retraction bands for oms bc

[jrockosaurus]

i am going to be purchasing a 60lb wing in the near future and trying to decide on whether or not to go with a oms wing with retraction bands, the same wing w/out bands, or a dive rite wing. i dont wish to get in any theoretical debates here about retraction bands and the issues they may create. what i would like to know is:

1. for those who have dove with any of the wings listed above, what they liked/disliked about them
2. if you have used the banded wings, do you notice a difference in drag compared to a bc without the bands
3. if you've used the wings above and switched to another brand or different style, what do you like better or worse about the change
4. if you've dove the banded wings, have you EVER had any issues with them that made you say "screw those band thingies!"
5. has anyone dove wings this big with a single (like something as big as a lp108) - how did it work? any major issues with tacoing?
6. if youve used these, would you recommend a brand that uses a donut design instead of the horseshoe, or in other words, was air trapping ever an issue for you
7. or if anyone has ever had any issues with oms wings that made them never but them again

btw, i will be using these mostly in the great lakes on wreck diving so if you have any pertinent experience using these wings in a similar environment, all that much better. input on any or all of these questions is greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

[Doc Intrepid]

What do you see as the benefits of the banded wings for the type of diving you hope to do in the Great Lakes? The fact that you are trying to decide whether or not to go with a banded wing would suggest that you perceive at least some benefits.

Using a 60 lb wing with a single is asking for issues. Such a wing would be larger than many (55 lb) wings for double steels offered by companies such as Oxycheq, Dive Rite, Halcyon and others. Is there a reason you wish to use a 60 lb wing with a single lp 108 steel tank?

Best,

Doc

 

[jrockosaurus]

im planning on being in doubles by early spring but would like to get used to the backplate during the winter so i was just curious if anyone had any experience with this. i dont want to buy two seperate wings when i already have a jacket bc that i can use if i really cant safely use my bp/wings for singles diving. just curiosity i guess. the biggest benefit i see to the banded style is deflation of the wings in a wider range of positions.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

You can theoretically use a doubles wing with a single tank. It isn't recommended, though, for a number of reasons.

One would be that the double wing would fold up around the single tank somewhat like a taco. You would want to look at some video from the net to get a good idea of what it would look like with both cells basically wrapping around and located above your tank. Aside from making trim challenging, this prevents the wing from functioning as designed - a U or oval wing ideally allows gas to move about inside the wing in relation to the angle of the diver in the water column. This won't happen under these circumstances.

You would be best advised to see if you can't borrow a single wing and give it a shot, if you're looking to use it short term. There are a number of SB'ers up in Michigan, and you may even be located close by one or more of them.

Trying to get one wing to perform in two roles is challenging - it winds up doing neither of them optimally.

Hope this helps,

Doc

 

[Tamas]

There is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with the wings or their design despite of a few loud voices in the industry that claim and spread rumours that it will kill you when you are not looking.

The bands add in the usage, as well as cause some people to ask why they are needed. They are great wings, tough as nails with plenty of benefits that you already mentioned.

While a 60lb wing will be a bit of an overkill for a single tank, for the interim until your transition to doubles will be just fine....but if you want PM me and I will tell you a quick little method of preventing that all together.

Enjoy your new OMS bungeed wing.

 

[JeffG]

but if you want PM me and I will tell you a quick little method of preventing that all together.

So are you going to tell him to buy the right wing for the task at hand?

 

[jeckyll]

So are you going to tell him to buy the right wing for the task at hand?

Perhaps just a suggestion of thicker / more bungees?

 

[Tamas]

...better yet! Rope and duct tape!

 

[tech_diver]

Hello Scubaboard,

As the OMS rep, I guess it's time for me to stop lurking and jump in. I get the bungee question all the time and I hear life and death arguments on the issue both ways.

First, my standard disclaimer, OMS is not a training agency. We build advanced equipment for advanced divers operating in a wide range of environments. All divers should know that you gear up appropriately for the specific environment. We build sport bladders, bungeed, non-bungeed, cave bladders, dual bladders etc. All of our equipment evolves from working with top people in our sport.

I've used a lot of different configurations and I have enough gear so I can dive whatever I want. Believe it or not, my main bladder is a bungeed dual #100 even when sport diving. The bungees prevent tank taco and while deflated it's the size of a single #60. The only down side I found is the prescence of the extra inflator which I keep lashed down.

I have personally never had any type of problem that some say bungees cause. The diver's at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab put literally thousands of hours on bungeed bladders (they like the compactness of the bungeed wing).
Non-bungeed wings seem to be the choice of cavers. In recent years, cavers have moved to very minimal rigs and they prefer the clean lines of a nonbungeed wing.

The question really becomes, whats right for you, just like picking an instructor, dive site, charter boat or a pair of fins.

 

[scubatn]

I have 3 OMS wings. I've never had a problem with any of them. The first one I bought was the 65lb non-bungeed wing. I only dove with a single but was looking to move into doubles in the near future. The only thing I noticed with the large bladder and a single tank was the air shift from side to side. With doubles it is great. I also have two bungeed 45lb bladders. I use these primarily for single tanks. If I had to pick one wing to use for doubles and singles I would probably go with a 65lb bungeed wing.