IDI Advantage

[bobafett21]

I wanted to solicit opinions about IDI's Advantage rear-inflation BC. This would be my first purchase.

 

[TexasMike]

I'll fire off the intial questions we have to help answer your question:

1. What type of diving are you doing now and what do you see yourself getting into (as in more advanced) over the next few years? Include information on where you are diving and how often.
   
2. How did you come to narrow your selections down to this make/model?
   
3. Did you have a budget in mind? (as in how much were you planning on spending the BC)
   
4. Are you totally set on the BC you are asking about? Or are you willing to hear other suggestions based upon the answers to the questions above?

Once we get the answers to these questions, we can better answer your question.

--TM (Wife to the Marriage Counselor: "It's basically a communication problem. I'm right, and he's male")

 

[bobafett21]

Thanks for helping me better frame the question.

What type of diving? My ultimate goal is to wreck dive; however; I have just recently completed my open water certification.

How did you come to narrow your selections down to this make/model? I wanted a rear-inflation system and I just had seen several positive posts on another board


Did you have a budget in mind? Less than $500


Are you totally set on the BC you are asking about? Or are you willing to hear other suggestions based upon the answers to the questions above? I am open to all suggestions

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by bobafett21
Thanks for helping me better frame the question.

What type of diving? My ultimate goal is to wreck dive; however; I have just recently completed my open water certification.

How did you come to narrow your selections down to this make/model? I wanted a rear-inflation system and I just had seen several positive posts on another board


Did you have a budget in mind? Less than $500


Are you totally set on the BC you are asking about? Or are you willing to hear other suggestions based upon the answers to the questions above? I am open to all suggestions

Thanks Mike for the set up... I mean clarifying questions:

Hi Bob!
If you will eventually get into wreck/technical diving you will ultimately be looking at diving doubles with redundant regulators. This will require a metal backplate/harness and buoyancy device called a wing. You can either go with a traditional BC now and sell it later when you buy the required BP/harness/wing or you can just get the BP/harness/wing now and use it for single tank diving.

You can get a BP/harness/wing set up for less than $500 or you can spend a little more but it will be difficult to spend a lot more unless you buy some of the worthless convoluted *techie* rigs that will remain un-named until the next few posters chime in.

I am already impressed that you are open to considering other solutions than your original choice... keep up the good work!

 

[landlocked]

Originally posted by bobafett21
I wanted to solicit opinions about IDI's Advantage rear-inflation BC. This would be my first purchase.

I recently purchased one. There are some things that I don't like. The shoulder straps connect to the back plate both top and bottom rather than to the cumberbun as most bc's are apt to do. This was touted as a big advantage. It sounded good to me. The reality is that there is now no support for the weights that are placed in the ditchable weight pockets. This forces you to load the pockets after you have donned the bc. Otherwise you have those weights banging you in the kneecaps. This is particularly onerous as most of my diving is in cold water with lots of neoprene and weights. Also the cumberbun tends to sag down to your thighs after you are in the water (a little different than many BCs that like to climb to your arm pits. The next point was the dump valve. It worked great on the table, but in the water it was less than relieable. (worked maybe a fourth of the time.) I think that is because mine points somewhere off to the left rather than over my shoulder. I should be able to correct this? Third point: the instructions state that the BC is not to be used with Nitrox! Doing so voids the warranty. Fourth point: it takes a lot of effort to get the weight distributed correctly to where you aren't fighting the thing all the time.

I bought my BC accross the internet from a shop which does offer the original manufactures warranty. I was so disheartened after my first use of the BC that I attempted to send it back. The best that they will do is give me three fourths of the cost in credit (because it has been in the water once. That's $100 to send it back!) In other words, I'm am stuck with it. Accordingly, I am going to try a second dive with it this weekend. Perhaps we will get along a little better. Having reread the information that made me buy it in the first place, I think that I might try to solve the problems. It really does have some nice features. My diving does make use of Nitrox and so the limitation placed by the manufacturer concerns me. Otherwise, I am hopeful that I can solve the other issues. After that first dive, I was ready to go back to a weight belt, but that would be difficult while wearing this BC because it would be covered by the cumberbun and a secondary strap.

On the positive side, it is very comfortable under the water. Lots of lift and it looks totally cool. All of my problems were on the surface. If I were to do it again.... I might opt for a Zeagle Scout and a weight belt. (Simpler is better? I don't think that I am ready to jump into a backplate and wings yet, though you will undoubtedly be advised to do so.) The problem with the Zeagle is that if you buy it off of the Internet it voids the warranty even if you purchase if from an authorized dealer. The closest Zeagle dealer to me is 250 miles away and he wants another 120 dollars for the thing.

Anyway, I started buying my equipment right after I finished Certifying and with few exceptions, I would like to do it all different.

Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck. I will be watching to see what you decide and I will let you know how this weekend turns out.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by landlocked
The shoulder straps connect to the back plate both top and bottom

the instructions state that the BC is not to be used with Nitrox! Doing so voids the warranty.

It has a back plate????
please describe...

Nitrox voids the warranty????
how would they know....

 

[landlocked]

Originally posted by Uncle Pug


It has a back plate????
please describe...

Nitrox voids the warranty????
how would they know....

Sorry, backplate is a bad word. The "frame" would be better. Incidently, the IDI Advantage does support two tanks with an optional strap. After considering my post for the last 20 minutes, I think I would like a back plate and wing setup. Anyone want to trade?

No comment on the Nitrox thing. My EANx instructor (I am currently taking the class) unoffically thinks that I should ignore the warning and use it anyway. Could there be a design problem with the valves? Maybe the valves were not designed with the 40% oxygen rule in mind? Should I call IDI and ask? The whole thing confusses me.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Well.... that is what ebay is for after all....
Sooner is better that later....
You use the ubiquitous "Like NEW - only one dive!"



As for the nitrox... probably one too many of them exploded when used with EAN22 and above...

 

[Uncle Pug]

Oh, yeah I almost forgot....
I could hook a couple of 104s together with duct tape and rope but you might not want to dive it....

If it takes an adapter to use a single tank then that is OK....
If it takes an adapter to use double tanks then that is not OK....

 

[TexasMike]

Pug, you might know the answer to this one....

The (un-named) BC that you and I have and arn't using [smirk] is said to support doubles. And it even has the grommets for the bolts. But now that I have been enlightend into the backplate community, I don't see how the (un-named) can support the weight of the tanks since there is no regidity. Was there another "part" that is required to mount doubles on this BC?