weight belt reccomendations

[jaymz]

can anyone reccomend a good weight belt?
Ive been using my scuba one and what a nightmare its been. In the region of £25-£30 max would be great.

What is the difference between the 2 belts anyway?

Cheers

 

[Broseidon]

Mate, maybe you should just start a thread called "Jaymz's Questions" - see if a mod will amalgamate all of your many threads into one...

Seriously though - anything quick release and rubber (so it stretches and grips your suit). This is very good:

https://www.apnea.co.uk/product_inf...d=602&osCsid=63b4eae213b293aeb42567d8d6bca2d2

 

[jaymz]

Haha, thats what forums are for
Thanks for the info as usual

 

[Broseidon]

No worries, changing to a rubber belt (and weights vest) was a complete revelation for me - made me feel massively more comfortable in the water and improved my bottom times no end!

 

[jaymz]

weight vest u say?? hmm, dont make me ask any more Q's now

 

[BarnacleBoy]

Some people use a weight vest (on its own or as an addition to the belt) to distribute the weight more. Especially good if you have back problems.

I hear you can get quick release vests, but others will be able to fill you in better. If not, then having part of the weight on a belt allows for some weight dumping in an emergency.

 

[Broseidon]

I use this vest - it's brilliant - takes 4 x 1kg weights: can't go wrong for less than £30!

Mares Weights Backpack

 

[jaymz]

Im gonna pick one up tommorrow from my local dive shop if not ill order that one from Apnea.

Cheers guys

 

[foxfish]

I must say that, I much prefer the vest that take lead shot!

 

[Highlander]

I use this vest - it's brilliant - takes 4 x 1kg weights: can't go wrong for less than £30!

Mares Weights Backpack

This one is great & I can only agree that a weight harness on the back does make it a whole lot better as having all the weight around my waist did give me problems with my already dodgy back. I often found that with my lungs full of air I would find my back arching upwards when waiting on the bottom & this eliminates it for me.

 

[Mr. X]

A rubber belt. With a Marseilles buckle. The traditional spearo belt.

e.g. All those by Rob Allen and some of those by Omersub (and others)

Work best (IMHO) with slotted Rob Allen/"Alton" or OMD bullet-style weights, gently hammered-on to stop them moving.

Simple & effective. Rubber belts stretch, so with a little tension they are less inclined to move around (Omer also offer a crotch strap to help with that). I really like my RA belt - real heavy duty. Omer offers metal or plastic Marseille buckle options. I think quite a lot of spearos get by with (or perhaps prefer) Scuba belts or other spearo buckle designs (Omer offer several, including camo decorated ones) though. I believe the Guerns sometimes make their own belts (from old conveor belts?) - but they can make anything (and often do ).

 

[Simos]

Something like this should work well: Beuchat Rubber Weightbelt

 

[Broseidon]

Something like this should work well: Beuchat Rubber Weightbelt

No, rubber belts with a standard 'Quick Release' buckle like that are generally a really, really bad idea as almost all of them use a standard buckle that is designed for Cordura / Nylon diving belts.

As the rubber belt is thicker, it sticks in the buckle which makes it almost impossible to remove.

I've had rubber belts from both Omer and Cressi that were like this - dangerous if anything went wrong!

If you're buying a rubber belt - get a Marseilles style, like Mr. X said or the Omer one I mentioned earlier. The Omer is the only 'true' quick release rubber belt I've found.

 

[Simos]

No, rubber belts with a standard 'Quick Release' buckle like that are generally a really, really bad idea as almost all of them use a standard buckle that is designed for Cordura / Nylon diving belts.

As the rubber belt is thicker, it sticks in the buckle which makes it almost impossible to remove.

I've had rubber belts from both Omer and Cressi that were like this - dangerous if anything went wrong!

If you're buying a rubber belt - get a Marseilles style, like Mr. X said or the Omer one I mentioned earlier. The Omer is the only 'true' quick release rubber belt I've found.

I have a Cressi one - it also comes marseilles style if you prefer: [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cressi-Marseillaise-Rubber-Weight-Belt/dp/B003L7X6SW"]Cressi Sub Marseillaise Rubber Weight Belt: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Wkm32K1EL.@@AMEPARAM@@41Wkm32K1EL[/ame]

I never had to release it on emergency but I did try and didn't find it too hard - maybe it would be harder if I was ready to blackout. Half the time though while adjusting it I worry about dropping it by accident as it does slide off pretty easily....

PS I have seen some other belts with standard quick release that felt very hard to release (belt too thick as you said) but the decent brands at least that I saw were ok. I prefer it over the Marseilles just because they adjust easier and fit better and hence don't end up becoming a bra after the first duck dive lol

Ps1 I think it's more important to find a rubber belt that is thinner and more flexible, then everything seems to work better. The thick, inflexible ones are harder to release and don't fit well