The Halcyon Eclipse single tank wing

[ElectricZombie]

The must let anyone be a diving journalist.

I don't think the author has an anti-Halcyon agenda...even if he did, I could care less. Halcyon makes good stuff, but I don't have any blind allegiance to them. If another company were to make a product that I thought was better, I would switch brands. I simply don't like the fact that the author attributes his problems in the water to the design of the Eclipse. Perhaps if someone had shown him how the BC was intended to be used, his review would have been more positive. How can you write a review when you don't even bother to learn how the product works? The product is hardly to blame when you don't know how it works or understand the reasoning behind it. The author should have done his research on the product before testing it out. As a result of this poor review, a lot of people probably not even consider this BC.

 

[detroit diver]

Don't know. It's not my problem. Talk to Halcyon's marketing people.

This seems to be an interesting problem for Halcyon. *If* they are trying to expand their marketshare, how do they convince the average recreational diver who doesn't know anything about DIR that their's is a better product?

If they are sticking to their original mission of providing DIR gear for DIR divers then they don't have a problem at all because GUE solves it for them.

We can blame the reviewer, but isn't the typical diver going to walk away with the same misconceptions?

 

[d33ps1x]

"The Eclipse follows the "less is more" philosophy, but this does give those whose job it is to market the product something of a problem. In our added-value world, how can you sell something that actually strives to give you less?"

Some would disagree with this and some companies such as Halcyon have made a decent living at marketing the less is more philosophy.

 

[dbulmer]

ElectricZombie,
I think it's fair to say that the review could have been better. Around the same time the BSAC dive mag reviewed the Eclipse and the review was derided by practically anyone who has ever dived with a wing.

John Bantin has dived with a wing a number of times and is entitled to his opinion. To suggest he does not understand how it works or the reasoning behind it is complete bollocks! You might not like his review but to question his diving professionalism is going to far in my most since humble and contrite opinion.

 

[nalfein]

I don't think anyone suggested that he was DIR or Halcyon bashing. Just that he had reviewed something improperly without understanding the way it works.

Agreed.. Some of the responses just seemed a little vehement, kind of personal that's all. But... either way, I've never used a Halcyon product, but the review didn't turn me off them, and I have a great deal of respect for what I know of the DIR system. No harm done here anyway... eace:

 

[chrpai]

Don't know. It's not my problem. Talk to Halcyon's marketing people.

Then why do we so quickly blame the reviewer?

 

[chrpai]

Some would disagree with this and some companies such as Halcyon have made a decent living at marketing the less is more philosophy.

Thats because they have client base has been a group that has already been introduced to this concept and agrees with it. The point was how do they increase their marketshare to a larger audience who doesn't nessecarily think this way?

 

[turnerjd]

I think that the critics have somewhat missed the point.

If you are a DIRer then don't continue reading............

Diver magasine is aimed at the 99% of BRITISH divers that do not DIR. Halcyon will have submitted the product to be reviewed by the magasine. Points that are made about specific DIR technique do not apply, since the product was submitted to a magasine that caters for NON DIR divers (DIW divers??? Doing it wrong???). It was reviewed for non DIR divers.

Many of the criticisms of the review (in fact almost all) that have been raised are DIR specific. A good example is the top dump. PADI, NAUI, SSI, BSAC, SAA, etc..... ALL teach divers to ascend vertically. 99percent of the worlds divers ascend vertically. The product was reviewed as such.

The review is, overall, very positive about the product. DIW divers will apreciate the review as it is honest. DIR divers won't like the review as it is not written by a DIR diver emphasising that it is the percfect DIR product.

Occasionally the 1% that are DIR divers will have to accept that their products are reviewed, by non DIR divers, using non DIR techniques, for their suitability for the other 99% of divers. Halcyon are trying to appeal to the other 99% to increase their market share, this might not appeal to DIR purists, but obviously Halcyon think it is necessary or they wouldn't have submitted the wing to a recreational diving magasine.

Jon T

PS In the UK, DIR is probably less than 1%, from the (conservative estimate of) 80,000 divers in the UK, there are probably only a hundred or so that dive DIR. (0.125%)

 

[5615mike]

Halcyons marketing program is DIR. The book Doing it right - The fundamentals of better diving has pictures of their gear throughout the book and continuously mentions the name. I very much like the DIR method for the most part put wont' be dictated to about whose gear I use. They say they don't but you talk to many of them and you'll find out differently. Other mfgs gear won't "pass" because its not just like Halcyon. It's just too expensive. Can buy many quality rigs for loads less.......IMO

 

[saying]

A well thought out and worded response without any one-sided rhetoric or potentially blind adherancy.

This type of nonsense has no place in a discussion of Halcyon products or anything DIR related, for that matter.

....

PS: to those who keep harping on "This guy doesn't know what he's talking about:" I suspect as a reviewer for a dive magazine (and not just Bob's Localy Underfunded Divers either) he's had the opportunity to try exponentially more BC systems than you ever have.