Yet another backplate and wings question

[jb2thdoc]

The purpose of this thread is not to troll or to incite mudslinging. I need honest to goodness opinions and purchase advice.

I am recently the former owner of a zeagle ranger. I have been following posts for bp/wings setups for some time now and after diving a bp/wings setup have decided to buy. Just when I thought I had my mind made up, oxycheq comes on the scene.

I must preface this next paragraph by saying that I do not have a problem paying for decent equipment.

I know that halcyon owners are quite passionate about their equipment, but one thing that continues to dig me is the price. My question then is two fold. First, is it worth it to just buy all the Halcyon stuff at once or, if you had it to do all over again, would you piece the system together with less expensive, but nonethless high quality equipment. (ie: FredT, Oxycheq, etc) Second, I currently wear a 7mm full wetsuit and a 6mm vest/hood combo. If I go with a steel backplate, is the 36lb halcyon or 30 lb Oxycheq a good choice for lift. I currently do mostly recreational diving with alu 80. I am hoping to shed some weight with this system, but I currently use about 26lbs. The reason I ask is that the 44lbs of lift I had on the Zeagle seemed like overkill.

Sorry for the length and thanks in advance.

 

[jb2thdoc]

One other question. For those who have dove the s.t.a.less design of the halcyon and also a bp with an s.t.a. any noticable difference with the tank being a little further away and what do you prefer.

thanks

 

[ERP]

A plate is pretty much a plate.

My halcyon plate is shinier than my FredT, and there are some minor differences in the bends, but not enough that I would pick one over the other.

My halcyon came assembled with all the extra bits and pieces including the little rubber rings for backup lights and the like. The FredT plate ships with one piece Drings instead of the seperate ring and keeper on the halcyon harness, personally I prefer the latter, but not for any real reason.

I have the 36lb pioneer wing, I could probably have gotten away with the 27 and I dive HP 120's. The 30lb Oxycheq may well be a good alternative, but I have never seen one.

 

[HammerNoMore]

jb2thdoc once bubbled...
I am recently the former owner of a zeagle ranger.

Welcome to the former Ranger owners club. Send your dues to....

First, is it worth it to just buy all the Halcyon stuff at once or, if you had it to do all over again, would you piece the system together with less expensive, but nonethless high quality equipment.

This is a personal decision and opinions will vary widely. Either choice has its advantages and disadvantages. You might be able to save a little mony buying the parts and I am all for helping out the small timers like FredT. On the other hand, there is something to be said for buying a complete kit, especially for someone who is new to the bp/wing configuration.

If you do go with the MC system, many people will advise you to go to EE. Check for a local dealer first, some local dealers will discount and if they do the price will be better than EE, plus you have someone to help you with the setup.

Second, I currently wear a 7mm full wetsuit and a 6mm vest/hood combo. If I go with a steel backplate, is the 36lb halcyon or 30 lb Oxycheq a good choice for lift. I currently do mostly recreational diving with alu 80. I am hoping to shed some weight with this system, but I currently use about 26lbs.

I shed 4 lbs of weight by dropping a medium Ranger. If you integrate the weight your wing will need to lift ~26 lbs with a full AL80 to float your bc. The 36# wing should be fine. The 30# wing may or may not be enough. I haven't heard anything about what the "true" lifting capacity of the Oxycheck wings, maybe Scott can chime in here? Many manufacturers round the number (and 30 sounds nice and round doesn't it?) and they rarely round down. How close you want to make it?

The reason I ask is that the 44lbs of lift I had on the Zeagle seemed like overkill.

It is for most diving and on the same note I would definatly avoid the 45# wings.

James

 

[JohnF]

jb2thdoc once bubbled...
..... or, if you had it to do all over again, would you piece the system together with less expensive, but nonethless high quality equipment. (ie: FredT, Oxycheq, etc) Second, I currently wear a 7mm full wetsuit and a 6mm vest/hood combo. If I go with a steel backplate, is the 36lb halcyon or 30 lb Oxycheq a good choice for lift. I currently do mostly recreational diving with alu 80. I am hoping to shed some weight with this system, but I currently use about 26lbs. The reason I ask is that the 44lbs of lift I had on the Zeagle seemed like overkill.

FWIW I talked to Scott Koplin about this and he recommended going with the 45# wing from Oxycheq. He knows my gear. I have two of his plates and 3 STA's including the weighted version. I dive a 7mm wetsuit or a shell drysuit and need a total of 24-26# depending on a few factors. I currently use a 27# Halcyon single and the lift is only marginal for my cold water gear setup (but dandy for warm water). Apparently the design of the 45# Oxycheq wing makes the oversize less of an issue but I won't know for sure why until I get my hands on one.

Maybe if Scott's reading this he'd give us an explanation.

As for the STA's. I've never taken advantage of the STAless feature on my Halcyon 27#. I like the weighted adapter for cold water diving, and I have the new liteweight STA to go with my Travel Plate so the weight is not an issue for travelling. I've heard others say that the STAless option is a bit wiggly feeling and I like the tank being stable on my back so I've stuck with the STA. The offset is really minimal with any of the STA's, at least with the al80's I use. I suppose the larger diameter steels would sit a tad higher.

JohnF

 

[docmartin]

my bp/wing setup is all halcyon. if i had to do it again (and i probably will for my wife) i would definitely get the bp, harness and hardware from someone else for less $$$. halcyon is pricey and ot even that good. i had some problems with hardware corrosion and the bottom corners of my backplate were very sharp and needed to be filed and sanded to avoid wing damage.