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. 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
