Hated My Halcyon

[Irobot]

I bought a Halcyon eclipse wing just after the summer & promtly sold it !!!!!

Sorry to you Halcon lovers , the do make some nice gear I JUST HATED IT !!!!!!

Pros
1. Looks very nice
2.Not bad build quality
3.Bladder build quality is tops
4.Great for travel use , packs up reall small
5.Loved the SS backplane , extra weight off your waste.
6.First time I used a wing & loved it as opposed to conventional

Cons
1. Took ages to adjust correctly
2. The top tank strap seemed just to high on the tank & there is no adjustment to lower it on the back plane !!!!! If I put my head back my head hit the REGS ???
3. Inflator constantly leaked !!!!!despite various visits to my service center.
4. Using a small 10ltr tank I couldnt fully inflate the wing without the my unit falling over ( I had the 40 pound version )
5. The buckles used to hold the staps in place on the backplane were just cheap & weak.( Not the tank straps here they are classy )
6.If you opt to use conventional weights belt they just dont go with the wing , the back plate is just to low on your back & the belt fowls .
7. The intergrated weights , I just used to use 2 KG either side , well the Pockets fall out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!& dangle form the stay clips !!!
8.The Price , was high & I didnt mind paying for it but expected much more !!

Thats my grumbles , I would love to hear what other people thought of this wing , especially the fact that you cant adjust the tank staps on the wing itself.

 

[SangP]

Hi Irobot,

I own the Halcyon Eclipse and an Oxycheq Signature 30 too and here are my thoughts:

1. Took ages to adjust correctly
That's normal for all BP/W setups... get a comfort harness if you prefer less fiddling around.

2. The top tank strap seemed just to high on the tank & there is no adjustment to lower it on the back plane !!!!! If I put my head back my head hit the REGS ???
Not much you can do about that as the wing was not designed for smaller tanks.

3. Inflator constantly leaked !!!!!despite various visits to my service center.
The infamous ss inflator problem that never seems to go away... mine works fine and I'm keeping my fingers crossed!


4. Using a small 10ltr tank I couldnt fully inflate the wing without the my unit falling over ( I had the 40 pound version )
Again, not much you can do about it as the wing was not designed for small tanks.

5. The buckles used to hold the staps in place on the backplane were just cheap & weak.( Not the tank straps here they are classy )
The buckles are fine on mine, and if you really wanted good ones try the Apollo Bio Tank Lock... not really necessary and expensive but I have a set for my girl and she loves them.

6.If you opt to use conventional weights belt they just dont go with the wing , the back plate is just to low on your back & the belt fowls .
7. The intergrated weights , I just used to use 2 KG either side , well the Pockets fall out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!& dangle form the stay clips !!!
Same solution get the XScuba weight pockets and slip one of each through the straps on either side of the waist belt strap or place the pockets on the tank straps.

8.The Price , was high & I didnt mind paying for it but expected much more !!
Halcyon = brand = expensive... try Oxycheq for something cheaper and just as good.

SangP

 

[Vie]

Sorry to hear about your less than satisfactory experience.

I bought an Eclipse 30 earlier this year and love it (see profile pic). I really like the "Octo Grip" tank straps (and the fact that they securely hold the tank without having to be super tight) and the MC Storage Pak. I have not had any problems with my inflator but I do think that the "stainless steel" design is rather pointless and probably added more unnecessary cost to an already overpriced product. I don't use a weight belt, trim weight pockets, or the ACBs so cannot comment.

 

[Irobot]

Thanks for your input .

I,m a bit anoyed that you point out sang that they are not designed for small tanks !! I specifically told the shop I bought it from what i would be using it for & they recommended it ! ( or mis sold it to me !!!! ) I never knew that .

Oh well live & learn

 

[SangP]

Hi Irobot,

Yeah I too am sorry that you did not like the Eclipse but if you saw the pioneer 27 and compared it to the Eclipse 30 the 30 is HUGE for some funny reason or another... top of wing bigger than bottom??? Strange design, I personally perfer the oxycheq signature 30 but that happens to be my girl's rig and I steal for my own use all the time LOL!

SangP

 

[GreenDiverDown]

I'm sorry that you didn't like your Halcyon gear.

I have to say, though, that a lot of your problems could easily be solved by having somebody that knows the gear help you get it squared away.

For instance, there is no reason that wearing a weight belt should be a problem. Likewise, there are several ways to set up the tank so that it is at a proper height. I'm thinking that a STA might be of benefit to you.

I don't know what you mean by suggesting that "the buckles that hold the straps in place" look cheap and weak. What buckles? Unless something has changed, it is pretty standard to use retainers for this purpose. Halcyon uses pretty good SS hardware. Maybe your shop put it together with some of their own plastic stuff.

If the integrated weight pockets suck, then that is something new. Their older ones were great.

Ya... the leaking SS inflator... another one. I'm not surprised. There are ways to fix that... not that anyone should have to fix a brand new piece of gear... but that does seem to be a common complaint.

Good luck. I hope that you find something you will really enjoy.

 

[Hoosier]

All equipment can satisfy all customers who have a different preference and body condition. You had better try Tobin's BP/W or Fred T's BP.

I am wondering if Fred T is back to the business. If not, I hope we will be back soon.

 

[wb416]

I bought a Halcyon eclipse wing just after the summer & promtly sold it !!!!!

Sorry to you Halcon lovers , the do make some nice gear I JUST HATED IT !!!!!!

I don't think bp/w should be done without mentoring or instruction.

 

[flyguy]

I have the Halcyon ACB weight system and I've had then fall out as described when using very little weight... I was completely surprised. Oh well, i think I'll just attach some velcro to the inside when I wear little weight for summer diving.

They're still much more comfortable than other weight system's I've tried.

 

[ccohn2000]

I'm sorry you were disappointed. I got an Eclipse earlier this year and I love it. It was adjusted to me by the shop I bought it from, so it fit right out of the gate. I don't have integrated weights so can't speak to that issue, but I don't have any problems with fouling my weight belt. I just go pretty much right over it. I only wear 8-10 lbs though, so my belt is fairly low profile. I use PST high pressure 80s which are small tanks and had the same problem you did. I had a buddy cut another set of strap slots in my STA that are lower and that eliminated that problem. However, my inflator hose just had to be disassembled and cleaned as the power inflate button was sticking in a partially depressed position and continuously fed air into my BC if I wasn't constantly checking it and twisting it around to make it pop back up where it belonged. I guess there are pros and cons to everything. The DSS bp/w looks pretty sweet, and comes in three sizes! I'll probably go that way for my next one.

Carol