readily flake. The ban was based on concerns that bottom feeding ducks wore ingesting the actual pellets.

Which gives me an idea - tungsten weights.

The latest and greatest substitute for lead shot is tungsten. It's even denser than lead, so would take up less space on your hips and has been determined by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to be environmentally benign. Of course it costs ten times as much as lead, but hey, aren't the fishies and your comfort worth it?

Alex