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--- terry michael <OEA51@go*.co*> wrote:

> So what is so special about this particular back
> plate that you invented? 

Several things:

1) They are in three different sizes, small, regular
and large. 

2) I have one design that is stainless steel, but is
skeletonized and weighs 3 pounds for travel.

3) The shoulder slots are angled slightly, and they
are very flat.

4) The designs, pictures, drawings, .dxf files are
copyrighted.

Additionally, Silverstein had asked me to "knock off"
Highland Millworks bands, which I refused to do. I
told him McGrath makes a damn fine product, and has
made the investment in tooling and production, and
that he should just by them from him. He also wanted
me to slot my backplates to accept the Halcyon
STA-less single wing, which I also refused to do, I
told him "That's Halcyons idea's and I wont rip them
off." 

I never wanted to be in the backplate business in the
first place. I built one large plate for "Dinky Dave"
as a regular plate looked like a postage stamp on his
back, and the small one for a lady friend who is tiny.
I had a bud who worked at a machine shop with a CNC
laser, and I have tons of experience with CAD/CAM
software, so I had him burn and bend a couple for me.

Weinberg saw them at the dive shop and clued
Silverstein in about the fact that I made them. So
Silverstein called me up out of the blue with this
great business proposition.

At the time, my kid was fighting cancer and I was in
the hurt locker for money. Silversteins line of
bullshit sounded like a good way to pad my income.

To be honest, there is a very narrow window of
application for the large and small size, no huge
market, but my problem is all the flat out lies and
promises Silverstein made *before* the DEMA show last
year, so they could get their display together. 

Against my guts and the advice of several people, I
trusted him to keep his word and allowed the designs
into his possession without a signed agreement. And
true to his reputation, he turned out to be a liar and
theif. He has the morals of a hyena.

I am by no means alone in my disgust. The purpose of
the post is to let other victims know that there are a
few people who are getting together behind the scenes,
and doing something about the way the good folks at
Abysmal rip people off. Depending upon their
performance in the near future there may well be a
class action suit. 

Silversteins problems with NAUI started with the fact
that he uses Hamiltons name and NAUI to prop up his
credibility when he hoses people. The Italian divers
he raped on the Doria trip that was plastered all over
the lists got the ball rolling.

Myself, I dive Halcyon gear and have since 1998.

Scott




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