Would You Use A Ponypak

[PonyPak]

I must "UnPause" for this!

Hi Bill, make that 2 people here who have seen the PonyPak. We Dove in cape Elizabeth Maine while you were in development back in 2007 or so?

Pete

Hey, Pete. Yes, I remember very well. Thank you. I was out there meeting with SDI people (in Topsham). How nice to hear from a friendly voice. Thank you.
We will be at BTS end of March. Will you be at the show? If so, please come by (booth 432). Hope to see you.

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[dumpsterDiver]

I feel a little sad, but i have to admit, the manifolded spare airs, did have me laughing pretty hard. I'm starting to feel sorry for Bill, he obviously put a lot of work into this and he is quite sure he has already gathered all the critical input necessary from experts who he is convinced have far, far more experience than the SB crowd. I do wonder how he can be so sure that the experts he used for development feedback are more qualified and more experienced than ALL the SB crowd??

If I were Bill, I would be taking a hard look at the recreational diving aspect of this device, if I had gotten this much negative feedback. I completely agree with him that redundancy is smart and necessary, but I'm just not buying his proposed solution to the problem.

 

[PonyPak]

I'm sold. I want one. Can I mount it to a rEvo?

Terrific! Yes it will. In fact a number of rebreather divers have looked at the side mount configuration for larger tanks, with the advantages of the hose clipping system.

Others ("sport rebreathers" with smaller bailout requirements) have also expressed a positive interest in the front mount position (for the reasons addressed by me in prior posts).

Please email me directly at WilliamMessner@PonyPak.com . I will keep you posted on our release dates. While we are in the launch phase (still setting up dealers), we will be selling direct to "early adopting" divers.

Thank you...
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Now..... I am back on "pause" until Tuesday.

---------- Post added February 26th, 2015 at 09:58 PM ----------

Unpause.....

I'm starting to feel sorry for Bill, he obviously put a lot of work into this ........ I do wonder how he can be so sure that the experts he used for development feedback are more qualified and more experienced than ALL the SB crowd??

Dumpster....I appreciate your sympathy... but please reread my posts. I never stated more experienced than "All".... Just the dozen (if that many) "redundant" people (in every sense of the the word) who have voiced their opinions here.

Don't be sorry... I am delighted with that. It has given the other 5,000 people who have viewed the banter - a reason to do it. That's wonderful!

Maybe a few more "PensacolaRacers" will start to vie for the "Pole Position."

Back to "Pause"

Thank you.

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Bakc

 

[Doc]

Now two days after PonyPak's display at the Chicago retail dive show, Our World Underwater.

Stuff I noticed:

1) PonyPak had the nicest, softest floor of any booth, and the booth was visually appealing

2) The temps were at -10°, so any number of exhibitors, especially those from paradise, looked out-of-sorts. Bill from PonyPak looked like any other Chicagoan on opening day at Wrigley Field- short sleeve shirt, smiling and hopeful.

3) PonyPak had several key elements that I found quite thought provoking and very creative. They were all prototype stage and some were 3D printed. This is not to denigrate what was presented, I was very impressed.

4) There were no price tags (projected future or much less current numbers) on anything

I took some ultra bad rez images with my IPhone.



One proprietary 1st stage, let's call it "A" if follow on posters want to refer to it:


The other proprietary first stage (let's call it "B"):


A center top gas management valve switchy thing:






And in the interesting, highly engineered widget category:

A tri-glide-ish thingie, integral with clip (3D Prototype, the production model will not have that cut/separation)


And this is just the smartest thing I've seen in a while, might have great application in military gear slinging (this is a 3D proto that will be produced in Delrin). A device for instant installing and securing attachment points at any place on wide strap webbing. No need to disassemble, thread the device and then reassemble. Click and done:





Again, sorry about the resolution, next time I'll bring a real camera. PonyPak and Bill's designs are way better than his website's crappy imagery.

PonyPak as a whole may not be for everybody, but some parts of the designs (1st stages. tank band hose holders, or patented attachments)... they may well be appealing and useful for some.

 

[shoredivr]

Thanks for that review of the actual product in development.

 

[PonyPak]

Thank you, Doc,

For coming to the show, and offering ScubaBoard members your honest opinion, based upon your first hand observations...

Later this evening, I will post some additional images, to reinforce yours. Your assessment of our website images is correct. This will be resolved when we have production product, professionally photographed, for a professionally mastered website. All things will come in time, as we "start to go live"

Thank you.

