Charles Hood reviews a travelling wing-style BC |
Aquatec X-Wing, £129.36
THE X-Wing, made by US firm Aquatec, is a one-size-fits-all, entry-level BC. I took it down to Breakwater Beach in Brixham to give it a try and found it to be a light and fairly basic piece of kit that would lend itself well to travelling. This BC comprises the wing bladder and a lightweight backplate, along with an integrated shoulder and waist straps and
a carrying handle. The clips are similar to a weight-belt quick-release buckle, so it is important to position them so that they can’t be easily undone. I found that the clip on my shoulder would unfasten when I lifted my arm to dump air from my drysuit, so I moved it lower down.
The BC features two dump valves: one over the shoulder and one on the kidneys. It also has a quick-release dump from the corrugated hose, which is handy, because I found the shoulder valve awkward to access when standing and doing my buddy check, and also when swimming horizontally. The dump valve at the back is also a little tricky to access – although in fairness, it’s easier to do so while underwater, which is where you would use it.
In the water, the X-Wing felt very comfortable as I finned out on my back on the surface. I was carrying a single seven-litre cylinder, but it would easily support me if I had twinned up. When finning face down on the surface, however, the wing setup makes it difficult to stay horizontal and tries to push your head downwards, so finning on the back is the preferred option.
The wing felt similarly comfortable as I swam horizontally under the water. The balance is right, although it’s quite difficult to reach the direct-feed corrugated hose – there’s no place to attach it to, so it floats free most of the time. It also lacks places to locate tools, such as a torch or reel, or to stow the octopus. It could certainly do with some strategically placed D-rings, both on the wing itself and on the shoulder straps.
Before I left the house to test the X-Wing, I changed the twin bands for a single band in order to dive with just the one seven-litre cylinder. Sadly, they’re unsuited for a single seven: the clips are quite long and don’t wrap around sufficiently. I changed the bands for Buddy ones (the buckle is much shorter) and this did the trick.
All in all, the X-Wing is not a bad buy as a simple travel BC: the 22kg lift it provides is perfectly ample and compares favourably with most wings out there. With a few modifications, it could make a good addition to the entry-level market, but it certainly isn’t a technical wing.
DIVE says…
Decent basic BC – but not one for tekkies
Value 9 Performance 6
Contact
Hydrotech • 01455 274841 •
www.hydrotech.co.uk