Pioneer wing review

[mike_s]

Since purchasing the wing I have found several posts and complaints regarding leaks and holes in the Pioneer wings.

maybe someone from that "other" pioneer post stuck that "pen" in it causing it to leak (heh)

 

[divad]

maybe someone from that "other" pioneer post stuck that "pen" in it causing it to leak (heh)

never mind.

 

[BlueDolphin]

I have two Pioneer 27lb wings a few years old with no leaks. However I think the blue side panels on the 36lb wing is a soft spot (achilles heel) of the 36lb wing. I just had to send back a 36lb. wing to a seller on Ebay (also a member here) that I received with a leak in one of the panels. I think you have to be a bit more careful with the larger Pioneer 36lb..

 

[Restart]

Hmmm... I don't bother unscrewing my inflator hose.

After 5 years my pioneer 27# still has no leaks... can't say the same for my drysuits though.

Do you dive 27# with your Drysuit..........

May you share your configuration, what type of Bp, tank etc

Regards.

 

[Mverick]

Do you dive 27# with your Drysuit..........

May you share your configuration, what type of Bp, tank etc

Regards.

I dive a 27# with a drysuit. FredT 6lb backplate. Faber HP100. And 6lb weight. Or any steel I have. Dove it for around 5 years like that.

 

[doole]

Jonnythan, I guess you are right about the Eclipse.
AS for the hose, I purchased the wing "pre-loved" from a board member and received it with the hose unattached. In defense of Halcyon, this is the older style wing that requires the STA.

Features that I like:
Nice carry handle (I don't know if I'll use it, but it's definately nice)
Nice shape
Length of inflator hose
Placement of rear dump seems appropriate
Elbow instead of pull dump

Features I don't like:
Inflator hose attachment method
Stiff webbing holding inflator hose in place
Attachment for inflator hose
Requires STA (unknown prior to purchase)
Single bag design (which I knew about before purchase, not optimal)

This is merely my impression of the wing.

How long has Halcyon been making the Pioneer wing? When was the switch to non-STA made? Are the newer wings that don't require the STA more sturdy?

Thanks,
Jamie

In the immortal words of IBM, "That's not a bug, it's a feature."

I don't know if the older wings are sturdier but for my own part, I put an STA on the darn thing anyway. Keeps the tank straighter and less likely to roll.

 

[Restart]

I dive a 27# with a drysuit. FredT 6lb backplate. Faber HP100. And 6lb weight. Or any steel I have. Dove it for around 5 years like that.

Thks for the information..... :10:

Your setup must be very heavy, right?

By the way what is Faber HP100, is it a SS Tank 100 litres?

May i know, whats your Height and Weight?

Regards.

 

[Divesherpa]

I've put about 12 hours on the wing so far. I spent about an hour getting the weighting where I wanted it before a Keys trip and a few dives with Splashdown out of
Boynton Beach. Cheers to Splashdown as they run a classy operation.
After the weighting was dialed in, I have to put 3-4 shots of gas into the wing at depth (slightly negative at the surface with a complete exhale) and let it out as I breathe the bottle down. This setup seems to work fine; It's slightly buoyant at the end of the dive without gas in the wing, but what can you do :07: . Now if I could find a 10# wing with a protective covering, I'd be in business.

Cheers,
Jamie

P.S. Splashdown out of Boynton is one of the few operators in Florida where, after the dive, I feel like I got a bargain. Kevin is an awesome DM and Lynn can drop a blind man within 2 feet of a coral head.

 

[ScoobieDooo]

Anyone know anything about AGIF Wings? Sometold me to look into them.

?

 

[H2Andy]

By the way what is Faber HP100, is it a SS Tank 100 litres?

it's a high pressure steel tank, "holding" 100 cubic feet of air. i think its
service pressure is 3500 psi (not sure of that)

there's also a low-pressure Faber 100, and i'm not sure of the service pressure
on that one.