New Wing Design

[Mverick]

Checked out the wing at the Chicago show. The one for doubles that is as the single wing is still in Development. From what they said.

It is a nice wing. It has 3 sets of holes to mount with. The ONLY answer on price was "It'll be cheaper then a Halcyon". And the only thing Supposedly holding them up was time. He said he already had the manufacturer just needed to get home and time to get it started. Everything was supposed to start after the Chicago show....

Am I gonna throw my Halcyon in the ebay game and buy one of his. NO

Would I consider buying one of his. Maybe.

His biggest problem is Halcyons strength. Customer service.

If you have a problem with a wing and send it back to Halcyon. Guess what. It get's replaced or fixed for free usually. I had a problem with a display on the O2 meter I bought from him. He wanted me to send $18 or so to buy another display. Now why am I paying a second time for a part that was junk when I received it???

So if I have a problem with a wing and get zero service. What's that wing worth... Not much...

Wings aren't rocket science. Halcyon makes a great overpriced wing. Haven't had a leak in mine. But I haven't had a leak in my OMS without Bunjees either.

On the lights he had at the Chicago show. Really nice. definately over built. A couple of features I wouldn't need in a light. But yea, a nice light. Once again, have a problem out of the box and I couldn't rely on his service so I ain't buying one.

HS explorer he sells. Nice computer. His answer to my question about reliability was "Some guy's diving VR3's on a trip had there computers all acting up and the Explorer had no problems". Seems the exact oppisite of what's been published on the Explorer. If I have a Problem with it is the service there? Nope...

On Flashlights. The canada company sells nice lights too. It's just a flash light. Not a Transponder for the Starship Enterprise... 2 O ring seals is a good thing. But it's a light... Same with the spools...

I want something that works every time. I don't need fancy. Overbuilt is fine if it's not overpriced and I want service if it screws up.... He fills all but the last.

He even said to me. He was small. And didn't want alot of stuff coming back in because his profit margin wasn't large enough to replace gear. That's why he wanted stuff that was built solid and reliable and that's all he'd sell...

Then why is he selling the Explorer. It's had huge teething problems from the start...

I still want an Explorer. But without someone who backs it up. I'm not buying from them. Heck. If you buy your VR3 from Simply Scuba you still get a great warranty.

And as has been said before... A backplate is a backplate. I like 316 because it's a little more corrosion resistant then 304. But it's a backplate. 304 is fine. It ain't gonna rust away. And it's still a steel plate that goes on your back... If you want it to fit your back better. Put it in a vice and hit it with a hammer. It's steel. It bends...

 

[padiscubapro]

Doof once bubbled...
So are there any details on this doubles wing available? I'll be purchasing a doubles wing in the next couple of months and until now, I was pretty much set on the Halcyon. If this other wing (who makes it? OxyCheq - or am I getting confused?) won't be available soon, I may wind up with the Halcyon anyway...

Patrick@oxycheq said he is expecting his wing for doubles by the end of the month..

Double O-rings on flashlights are definately NOT overkill.. I have seen more than 1 diver back off the scout light too far and flood it..

The explorers had some problems and were fixed promptly at no charge to anyone.. part of the perceived problem is that some explorers were being sold by individuals knowing they were supposed to be sent back and replaced..

case in point Hydrospace announced on its web site and to its customers at the beginning of August to immediately send in the computer for upgrade/replacement, abysmal customers weren't notified until november(and abysmal denied they were the same computers and even called the their rejects to some people who asked).. You cant blame oxycheq for problems caused by someone private labeling the same computer.

Hydrospace has listened to his customeer's suggestions and has constantly upgraded the computer.

Hydrospace added full RGBM for only $50 for its old customer(no charge for any other software upgrades).. I had one of the first new model VR3's that had some software bugs.. and had to pay for the upgrade to fix it.. When I purchased my VR3 the cell connector was supposed to be able to be added at anytime(it turns out it needed to be sent to the factory)... with the connector and upgrade my bill was something like $180 this was supposedly a break.. it was marketed as being able to be added at anytime it could have been easily made to be user installable for small additional cost.

Hydrospace's upgrade to a cell integrated version is a more but its a computer swap and was never in the original marketing.

I have had hundreds of trouble free dives on the explorers, with only 2 problem dives.. One is something that is now documented in the manual(for older computers and is not present in newer computers) occurred at the surface(and was very unlikely to happen) and could have been avoided easily, and the other was the reason for the recall.. I got one of the earliest "new" cases and had the flood which put on alert.. the solution was discovered and no tbls since then. The funny thing is the case was the only part of the computer that wasn't designed by hydrospace they paid an expert to do their case, and it caused the headaches..

