Second guessing my BC choice (Hydros Pro)

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

I purchased my Hydros Pro used from my LDS, before my OW even started. It was the shop owners' personnal BCD. I found on occasion, I would be rolling. After much frustration, I actually weighed the lead I was using. Rather surprised to find one 10 lb weight was actually 9lbs 8oz, and the other 10lbs 6oz. That difference in weight, is what was causing my rolling, not the bladder tacoing. I went to a fishing store and purchased a bunch of 2oz pencil leads, and used them to equalize my weight distribution. No more rolling. Almost 300 dives on my Hydros now and I still love it.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

There's Mercedes and there is "Toyo Auto" and everything in between. They all take you places but there is a world of difference between them; Safety, longevity, financial stability, R&D, innovation, worldwide availability, global support, on and on....

To argue otherwise is just a matter of source grapes

Given the electrical issues that have plagued various Mercedes Benz models, my guess is that you've never actually owned ones.

Great Autobahn cruisers but poor rally cars

 

[Nemrod]

I don't believe there are a number of "best" brands. In my Highlander voice, "there can be only one." There are many offerrings that are very very good. For me, the evaluation of the best is one that can handle the most extreme condition: water temperatures close to freezing. Handling O2 up to 100% is another (rules out titanium that you said you liked).

There's just way too many outlandish claims being made in this thread and others in which no backing data is ever provided.


What advantages does the glass fiber content give? Just strength? If so, how much? I'm a data guy, so if there's a 10% increase in strength, I don't consider that significant. If it is 10x, then yes I am. Asking out of curiosity. Parts availability are not available direct to consumer, only accredited shops, unless you have a connection to such a shop and someone there willing to sell you. That's not an advantage to me.

I don't think you can say that. There's not much variety to regs. They do have some unique features, but so does Deep 6 (a "turbine piston"). Despite their uniqueness, one individual insists that they are copies of Apeks. I don't know how to convince this particular flat earther that the world is round. You may hear ScubaPro fanbois making this claim, but without the data of timeline of reg introductions and detailed analysis of the construction, such claims are farts in the wind.

Cheaper with equal performance means better return.

I can't say which regs do and do not have "second stage cases fiber reinforced." I haven't heard of that being an issue. That doesn't mean that an issue doesn't exist, just that I haven't read of any. My ears are open to anyone who can explain with real data.

I don't due to the oxygen percentage limit.

The trail to the Confluence in Canyonlands National Park is a famous spot for Jeeps tipping over due to the short wheelbase and tight turn (a longer wheelbase and making adjustments is allegedly the better way to go, like a Landrover Defender 90 - no personal experience as as I walked it as I was driving a non-trail rated SUV).

It isn't a bad product, but I'm not sure what you mean by "novel tech". I think the OP may have a defective one, and no product out there doesn't have some instances of defects, so can't knock ScubaPro for that. XDeep got screwed by an issue from a supplier for their regs with a tools issue. They didn't deserve the bashing they received for that.

But at $1100, that is stupid expensive. I'm all for paying for quality gear, but at some point the diminishing returns become zero. A crazy almost expensive Halcyon Eclipse is at $920, over 15% less. Is anyone going to claim that the ScubaPro is as durable as the Halcyon? GTFOOH. And I'm not Halycon fan. Good gear, but way too expensive.

For warm water diving, it is hard to beat an XDeep Ghost, which is less expensive than both. I regret selling mine as I'd have my wife or daughter use it one day.


In general, people are generally happy with the gear they have purchased, with rare exceptions. I've owned/own Deep 6 Signature, ScubaPro MK25 Evo / S600, Atomic M1, Apeks XTX50, and Aqualung. Anyone buying those brands is likely to be happy. Some might even claim that they are "the best".

But there is no best. There's easiest to service. There's lightest. There's strongest. There's can handle coldest water. There's all sorts of criteria/preferences that people have.

But the truly best regulators are on rebreathers!

I do not have the time to respond ot all of that now, tryng to mow the acreage. I do appreciate your opinions and your explanations of what best means to you. I helped drag this thread way off course, my fault, at least partly .

The 30% glass fiber does increase strength considerably, particularly impact resistance. You can accept that or not. It was not added to just be pretty in all manner of products using fiber reinforcement of polymers.

