So many hogs to choose, help me narrow em down....

Ya... that's wierd, Lynne. I know that we all prefer the stiff stuff cause it's easier to get into... it has more 'body', if you will. Besides... I heavy starch my drycleaning... my wife thinks I'm nuts. I like a rough feel to just about everything... I guess it's from my cowboy days.

 

Please review and consider equipment choices before purchasing anything. Bottom line...start with an aluminum plate: Dive Rite, Halcyon, and related webbing. I have two plates SS and AL: both custom made from Fred T (I am 6'4" tall), a standard plate did not work with me in terms of comfort and fit. The SS is good when using a drysuit in open water (ocean). The AL plate is good for most everything else...even a drysuit in fresh water.

Diving with doubles will certainly challenge your notion of trim and bouyancy...it did for me. On the technical diving end...I admit that it does take practice to master the right equipment, fit and then skill and technique.

In sum, I use a custom plate and Dive Rite products: webbing, wing, other items etc.

I do not have a dough-nut style wing...my understanding mostly used for single tanks. For recreational diving with singles, I used my Dive Rite TRanspac. Dive Rite wings offer variability with style of diving.

By the way...I bought unfinished plates from Fred T and then spent a few weekends finishing them off myself with a Dremel tool and sand paper / polishing compounds. Great plates...I had my AL plate wreck diving in Bikini Atoll.

Take care and good luck.

 

I think for value and quality, you can't beat an Oxycheq wing. As plates, pretty hard to beat HH for value. I've 2 Oxy wings and an aluminum HH plate. I also have a stainless DR plate I picked up from Scubatoys at a really nice price.
As for webbing, I prefer stiffer. Better memory. It retains it's shape better and is easier to don.

 

As I've heard above, is the Halcyon webbing noticeably thinner that other webbing? I'm not sure if I would like webbing that is thinner, I would prefer to have the webbing be stiffer... BTW, thanks for all the advice and opinions guys. This is definitely helping me narrow down my options. I also just bought that Aeris Atmos 2 wrist computer off Scuba Toys. With that 10% discount, getting that computer with nitrox compatible for $200 was hard to pass. Already off to getting all my gear....

 

If you decide to buy a HammerHead SS plate, keep one thing in mind. The plates are not finished. You recieved them, just as they are after have the holes cut. There will most likely be burrs and lips along the edges and the holes.

Theses aren't bad, but I like my plate cleaner. So I spend a day with some hobby files, and rounded all the edges. Then I took 1600 (or something close IIRC) grit sandpaper and polished the plate. It took some elbow grease, but now it looks as good as most "finished" plates you buy. I love my HammerHead.

Comrade Stroke

 

thanks for the advice fire diver

 

I disagree on the streamlining comment. My donut wing is a lot more streamlined than my horseshoe. I find my donut wing much easier to dive than the horseshoe and can hardly wait till I can afford a donut doubles wing.

See if you can find buddies or a shop that will let you try their wing. Then you will know which you prefer. The last class I took, one of the students was having problems with their wing. I was using my doubles, so donated my wing for the course and it was amazing how much more comfortable the student was in the water right off the bat.

You might also look for used wings. That will give you a chance to try something and then move on to another without spending as much money.

Willie

 

I actually considered adding starch to my already the-stiffest-stuff-I-could-find webbing. Must be a guy thing.

 

I've had problems with the reef scuba webbing being too thick to fit through Oxycheq and Salvo SS belt buckles properly. Too thick to go twice through the slot in the metal...

 

SO did I, but it can be done. You just need some needle nosed plier, a lot of free time, and a penchant for cursing at your gear.

Comrade Stroke