The short list

[Conor]

I have been looking around and with the help of some of the guys on this board have limited my options down to 6. Any opinions/ experiences or alternatives would be appreciated. BTW I accept I know almost nothing about this so feel free to point out obvious points I may have missed.

I could also do with some advice on how much lift I would need. Heaviest suit I expect to be wearing would be a 5mmm shorty over a 5mm full suit. So far I have been wearing weights loaned by dive schools so the most I can say about how much lead I would be using is that with the 5mm long suit I was slightly to bouyant with 16lb and too heavy with 20 lb.

Also I am going to try to include a poll as I have never done it before and want to see if it works

Price (£) Lift
Buddy Tek/Trav wing 175 16/22.5
Scubapro Glide X-wing 200
Dive Rite TranspacII + travel wing 259
Custom Divers TBK Sport wing 273 60
Zeagle Ranger 375 44
Seaquest Raider 389 50

 

[O-ring]

If I "had" to get one of those I would get the Transpac. Have you looked at a BP/wing setup yet? Just wondering why that didn't make the top 6 list...

 

[Conor]

I was a little concerned that with the limited number of dives I get to do and the absence of more experienced buddies to help me set it up well, that I would get myself to confused or uncomfortable. But besides that, yes it should be on the list.

 

[stiebs]

Not sure if you saw it, but I posted a similar question a few days ago:
http://www.scubaboard.com/t18553/s.html

I ended up taking a good look at the SeaQuest Balance, and I'm picking it up on Tuesday.

 

[leadweight]

I put the Transpac 2 at the top. Avoid the Raider, it is heavy, bulky and expensive. Not sure what a Glide x-wing is or a TBK. Those must be UK only.

 

[O-ring]

Conor once bubbled...
I was a little concerned that with the limited number of dives I get to do and the absence of more experienced buddies to help me set it up well, that I would get myself to confused or uncomfortable. But besides that, yes it should be on the list.

The *sigh* was from the lack of bp/wing, but you considered it so I can't fault you there. You could always buy one already assembled (that's what I did the first time around) so you can see how they set it up. I even took digital pictures before I removed the buckle the first time because I was scared of messing it up .

It was really a lot less complicated than I thought..

 

[metridium]

If those six are my only choices....

I'd pick whichever had the highest resale value.

 

[leadweight]

metridium once bubbled...
If those six are my only choices....

I'd pick whichever had the highest resale value.

What did you have for breakfast Met? Mean flakes? Just trying to do him a favor? My way or the highway?

 

[Conor]

To answer some questions.....

Froop; I had a look at your thread, but the balance doesn't seem to be in many of the dealers I know in the Uk and so couldn't really find as competitive a price and also it would concern me for spares n repairs (uk guys feel free to point me in the right direction).

Leadweight; The glideX, seems to be the same item listed under multiple names, which might mean it is a uk model, the TBK is from a UK company, if you are curious details are available at ...
http://www.customdivers.com/tbksportwing.htm
the x wing can be seen at ...
http://www.simplyscuba.com/cgi-bin-...4679223.28266&shipping_country=United Kingdom

O-ring I agree it is probably easier to set up than I expect, but without some expert pointers before, and possibly during, my first dive then I don't think I would feel comfortable with it. Some of my motorcycle experiences have taught me to avoid DIY solutions and trust the professionals until I learn a lot more.

Metridium: I did invite alternatives, though I think I may know what you would suggest


To be honest I am erring towards thebuddy, dive rite or custom divers as they share a few features I like;
1. they are cheaper (more money for other things)
2. they are adjustable and upgradeable (good/comfortable fit and possibility to change the wing or add another to increase lift)

They seem to be a good middle ground between jacket bcds and the bp/wing solution, if I go along these lines I may well end up with a BP/wing in the future, but will be confident at the time it is the right thing for me, at this point I don't think I could 'risk' going that way.

 

[thethumper]

DiveRite TPII. I dive one, only w/the Rec wing. I do like my TPII, but will be moving to the BP/Wing set up for my progression into Cave. I will probably go w/the DR Classic wing for that situation, but may (or may not) keep my TPII for O/W ocean dives.

Just my 2 cents.