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HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 6:16 pm
by Bryan
Rob and I were in Jacksonville today for a meeting with the HOG/Edge Gear folks. Stay Tuned for details.

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:06 pm
by ScubaLawyer
WOW!
I swoon with eager anticipation of the results of your endeavor. :D

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:30 pm
by rhwestfall
SWEET!!!

BTW - that is essentially what I have been diving since I got my Kraken.

Kraken, VDH Plate, HOG wing, Zenith safe second, and HOG SPG....

I have this thing for red....

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 3:10 am
by lewise
Nice!

Too bad they don't make the Duroc anymore! I managed to snag one used but I have to admit that the Zenith second stages are pretty nice.

Image


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Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:09 am
by Bryan
It's a pretty big outlay of cash to get started with HOG/Edge Gear but if the VDH members would take a look on line and find the best price on the HOG gear they want to buy I'm sure I can meet or even beat the price (by a little) to get my first order together. E MAIL ME THE DETAILS OF WHAT YOU WANT....DO NOT POST IT HERE......E-mail me the details [email protected] and we will work it out and I can place an order in the next two weeks I'm sure.

http://edge-gear.com/

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 8:58 am
by Bryan
Crickets is all my inbox is hearing........Perhaps it's not time for another gear line at VDH :?: :?:


Dave Houser, one of the instructors up at Divers Supply was instrumental in getting VDH involved with HOG gear. He is also an ardent double hose diver and it's his Argonaut shown in the pictures above. He wrote a nice article about double hose diving and early Florida Springs diving that I thought you guys might enjoy reading. Link Below

Fan Of Sea Hunt

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:11 am
by Pedro
Bryan wrote:It's a pretty big outlay of cash to get started with HOG/Edge Gear but if the VDH members would take a look on line and find the best price on the HOG gear they want to buy I'm sure I can meet or even beat the price (by a little) to get my first order together. E MAIL ME THE DETAILS OF WHAT YOU WANT....DO NOT POST IT HERE......E-mail me the details [email protected] and we will work it out and I can place an order in the next two weeks I'm sure.

http://edge-gear.com/
Bought a bunch of HOG stuff earlier this year, seemed very fairly priced to me. Good quality, hope the partnership takes off

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 10:35 pm
by scubapeter
I think this is a good move. HOG/Edge is a progressive company with some really good practices, particularly when is comes to the availability of parts kits. I wish I grabbed a duroc when they were available.....

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 8:46 am
by Bryan
Suprisingly I had zero response to my offer.......maybe adding HOG gear to the inventory is not such a good idea after all.

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Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:00 pm
by couv
Bryan,

Most of us old farts have had more than enough gear for a long time. Perhaps a mention or two on a few of the other boards might bring a few more bites.

Having said that, if you remember last November I was sporting a new Hog wing, so we missed the boat on that one. I see in the above picture the owner of a Hog wing has an offset corrugated hose, where mine is centered and interferes with my can. Does Hog now have a singles wing with the hose offset?

Thanks,

Couv

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 1:03 pm
by Bryan
couv wrote:Bryan,

Most of us old farts have had more than enough gear for a long time. Perhaps a mention or two on a few of the other boards might bring a few more bites.

Having said that, if you remember last November I was sporting a new Hog wing, so we missed the boat on that one. I see in the above picture the owner of a Hog wing has an offset corrugated hose, where mine is centered and interferes with my can. Does Hog now have a singles wing with the hose offset?

Thanks,

Couv
Yes they do. I asked specifically about that and saw both types.

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Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 4:15 pm
by rhwestfall
The addition of HOG is an awesome idea, but a "short window - gun to the head" will not reveal the merit of having them available through VDH....

I don't know if you have to do something this quickly regarding a first (or large) order, but it may take some time for the folks here to know the line, appreciate what they have, and consider adding components if it fits their diving (and budget)...

Over the last few years, I have added HOG gear to my collection. A singles wing, a doubles wing, 2 D1 Cold firsts, 4 classic seconds, 2 Zenith seconds, spg's, masks, and probably a few other items..... Unfortunately, it wasn't through you. I'm hoping others will appreciate the line.

Hoping the relationship will prosper, but it needs to be given time...

Thanks for approaching them.

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 4:33 pm
by uwstlth
couv wrote:Bryan,

Most of us old farts have had more than enough gear for a long time. Perhaps a mention or two on a few of the other boards might bring a few more bites.

Having said that, if you remember last November I was sporting a new Hog wing, so we missed the boat on that one. I see in the above picture the owner of a Hog wing has an offset corrugated hose, where mine is centered and interferes with my can. Does Hog now have a singles wing with the hose offset?

Thanks,

Couv
Completely agree w/ Couv. HOG/Edge is the next generation of the Oceanic/Hollis type of equipment. It's available everywhere, especially with the online discount scuba dealers like Piranha and DGE. I say a better focus for investment and $ outlay would be on the niche vintage/ Argonaut lines. Nobody else has that, become the goto place for supplies. Maybe you could license your reg to those other retailers at some point in the future... like L'Air Liquid did w/Bussoz; albeit without all the patent issues.

I've seen a lot of dive businesses go under by trying to diversify too much, especially in a time when leisure sports have taken such a big hit. Just this last month, both Sport Chalet (the #1 dive retailer in the country by volume and sales) as well as 2 local small dive shops have closed their doors. Both due to the migration of people shopping online. In fact, the owner of Dive California (located at the old NASDS building) told me what did him in was the fact that equipment manufactures do not protect brick & mortar shops any longer, and why should they? Most of their sales are being made online. While he didn't like that fact that his nest-egg had slipped away, he understood you can't compete with fickle consumers and a leisure sport (diving is one) as well as acknowledged he diversified too much with product lines and got upside down on his debt/income ratio. Even with a net 90 on his orders, he still feel far behind. It is a lesson he learned the hard way, same with the new owners of the now bankrupt Sport Chalet.

The rebreather industry is going through this exact issue, no high volume of $10k units being sold in today's economy... the Hollis and Poseidon rigs are being sold on the secondary market for pennies on the dollar. And they were supposed to be the "entry" rigs for the wannabes. Both companies spent insane amounts of $$$ thinking they had the next cool thing divers would want, expensive lesson they have learned,both still in the hole on those.

Stay true to the reason you started VDH... don't blow it with the change of the wind.

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 1:25 pm
by Bryan
Well I did a little more thinking and decided to go ahead and add EDGE / HOG gear to the store. I'm not going to stock a whole lot of things but since they are so close to me special orders are not a problem.

I'll be changing the VDH plate package and the standard harness will be a choice of either the HOG or the Highland/XS Scuba unit with the Deluxe HOG harness as an extra option. Same will go for the bands, Standard nylon, HOG or Highland heavy duty with stainless steel buckles.

BCD options will be HOG 23lb, Dive Rite 23lb or XS Scuba 30lb.


I'm holding off placing my first order till September 1st in the event anyone wants something special. I'll meet any advertised price for HOG/EDGE gear. Please E-mail me if you are interested.

Re: HOG/Edge gear and VDH

Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 7:06 pm
by crimediver
I have numerous BP/wing set ups. Deep outdoors, OMS, Dive Rite set up's for different types of diving. Last year I picked up a like new HOG 30 pound wing, and BP with harness for a ridiculously low price at a pawn shop. I got it and a Carter 100# lift bag for 75 bucks. I did not need it so I offered half of what they were asking and they said OK so of course I had to buy it. Heck, just the lift bag was worth that.

I was very impressed by the quality and it is now what I use for much of the diving I do when I am using modern gear. I think the gear is worth buying and would recommend anyone to considering to purchase HOG gear.