Special on BP/Wing combos. #18 #23 or #35 lift.

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Bryan@Vintage Double Hose

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Scuba Instructor
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Location
Wesley Chapel Florida
Review by Josh in Tennessee


I don't write lot of reviews so I hope some of this will actually be useful. I purchased the 18lb Argonaut wing for my son. He was getting certified and I knew from my own experience that I wanted him in a BP/wing. He's only 12 and most wing manufacturers do not support smaller framed divers. This fits him perfectly and I can use it as well in warm water. My wife is only 5'2" and I will be getting her one as well. I had not seen or held the VDH wing but have never known them to bring anything to market that was not well engineered and high quality. Even so I was pleasantly surprised. I guess quality can be somewhat subjective so I'll compare it to what I have on hand; several wings of varying capacity from known brands.
VDH vs. Oxycheq / Dive Rite / Hollis / HOG

1. Quality of materials:
- On par with Oxycheq. Ahead of the others. Usually it's easy to find the one part of any piece of equipment that could have been improved. Whether its the outer canvas, inner bladder thickness, or inflator/deflator/dump; the others fall short on something. Each part of the VDH seems to be purposely chosen for durability.
2. Quality or manufacturing:
- Again I would put VDH and Oxy in the lead. Even quality material can be assembled sloppy. Everything is well put together. The stitches are tight and clean. The welds seem very durable. Everything is precisely fitted. Usually I find something that makes me think "that will fail first". I could not find a flaw.
3. Design:
- VDH wins. They seem to have taken everything that works well and copied nothing that doesn't. Typically a product must balance purposeful design with simplicity to produce or the cost goes up exponentially. Comparing this to say the HOG wing is like comparing Walmart one-size floor mats with those CAD designed custom fit Weathertechs (you get the idea). Rather than going the route of fewer panels and simple shapes this feels purposefully contoured to perform its task with efficiency.
4. Value:
- VDH no contest. For less than the price of any other wing here I can get an entire setup with backplate, harness, and hardware. That's kind of a no brainer.

When first brought to market they had challenged people to try the product and if it wasn't everything promised...no sweat, money back. That seemed pretty bold considering how many brand "fan boys" are in the diving community. Now I get it. It's hard to convince people they can get quality and value.
I can not imagine anyone being disappointed with this wing.
It is actually going to replace my personal Oxycheq for no other reason than I think any company who values customers enough to put out quality without a premium price deserve support.

Review by Phil Y in the SF Bay area

I bought my Argonaut wing at the recommendation of a buddy. I got a package that included a double hose backplate, harness, and wing. Cam lock straps and all the necessary hardware was also included. Everything is of very high quality. The wing itself is made of a heavy duty material that looks like it will hold up for many years. The stitching is tight and strong. I got the #23 wing, and it is quite compact, but provides plenty of lift for me.
I followed the setup instructions provided on the VDH website, and had the harness and camlocks in place in no time. I was a bit confused by the brass ferrule in the center of the strapping, but it turned out to be for some other application. My buddy helped me fine tune the harness, and it worked flawlessly. This is a fantastic setup There was one issue: because of the between the shoulder blades position of DH regs and my height, the inflator hose was way too short so I had to install a longer hose. The Argonaut wing is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive wing out there, but it certainly is high quality and a great value. I highly recommend it!

Phil Y
 
Review by Dee in Maine.....She is petite 5' 2"

Hi Bryan,

I love my 18# Argonaut wing/BC! I had been diving with an integrated jacket-style BC and thought I liked it… until I was talk into trying the Argonaut wing/BC. I have pockets attached to it so it’s still integrated. I find buoyancy control so much easier. There’s not a lot of fine tuning to get it right. I also like how streamlined the BC is. It doesn’t have all the extra bulk my jacket-style did. Plus, for me, it’s so much easier getting in and out of. I can’t wait to go diving this summer!
 
Review by Uncfnp on SB

Lisa in North Carolina

My previous experiences have been with Dive Rite, Hog and Oxycheq wings. The DR and Hog wings were functional but lesser quality than my Oxycheq in design, materials and workmanship. I loved the Oxycheq 30, low profile and built to last, but it was stiff and took up more room in my luggage then I liked. So I was in the market for a comparable 18 wing but the Oxycheq was just too pricey for me to justify the purchase.

So when VDH introduced their made in the USA 18 wings I knew I wanted one to pair with my freedom plate and I was not disappointed. The quality of construction surpassed my expectations and the materials were obviously selected to withstand the abuse of both divers and dive staff. The profile is extremely streamline and virtually disappears in use. I was a little hesitant when I saw the oval corrugated exhaust hose, I was more accustomed to the smaller round hose, but after diving with it I was very satisfied, especially after my partner’s Hog hose sheared in half during a recent trip.

The built in STAs are large and very stable. The bungees keep the wing tight and air is easy to dump. The camband slots on my wing are small and I understand that later production models have larger slots. But I hope that they kept the flap of material at the slot that helps hold the band in place and lesses the migration that can occur when switching tanks between dives. This is one feature that I have not seen on any other wing.

Would I recommend this wing to other divers? Absolutely and I do. In fact it will be my partner’s next equipment purchase. And since VDH is a small company, in addition to a great product you will also get the personal attention and customer service that Bryan and VDH are known for.
 
IMO, the VDH wing is currently hands down the best single tank wing on the market.
There is no other wing as streamlined combined with all the features it has. The great price makes it that much sweeter.
And no, I’m not affiliated in anyway with VDH since I make backplates, I pay full price just like everyone else.
I’m strictly going by what I see and how it functions.
 
I (family) have wings from HOG (23#, 32#, 50#), Deep6 (23 #, 30#), DSS (30#), DiveRite (eCCR), OxyCheq (30#), and the VDH 18#. I was really a fan of the OxyCheq until getting my hands on the VDH. Everything about it spells quality in construction, materials, and the design elements. The integral bungie really makes for the sweetest compact wing, and diving it seems like you don't have one at all, yet when you need it, it is there..

I have used this wing in warm water (Curacao - AL80's) and in our summer home waters (Niagara River - steel lp85's) in a 3mm shorty, and find it completely up to the task.

The price-point is truly an exceptional value, and VDH really stands behind their products. I really don't think you can find much better across all the categories.

Yes, I also own a Kraken, and use VDH for parts for my other Double Hose regulators. The quality and customer care from VDH is one of the best in the industry.
 
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@OWIC647 - Hi Bryan, got the 23# wing with the Freedom plate and going to try it out next week. Cannot wait to get it in the water. You've discontinued the 23#?
 
@OWIC647 - Hi Bryan, got the 23# wing with the Freedom plate and going to try it out next week. Cannot wait to get it in the water. You've discontinued the 23#?
I'm still feeling out the market. After a lot of feedback from divers using the #35 they noted that it's compact size made it just a little larger than the #23 and they didn't mind having the extra lift available even when diving with single tanks and minimal thermal protection.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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