What's the best wing setup?
- Thread starter supbihatches
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protohuman
Registered
The HALCYON rigs are extremely streamlined. I have had great factory service from ZEAGLE, DIVE RITE and HALCYON. Try a couple different ones at a manufacturerers demo weekend.
I bought a Halcyon SS backplate last month. The holes are extremely smooth. Zero burring.
Carrie
Carrie
Waterproof? My H wing came with instructions to dry clean only.
You actually REUSE them?
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A 55# doubles wing with a single 85 will dive like you've got a huge air mattress strapped to your back. Sure, you can do it ... you might even be able to get used to it ... but it's the wrong tool for what you're doing. It's like using a semi rig to deliver pizza ... huge and inefficient.
If you're going to dive singles, buy a singles wing. If you're going to dive doubles, buy a doubles wing. Those "combo" wings are designed with compromises that don't accommodate either singles or doubles effectively ... I know, I pursued exactly your line of thinking when I purchased my first wing, and after about six months ended up selling it when I realized how much extra effort it was costing me to dive it.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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My recommendation for that setup would be either a DSS Torus 26 or an Oxycheq Mach V 30.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
LiteHedded
Contributor
i think the oxycheq wings are slicker and lower profile in the water. but the halcyon webbing and plates are better than anything I've seen.
I totally agree with NW Grateful Diver on this. Honestly, if somebody is going to move into doubles and deeper diving, the cost of an optimal wing for the purpose will be noise in the total expenditures involved.
Most of the companies mentioned make good gear. Backplates vary in material, finish, and bend, and in slot and hole placement. Wings vary in lift and in shape (IOW, where that lift is concentrated), in corrugated hose length, and dump valve construction. They also vary in bladder thickness and the nature of cover material, if any. Some constructions don't work very well -- we had a Frog wing on the boat in the Red Sea, and the thing wouldn't vent, apparently because the bladder gets kind of crumpled up under the cover and traps air.
A one-piece harness is a harness, although the webbing varies (this is one place where I have to give the nod to the blue H's) and the quality of the stainless steel in the hardware varies, too.
If your intent is to continue single tank diving as you describe, I'd highly recommend the Deep Sea Supply singles rig. Call Tobin at DSS and talk to him -- he will ensure that you buy the rig from him that will work for YOU and your diving. Customer service is the thing that makes DSS stand head and shoulders over the competition. They make very good gear at a very reasonable price point, but the service ROCKS!
(BTW, more than half the gear we own is DSS. The rest was bought used and often in package deals with other things.)
