Tech equipment

[MNawman]

I am looking to get some tech equipment for cave and deep wreck diving. I am seriously looking at USIA drysuit and either OMS or Halcyon for tanks, wings, 1st stage, regs, lights etc. What do you guys think of these brands? Any problems, what to avoid, better brands. Naturally I want good quality thats made for these environments and cost is secondary. Also where are the best places to buy this equipment. The dive shops here in Albq are not familiar with this type of diving and will try to sell you the brands that they carry. Most of them do not know what DIR means. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MSilvia]

Never heard of USIA, I have mixed feelings on OMS depending on the specific piece of gear, and I like Halcyon, but find much of their stuff unnecessarily overpriced.

Personally I have and like an OMS bottom timer, OMS submersible marker buoy, and an OMS oxygen service rated regulator on one of my deco tanks. The only Halcyon gear I have is an Explorer wing, and I'm very happy with it.

I'd look at Faber or PST for steel tanks, Luxfer AL40s for deco gas, Scubapro or Apeks for regulators (DS4 is a great Apeks 1st stage for doubles), Hammerhead or Deep Sea Supply (DSS) for your backplate, and regardless of manufacturer, you're eventually going to want a strong HID canister light like the ones made by (among others) DiveRite and Halcyon. I use the Photon Torpedo backup lights, and have been very happy with them. I dive a Bare drysuit, but would recommend DUI as having arguably the best reputation. As for "etc.", keep reading and learning. If you want advice on a particular piece of kit, just ask. Your instructor should be able to give you guidance too.

 

[double80s]

Set a budget for yourself then look at your options. Are you planning on purchasing everything at once? Oxycheq, DiveRite, Halcyon are probably the most popular wing brands. Salvo, Sartek, DiveRite, Halcyon have a majority of the HID market. There are other choices as well. Like I said, your budget will direct some of your choice.

If you have any questions about Oxycheq or Salvo products, feel free to PM me.

 

[OE2X]

IMHO:
For tech environment USIA is not your best choice of suits. I almost hate to say this but the DUI TLS would be a very good option since Andy's is no longer available.

BPW - Oxycheq or Halcyon

Regs - Scubapro or Apeks

Light - Salvo 21W

Backup light - I really like my Halcyon Scouts

SPG - OMS or Salvo

Fins - Scubapro Jets or Turtles with spring straps.

Tanks- PST or the new Worthingtons

 

[Captain CaveMan]

I realy like my OMS gear and I think you will too. but I do have DR and Halcyon gear too. my gear-

wing- Halcyon pionner
bp/ OMS

weight pockets- DR 32oz riged my way not theres

regs- Apex

light- just good hand lights but soon Salvo 21w

soon-
104 lp fabers

dui or bear dry suit.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I am looking to get some tech equipment for cave and deep wreck diving. I am seriously looking at USIA drysuit and either OMS or Halcyon for tanks, wings, 1st stage, regs, lights etc. What do you guys think of these brands? Any problems, what to avoid, better brands. Naturally I want good quality thats made for these environments and cost is secondary. Also where are the best places to buy this equipment. The dive shops here in Albq are not familiar with this type of diving and will try to sell you the brands that they carry. Most of them do not know what DIR means. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Brands matter less than fit and function ...

Drysuit - go with a good trilaminate ... the TLS350 is popular (I love mine), but if you're planning to do wreck diving be advised that there are more durable suits out there ... like the CLX450 or the Diving Concepts Ultraflex Pro.

Undergarment - warmth is the obvious concern ... but for the type of diving you're talking about, choose a material that will keep you warm when (not if) your suit springs a leak. 300G thinsulate suits are a good choice. Again, get something that fits properly and is made of a 4-way stretch material ... or you'll compromise your flexibility and comfort.

Wings - lots of good wings available today ... avoid "compromise" wings if you're thinking to set up both doubles and singles wings, and get one for each application. Dual-layer wings (a urethane bladder inside an outer, protective shell) are usually a better choice for wrecks, as they're more difficult to damage, and easier to repair. Some wings worth looking at ... Halcyon, Oxycheq, Deep Sea Supply, Agir ... Dive Rite if you're looking for a doubles wing (Classic), but to my concern they don't have a "winner" in the singles wing category.

First stages - can't go wrong with Apeks or ScubaPro, but there are other good brands out there too. Aqualung, Mares, Zeagle, and Atomic make some very good high-end regs.

Second stages - my personal preference is the ScubaPro S600 ... but there are other excellent choices by the same manufacturers mentioned above.

Tanks - personally I like both the Faber and PST steels ... other's mileage will vary. OMS tanks are just Fabers with a different color paint and a higher price tag. If cost is no object, I guess they're OK.

Lights - I've gone through a number of HID canister lights ... to my concern, Salvo wins hands-down for price, performance, and service. I own the 18W, 9AH NiMH version, and love it, but he's got some sweet new designs out since I got that one. My Halcyon light was a huge disappointment ... it spent more time getting repaired than it did getting used.

Where to buy? Lots of places ... here's a link to one place that lots of folks buy technical gear from ... http://www.fifthd.com/ ... in the interest of full-disclosure, I work there (part-time staff instructor) ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[lamont]

First stages - can't go wrong with Apeks or ScubaPro, but there are other good brands out there too. Aqualung, Mares, Zeagle, and Atomic make some very good high-end regs.

Second stages - my personal preference is the ScubaPro S600 ... but there are other excellent choices by the same manufacturers mentioned above.

For Apeks, DS4s make excellent first stages and ATX50s/TX50s breathe almost as well as the ATX100 or ATX200 second stage regs, so you can probably save a little money. If I had it to do all over again, I'd go all ATX50s or TX50s. I think I've got an ATX200, ATX100, ATX50, TX50, ATX40 and ATX20 and can't really tell much of a difference between them all, other than the 40s and 20s aren't as adjustable without a hex wrench, and the TX ones have the larger exhaust tee (some people like TX reg for primary to keep bubbles out of face, ATX reg for backup to keep it small, i don't really see much of a difference either way). I haven't tried anything other than the DS4s for first stages.

 

[Manta]

I am looking to get some tech equipment for cave and deep wreck diving. I am seriously looking at USIA drysuit and either OMS or Halcyon for tanks, wings, 1st stage, regs, lights etc. What do you guys think of these brands? Any problems, what to avoid, better brands. Naturally I want good quality thats made for these environments and cost is secondary. Also where are the best places to buy this equipment. The dive shops here in Albq are not familiar with this type of diving and will try to sell you the brands that they carry. Most of them do not know what DIR means. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I Use Halcyon wings, OMS SS back plate, DUI CF 200 dry suit, SP for my reg's and Nikek HE computer, All of these MFG's make good equipment. I feel you will have much less drag with un-bungeed wings. I used the OMS 100lb wings for double 120's and when I switched over the un-bungeed Halcyon wings the difference was dramatic. As far as Regs go, Poseidon and Apex are very good too. I would take a look at the VR3 computer it is very expandable.

As for Light, all I can say is Green Force. you will not find a more versatile system on the market. We have 10 and 21watt HID available with several different battery options available. Go to www.mantaindustries.com. Rated to 900ft., triple O-ring sealed, twist activation (no switches to fail) seal batteries (can't flood it, there is no "pop top" that pops open; it will happen) and the only light made ISO 9001 certified.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Thanks - Greg

 

[MNawman]

Thanks to everyone for their input. There seems to be a general consensus on gear which is always good. Some of the brands I haven't heard of but if there are so many tech divers using them they have to be good. Now comes the fun part of buying new gear and trying it out!! Thanks again, time to get wet!