Looking for opinions - Doubles Wing for AL80 Twin Set

[bansiphansalkar]

I just ordered a Scubapro X-Tek dounut (18gs) - Great deal, Good brand & specs - especially on the tough bladder & outer cover. I did consider the NX wing but saw no info on it being compatible with standard (non-NX) backplates. Also, I am still not sure about the reliability of corrugated hose having a direct connection to the bladder.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Dive-Rite Classic Wing has worked well for me with twin Al80's and Twin steels.

 

[flymolo]

Adding an extra 2 pounds tail weight (4 pounds total), may help with the butt-lightedness of the tanks. 4 pounds seems to be the right number for double 80s from what I have seen.

 

[bansiphansalkar]

If you do a balanced rig for singles AL80 and need X kgs of lead then most of the time you will need 0-1 kg
( total kgs not X+ kgs) of lead for AL80 doubles. For example - I need 2Kgs of lead for Singles & 0 kgs for doubles.

 

[Doc Harry]

I just moved from a horseshoe wing to a donut wing. I only have about 20 dives on the donut. That being said, I found that the donut is much more sensitive and therefore more difficult to use. Once you get the donut trimmed up it works fine. But it's very sensitive to even slight changes in posture that cause an unintentional shift of air that throws your trim out of whack. I found the horseshoe to be significantly more forgiving and easier to keep trim, especially with twin steel 130s.

Also, when I shift air in the horseshoe I can hear the bubbles, and therefore I can judge how much air I am moving. The donut is silent and I have to guess how much air I am moving, which means that I end up rolling left and right multiple times to shift air and then to correct over-corrections.

 

[Tyler Q Hemmerich]

Adding an extra 2 pounds tail weight (4 pounds total), may help with the butt-lightedness of the tanks. 4 pounds seems to be the right number for double 80s from what I have seen.

Good info - Thanks.

 

[bansiphansalkar]

By the way. Scubapro X-Tek 18 kg wing seems to be out of supply in the UK. Two separate sellers accepted & then turned it down.

 

[galodoido]

@wKkaY @divezonescuba would y'all say that the Hydros 40 wing has a similar shape compared to a Halcyon Evolve 40?

I currently dive an Nx Project, and I have previously had issues being head heavy. I was able to get the trim right on my al80s by lowering the tanks quite a bit and adding weight to a v weight bottom pouch, but I still wonder what kind of trim effect the extra lift in the valve area would have.

I am just skeptical because XDEEP also explicitly says that the Hydros has reduced volume in the valve area (what they call the "dead zone" for some reason).

 

[bansiphansalkar]

I am not sure shape of the wing is the first thing I would look at if head heavy with AL80 doubles. Lowering the tanks only a little bit ( without compromising ease of reaching the valves) is ok but I would also look at trim actions ( proper arching of the back, pulling in the hands & pushing out the legs a bit). What fins are your using? Have you tried using heavier fins?. If using a Drysuit, how you manage the air in lower torso ( legs) has a big impact on trim.

 

[bansiphansalkar]

By the way. Scubapro X-Tek 18 kg wing seems to be out of supply in the UK. Two separate sellers accepted & then turned it down.

Finally - I got a 20kg Mares XR donut wing. Great price on Divegearexpress.