There are no two ways about it -- this is a great BC set-up. The steel backplate allows you to take six pounds off your belt or out of your weight pockets. The single-tank adapter lets you knock off one or two more pounds. The simple harness allows you to attach as many, or as few, D-rings as you want and to place them wherever you want. The inflator and purge valves are easy to find and operate even with heavy gloves on. The metal cams on the two tank straps lock tanks in securely and will not break if pushed from the wrong angle or tightened too much. And the wing itself is a thing of beauty, streamlining behind you out of sight and out of mind. It's also very durable with both an outer shell and inner bladder. And the whole thing is modular, so when one part wears out, you need only replace it rather than replacing the whole set-up.

There are a couple of minor things I'm not crazy about. The cams are a bit difficult to adjust size-wise, so if you own a bunch of different sized tanks, it can get old having to re-adjust the straps every dive. The numerous Hs emblazoned on the straps and backplate, together with the oversized Halcyon patch stitched into the wing, are also annoying. After spending hundreds on their equipment, I don't appreciate being forced into the role of walking advertisement. Those are relatively minor points, though.

The eclipse wing is for single-tank diving. It comes in both a 30-pound and 40-pound version, and for New England diving, I'd recommend the 40-pound wing. I'm not sure the 30-pounder would have enough lift, particularly in the colder waters north of Cape Cod. Again, this is a great BC and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for New England diving. For more info, go to www.halcyon.net.

Jerry Shine