Mailing List Archive Mailing List Archive
At 11:05 27/03/2001 -0500, Steve <s_lindblom@co*.co*> wrote: >You know, if this was some two bit company or inventor with a bright idea >who rented a table a BTS with dreams of getting rich it would be one thing, >but the fact that it's a major dive gear manufacturer, and that they damn >thing must have gone through many levels of testing an scrutiny from both >design staff and management before actually making it into production, and >none one noticed what a convoluted, unecessary POS it was, is a genuinely >scary comment on the state of the dive industry (as if we need another!). Yep plenty of solutions around looking for a problem :-) Or perhaps looking to create a problem. There's definately a mindset in the rec (and tech?) community that money and technology need to be thrown at every problem (from dealing with high air consumption to keeping your tank from coming loose). Rather than attacking the underlying problem. Don't have enough air/bottom time, improve your air consumption. Tank keeps coming loose, tighten it properly before the dive. Can't understand the tables, learn. Dive companies, shops, magazines, etc just pander to this and there-by promote the mindset. After all it's in their interest to keep reinventing the wheel. I don't know if this is really even a conscious thing, afterall the folks in the industry are either subject to the same mindset or not divers at all (I can't believe whoever sewed the pocket on the front of my wetsuit has ever worn a wetsuit). >Especially considering you just don't need it - Scubapro has had a darn >near perfect buckle for years now, and, while SP has a patent on it, the >principles just aren't that unique or exotic that that everyone else >couldn't have something just as good, if they'd just make the effort and >spend the extra dollar or two over those damn plastic camloks. > >Come to think of it, Halcyon is supposed to have a new SS cam buckle - >anyone tried one? I had the Scubapro buckle on my old jacket style BC's (stab jackets). I certainly loved it at the time but there were definate problems (tricky to adjust correctly if you needed to swap tanks between dives, the potential to jam shut if struck hard, could entangle lines (in a location you can't access without removing your gear, had this happen). Definately reliable from my experience though (never had one come loose during a dive). I have no complaints with the plastic cams I got with my single tank adapter and wings. If anything I prefer them now to the Scubapro type mounting system. I can adjust easily for different tank diameters and I've never had the cams come loose on a dive or snag anything (there are two on the STA so a backup if one did come loose). I think the problem many people have with tanks coming loose is due to poor technique... 1) Not tightening the cams correctly before the dive. Unthreading the strap from the last hole, pulling the strap tight, applying tension and then rethreading the strap and pulling into place. 2) Leaving those stupid rubber friction pads the manufacturers put on in place. Often prevent the cam sitting properly making them more likely to come open on the dive. Having said that they are plastic and I have seen lots of broken cams. I saw an aluminium cam (not sure who makes them) the other day and stainless would be more durable. Not sure if there'd be other issues. Cheers, Simon Simon L Hartley RSM Website Coordinator\First Year Course Coordinator Associate Lecturer School of Resource Science and Management Southern Cross University P.O. Box 157 Lismore NSW, Australia 2480 Ph: (02) 66203251 or (61 66) 203 251 Fax:(02) 66212669 E-mail: shartley@sc*.ed*.au* http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/staff/pages/shartley/ http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/ -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
Navigate by Author:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Subject Search Index]
[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]
[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]