Zeagle 911 or Tech BCD?

[92630Diver]

I dropped by my favorite LDS last night after work. Spoke with the owner about BC's, AOW courses, etc. Was also very happy to see that they now carry OMS equipment, which they hadn't had as of last week. So now I've had the opportunity to look over a BP/Wing configuration in person rather than just seeing photos on-line. I'm really liking the OMS IQ Pack system!

I will be diving with the owner of the LDS this upcoming Saturday. Based on the recommendations of many of you and him I won't be taking the AOW course. He told me that I'll get the same experience by diving with him and other patrons of his store on Saturdays as I would by taking the AOW course, and I wouldn't have to pay a course fee for the privilege.

I'm also booking a dive trip on Feb. 16th to the Coronado Islands off the coast of Baja. Thanks go out to "kru", a fellow member here who is local to my area, for inviting me along! I look forward to the experience and the knowledge that I'll gain.

 

[ericfine50]

Personally, I think the IQ pack is to cluttered and I don't like OMS as a company. I know a few people that have had bad expierences dealing with them. Think KISS and go with the BP/Wing combo. Leave the pockets off the BC and put them on the Wet Suit or Dry Suit.
Eric

 

[Lost Yooper]

Originally posted by 92630Diver
I'm really liking the OMS IQ Pack system!

Eeek!

Mike

 

[TexasMike]

I own an OMS IQ system. And so far I've been happy with it. And I just ordered the SS BP for it.

Eric, I'd like to know what you mean't by cluttered....are you speaking about the optional weight pockets that can go toward the front of the system?

92, anyhow, before you commit the cash, take the chance to dive with the different systems. The IQ is a good one, but one of the others might be better for your situation, body size, and others.

and the FredT stuff explained earlier is good to go as well.

 

[ericfine50]

I think they can get in your way if you have a deco cylinder strapped to you. I feel that the wings/bp set up does not need pockets. If you need weight, use a SS backplate or a V-weight. It will distribute the weight better and you don't have the risk of losing a weight pouch by accident.

Eric

 

[squidguy]

Even though you may have eliminated the Ranger from consideration you might want to check out the new limited ed.
http://www.zeagle.com/news_rgr_ltd.html
I'm kicking myself right now... vertical rings for pony bottle (ouch!);-0

 

[TexasMike]

Eric...

Okay, I see where you're coming from. And it makes sense.

But always remember that one of the beauties of all the BP/wings systems is that you can configure them how you need to for that particular dive profile.

Thus if the stage and the "no sag weight pocket" you mentioned interfere with one another, you can remove the pocket and replace the weight on that side with trim weights. Or there might be another solution that works even better that I haven't thought of.

With the IQ weight pockets, I'm currently using them for pure recreational diving (since I haven't gotten beyond basic "shallow" wreck diving via SDI yet). But I agree with the others on the "less is more" aspect when I get into the more technical stuff that includes using extra tanks.

 

[tombiowami]

I'll toss this into the arena also, one of the reasons I originally got a Ranger was the ability to change the sizes of the straps. Unfortunately they do not really mention the price of these straps, 2 LDS quoted around $250! Not a misprint! One "dealer" I emailed with a while said he would give them to me at cost, which was around $100 or so, but only if I got $500 worth of other gear from him I was looking at buying.

I can get a brand new Ranger on Ebay all day long for $300 or so and used for less, so the convertible straps is not really a selling point in my book.

I fully recommend the bp/wings. You can get the FredT bp and Halcyon wing for a reasonable price ~$400 I think. This will take you from a 30' reef dive to any diving on earth. Even the full Halcyon package is around $500, and comes with a pocket that fits between the bp and your back.



Tommy

 

[Ferrara]

The main reason for Zeagle's modular system is so you can start with a BC that fits. I'm not at the shop so I don't have a price list handy but shoulder straps are not very expensive. The backpack may retail for around two hundred but even that sounds a little high. I also prefer the bp/wing.

 

[92630Diver]

Choosing a BC gets confusing. I appreciate the input here. I just got back from my LDS and my contact there confused me even more. They carry OMS equipment, but he said it's overkill. They have Zeagle BC's, but he says the lack of a back plate of any kind makes them awkward, and that a divers is more likely to be floating face down in the water when the BC is inflated.

I'm going to rent a Zeagle Ranger from him this Saturday and dive with it. It was curious to see that the Ranger available to rent is quite discolored, being a chalky gray. Is this common to all BC's after repeated use?

Overall his recommendation was the Scubapro Knighthawk. Anyone have any comments or observations on it? I'm still looking at the OMS IQ Pack and Halcyon configurations. Weight intergration is a key factor for me in any consideration.