There are two main difficulties in reviewing equipment designed to be used for potentially extreme dives. Firstly, to do the system justice, you need to put the kit through its paces in the environment for which it is designed. In the case of a product whose manufacturers claim the target market is 'the most demanding technical divers in the world' then there is little point in jumping into the Red Sea in 20m and taking a few pretty pictures of the system.

Secondly, we are all aware that we should try kit out in shallow water before gradually building up our depth and experience and undertaking more adventurous dives. However, this isn't always possible. Having been sent a SUPERtek wing from Scubapro, a wing with 124lb lift, dual redundancy etc, I felt that the best way to assess the wing would be over a series of gas dives. The SUPERtek wing is part of the X-TEC Cross Concept system, a modular design that is aimed at providing all the buoyancy requirements a diver would ever require. The hub of the system is the Xpak harness that is constructed of 1000 denier Cordura and comes with 6 - 11/2" and 5 - 1" stainless steel D-rings. The harness has straps for single and twin cylinders and for those bolting the harness onto cylinder bands there is a unique 'plateless' mounting system (basically two mini plates) that holds the system secure. The harness has an internal weight system and was provided with front mounted pouch, ideal for holding a Jon line, spare tables and a knife.

You then have a choice of four wings to add to the system: TRAVtek wing (27lbs lift), RECtek (53lbs lift), PROtek (single bladder 110lbs lift) and the top of the range SUPERtek. All the wings are constructed of extremely tough 1000 denier Dupont Cordura, apart from the TRAVtek which has a 200 Denier outer and Polyurethane inner bladder. The three larger wings have an adjustable bungie cord system that pulls the outer edge of the wing in towards the harness, reducing drag. The aircells on the SUPERtek are fitted with the standard Scubapro Power Inflator ... and power certainly seems to be the correct term as they can inflate the wings in about four seconds.

Getting into the system is simple as the harness is fitted with adjustable shoulder and waist straps. If I had one criticism it would be the size of the harness D-rings which are a little on the small size for the British diver, trying to clip all their accessories into the system (Scubapro told me that by sliding a cable tie through the D-ring attachment stitching and tightening it, you can stiffen the D-ring and have it stick out). Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to dive the stainless steel backplate which is designed along classic Holgarthian lines and has larger 2" D-rings. The system was very simple to dive, and I mean that in the best possible sense. When you have half a dozen tasks preoccupying your mind, the last thing you want is an over complicated wing system. The inflator is just the right length, you're able to find it first time every time and as the inflator is fitted with a manual dump valve (pull to dump style operation) it is as easy to dump.

As far as buoyancy control and lift are concerned I used the wing with twin 12li cylinders, twin 10li side mounts, argon cylinder and the rest of the paraphernalia that goes with a gas dive and found that the wing provided both ample lift and stability on the dives with no noticeable air migration around the wing whatever the body attitude. Back on the surface it took only a quick squirt on the inflator button to be riding high on the water. The harness was also simple to get out of, even with cold hands inside thick gloves.

	Construction	Lift/Size	Bladder	RRP
Xpac Harness	1000 Denier Cordura	XS - XL	N/A	£165.00
TRAVtek Wing	200 Denier Nylon Taffeta	27lbs/12.3kg	Single	£205.50
RECtek Wing	1000 Denier Cordura	53lbs/24.1kg	Single	£190.00
PROtek Wing	1000 Denier Cordura	110lbs/50kg	Single	£190.00
SUPERtek Wing	1000 Denier Cordura	124lbs/56.4kg	Double	£398.00
NB - The stainless steel backplate is now available at £195.00

Having taken the jacket on five gas dives I found the system performed very well. I particularly liked the fact that I could get the small 11/2" D-rings to push between the harness and the wing and come out behind the wing, at the side of the cylinder. This was ideal for mounting an argon cylinder on one side and canister torch on the other. For me, a combination of RECtek and SUPERtek wings along with either harness would cover just about all the diving I would do. The RECtek and Xpac harness weigh very little despite their features and would be ideal for travelling. Reluctantly I had to pack the wings up and hand them over to a courier so that they could be given to someone else to review, I do hope they are given a proper trial!

Review by Ron Mahoney