The novel tech I referred to now more than once is the flexible, monoprene plate and other bits. A main line manufacturer is never going to send a metal plate with a roll of webbing to a dealer or customer and say cut to fit. The Hydros, like several other interpretations of a wing/bp hits some good things and misses a bunch more. We tend to gloss over the many negatives of plates, particularly the use of plates with single tanks that were designed initially for doubles. The Hydros is not a bad BC. For some diver it could very well be a best choice. For me and you, hardly, not at all, we would never purchase such a thing because we have scissors and can cut to fit .

James

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I do not have the time to respond ot all of that now, tryng to mow the acreage. I do appreciate your opinions and your explanations of what best means to you. I helped drag this thread way off course, my fault, at least partly .

The 30% glass fiber does increase strength considerably, particularly impact resistance. You can accept that or not. It was not added to just be pretty in all manner of products using fiber reinforcement of polymers.

Fair enough. I'm just really curious about the data. My question is more addressed to anyone (including you). While I would suspect that it does increase strength, my curiosity begs me to ask how much.

The novel tech I referred to now more than once is the flexible, monoprene plate and other bits. A main line manufacturer is never going to send a metal plate with a roll of webbing to a dealer or customer and say cut to fit. The Hydros, like several other interpretations of a wing/bp hits some good things and misses a bunch more. We tend to gloss over the many negatives of plates, particularly the use of plates with single tanks that were designed initially for doubles. The Hydros is not a bad BC. For some diver it could very well be a best choice. For me and you, hardly, not at all, we would never purchase such a thing because we have scissors and can cut to fit .

James

Fair enough!

Thanks for answering.

 

[Pressurehead]

I switched to the "travel harness" that came with my BCD leaving me to use a weight belt and after I figured out where I wanted my weights positioned I felt more stable than I ever did with the integrated pockets. So much so that I wondered why I ever used the weight pockets. Moving weight around can work wonders for stability.

This has been my experience with the Hydros pro, easy on/off for an old guy like me, and I can climb a boat ladder and 'not bust a boiler' after passing up my weight belt and still have weight in the trim pockets.
It is a good system, forget "the noise" on here.
My 2 BP/Wings [one piece harness] have been dry for most of this year, and I have done plenty of dives.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I suspect that is not a "Hydros" thing and more of an "Any BCD" thing. If you try to dump air when the bladder is empty, some water will get in. If you dump air with the manual inflator button, a little water will run down the corrugated hose. Simply, the more you do the add/dump cycle, the more water will accumulate in the bladder. Check how much water is in the wing after each dive... you will find a correlation between how much you messed with it and how much water is in it. When I started (and my buoyancy was all over) having a cup of water in the wing after a dive wasn't unusual.... now that my buoyancy sucks less, and I hardly put any air in the wing/rarely have to adjust it, a tablespoon of water in it after a dive is more common.
In a vest style BCD you probably won't notice... it will run down to the front of the vest and not affect lateral balance. In a back inflate or BPW it is a little more likely to effect air distribution and therefore balance. The water is by definition neutral, so it only affects balance by potentially affecting air distribution.

Respectfully,

James

I never worry about sea water getting into the wing.
They’re made for it.
And like you said, water is neutral in water so it could be half full but you’d still be able to control buoyancy. Even if it was 100% full, as soon as you hit the inflator button it would push water out the butt dump and air would replace it providing buoyancy. Getting out of the water on a beach dive it might suck though, or climbing a boat ladder. Again, just hit the inflator and push it all out, no problem.
Don’t forget to rinse it well when you get home.

 

[BoltSnap]

Given the electrical issues that have plagued various Mercedes Benz models, my guess is that you've never actually owned ones.

Great Autobahn cruisers but poor rally cars

You my family and relatives have driven Mercedes Benz since the 50's and before. My father has driven Mercedes exclusively all of his life. My grandfathers (on both side) did. My brothers drive Mercedes. I drove/owned Mercedes and Audi. I know Mercedes VERY well. NEVER had any issues with Mercedes and NEVER regretted buying or driving one. My uncle has the oldest Mercedes and first to enter Libya, he inherited it from his father, my great uncle. It still works today. I know good value and appreciate quality and products with long history and manufacturer longevity and stability.

Have you or one from your family owned one?