Where is a good source for purchasing the Halycon BP and wings?

[buff]

How about www.diversdiscount.com

 

[roakey]

Originally posted by bengiddins
Not only do they have the lowest non-advertised prices in the world, their email address bounces back as undeliverable... :upset:

Hmmmmm. You might have to blame their webmaster for the problems because Lloyd Bailey's SCUBA is a legitimate shop that I've purchased from with nary a hitch.

And not small stuff either, LB's is where I bought my two PST 104s from about three years ago...

Roak

 

[cybordolphin]

Uncle Pug..

Live in US.
Plan on diving mostly local Channel Islands.
New to diving.
Plan on diving .... A LOT.



Anyone know if the "trek wings" setup is a good one over at Lloyd Baileys?

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by cybordolphin
Uncle Pug..

Live in US.
Plan on diving mostly local Channel Islands.
New to diving.
Plan on diving .... A LOT.

Good....
Good....
Good....
Very Good....

Buy the Halcyon Pioneer wing for now... 36#
Plate doesn't need to be Halcyon.... but that works....
And find yourself a dependable buddy and learn teamwork....
And dive your brains out.....
Have FUN

 

[cybordolphin]

Thanks Uncle Pug,

Looks like I am leaning towards:

FredT SS 9lb. backplate.
FredT STA HEAVY
36lb. Pioneer Halcyon wing
Halcyon Harness (unless I am sold on another prefab)
FredT crotch strap (if not too difficult to muster together)
FredT tank bands

Not sure what to do on the weight belt setup yet.

Lol... on the other hand.. if I piece it all together as above... it looks to cost more than if I just purchase a PACKAGE from H20Adventure gear (They have the Pioneer 36lb. setup for $555).

 

[buff]

I believe that the Pioneer wing is not capable of handling doubles-it has a built in single tank adaptor. If you dive a lot(which you plan on doing) you may find this an immediate limitation to this setup i.e. you can't dive doubles without getting investing in another backplate.

You can dive the Halcyon Explorer with a single-it's not preferable-it's not recommended but divers do it(The Lost Yooper does) and don't seem to have too much trouble.

The adventage of the Fred T. backplate is the built in ballast. Fred's backplates have quite a bit more ballast built in then the Halcyon plate and you can get them in a short or long version.

No doubt that the backplate setup is the way to go. Most versatile and most stable platform for doubles. Diving in that cold water and at any depth you will need lots of air and doubles is the answer.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by cybordolphin
Thanks Uncle Pug,

Looks like I am leaning towards:

FredT SS 9lb. backplate.
FredT STA HEAVY
36lb. Pioneer Halcyon wing
Halcyon Harness (unless I am sold on another prefab)
FredT crotch strap (if not too difficult to muster together)
FredT tank bands

Not sure what to do on the weight belt setup yet.

Lol... on the other hand.. if I piece it all together as above... it looks to cost more than if I just purchase a PACKAGE from H20Adventure gear (They have the Pioneer 36lb. setup for $555).

If you are diving dry and using steel tanks you probably won't need too much extra weight.... but I would suggest a soft weight belt.

You can make a harness and crotch strap but by the time you buy all the hardware and stuff it is not that much cheaper.

H2O is the web outlet of my LDS. I would just buy it from them unless you really want the project. I assume that is for a setup without using and STA in which case you can use a 12 or 14# Seasoft weight belt for a well balanced rig.

 

[cybordolphin]

Yep...

Looks like just purchasing the Halcyon Pioneer with in the 36lb. flavor, is probably the way to go.

I can't seem to find a way to save money.... unless I want to fabricate the crotch strap and harness... and even then the savings does not look to be very much.

Thanks again.

 

[Lost Yooper]

You can save money by buying a Fred T plate and STA and making your own harness and crotch strap. Fred has an entire harness and hardware package (D-rings, weight keeper, etc.). I would recommend the SS heavy plate and STA if you're diving dry. If money is really critical, you can save quite a bit of money by buying an AL plate and AL STA. The Halcyon wing is the most important part. You may want to consider a 27lb wing (considerably cheaper) if you're using a drysuit and a single AL 80.

How to make your own crotch strap.
Http://www.cisatlantic.com/trimix/CS/cstech.htm

How to rig the harness.
http://www.gue.com/equipment/backplate6.html

Take care.

Mike

PS. You may not save a temendous amount of money by buying a SS Fred T plate and STA, but considering the weight difference compared to the Halcyon, it is worth it. If I were buying a plate and STA right now, this is the route I would go.

 

[Scubaroo]

cybordolphin,

I finally got onto http://www.lloydbaileysscuba.com (broken email link on the page I was viewing), and found they have surprisingly good prices. I didn't ask about a package deal, as I am sourcing some stuff elsewhere, but their Pioneer 36lb wing was way under $300.

Ben