I will say this i own a hub and i will explain my reasons for it
First off from the other thread scorpiofish what shop are you a instructor out of? Because you have some issues that a shrink needs to help you with
Also to all of the naysayers have you ever looked at a hub up close and personal? Well i will say this the mares version looks like a fake leather couch with all of the vinyl on it as opposed to the nylon material used on the dacor version. (not to mention after a years use in the sun that the plastic is going to turn colors and crack. also that dumb pneumatic tank strap is a joke and not worth the 2 bens for it and it also add unneeded cost to the rig
as for the stress point i will agree with that but there are multiple stress/failure points in normal BC (do not forget all of the stitched and glued seems) but the connections in the back plate as solid in the dacor and the hoses arent flexed as bad as the mares version and sit lower in the back plate (with in 2 in from the bottom of the BCD)
Yes you can change out the regs and octos on the hub to what you see fit and if you wish you can plug the reg pocket and run them off the first stage. and with the use of the included swivel your not getting pulled to the side because of the hose placement. The one thing that tends to get people is on the octo they dont know were grab for it on me but i made a minor change to include a pull tab located on the D ring that when they pull it they have direct access to it (this pull tab is in the standard triangle as taught in OW classes) the octo flap on me i located right on my hip so that its technically in the triangle but not a visible as being on the harness straps normally. If someone rips the reg out of my mouth so be it there going to bite into my molded mouth piece and i will calmly grab the octo and continue to breath normally and calm them down before they try to kill me.
Roakey on the power infla/defla yes you can get to it in a hurry if it malfunctions, its as easy as disconnecting the LP hose on a normal BC (i have practiced this many times so that if it does happen i know what to do and disconnect it, also know were my oral inflator is and exactly were the dump valve pulls are.
As for the no weight integration in the dacor hub, it doesnt bother me at all because i would rather use a weight belt if i needed to. The one thing through both of these threads that hasnt been mentioned is that the hubs are natural negative 12 lbs with a full AL80 CF tank which is more then enough for me, unless im diving a dry suit, then i need a weight belt and ankle weights) also you can add more weight into the hub if needed, you can stick in each pocket on the dragon wing a 4 lb hard weight or 5 lb soft shot weight. So there is up to 22 of lead and with ankle weights it would make it 25 and that more then a enough for the average diver unless your in a 7mm suit
As for the regs (I have the Viper America, not the older tec in some of the first ones) i like them for a couple of reasons, one is that they are lightweight. This is a great concern for me because i have jaw fatigue that can get real bad, due to orthodontic work that caused the alignment (my bite) to be corrected at 1/8" more then it should (IE teeth a severely clinched in normal position, which has cause cracked teeth), as for the octo it does its job a back up if something happens. On a side note on the regs it that the build of them is streamlined and more effienet to me (i hate having a bid hockey puck sitting in front of my face). and if you need to change or length your hoses you can there is enough room in the reg pockets for a larger hose, its just that they will be coiled a lot in that pocket. The one thing that i wish they would included is the octo plug to keep water out of the insides of the octo, but oh well i got one for a couple of dollars
As for the price of it i got mine for a good deal, about the same price (with in $50) as picking up a BCD (the BCDS i was looking at were the Cresi 109 and 111), viper america, and viper octo.
As for getting is serviced or cleaning it is real simple if the jacket needs to be fixed i detach the regs, octo and computer and take it in. If you have to remove the 1st stage you can take it off and there are caps for the hoses that go into the back plate for the LP and HP ports. So that argument is a mute point. The normal cleaning of the BCD is like any other. The BCD is designed with the power deflator to stop water from coming in. (in the dacor hubs white papers, (aka technical report) that the power value are a 2 tier system that when power deflator is depressed it checks to see if there is air in the bcd if there is it opens the bottom valve that lets the air out through the second part of the value not allowing in any water inside of the bcd, and this is true. One the BCD there are 2 power valves and 2 normal valve with pull strings, so if any water gets in it will be with these valves. Yes i have gotten water inside of the BCD but it was very little (a couple of ounces if that). To clean the inside if you do need to the best way is on the left side were the oral inflator tube is attached with a screw in adaptor which is large enough for a hose and then normal BCD inside cleaning procedures apply, and general maintenance is the same for the regs.
As for the streamlining it very good and nothing is hanging off of me to get dragged or damaged. Also you dont have the hoses from your first stage all around your head and behind you if they go back, if my spit my reg out its in arms reach because of the hose placement and length. With the dragon fly wing it helps me hover horizontal in the water above a platform or a object im looking at. and on the surface it tends to put me face down but that the same on all back wing BCD's
For what its worth
Dan
aka
Scubatooth
Plano Texas
;-0
