Extreme Product Feature – X-TEK BCD with Donut Wing

Last Wednesday (January 25) I found out that January 23 was National Pie Day. Not Pi as in 3.14 but pie as in that thing that has a flakey crust with nice creamy filling or a lovely fruit filling or could even be a savory filling, pick your poison. No, wait, not a poisonous filling. Anyway moving on, that discovery led to over an hour of looking up dates and finding out what random “National Day” holiday each day was. So because I like to share new found wisdom, here are the dates you have to look forward to this next week, and you know our motto is “If there is food, they will come” so it is focused around food, but there were non-food things I found as well….

  • Wednesday, February 1, National Baked Alaska Day
  • Thursday, February 2, National Groundhog Day, but also National Heavenly Hash Day. 2 thoughts:
    • What is Heavenly Hash? I’m so glad you asked because I didn’t know either… It is a fruit salad that is also mixed with marshmallow or some version of that.
    • Second thought: Did you know that supposedly hotel rooms in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania are more expensive around Groundhog day then the rooms are in Houston, Texas for the Superbowl.I saw it on the internet and as we all know, if it’s on the internet it must be true.
  • Friday, February 3, National Carrot Cake Day
  • Saturday, February 4, National Homemade Soup Day
  • Sunday, February 5, Superbowl Sunday (1st Sunday of February) and World Nutella Day.
  • Monday, February 6, National Frozen Yogurt Day
  • Tuesday, February 7, National Fettuccine Alfredo Day

Now isn’t your life so much better off now that I have shared all that with you? Oh and one other one I want to point out, as we know, Grady owns Ed’s Electric. Grady’s Birthday, October 7th, is National LED Light Day.

Anyway, there is no way to transition from that into today’s SCUBAPRO Product Feature, which is the X-TEK BC with Donut Wing other than… that is the BC that Grady dives with. Bam, I just did it. Now that you all got a good laugh at my expense, let’s learn about the:

X-TEK BC with Donut Wing.

The first thing I can tell you, if you go to the SCUBAPRO website you’ll notice that X-TEK has its own tab up in the menu options, right next to BC’s. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, that could be intimidating, but don’t let it scare you off, remember, I am here to help demystify all insecurities you might have in this gear… that… or scare you off with my opening statements. I’ll let you decide.

With the X-TEK BC, everything is modular. So basically you can choose what harness you want, what back plate you want, and what wing you want. In today’s particular set-up, we chose the wing for you… we chose the donut wing, so let’s focus on the donut wing first.

When it comes to wings, in the X-TEK you have 2 options, a Donut Wing (our choice) or HS (horse shoe) wing. Again, we’re going to focus on the Donut Wing.

Built for years of rugged and active use, the X-TEK Donut Wings have a shape and internal design that divers can always expect with unparalleled buoyancy control regardless of diving positions.

Let’s leave the technical aspects to the pro’s

  • Wings are built with a 1680D Ballistic nylon outer shell and a 420D nylon inner bladder.
  • Airflow is controlled via a SCUBAPRO Balanced Power Inflator (BPI).{Which can be changed out to an Air II}
  • Available for single or double tank configurations in three lift capacities: 30lbs/13kg, 40lbs/18kg or 60lbs/27kg.

Okay, so let’s move on and talk about the back plate. The X-TEK offers 3 options in back plates, Aluminum, Steel, and a soft compact type for travel. Typically, our divers here at Extreme Sports Scuba dive with either the Aluminum or the Steel and that choice is based off of weight.

The Stainless Steel back plate is the heavier back plate at 5.3lbs (or if you like that metric, 2.4kg), which requires less added weights when diving. The Stainless Steel back plate is made from corrosion-resistant AISI 316 stainless steel and features an ergonomic shape for maximum comfort, control, and stability. It also offers a variety of options and clip-on points for attaching a storage pack or other accessories.

While the Aluminum back plate is a lighter weight back plate coming in at 2lbs (or for you who like the metric… .9kg) making it the better option for traveling. The light weight aluminum is made of quality lightweight material and features an ergonomic shape for maximum comfort, control, and stability.

I mentioned there were 3, the third is a soft travel back plate that you can read about here.

Finally, let’s discuss the Harness. There are three types, but we stick with one, the X-TEK Form Harness. So that’s the one I’m going to tell you about. This is the premium adjustable harness loaded with extras.

The Form harness system provides a combination of padding and adjustment for fit and comfort, along with quick-release buckles for ultimate ease of use. Complete with heavy-duty stainless steel D-rings to complete the system. This harness is the Tech Diver’s dream BC.

Again, I want to leave the technical information to the pros….

  • Padded shoulders and anatomical back padding deliver maximum comfort.
  • Adjustable shoulder straps contribute to a snug individualized fit.
  • Quick-release buckles on both left and right shoulders allow for quick and easy removal.
  • Four large stainless steel D-Rings on shoulder straps provide well-placed clip-off points.
  • Can be used with an optional QR weight pocket system.

Those are the 3 major components of the X-TEK BC. There are little side components and options available, but that’s why you should come see us and talk to us about this BC. It can be optimized and customized for each diver’s liking. Come see us, we’re here to help.

One last reminder… tomorrow night is February 2, Groundhog’s Day. Hopefully you don’t have a day like Bill Murray. Oh and its also February Dive Club meeting. On the menu for tomorrow: Baked Potato Bar. Remember, around here we’re all about the food, “If there’s food, they will come.”

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