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---------- Post added March 4th, 2015 at 09:17 AM ----------

To further support Doc's review,

I have attached the short video clip of our booth. The patented harnesses and clips are prototype 3D prints. Production will be stainless steel and Delrin. The regulators are production. Gas Distribution and A/V "VideoPak" (expandable to 4 dvr/monitors for 4 divers) are pre-production. (Note: look at the center video monitor, you can see me shooting the video, through the 1st diver's camera, and 300' of umbilical).

Two additional, military rated, 1st stages are not shown. I will post CU photos of those, and other unique components, later this week.

Yes, we had the "nicest, softest floor" in the show. PonyPak is about "diver comfort" as well as "diver safety."

Thank you.
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[video=youtube_share;eJMfHnFNh7c]http://youtu.be/eJMfHnFNh7c[/video]

 

[PonyPak]

For Midwest ScubaBoard.com members who missed Our World Underwater… please join PonyPak (Booth 23) at the Ghost Ships Festival …. this Friday and Saturday! At the Crowne Plaza, Milwaukee Airport.

Ghost Ships is in its 16^th year – and as the name implies, is largely about shipwrecks. And WI has a lot of them! Some of the very best wreck diving in the entire Great Lakes is off Milwaukee, Racine and up and around Door County.

The Exhibit Area is Free!.... If you want to attend the feature presentations, the tickets are $20/25 for all, (depending upon when you buy them)

Friday night’s feature is on “The Eastland Disaster”…. An extraordinary tragedy – dockside – in the Chicago River – 844 people and 22 complete families perished in minutes, when the top heavy ship flipped on it’s side.

There is a slide preview of the presentation on the Home page. It alone makes you weep. I can imagine how compelling the full presentation will be.

Hopefully, you can visit the PonyPak booth on Friday or Saturday. I would be happy to address your questions.

Heck...just bring your BC along, put it on, with the PonyPak and see how you feel about it...I think you will be impressed!

Thank you.
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[Lost Sailor]

Love the adjustable Derlin webbing attachment (thanks for the pics Doc) - just can't see replacing my side-mount pony with something across the front. Love the thought and the effort, but placement just seems too "in my face" for what I am looking for in redundancy (in that the sling is out of my way and usually move a camera, etc in the front). No hate, love the thought.

 

[PonyPak]

[FONT=&quot]Thank you Lost Sailor,

Sounds like you have "found your way" for what you need. That's all that counts.

You mentioned your are photographer. Others have raised the similar concerns about the front mount. The situation is easily resolved. The unit is switchable, in the water, from front to side to front. You simply squeeze (pop) the lower clips, then de-clip the upper left. Then rotate the PonyPak under your right arm. It can now be clipped to a D-ring (or D/G Clip) on the side. Take your photos.... then reverse the procedure to return to front mount...... but only if that is of interest to you...

We will be distributing the "D/G Clips" separately, for easy attachment of anything you need, anywhere you want it.

FYI - we call them "D/G" clips, because it has two attachment points. The "D-Ring" (obviously) and the inverted "G" at the end, to which any clip, adjuster, snap can be attached, without the webbing.

We also have a stainless steel version (not shown), that functions as shown below, but thinner (because it is SS)

Here is a couple of photos to show the various applications.
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As Doc noted... these are 3D printed (dive-able prototypes). The production will be in Delrin/Acetyl Co-polymer, identically as any other ITW-Nexus - type products.

FYI, some Scubaboard Members have questioned why the specialized, integrated tank valve/regulators.

Below is a photo to show the comparative sizes. Our integrated units are half the size and mass of a standard valve & 1st stage.

They are extremely high quality, and substantially less costly than the total cost of two separate devices.

The Professional version (on the right) is military rated to 29 Deg Salt and 34 Deg Fresh water. They can be filled from compressor, or another tank.
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Thank you for your comments and questions.

Safe Diving!
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William (Bill) Messner
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[/FONT][FONT=&quot]The only “buddy” who will never leave your side….. is YOU! Give your "buddy" the equipment he needs ... to save your life![/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

 

[Hickdive]

And this is just the smartest thing I've seen in a while, might have great application in military gear slinging (this is a 3D proto that will be produced in Delrin). A device for instant installing and securing attachment points at any place on wide strap webbing. No need to disassemble, thread the device and then reassemble. Click and done:

Sorry to disappoint but a product has been available to do this for many years. The AP Diving Verti-clip;

Verti-Clip | AP Diving