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Mares H.u.b. Avantgarde Bvd

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carlosparham

New Member
Oct 29, 2006
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I want to buy the mares hub avantgarde bcd, but I want firt the opinion of somebody who actually use this bcd, some people say good things about it, some say bad things, I am confused, I need the fair opinion of somebody wiht more expirience than me, is expensible, so I want to know if I am doing a good investment. Thank you very much.
 
Re: Mares H.u.b. Avantgarde Bcd

hi there - i own, and have been diving my mares HUB for quite some time.
i have an avantgarde now, but I also used to have the first HUB version when Dacor made it.

i am a PADI instructor in northern california and use this bcd for mostly cold water diving over my drysuit.

aside from the fact that i love my proton ice reg, and i love the convenience of having my inflate and dump buttons located at my hip (and it's pneumatic! which roks) in general, i find that the lift and trim of the bc (while perhaps heavy for tropical diving) - is perfect for where i am.

the pockets are great for slates and dive lights; the tucked away octo keeps you streamlined, but i must confess i do NOT use the integrated weights because i feel too bulky with them.

also the stainless steel d-rings all over are very useful for hanging all my extras.

the over geeked-out pressurized tank strap is totally unnecessary, but people think it is cool. the extra weight in the rigid back-plate of this bcd adds extra weight, which is a good counter to my drysuit positve buoyancy.

it really depends on what you are looking for from a new bcd (what qualities and attributes you are looking for) but i love my HUB and am a satisfied customer who dives every weekend all year long.

let me know if you have more questions.

(the travel case it comes in is really slick too!)
 
Thank you for answer, but for what you write I don't think it will work for me, because I doing most of my dives in Honduras, wich is very warm, I don't even use wet suit.
 
I cant get my head around the air trim on mares bcds, just doesnt seem right. a BCD with an Ergo still makes much more sense. I find it easier to teach with, as students keep pressing the wrong button on the airtrim!

I wouldnt say the HUB is brilliant for teaching, as it doesnt depict the classic BCD which is what you would need students to relate to, if they were choosing a BCD to buy.

K.I.S.S.
 
you guys think that is good idea to get the hub avantgarde for a warm place like Honduras, what about maintenance?
 
i dont think its a good idea... Scubapro is always easy to fix, whereever you are...
 
Very true with the Scubapro stuff although I see Oceanic more and more when I'm away from the cold green heaven that is No Cal. I've had Scubapro stuff puke and replaced all over the World and it was THE gear to have in the 70's, much as now. Thing is that it was better back then...:crutch

I've not been a fan of the HUB setups for a number of reasons, and the tanning treasure has already outlined one- if you're stuck teaching, yes... stuck, you want something akin to a car with an automatic tranny- they're all alike. That way the poor schmuck there on holiday doesn't have to go and relearn the wheel.

Also too, I've never been big on having my bells and whistles on the hips or the sides. I'm from the old school where it was all hung on the front, and off the chest area, much like a well developed woman. :inlove That's not to say that I don't appreciate a good set of clips near my third favorite area on her, the hips, but it's more prone to snagging. :martial

And take my very educated biases with considerable thought as I'm also not a big fan of diving with a drysuit and a BCD, unless you want to count the wings on my bailout bottle. :king But then again, I guess I'm gonna die of something, so what the Hell.
 
carlos - it would seem that for your situation that another bcd would be a better option.

check out the new MARES Icon designed for men - very light and trim and just announced at DEMA.

in terms of service for an integrated first, second stage and airtrim system (like the avante garde) i agree with the other peeps that service in hondouras will be a big issue so best to save your duckets and get something simpler

getting service here in the US ain't easy so buyer beware.


ciao ciao!
 
Carlos

Are you currently in Honduras? If not, why dont you rent a couple of bcds and try them out? There is a big hype on DB at moment about Mares BCDs after DEMA, however, after speaking to some other seasoned divers who have just completed their OWSI the airtrim is not ideal for teaching, but great for just pleasure diving. (Kelp princess.... do you get commission? )


Being a well developed woman myself , front and sides, I find the harness/wing setup more comfortable as my jacket style BCD seemed to be even bulkier over the curves rofl but it was admittedly better for teaching (easier to get on/off in a demonstration).

If you are teaching scuba the more simple the bcd the better, less for your students to think about and also streamlining is key, as IP said, too many bells and whistles can cause snagging.

Seaquest do easily serviceable BCs as well and they also have a ladies version (cross your heart bra style)

Send over some pics of Honduras..
 
no - but they should give me a commission shouldn't they!

i LOVE LOVE LOVE my airtrim - and when i teach OW in the pool i never use it - i have a very basic AquaLung Wave bc - which is the exact version all of my OW students rents from the shop so there is never any confusion on how to use something - and they can all mirror my demonstration from the pool w/o a hitch. reliable and cheap a good basic option

i also use a halcyon back-plate for my wreck and tech diving, altho i have used dive rite bc's too.

Carlos - you could decide if you want a jacket, wing or back inflate and then you can narrow down what the best options are based on that specifc attribute.
 
Reactions: island_sands
Hi, thank's everybodie for take the time to help me, I live iv NYC, I am not a instructor, I just dive for fun and I do most of my dive in Honduras ( bay island, you should go, is beutiful) . ok I gave up on the avantgarde so i am thinking now on buying the Mares Dragon Airtrim BC with MRS Plus Weight Pockets that if you have no objection, please be sincere a give me all your opinions because I don't have your expirience and I realy will apreciate your help, this is my first bcd, so I want to buy something good and reliable, about maintenance ,I planing to get the bcd back to the states for that, I just spend three monts a year in honduras ( Summer) and I come back to new york. thank you again.:inlove
 
if you do a search of this forum you will find quite a few threads about the hub. general impression, overpriced death trap.

I stear my students well clear of it.
 
Amphibious said:
if you do a search of this forum you will find quite a few threads about the hub. general impression, overpriced death trap.

I stear my students well clear of it.
Click to expand...


i just had an experience a couple of days back with the airtrim by discovering that if you disconnect the low pressure inflator from the bcd you can no longer use the yellow "dump button" and you have to use the dump valve on the shoulder or lower back of bcd.

my student had a self-inflation problem with a stuck inflator and low and behold.. was a bit of a fix and i also consider that quite dangerous as also pulling out that stupid hose pipe thing to inflate the bcd orally caused her loads of stress, the ergo is much easier to use in my mind and also the design is more simple.

K.I.S.S.!!!
 
Last edited:
I have seen divers up here with those units. now imagine trying to self-inflate that BC in an imergency when you're wearing 5mm drysuit gloves?

KISS, big fan. hence I dive a BP/W now
 
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