Is $438.00 good for a BP/W with trimmings?

[Ob1Stogie]

DD, I was thinking the same thing about the suits. My old O'Neil is about toast so I need a new suit too. I'll post the link in the wet suit forum and see what everyone has to say.

 

[kidspot]

several good threads in the wetsuit forum dealing with Triple-l/Scuba-l suits - I have purchased close to 12 suits from them and have been happy with them. They are a no frills suit, but solid construction and great prices.

Aloha, Tim

P.S. My current suit is an "Evo" because I needed a 5/3 suit which Scuba-l does not have - and prices are similar...

 

[radinator]

I also notice that the lower dump valve is on the wrong side. Also, with a 'stretchy' wing, the location of the dump valve may change depending on how much stretch there is at the time. Double bad.

 

[kidspot]

Not trying to defend the Maximus wing (as I don't like it personally either) but they have 2 lower dump valves - 1 on each side. Still your other comments would seem to be true either way - I also notice they are on the very end of the wing... seems like an awkward place to put them. I did send an inquiry to their rep and am awaiting a reply regarding some of these issues to see if there was a reason behind them, or they just didn't realize what the market was looking for.

Aloha, Tim

 

[Hoosier]

Looks like a good deal - you could save a little by getting your cambands from Scubal.com ($11 - 2 nylon/plastic) and XSScuba weight pockets ($9 each from leisurepro.com)

Another option is the singles rig from DSS - $445 http://www.deepseasupply.com/page12.html - I've yet to hear anything bad about their gear - and MUCH good about it

Aloha, Tim

I agree with Tim...

If I were you, I gave Tobin $438 plus shipping and got his single full set. If Tobin disappointed you, post the story here. I am sure there is zero chance though based on the previous experience.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I may just have to order a wet suit jacket. their cost for a jacket is less than some dive shops sell a pair of boots for!!!

 

[renpirate]

I like the freedom rig, but no one seems to have ANY experience with it.

I have and it's a great plate. Very comfortable and molds to your back. It's a pretty heavy plate too at about 7lbs with the cam bands. It is setup for a single tank and doesn't need a STA. You can get the standard plate, harness, Oxycheq wing, and cam bands for $449.

 

[Rick Inman]

"4 well-placed stainless D-rings for your all equipment needs"

Sounds good, but they can't possibly know where they would be well placed for me or my needs. For example, you can't get a HID can over the right waist D ring.

To me it just looks like a back-inflate BC with a built-in plate. Just my opinion.

 

[Mr.X]

I may just have to order a wet suit jacket. their cost for a jacket is less than some dive shops sell a pair of boots for!!!

I would imagine the reason for the low costs are because they are produced overseas. The plate has odd geometry...possibly crafted in Asia (Vietnam). Oddly reminiscent of some low cost plates I saw that rode funny on the back.

In the end, YOU GETS WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I like the freedom rig, but no one seems to have ANY experience with it.

The Freedom Plate back pack rig is extremely new to the regular diving community so that's why you haven't seen it yet or heard any reports.
I have been personally using this rig for some time now for commercial work and just recently introduced it to recreational divers. I think people are a little intimidated by the new design and are hard to change from what's already out there. Essentially what I did was to throw out everything I didn't like about conventional backplates and start over with a completely different design. The first thing I did was to get rid of all the metal that rubs on your shoulder blades and move the tank in as close to the back as possible, I.E. the cut away design that allows the best streamlined fit of any rig so far. The next thing I did was to find the best place for the shoulder straps to leave from the plate and so you see the webbing leave from a common slot which forms a perfect Y so the straps sit very nicely and comfortably on your traps. I also curved the top part of the plate to follow the curve of the back and the sides (the waist grippers I call them) are curved also to maximize the custom fit. This also allows for underwater aquabatics, twists, turns, upside down, right side up, sideways, summersaults, doesn't matter, the plate stays glued to your back. This is a bonus feature for agressive lobster diving, spear fishing, or any other form of athletic tank diving that you can think of, and also commercial diving BTW. You will also notice that the bottom of the plate sticks out a little further than the top. What I did was tig weld a little tank foot with a piece of flat bar on it which cradles the tank and holds the plate away so the bottom of the tank doesn't bump you in the butt. The plate follows the natural curve of your back and the tank sits straight on your body. Otherwise what would happen if the bottom of the plate wasn't moved away would be that you would feel like you are tied to a telephone pole. This I found out incidentally through trial and error in all the previous models.
The harness is Hog and all the buckles including the tank cams are stainless, no plastic anywhere on it. There is no need for an STA because the tank straps go directly through the plate. This allows for the tank to be as close as possible to your back also without the added thickness of an STA. And it keeps things simple.
Where the webbing goes back into the plate at the bottom sides I took a lot of time to get those angles just right so the webbing will not chafe or sit wrong and it also exits the plate at the exact angle needed to go around your waist straight.
The material is 10 GA 304 stainless.
I hand build each and every one of these in my shop and each plate is individually numbered with a serial number. I know every original owner of every plate.
I hand form each one in a jig and shape the bottom on an anvil with a special shaping hammer. I grind all the edges to a radius and soften all the edges in the slots with a burr and file. I TIG weld the tank foot on then either brush finish or sand and polish the plate to a mirror finish.
There is no performance difference between the brushed or polished plates.
Also I can custom form a plate to your body at no extra charge, I have to shape them anyway.

I would be very happy and glad if people would call me to set up some demos.
Please go to my website at: <http://www.pacificcoastmarine.net> and all the contact info is there.


ZKY
Eric Sedletzky
Pacific Coast Marine