looking for a thick SS Back Plate

[N_Horta]

HI,

I'm planning on switching to a BP/W system too. : )
I will be using a single tank wing (still choosing... Agir, oms, Deepoutdoors..)

I'm looking for a more thick SS Back Plate, something like 5 or 6mm
single tank ready. (will buy an STA after, if needed, for now, I rather not spend the money)


I've seen the Agir Brokk (6mm) looks nice, but, it does'nt have the Single tank slots (had to spend a bit more on an STA),

DirZone also makes a 5mm plate, but it's more expensive than my other options

www.kitfondle.co.uk WOZ plates
I've found this cool site, were they sell for a very nice price, a 5mm plate, SS316, whith a opcional cool Bead blasting finish

any feedback on the WOZ plate?
any other option?



cheers
Nuno

(feel free to comment on the wing matter )

 

[aabond]

Hammerhead's Steel plate is according to them the thickest one on the market, and it already has single tank slots as well as many other attachment points. Their one-piece STA is also very heavy. I believe both of them together weigh in at about 12 lbs. You might also take a look at oxycheq for wings and other stuff to.

http://hammerheadscuba.com
http://oxycheq.com

Have fun,

Andrew

 

[dirthead]

I just bought a 1/4" thick SS plate from FredT that weighs 12 pounds. He has several thicknesses available, along with STA's and other stuff, and the price is very good. Not sure where you are located, so shipping heavy items like that could be costly. Send him a pm if you are interested. His stuff is top notch.

 

[N_Horta]

thanks for the quick reply,

I've seen Hammerhead's web site, their plate looks nice (the model looks even nicer!), but it should be the standart SS 3mm, weighs 5.5 lbs,

Agir Brokk 6mm weighs 11 lbs
Woz plate 5mm weighs almost 9 lbs

besides that, I live in Portugal (so forgive me for my poor english), and buying from the US, I would had to pay a 25% tax on arrival, on any product, outside Europe...
bahhh...

about the oxicheq wing, I'm shure that they make exelent wings, but:

- Razor series are bladderless ( I belive that a inner blader would be a good point)
- Siganture series have a 360 degree zipper , and I think, that a zipper could be a failure point, so, it should be as small as possible (well, not so possible on "O" shaped wings, I think)

allways having fun

dive safe
Nuno

 

[N_Horta]

dirthead,
I'm located in Portugal / Europe
do you know if FredT has a web site, or a european seller?

cheers m8

 

[dirthead]

FredT does not have a website. He is located in the US and will email you a price list that does include pictures and descriptions upon request. I think he would be considered more of a custom backplate manufacturer. Shoot him PM and I'm sure he will give you all the information. Shipping a heavy bp might be a little cost prohibitive from the US to Europe, but his prices are very reasonable, so it could work out well for you. I am going to pm you his email address.

 

[Mandy3206]

- Razor series are bladderless ( I belive that a inner blader would be a good point)
- Siganture series have a 360 degree zipper , and I think, that a zipper could be a failure point, so, it should be as small as possible (well, not so possible on "O" shaped wings, I think)

allways having fun

dive safe
Nuno

Just to clarify this:

The zipper isn't a failure point, every BC with a bladder and outer shell has a zipper and many wings donut shaped like the DR Travel wings have had zipper for yrs. According to Tobin, it just make it more dificult to manufacture a donut shaped wing due to the smaller radius of the single tank wing design.

Cheers
Mandy

 

[Henryville]

FredT does not have a website. He is located in the US and will email you a price list that does include pictures and descriptions upon request. I think he would be considered more of a custom backplate manufacturer. Shoot him PM and I'm sure he will give you all the information. Shipping a heavy bp might be a little cost prohibitive from the US to Europe, but his prices are very reasonable, so it could work out well for you. I am going to pm you his email address.

I heartily endorse FredT's plates. I have three, including a long and heavy steel, and they are great. Note that not all plates are the same, and as far as I am concerned the salient differences are the degree of finish (will the plate abrade your harness straps) and the geometry of the bends. IIRC Fred's plates have a more pronounced bend than most others, putting the cylinder(s) farther away. Others have the cylinder closer because their plates are flatter. Glad to hear he is back in business after the hurricane.

A lot of people like the DSS plate and if you are looking for thick for weighting purposes they have a neat "weight plate" option for adding weight that gives what looks like it should be a very nice distribution of the extra weight. But I don't have one of these and have never dove one, so I can't comment from experience.

 

[Mandy3206]

Another way of adding weight to a BP setup is to stack same brand plates until you reach your desired weight, I've heard of mixing SS and AL plates to reach 8# or 10# weights.

This may not be cost effective, but it's worth considering as an option.

 

[kidspot]

Just curious, but do you know that a heavy plate will trim out ok for you? If I dive with anything more than a 6# plate it pitches my head down... I can add 2# if diving dry. Not saying a heavy plate won't work at all, just want to make sure you don't waste your money. The nice thing with the DSS plates is the option of more or less weight if you change your exposure protection.

for plate info you can also check this list http://www.kidspot.org/personal/scuba/bpwing.html for many of the plate dimensions etc..

Aloha, Tim

btw - FredT plates come in up to a 20# plate... .375" (9.52mm) thick!