I purchased a new Aqua Lung Dimension BCD last December 2018. Dove Cozumel with it late Feb 2019. Mysteriously lost my right side "Surelok II" weight pocket in a wreck at 50 feet and afterward, 9 lbs buoyant, I had to do a flared ascent to surface with no safety stop. (Yes before you ask, I am absolutely certain the pocket was locked-in at the start of the dive). The pocket had 9 lbs in it - it is supposedly rated for 10 lbs. Dealer seemed to have no concern about the incident and sold me a new replacement weight pocket for $25. And BTW, I had to pay the dive boat for the lost weights - another $20. After thinking about this for a while, I decided to do a crude "pullout test" using a luggage spring scale - RIGHT side (the one I lost) pulls out at 11-12 lbs. LEFT side (the one I didn't lose) pulls out at 15-16 lbs. The problem is in the right-side BCD "socket" for the weight pocket, not in the weight pocket itself. The right side simply pulls out with a lot less force, regardless of which weight pocket I use. I now refer to my weight pockets as "Suredrop II" pockets. Seems like an Aqua Lung QC problem to me. Sad but true, I have since added some safety straps for extra security to secure the pockets if they lose their lock. If you have a Aqua Lung Dimension BCD, BE AWARE! I hate to think about the result if I had to flare ascend from 100 ft or more.
It took a while for the lightbulb to go off for me, but I had that eureka moment last night...
That "pull-out" test you are performing is unrelated to the weight of the pocket contents. (I am assuming your are testing a pull on the release handles, and NOT somehow performing it on the pocket itself.)
When pulling on the handle, your force applied is working against the "spring" on the Surelock II latch, it is NOT at all trying to overcome the weight of the pocket contents.
If you want to test your latches, you should (one at a time) load up and insert a pocket, and then hold the BCD over a soft surface (sand, mattress, etc.) with the front of the pocket face down. Then shake and jerk the BCD up and down to see if the latch holds. If it doesn't and the pocket drops out, then you have an issue to bring forward with Aqualung. If it does, that is what is expected. That latch is supposed to hold
far more than the weight of the contents, and in the absence of using the release handle I would actually expect the latch to break and no longer be usable if you manage to apply enough force to drop the pocket. Try both pockets on both sides, the same as you have already done.
If the manner in which you are testing the pockets now is comparable to the way in which Aqualung tests them, then I can tell you are at the high end of the release force. (They do not publish that spec due to the difficulty in replicating the actual test process, and I am honoring that confidence.) But who know, maybe your method actually overstates the release force.
So if you can't shake the pockets out of the BCD rather than pull them out, then you problem still may have been more likely a user error - either not quite latched all the way, or accidentally the handle on the dive. I know I sometimes notice my octo hose is caught on my Surelock II handle, and adjust it ASAP so I don't accidentally dump the pocket.