I'm really getting spoiled by the RGBM profiles which are dramatically reducing my deco time..

 

[Mverick]

Sorry you misunderstood this part of my post.

You said
"Double O-rings on flashlights are definately NOT overkill.. I have seen more than 1 diver back off the scout light too far and flood it.."

I said

"On Flashlights. The canada company sells nice lights too. It's just a flash light. Not a Transponder for the Starship Enterprise... 2 O ring seals is a good thing. But it's a light... Same with the spools..."

Which say's "2 O ring seals is a good thing" But it's already being done by the canadian company. That's what the point was about. No new technology. It's just a light.... And I'm sure people will flood it if it has 100 o rings. Somebody will still screw it up. It's a nice light. But it's already been done. And unscrew the light till there isn't any light coming out. Then stop. Doesn't seem real difficult.

Glad you've posted this about the Explorer. I'd like to get one. I just hadn't heard anything good about reliability... But your the first one to say the problems have been solved that isn't trying to sell me one. Still need to hear other input from those who dive it. Not just sell it. And to clarify. I'm not saying you sell it....


I have hundreds of dives on a Cochran Nemesis 2a also. And have heard all the complaints about them too. And I own 4 of them with the only problem with them being they eat batteries. But never a problem. But that doesn't mean they didn't occur. And that they don't still have bad ones out there. And it doesn't mean people diving it aren't the ones to blame.

Glad to hear he kept you in the loop and fixed yours. But my experience hasn't been the same. Maybe your a buddy of his. I'm not.... Wouldn't know him from Adam. And when he didn't want to cover an $18 part for me on a new just bought unit. It scares me to buy a $1400 computer from him.

Maybe he was having a bad day. And $18 doesn't kill me. But it does teach me not to risk $1400...

 

[Mverick]

OH,
On the overbuilt lights. I meant the ALUMINUM cannister lights.... Maybe that's where you got it....

 

[padiscubapro]

Mverick once bubbled...
Glad you've posted this about the Explorer. I'd like to get one. I just hadn't heard anything good about reliability... But your the first one to say the problems have been solved that isn't trying to sell me one. Still need to hear other input from those who dive it. Not just sell it. And to clarify. I'm not saying you sell it....

Glad to hear he kept you in the loop and fixed yours. But my experience hasn't been the same. Maybe your a buddy of his. I'm not.... Wouldn't know him from Adam. And when he didn't want to cover an $18 part for me on a new just bought unit. It scares me to buy a $1400 computer from him.

Maybe he was having a bad day. And $18 doesn't kill me. But it does teach me not to risk $1400...

My repairs went directly through Hydrospace(as do anyone who is smart.. its better to ship it direct than ship it to the distributor who would then ship to manufacturer..) I originally sold some explorers from abyss then backed off.. I kept diving mine but stopped selling them.. I then started dealing with gene and decided I would try and sell them again..
I try and present both sides of the coin.. I am quite happpy with the unit and always dive it(I have a problem with someone who is selling gear and doesn't choose to use it themselves).. I only usually sell to my tech students so recomending it to other doesn't get me anything.. If you do searching on the explorer I have always mentined the good with the bad.. I don't want it to ever come back that so and so said this.. or so and so sold me a pile of sh*t

Patrick has always been a straight shooter with me and I have never heard complaints from anyone else.. I do know he doesn't want to sell to the end user but rather the dive store..
I haven't ever bought any "kits" from him but his finished products are well done.. Patrick does have one piece of gear thats a must for any trimix diver that is his helium analyzer.. I have used others and his does work the best.. its repeatable and checking against known gases it was dead on..
I have always tried to push anyone who has PMed me about buying an explorer to a dealer local to them(I no longer recommend the ABYSS version, if you want some reasons PM me and I'll talk in private). I have sold some over the net but thats not my goal... if someone ask me a question I will give a straight answer.. My livelyhood doesn't depend on selling dive gear or classes..

BTW the non intergarted is $1200 and the integrated is $1300 plus approprite cell/holder, I don't know where you saw $1400, but I understand the sentiment.

 

[Mverick]

Well actually it was $1500. I wanted it with the P-cell connector for a rebreather....

But it might as well have been anything over $100 I don't want to risk.