Scubaforce or Hollis

[Alexander Nygaard]

Hi.

I'm looking for a sidemount setup.

I'm right now looking at hollis sms 50 and scubaforce blade comfort. Both of them are almost new.

I'm new to sidemount, so I don't really know what to look for.

Anybody that can help me choosing between these two?

I'm diving in cold water, so I'm using a drysuit.

 

[Valeriy Vakshul]

hollis katana2

 

[Thrutch]

Out of those two, I would go with the Scubaforce. The SMS 50 only has 23 lbs of lift. I'm cold water sidemount diver, and that would not be enough for me, especially in winter when I have more than that just in lead, not counting the HP100s. The Blade has a massive 65 lbs of lift, which is too much for most applications, but at least you've got it when you need it.

 

[Alexander Nygaard]

Thanks for the quick answer

I will go for the scubaforce then. It's also brand new, and I can get a good discount on it

If I should look for another one, witch one would you recommend then?

 

[Thrutch]

I like my xDeep Stealth Tec quite a bit, but they say if you ask ten sidemount divers what the best setup is, you'll get eleven answers.

 

[Alexander Nygaard]

I also like the xdeep, but I can save 200 euro if I buy the scubaforce

 

[Thrutch]

Totally. 200 euro is a lot of diving.

 

[grantctobin]

As one of the few people on the forum that has had one, I would discourage the blade. There’s a reason it’s often discounted.

Manufacturing quality questionable
The top dump is exposed
The way the dumps and inflator elbow joins with the wing cover meant two of my three dumps had issues or are liable to poke through (SF replaced them, the seal of the flanges depended on the poorly made wing cover)
There is no baffle in the wing so it balloons and the lift bubble is too high
Installation of loop bungees (as per the setup guide) mean the length of the bungees change when the wing is inflated
Weight “plate” or weight pockets do not let the weight sit in the center
Inflator parts aren’t compatible with the OEM inflator most others use
Harness plates aren’t shaped well
The way the dumps pull out of the OPV if you’re running it over your shoulder makes it more like to fray.

If it was the only SM wing I could buy I would make my own using an MSR bag, but hey maybe Horst improved it

 

[Jens Bölte]

Hello,

The inflator hose on the Scubaforce is quite long. I would have to replace it. The knob on the right dumb valve tends to get caught under the tank. The loop bungee is harder to adjust than on a xdeep. I was so at least on the one I saw (may have been configured incorrectly). The bladder comes quite far forward. This is also a problem with the xdeep tec. So if you're thin, you won't have much room for D-rings.

Best wishes Jens

 

[rddvet]

I also like the xdeep, but I can save 200 euro if I buy the scubaforce

If that’s a major factor in your decision that’s an issue. Nothing in diving is cheap. You try to be a cheap and you’ll end up either buying something else eventually or you’re going to look like half the people diving ow sm with your tanks below your knees and a beach ball on your back.