What about the Hammerhead BP?

[Averill]

I got an Al. backplate / harness late January of this year from them, so I assume they're still shipping product. I've been diving that plate exclusively since then with my doubles. Has worked out well for me; functionality and a good price.

 

[Spratman]

Hmm, haven't checked to see if there is a problem shipping product. Great product at a great price. Plus, Dani is worth the entire visit to the website...

 

[Fredi]

I've used their SS b/p(no handle),STA,and one piece harness for the pass one year in cold and warm water.I also added an Oxycheq Sig 45lbs single tank wing and Dive Rite SS cam band from Scubatoys.Use 8-10lbs weight and one piece STA in cold water, and the two piece STA and no weights in warm water.Very cool looking rig and will probably last me a very long time!Their pricing are very reasonable comparing to other name brands.Quality of materials and finish are great too.The owners are very friendly to deal with and will spend time on the phone with your questions.Will buy from them again!Good luck.Fredi.

 

[BSea]

I just got off the phone with Ed from Hammerhead Scuba. They are still selling BP's & have plenty of inventory. His answer about the handle was that it was just used for transporting (without the tank). They sell about 2/3 without the handle. He & his partner thought the handle would be popular, but it appears that it isn't a big a feature as they thought. But it is an option, and at least there is the choice. I'll probably order mine with the handles. It's better to have something & not use it than to need it & not have it.

Ed's a real nice guy & will spend whatever amount of time you need to answer all your questions. It's an interesting story of how their back plate was created. His partner wanted a backplate, and since they are in the metal fabrication business, they decided to make their own & improve upon other models, and sell them at a reasonable price. It basically gives them a reason to go diving. That's why they don't have a complete line of wings & various harnesses.

 

[rickyd]

I have the Hammerhead SS+STA ( no handles ), with a one-piece harness ( I didn't get the harness from them, I had most of the parts already ). The one piece STA is a bit sharp on the edges; they do state this in their docs. A few minutes with a dremmel took care of that. I did my first dive in this rig last weekend; loved the feel, perfect trim. This will definitely last a few lifetimes, as I imagine any BP will. I dive it dry, with an Oxy Sig 30#.

One thing to consider with the Hammerhead, that may or may not be on other brands, is the positioning of the shoulder straps. On me, I had to cross the straps so they lay comfortably. This is not a problem or complaint. Most small stature folks find crossing straps makes for a better fit; I'm the opposite - short, heavy and wide shoulders. I think there are a few threads on this already.

 

[*Floater*]

It's better to have something & not use it than to need it & not have it.

Not necessarily since those slots would preclude you from adding other, different slots later on. For example, my DSS steel plate has some slots for independent doubles in the general area where Hammerhead handles are, and even though I didn't think much about it when I bought the plate, I have subsequently made good use of them when manifolded doubles weren't available, or would have cost a lot of extra relative to ID's.

 

[jim T.]

Floater, which wing and independent doubles are you using?
Thanks.

 

[*Floater*]

Floater, which wing and independent doubles are you using?
Thanks.

Check out the slots on the LCD 50/70 wings - you'll need something like that. My first doubles wing was a used Halcyon Explorer 40, and I added those slots myself by just cutting them in, burning the edges and then sewing those edges up - you can do it with basically any doubles wing out there, though the resale value may suffer.

The DSS LCD 50/70 wings come with the ID windows ready made, and Tobin added them to my current Torus 45 wing by request. I've used independent doubles with AL80's in the Philippines and with 12L steel tanks in Egypt - can't tell you the specific brands though, but pretty much all tanks should be fine as long as the wing has enough lift for them. You'll also need a second SPG - but you'll end up with a bunch of them anyway for deco bottles...

 

[Quaff King]

A quality product at a very competitive price. I have been very happy with my Hammerhead gear. I spoke to the owner (Ed) on several occasions and he seriously enjoyed talking about backplates and diving in general. No sales pitch whatsoever, and he even pluggged the Fred T plate as a quality equal. I eventually purchased the aluminum model as well. They sell them with or without the hand grips. I intended to piece out my own harness but after pricing out all the components I quickly came to the conclusion it was more economical to buy the Hammerhead harness then paying LDS pricing on all of the components.
Good people, good pricing, good product equals Happy!

 

[BSea]

Just ordered my hammerhead bp. Thanks guys for all the input.