Suggestion Splitting the BCD Forum

[Jarrett]

The BCD section has become consumed with discussion about BP/W's. It is to the point that you can't get advice on non BP/W questions there anymore. Any request for information about non-BP/W BCDs is met with 10 responses of "you should get a BP/W."

Most of the non-BP/W users have quit posting in that forum due to the beating that they take when they mention anything but a BP/W. While the BP/W may be a great option for some, the majority of divers out there are not in BP/W setups and still need advice there as well.

My suggestion is to split this forum.

How about subsections like:

Traditional BCDs (Jacket/Back-inflate)
Backplates & Wings

That way posters interested in each could inquire and receive non combative discussions on each type of platform. I believe this would also bring more traditional BCD owners back to the forum for discussions who may otherwise be reluctant to post these days due to the current bias.

 

[djanni]

But they won't make you a better diver, now will they?

That is exactly the inference that gets under my skin. I find it beguiling.

SB Staff members, past and present, participte in it as well and it ranges from disguised to overt. If you're considering some sort of enforcement, then containing that is a discipline that you should instill in your own team.

 

[djanni]

There is some serious paranoia goin' on around here.

And some of conclusions being drawn are just plain ridiculous.

Stephen: I think the question is "who are the paraniod ones?" Those who bp/w or those who don't.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

Stephen: I think the question is "who are the paraniod ones?" Those who bp/w or those who don't.

... not following you, Don.

 

[divad]

Stephen: I think the question is "who are the paraniod ones?" Those who bp/w or those who don't.

Neither. The paranoid ones are those who want to legislate some sort of protection against some perceived threat that doesn't exist.

 

[djanni]

... not following you, Don.

Not sure I knew what you were talking about either.

When I see experienced divers, such as yourself, discussing bp/w's that's one thing but I often think that the considerably less experienced dives who evangelize about bp/w's as if they were the second coming of GOD are perhaps, seeking approval because they really are not sure they made the best purchase decision in first place. Therefore they are a bit paranoid.

I think you know me well enough to know I have nothing against a bp/w and that I've never said a single thing negative about them. Yet I do call BS when I sense it.

 

[divad]

SB Staff members, past and present, participte in it as well and it ranges from disguised to overt.

Yeah, maybe they're Free Masons.

 

[H2Andy]

SB Staff members, past and present, participte in it as well and it ranges from disguised to overt. If you're considering some sort of enforcement, then containing that is a discipline that you should instill in your own team.

as far as i know, TOS applies to Mods as well ... since it's not against TOS at the moment (and has never been against TOS) to mention bp/wings in the bcd forum, the Mods have done nothing wrong. likewise, there's nothing wrong (yet) about being passionate about what kind of bc you use.

and if the rules change, i am sure the Mods will be the first to follow the new rules

in the meantime, we all could be a little (a) less prone to pounce; and (b) less prone to take offense, no matter who we are. i dont' see how being staff has any relevance here.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

The paranoid ones are those who want to legislate some sort of protection against some perceived threat that doesn't exist.

That's what I was talking about. More specifically, this...

The flow of this thread basically proves my point. Not only by twisting this into a BP/W discussion, but again the vocal minority is overwhelming the discussion and subsequently silencing the majority which will ultimately hurt the board as a whole.

... is nuts!

 

[djanni]

as far as i know, TOS applies to Mods as well ... since it's not against TOS at the moment (and has never been against TOS) to mention bp/wings in the bcd forum, the Mods have done nothing wrong. likewise, there's nothing wrong (yet) about being passionate about what kind of bc you use.

and if the rules change, i am sure the Mods will be the first to follow the new rules

in the meantime, we all could be a little (a) less prone to pounce; and (b) less prone to take offense, no matter who we are. i dont' see how being staff has any relevance here.

Andy, I'm pretty passionate about my gear too and it's not the passion I was talking about and you know that.

Other than to better support twin tanks or side mount and the like, there's nothing you can do in your bp/w better than I can do in my BC. Absolutely nothing.

 

[*Floater*]

I truly don't want to see the forum split into two subcategories, but I think it should be pointed out that much of the discussion here on this thread is proving the OP's point somewhat. This should be a simple discussion - split into two subforums or not, pros and cons. Instead it has too many elements of why BP/Ws are good or preferable, arguments about the market penetration of BP/Ws by people on both sides of the arguement who only have personal observations but don't have any real market data, etc. The sidetracking away from the core question is distracting.

It seems there has been plenty of opinion weighed in here - does SB administration have a position yet or not? And if not, what data is lacking?

The pros and cons have pretty much been covered already. Now after 10+ pages I think it should be fine for a thread to evolve in a slightly different direction. One of the topics brought up was whether or not the overproportionately high number of bp/w posts relative to real world users was justified. To that end a discussion of bp/w market penetration is pertinent.

If backplates and wings are indeed gaining market share among recreational divers then there is nothing weird about them gaining recommendation share over in the BCD section. Now some people are asking for hard data knowing full well that the posters here don't have access to it, but it works the other way too. Namely, many here seem to be assuming that the high interest in bp/w's on SB is not reflected in real world trends, BCD sales patterns and user satisfaction with no hard data to back it up.