Wing Selection

[diver-dad]

Looking for some help …. couldn't find a discussion on this, so I need to start one to get smarter ...

I'm changing to a BP & wing. While the SS BP & STA is making its way to me on a big brown UPS plane, I find I'm faced with too many choices for a wing…..

Looking for some advice.

I dive an Al 80 single with a DS (TLS350). Lead is in the high 20#'s (for the undergarment I wear) in my old back-inflate BC I picked up in Europe years ago.

Buoyancy Question:
Looking around, there are many wings intended for single tank use in the 30# -35# range, some up to 45#. Now with the BP assembly weighing in around 10#, that leaves the rest of the weight I need to go for fixed and detachable lead. It seems to me that I ought to have 35-40# of BC buoyancy? ... For those of you folks out there with more dive time in Puget Sound – what do you use / recommend for buoyancy for single-tank wings?

Wing Shape Question:
OxyCheq’s Mark V and Halcyon's Eclipse ($$!!) singles wing are a really neat, tight oval shapes around the tank. I've also seen others that have a wider bottom than the top, such as the DSS Torus 35, or Dive Rite’s “trapezoid-shape” Venture Wing. Then there’s the differences between doughnut and horseshoe designs like my current BC…
. Makes by brain hurt! ](*,)

I’m thinking that the way I dive, weighing myself properly to use little air in the BC, and keeping the displacement of my DS about the same through the water column – the only place that the wing is fully inflated is the surface. In normal diving, you run around with a small bubble of air in the bladder, so it would seem that a donut shape / oval around the tank would be better for that – or am I off base?

Thanks, folks!!

[airsix]

I like a dounut, my brother likes a horse-shoe. We've agreed to disagree.

35-40lb is perfect for single-tank drysuit diving per George Irvine, Bill Mee or Dan Volker. I forget which. I find my 40 to be more than enough even with big steel cylinders.

-Ben

[Ken G]

There is some really good info on this thread you might want to check out

http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4289

[CaptnJack]

I have a 40# Halcyon eclipse that I got years ago before the prices went though the roof. It works pretty well, no "pinch flats" or other problems despite pretty hard use over ~300 dives. I have used a couple of different DSS models (Torus 35# was one). Also worked pretty well. I agree with your 30 to 40# of lift guesstimate otherwise I doubt you will find major differences between single tank wings. I would go with a DSS if I had to buy another single wing best combo of price, service, and function. Next in line would be the Oxycheq - only because they are in FL and DSS is west coast and has A+ customer service. Tobin's the kinda guy you want to have a business relationship with. Last choice would be funky "unusual" designs like the dive-rite. I have had DRs in the past and they generally are suboptimal IMO. Laterally offset inflators, mini-bungies, too long corrogated hoses, etc.

edit I'm not sure what plate you have but 10# is unusually heavy. My knockoff SS plate is about 5-6lbs.

[airsix]

edit I'm not sure what plate you have but 10# is unusually heavy. My knockoff SS plate is about 5-6lbs.

I'm guessing that's plate+sta. My plate+sta combo is a hair over 10.5 pounds.
-Ben

[CaptnJack]

Hmmm that might be, never weighed mine. Is there lead in/on your STA Ben? or is that all SS?

[airsix]

Hmmm that might be, never weighed mine. Is there lead in/on your STA Ben? or is that all SS?

That's all SS. It's a hammerhead plate and STA. I just went and looked it up... Yep, 5.5lb for the plate and 5.2lb. for the STA. It's one beefy STA.

-Ben

[diver-dad]

I'm not sure what plate you have but 10# is unusually heavy. My knockoff SS plate is about 5-6lbs.

I'm guessing that's plate+sta. My plate+sta combo is a hair over 10.5 pounds.
-Ben

Both right ... the BP alone is around 5 but I added in the weight of the STA: I ordered a Hammerhead & they stated in their web page: 5 lb 6 oz. for the BP and 5 lb 3 oz for the STA - so .... about 10#.

Thnx!

[Grateful Diver]

Well, since you're going to be using a weighted STA I'd say that narrows down your wing choices to those designed for use with an STA. Of those, my preference would be either the Halcyon Eclipse of the Oxycheq Mach V. If it were me, I'd go with the Oxycheq. I like the slim design better, and it's less expensive (and every bit as high-quality). A pity you didn't ask a couple weeks ago ... there was a guy on The Dive Matrix selling two of them at killer prices.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[CaptnJack]

Doesn't the Torus 35 still have holes in it so you can use it with an STA? I could swear I've seen them although they may be there for some other purpose.

[diver-dad]

Well, since you're going to be using a weighted STA I'd say that narrows down your wing choices to those designed for use with an STA. Of those, my preference would be either the Halcyon Eclipse of the Oxycheq Mach V. If it were me, I'd go with the Oxycheq. I like the slim design better, and it's less expensive (and every bit as high-quality). A pity you didn't ask a couple weeks ago ... there was a guy on The Dive Matrix selling two of them at killer prices.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

.... doggonnit! ... a buck short & a day late!

Thanks for the info! Halcyon prices are hard for me to swallow. I've been looking at the Oxycheq Mach V & its on my short list of possibles - thanks.

[diver-dad]

There is some really good info on this thread you might want to check out http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4289

Got it! Thanks. That is a good discussion, esp for the decisions regarding equip & travel.

[Nwbrewer]

I have an oxycheq wing, it's a signature series, 45lb, and I like it a lot, I don't think you could go wrong with either the Oxycheq or a DSS. Both are very robust wings. Burntchef had a Golem wing that he really liked before he went to doubles.

Good luck in your decision.

Jake

[lamont]

I liked my Halcyon 40# eclipse in terms of size, particularly when I was a newer diver.

I did some really dumb weighting shit when I was learning how to dive. For example I went from an AL80 (0# when full, +4.5# when empty) to an old school LP104 (-15# when full, -5# when empty) without changing my weightbelt. With the 40# of lift on the wing I managed to not drown myself even when doing something that dumb.

Just don't take this to a silly extreme... 40# is about all you need to deal with typical newbie weighting errors... When you start talking larger wings you can start winding up with wings that are harder to dive, or simply too much gas and dynamic instability... Larger is not necessarily better...

[diver-dad]

"Thank you" to all for your thoughts and advice!

I think I'm solidly going in the right direction now.

Happy Diving!!