Halcyon Eclipse wing review in DIVE mag...

[Mark]

<font color='#000080'>Has anyone seen this drivel? 4 out of 10 for performance because the 6lb S/Steel backplate was 'too heavy' and it is impossible to adjust the harness while it is being worn and wearing thick gloves. &nbsp;

They will be asking blind men to judge underwater photography contests next. The reviewer is obviously a complete moron. &nbsp; &nbsp;

[Dr Stevil]

Well I'd write a stern letter to the editor that, in future, obvious Strokes like this Morrissey geezer should not be allowed to review Halcyon equipment as they clearly aren't qualified to appreciate DIR oriented kit. &nbsp;

Actually, to be accurate, he/she said they would &quot;think twice&quot; about packing a heavy BP for overseas trips, which seems like a fair comment to me, but I don't suppose DIR-ers go in for the stereotypical overseas trips anyway, as such gigs would generally incur multiple contraventions of the regulations.

[siltmonkey]

It got my goat initially, but actually I think the review is about right - the author has approached it from the point of view of an average diver with no previous experience of a very different piece of kit, no understanding of it's use and setup and no inclination to find out about it.

Your average diver who reads the review will be put off buying one - a good thing, seeing as they will not be in any position to set it up or use it correctly. &nbsp;

Anyway, since when did anyone ever pay attention to dive mag reviews? &nbsp;That's what forums are for!

cheers

r

[Adrian Kelland]

I agree Siltmonkey.

It is a shame if it puts people off buying this over priced expensive bit of kit. They should be able to buy the over priced, expensive kit of their choice without being influenced by reading bad reviews of poorly reviewed kit.

Adrian

[Dominic]

Dive magazine and wings are like chalk and cheese - as anybody who read that awful article by Ms. Boan a while ago will know.. any mag which can publish an article which can have somebody say they really need a wing with 100lb of lift and then explain that a wing is for surface use only as all buoyancy control is done on the drysuit during the dive.. well, that's a mag I'm not interested in the opinions of.

But hey, why worry about accuracy? &quot;Anybody who uses a wing for less than twin 12s is making a fashion statement&quot;, after all.

[Bob Cooper]

I wouldn't expect any contributor in &quot;Dive&quot; magazine to know how to properly set up a harness. &nbsp;So I can understand the negative comments.

It's a shame because if the contributor had the rig properly set up and trained in its use, he would see the benefit.

Ah well...

[David Wallace]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Steve W @ Dec. 15 2003,17:25)]

Seeing that the Eclipse wing has already got bad press in the mag &nbsp;- I need to point out that if You weigh a Eclipse wing - even with a SS backplate - It will do less harm to your baggage allowence than most BCD's you find in the average LDS. Take the Ali Plate and you realy win

Ps my scales must be wrong because I cant get the whole thing to weigh 4kg let alone the Backplate. I wonder if &quot;Dive&quot; care about the accuaracy of anything?

pps I know Pat and he a &quot;very nice chap&quot; but I agree with other posts who have questioned his ability to do justice to this sort of kit evaluation

[David Wallace]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (siltmonkey @ Dec. 15 2003,17:36)]Your average diver who reads the review will be put off buying one - a good thing, seeing as they will not be in any position to set it up or use it correctly.  

agreed - but i would rather see a concise objective evaluation so that the average diver or even the novice diver would be attracted to this sort of equipment configuration and most importantly, the training which goes with it.
Said diver, cought early enough could save hunderds of pounds purchasing th correct gear and training at a early stage rather than (like most of us) going through several sets of gear as our training and experience grows. Love it or hate it the kit confirguration and attitude which goes hand in hand with DIR works at whatever level you dive at.

[Dominic]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ] but i would rather see a concise objective evaluation

That was the whole reason for THAT guide to wings dive published earlier in the year. It was supposed to be an objective guide to wings to tell you if they were right for you or not.

Frankly, I'd be surprised if any inquiring novice was left anything other than more confused after reading it.

Dive should leave wings well alone until they get hold of somebody who can tell them what the hell to do with them

[David Wallace]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Dominic @ Dec. 15 2003,21:26)]

Dive should leave wings well alone until they get hold of somebody who can tell them what the hell to do with them

agreed - but stand by my post