Posted :
April 28, 2007
Andrew - My question regards equipment. I am going to purchase a wing and twin-set prior to beginning down through the technical ranks. I want something that will last all of the courses within the ANDI structure. I am thinking of twin 10ltr 300bars and an OMS 100lb dual bladder wing. What are your thoughts?
I am aware of the weight issue with regard wall thickness on the 10ltr 300bars but I am considering the buoyancy aspect.
The wings I have been looking at also are the Posiedon and Custom DIvers.
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Posted :
April 28, 2007
Hi there, Well done for thinking this through.
OK lets look at the cylinders. 300 Bar fills are more commonplace now, but still can be tricky to get now and then. Nice cylinders personally i would go for the 2x12L 232Bar - you just know you'll get them filled everywhere.. I too have 300 Bar and 450Bar cylinders (don't drop that one !!!), but I use them very infrequently).
The wings of choice in my book are Custom Divers and EXD. OMS has long held it's high reputation, although I'm keen to see the quality being maintained to it's international reputation given i'm led to believe it has recently moved of production away from the worlds best factory to the far east. OMS has quite rightly been held in very high regard for Technical Wings - may that be long lived from my perspective.
Take a look at all three of my choices for wings.
Reg's yep your spot on Poseidon or alternatively Apex. Fins you know you must - force fins for sure and frog kick with them.
Happy to help - what torch have you got or are you looking at?? cheers Andrew
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Posted :
April 28, 2007 by - ImmersionMan
Thanks for your reply. The torch I am looking at is a Greenforce flexi funstar as the back up and a Greenforce Arrow 50Watt HID as the main.
I was considering the Poseidon Cyclon or Mares Abyss as the regs. The Drysuit is a Otter Brittannic to be added to my Otter Cordura D. I was surprised to read your comments regarding OMS wings. I assumed as Mark Ellyat is an advocate for them they were top notch.
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Posted :
April 28, 2007 by - ADM Diving
Hi there,
good. The Poseidon cyclon is a fantastic reg - it is though more suited to deco and shallower depths, use the xstream at depth or the jetstream. Good choice of suit too, The Greenforce torches are extremely well designed and well engineered. Torches are a bind and often tend to fail at the wiring level (i.e. on or in the glands) - greenforce have done a fantastic job in this respect.
Don't get me wrong me and my most of my peers are all advocates of OMS; just a comment that we all hope that if true that the manufacturing is no longer at this leading edge production house that steps are put in place to ensure they remain as one of the top technical wings. I'm sure this is the case as OMS would surely not want to loose out to competitors as Custom DIvers and EXD are equally stunning.
You raise an interesting point though - get kit that works for you, that's the dogs for what you are going to do - don't just copy Mark or myself. A good technical diver is one who asks and seeks to really understand the technicalities, skills and indeed practices of this end of the sport and one who continues to actively develope their skills and equipment.
Happy to help and offer my advice. Cheers Andrew.
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