OMS bcd questions

[sas0814]

Heyya fellas n fellitas!
whelp im new to scuba board so a big howdy and hand shaking is due i suppose aaand i suppose i should say im fairly new with less than 100 dives under my belt so take it easy on me hehe
okay, so im interested in pickin myself up the oms IQ pack harness n backplate. also ive chosen to go for the 60 lb single bladder. I tried this rig once for a quick 40ft dive and i liked it for the most part.
I suppose what im asking is bassically id like ya'll ta give me some pros and cons for this decision or tell me wacha can bout it cause im in a situation where i cant test before buying and would hate to spend the cash and find the things that longterm use teaches ya...some potential other choices are welcome also. overall though, I tend to like oms because of reliability, compfort and the fact that i can keep the backplate system and upgrade as i like.
Oh and sorry if something like this has been posted before, just re direct me cause im lazy and didnt do a search of the forum hehe sorry
thanks in advance, and nice ta meecha scuba peoples!:monkeydan

 

[M_Bipartitus]

I have the IQ and 60lb Bungied wing. I would say 60 is too big for singles, and for doubles you don't really need the bungies. I use my IQ without a metal plate sometimes for travel and it works well enough. I think just about any BP/W setup will have similar pros/cons that you can find with a quick search. Most criticism of OMS stuff is the bungied wings. The IQ type harnesses tend to be criticized for more potential failure points compared to a Hog setup, but many find it the padding more comfortable.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask, but do search on some of the topics I mentioned.

 

[elmbruker]

Sounds like you made a good choice for yourself...and welcome to the board!

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

60 pounds seems a bit big for a single tank.

Check out a DSS single tank rig:
www.deepseasupply.com

It's a really tight single tank BP/W with lots of nice features.

And, yeah, this sort of discussion goes on here a lot. You should get less lazy and do a search and you'll find some great information. Cheers

 

[CWMurf]

Ditto, do a search.

That said, last weekend I dove my OMS 60# double for the frst time and absolutely loved it! If you are loking for a bargain check out www.golemgear.com . They have some exceptional prices on some great looking gear.

Although I have heard and read great things about oxycheq, the last couple of times I emailed Patrick I did not get any response, so I would tend to look more to DSS, Golem, or OMS. They are probably close in price. I think my next purchase will be a Golem.

You may get some anti OMS posts from brand specific preferenced owners but I like mine so far.

 

[sas0814]

sweet fellas thanks fer teh info. whelp, ive taken a good look around..i think im sold...ill pick up the 45 wing fer now unbanded of course and man i just like oms..call me a brand junkie...so its the iq backplate. those other sugguestions looked pirdy darn cool but eh didnt float me boat as much. thanks again and take care!

 

[Mandy3206]

OMS gear is very high quality and bullet proof in my opinion.

The IQ is a soft pack harness type BC platform that can integrate a BP if desired, I personally prefer the BP with the Deluxe Harness, due to it's simplicity compared to the IQ, it's not a Hog rig, but very simple to use and maintenance is quick compared to the IQ that has more padding to take care of.

A 60# wing seems to big for single tank use, but for doubles is just right on the money.

Welcome to the board and wellcome to the OMS cult.

 

[kidspot]

fwiw - my doubles wing is only 40# and it's plenty. My singles is 30# which is enough even diving dry. There are a lot of advantages in a smaller wing, it packs smaller, less drag, lower profile to avoid catching (and getting punctured) on things. dries faster, and just looks cool (j/k)

Lots of happy OMS owners on the board (not me, but there are a lot of them out there) have fun and enjoy it.

If it helps, here's a list of various Backplates and Wing manufacturers I've compiled:

http://www.kidspot.org/personal/scuba/bpwing.html

Aloha, Tim

 

[Mandy3206]

fwiw - my doubles wing is only 40# and it's plenty. My singles is 30# which is enough even diving dry. There are a lot of advantages in a smaller wing, it packs smaller, less drag, lower profile to avoid catching (and getting punctured) on things. dries faster, and just looks cool (j/k)

Lots of happy OMS owners on the board (not me, but there are a lot of them out there) have fun and enjoy it.

If it helps, here's a list of various Backplates and Wing manufacturers I've compiled:

http://www.kidspot.org/personal/scuba/bpwing.html

Aloha, Tim

I agree completely with you Tim, but I'm curious of why dive dry in Hawaii, I was under the impression that you could get away with a 3mm fullbody like here in the tropics.

Here in PR the average water temp is 78-80 deg, How cold is the water in Hawaii?

 

[buckeye_jeff]

I just bought myself the IQ with the 60# for x-mass and it's perfect with doube high pressure steal 100 and a drysuit. Good choice. I'm very impressed with the quality of the IQ and bladder. I'm thinking about adding the 32# wing for single tank and travel.