Wing Brand Query and Quality

[TheNakedArchaeologist]

Hey,

I have been doing some research in to wings and brands.

I have come across two brands which i found very little reviews on;

DTD (Czech Company)
and
Golem Gear

I was interested/curious as they both sold wing systems at a very low and competitive price compared to IST, Frog, DIR and of course H.

My first question is has anyone heard or are aware of DTD or Golem Gear? Both seem and claim to produce quality gear which they say compare to brands such as H.

Second sub question is regarding wing costs. Comparing the specs of wings from H, Frog and even Golem etc the differences (even on zip quality) are so minor, why do the prices fluctuate so much?

If anyone has any advice or can shine some light on the matter i would be very greatful.

Cheers,

G

[AndyA]

A wing is basically an inner bladder within an outer cover, from what i have read the majority of wings available in the UK are manufactured in the same factory abroad but badged differently.
Reviewing dive wings is pretty much like trying to review a childs swim ring, ie does it inflate ok ? and does it say inflated ?, you dont need much more. Im sure that if you put most of the wings available in the UK on a test they would probably all come out pretty much the same, no one seems to have done that so all we are left with is personal recomendations. It really comes down to budget.

[rongoodman]

Golem Gear (http://www.golemgear.com/c-15-rebreather-products.aspx) has a good reputation here. I know they have at least some of their gear manufactured in the Czech Republic.

[Roz]

Golem Gear is US based and from what I've seen of it, it seems quite good stuff.

The one comment I would make about buying brands from abroad who don't have distributors here is that when it all goes pearshaped, or you need a service, or something replaced, you're dealing with a company based abroad. This is costly in terms of time and money. And whilst they may well have excellent customer service, they may also have customer service that is not quite so excellent. By buying from a UK company you do have a bit more backup should you need it. As an example I know Custom Divers offers a decent after sales service, and you're only paying domestic postage to get something back to them if it needs servicing and they have a quick turnaround, so you're back in the water with minimum delay. Therefore you should also factor in after sales service/backup when considering whether to buy from a domestic or overseas manufacturer.

[TheNakedArchaeologist]

Thanks guys

[Big Blue BSAC]

Hey,

I have been doing some research in to wings and brands.

I have come across two brands which i found very little reviews on;

DTD (Czech Company)
and
Golem Gear

I was interested/curious as they both sold wing systems at a very low and competitive price compared to IST, Frog, DIR and of course H.

My first question is has anyone heard or are aware of DTD or Golem Gear? Both seem and claim to produce quality gear which they say compare to brands such as H.

Second sub question is regarding wing costs. Comparing the specs of wings from H, Frog and even Golem etc the differences (even on zip quality) are so minor, why do the prices fluctuate so much?

If anyone has any advice or can shine some light on the matter i would be very greatful.

Cheers,

G

DTD are the manufacturers for Halcyon, Golem, IST and Frog. Order enough and you can get your logo on there too.

Golem is known for their CCR Bailout systems, like custom divers.

The prices fluctuate based on what the company does when they get the wing.. like Halycon and their huge mark up price.

They primarily sell straight to distributors but also have a small shop for their own brand.

I would personally get the DTD stuff since they use the top fabric and are quick to fix problems.

[johnkendall]

DTD are the manufacturers for Halcyon

No they're not.

HTH
John

[Big Blue BSAC]

No they're not.

HTH
John

Well, i think you'll find if you get a halcyon 40 and DTD 40 side by side they are identical, they also have the same label and if you order enough from DTD you can get your own logo on their wings...

Of course you'll never get a Halcyon or Gue guy to admit it since God himself invented the gear ...

[ChristianG]

Before this Halcyon thing gets into another first class "debate" I thought I'd go into my addled memory and try to make some kind of head or tail of the history of this thing.

IIRC Halcyon came about, courtesy of JJ largely, when he decided that "Brownie's Third Lung", something like that anyway, which company he owned was not the best vehicle to market all this newfangled equipment under its own name.

I have no idea at all of who actually makes Halcyon Wings, or anything else Halcyon for that matter, today. I do question whether that actually has relevance given that Halcyon has a superb (if expensive) reputation. Surely then, just like all the Apple computers actually manufactured in China, that should be enough?

[johnkendall]

Well, i think you'll find if you get a halcyon 40 and DTD 40 side by side they are identical, they also have the same label and if you order enough from DTD you can get your own logo on their wings...

Of course you'll never get a Halcyon or Gue guy to admit it since God himself invented the gear ...

Whether or not DTD have copied a Halcyon wing or not is not what I'm saying. I'm not saying Halcyon invented them either. However I know the Halcyon Factory and have visited it many times, and they make all their Wings in house in Florida. So you are wrong.

HTH

John