Weight Belts and Buckles

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I took the new rig to the pool. It was great. I get the bp/w enthusiasm over conventional bcds. Jim Lapenta - thanks again for your guide. It should be handed to all new divers before they invest in equipment. What type/brand pockets did you mount on Mako belt?


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Great to hear you like the new BP/W. Hopefully you will like the new MAKO belt as well.
 
Thankfully the last time I had to deal with the weight belt shifting around or chafing my skin was the dive before I switched to a rubber belt, 10 years or more ago. I've been using standard cam buckles. How do the pin-and-hole style belts hold up - does the hole ever tear?
 
Thankfully the last time I had to deal with the weight belt shifting around or chafing my skin was the dive before I switched to a rubber belt, 10 years or more ago. I've been using standard cam buckles. How do the pin-and-hole style belts hold up - does the hole ever tear?

I have looked at several different cam buckles that pinch a rubber belt. They always seemed too easy to pop open and if stretched a lot, then the belt gets thin and can slide under the cam buckle. If some people feel secure with them, then I guess it is not an issue.

Before I was aware of the pin type rubber belts, I made my own rubber belts, but transitioned to a nylon belt section on the end, so that the buckle was still closing on a nylon belt. Best of both words, but it was home-made AND made it tedious to remove or add normal types of lead.

With respect to the pin hole style belt.. yes they do wear. They will last me maybe 2 years of diving most every weekend...So they will last a long time. All rubber goods have a finite service life. The hole will begin to wear and you have a warning, because this progresses slowly.
 
I have looked at several different cam buckles that pinch a rubber belt. They always seemed too easy to pop open and if stretched a lot, then the belt gets thin and can slide under the cam buckle. If some people feel secure with them, then I guess it is not an issue.
I haven't seen the stretching, but a couple have eventually torn. One was a thin piece of junk, which failed suddenly under unexpected stress, but the one tear in a normal belt was after carelessly letting it get kinked and nicked during handling. Like your hole tears, it took many dives before it got close to separating. The current one is several years and a couple hundred dives old.

I've only ever bought the belts as a length purchase from a roll - no doubt there are varying thicknesses and quality of rubber around. It's not common to find around here. I've only seen it a couple of times over the years. The only issue I've had with the cams is threading the looped part so that it doesn't impede full closure of the buckle. I use a metal buckle and it usually provides a clear positive closure feel. Maybe the hard and thin edge bites better than a plastic style. I've not had one pop open that I recall, though that's a risk with the cam style.

I remember the regular annoyance of the cloth belt shifting, and having to wrestle it around to restore balance or get at the buckle. Haven't thought of that in years....
 
Ok. Ordered Mako belt and will give it a try. Thank you all for your prompt and wise replies.

Another thought about weights. We also offer two different types of "quick weights" .. weights that are very easy and fast to add to a weightbelt. They are not intended to be removed in an emergency, but if you want to adjust lead between dives these weights should be very convenient.

Also, for scuba divers, these weights should be able to be added to or removed from thetank cam band in a few moments. I would love to get some feedback from any scuba guys who have used these weights as removable cam bands. The benefit of these weights is that you would not have to re-thread your tank band cam/buckle.


Quick Weights | MAKO Spearguns

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2 Pound I Weight

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Dano, these look interesting. I would like to order 2 and give them a try, on a belt, AND on some cylinder cam bands. Have to admit, at ~$16 each (which works out to about $10/lb), they are a bit pricey for lead. I understand why, just saying. :)
 
Yes very cool, I can see the applications.......but hopefully with more production the price point will come down.


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https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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