Full Disclosure:
I have no financial or personal relationship with the folks at Z Gear. I was given this BCD mount to review with no stipulations, editing or preview of the review by the supplier.
Z Gear supplied mount with both the standard (for harness webbing up to 3.5") and larger strap. When ordered from their web site, you will select whichever size is appropriate for your harness.
Inside the package:
1 plastic clip, intended to be attached to your light via lanyard just in case. I suspect most people already have a clip on their lights, but if not, or if you're ordering a new light, having this included is a small but nice touch.
A one (short) page set of instructions. Honestly, if you need instructions for this device, you probably should limit your water activities to a wading pool. With supervision. The paper also includes the usual "don't sue us" disclaimers.
And the mount itself.
First impressions:
The mount consists of a rigid plate with a velcro strap, used to attach the plate to the shoulder strap on your BCD or BP/W. There is a short, straight arm, and an arm bent 90 degrees. Both are articulated (ball and socket) at both ends, allowing for a pretty fair degree of adjustment. AT the end is a two-prong "hand" that uses a captured bolt and camlock to grasp your light.
The articulated arm is preset to what Z Gear believes to be the ideal tension. This will, inevitably, need to be adjusted from time to time. Adjustment is done with a Torx bit, so don't plan on doing it during your dive. This adjustment should be a fairly uncommon occurrence, so I wouldn't necessarily add a torx bit to my save-a-dive kit.
The "hand" has a ribbed semi-soft rubber liner and is nicely adjustable. At it's smallest, it will provide an amply tight grip on my index finger. Opened up, it will grasp a Princeton Tec Torrent. Tension for the hand is provided by a captured bolt with a cam lock lever and should be reasonably reliable. Locked, the end of the lever is tight against the hand to arm junction, which should prevent it from being snagged and released inadvertently under any but the most unusual circumstances.
The mount, arm, and hand seem solid and well constructed. Tension out of the box is stiff, but this is probably a good thing, to prevent random re-aiming of the light.
Concerns:
I wonder how solid the mount on the harness will be. Given that it's being attached to a canvas web, I suspect there is going to be a certain amount of wobble in the aim point. How significant this will be remains to be seen.
For those diving a long hose, the light mounted to the shoulder will be one more thing that hose can wrap around. Again, the impact this has on air sharing will have to be tested.
We will be on Cozumel in a few weeks, and I will post an update with further impressions when we return.
I have no financial or personal relationship with the folks at Z Gear. I was given this BCD mount to review with no stipulations, editing or preview of the review by the supplier.
Z Gear supplied mount with both the standard (for harness webbing up to 3.5") and larger strap. When ordered from their web site, you will select whichever size is appropriate for your harness.
Inside the package:
1 plastic clip, intended to be attached to your light via lanyard just in case. I suspect most people already have a clip on their lights, but if not, or if you're ordering a new light, having this included is a small but nice touch.
A one (short) page set of instructions. Honestly, if you need instructions for this device, you probably should limit your water activities to a wading pool. With supervision. The paper also includes the usual "don't sue us" disclaimers.
And the mount itself.
First impressions:
The mount consists of a rigid plate with a velcro strap, used to attach the plate to the shoulder strap on your BCD or BP/W. There is a short, straight arm, and an arm bent 90 degrees. Both are articulated (ball and socket) at both ends, allowing for a pretty fair degree of adjustment. AT the end is a two-prong "hand" that uses a captured bolt and camlock to grasp your light.
The articulated arm is preset to what Z Gear believes to be the ideal tension. This will, inevitably, need to be adjusted from time to time. Adjustment is done with a Torx bit, so don't plan on doing it during your dive. This adjustment should be a fairly uncommon occurrence, so I wouldn't necessarily add a torx bit to my save-a-dive kit.
The "hand" has a ribbed semi-soft rubber liner and is nicely adjustable. At it's smallest, it will provide an amply tight grip on my index finger. Opened up, it will grasp a Princeton Tec Torrent. Tension for the hand is provided by a captured bolt with a cam lock lever and should be reasonably reliable. Locked, the end of the lever is tight against the hand to arm junction, which should prevent it from being snagged and released inadvertently under any but the most unusual circumstances.
The mount, arm, and hand seem solid and well constructed. Tension out of the box is stiff, but this is probably a good thing, to prevent random re-aiming of the light.
Concerns:
I wonder how solid the mount on the harness will be. Given that it's being attached to a canvas web, I suspect there is going to be a certain amount of wobble in the aim point. How significant this will be remains to be seen.
For those diving a long hose, the light mounted to the shoulder will be one more thing that hose can wrap around. Again, the impact this has on air sharing will have to be tested.
We will be on Cozumel in a few weeks, and I will post an update with further impressions when we return.
