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REFLEX TECHNOLOGY:
FIT FOR ADVENTUREAP BCDs - designed and built
by divers for diversWith comfort, safety and a build-quality so advanced
we back it up with a confident first-owner Lifetime WarrantyMike Greenslade AP ©
Comfort & Fit
- Fine-tune adjustment custom-fits the BCD to your body shape
- Padding & support where you need it
Quality & Performance
- The toughest BCDs on the market
- Built with bespoke materials & patented construction techniques
Safety & Control
- Choice of unique self-sufficient emergency systems
- Emergency breathing and buoyancy
Service & After-sales
- 95% in-house UK production
- Ensures we have the expertise & spares availability to offer an after-sales service second-to-none
AP BCDs are designed and built entirely on-site in our UK factory. Complete control over the manufacturing process, stringent materials specifications and a dedicated R&D test centre ensure quality from first weld to final stitch.
When you buy an AP BCD you’re buying advanced, trustworthy kit engineered and designed by divers - with comfort, safety and a build-quality so advanced, we confidently back it up with a first-owner Lifetime Warranty.
COMFORT & FIT
You don’t fit into an AP BCD. It fits to you.
The AP reflex range of BCDs – including the Commando, the Commando Explorer and the Tekwing - feature our unique element adjustable backpack, harness and waistband system which allows fine-tune fitting between the standard sizes. It was developed using the latest anthropometric research by the British Standards Institution, designed to offer a comfort-fit for the full range of male and female body shapes and sizes for at least 90% of the population. The result is a tailored BCD with a precise comfort-fit that flexes to your individual body shape. Lifelong comfort is achievable via a simple one-time set up of just 3 adjustments:
1. Backpack Adjustment
Tools required: 5mm Allen key
We all have different torso lengths which is why fixed length backpacks can be so uncomfortable. The cylinder can rest too high on the back, directly onto the spine, causing discomfort and possible back problems. The most ergonomic position is for the base of the backpack to sit comfortably into the small of your back. The element backpack and harness system extends in length by up to 100mm with 7 adjustment increments giving you a precise and comfortable fit. Once you've adjusted to your ideal backpack length, you can set it permanently with a single bolt, tightened with a 5mm Allen key.
2. Shoulder Strap Adjustment
Tools required: none
Simply unthread the 50mm webbing from a 3-bar slider hidden beneath velcro flaps on the harness shoulders to adjust the length of the shoulder strap to achieve optimum positioning of the side-release buckles.
3. Waistband Adjustment
Tools required: none
Most BCD designs take no account of differing torso lengths and therefore the waistband sits too high or too low on the body rather than in the most comfortable position - across the top of the hips. The AP element waistband can be threaded in either a high or low position on the jacket body to achieve your ideal comfort-fit.
QUALITY & PERFORMANCE
Unique Materials - Endura FX100 and OceanSeal800
Where there are no off-the-shelf solutions to dive product problems, we either invent them ourselves or commission specialists to do the job. Endura FX100 is a bespoke 1000 denier cordura double-coated material developed specifically for us. It is scientifically tested for the diving environment, to withstand extreme conditions, maximize puncture and abrasion resistance and to minimize the risk of fraying, to hold colour and offer protection against chemical and UV attack.
When it came to designing our lightweight travel BCDs – the AP Commando Escape and Travelwing – we refused to compromise quality for lightness and so went to great lengths to commission a unique new specialist material – OceanSeal800 – that could be welded as a single-bladder BCD (weighing in at a flight-friendly sub-3kg) but also, at 800 denier, is still twice as durable as most other jackets on the market, travel or otherwise.
Harness system
Product life is also enhanced by the design of the unique AP harness systems in which the webbing takes the strain of the cylinder weight rather than the jacket or buoyancy cell. The design also prevents any discomfort from body-squeeze on inflation because the buoyancy cell inflates away from the body and does not impact on the tightness of the straps at shoulders or waist.
Patented stud system
The tried and tested AP Patented Stud System construction not only protects the buoyancy bladder by transferring the main stresses to the tough outer shell, it also allows rapid flow of air around the jacket. This prevents buoyancy from being trapped in any one part of the BCD and therefore allows the diver to move more freely underwater.
Twin-bag construction
We have specified twin-bag construction for all of our cold-water BCDs – sport, technical, military or commercial - for well over 30 years. It’s a tried and tested design that offers a rugged, hard-wearing jacket with an air-tight inner bladder so protected and so durable that it comes with a First-owner Lifetime Warranty.
Emergency Breathing
- Choice of high performance AP emergency breathing valves. The superb Auto Air octo-inflator OR the unique APV200 (developed from the original AP Valve) inflator and emergency jacket-breathing valve.
- These emergency breathing valves provide the best, most intuitive backup if any part of your breathing system fails. Simply place in your mouth and breathe!
Emergency Buoyancy
- Optional emergency mini-cylinder – 232 bar A-clamp/DIN or 300 bar DIN – offers emergency breathing options in conjunction with either AP valve above and a potentially life-saving source of emergency buoyancy on reaching the surface.
Heads-up Surface Support
- Surface support for as long as you need it. All AP BCDs offer high performance lift and surface support capabilities: all bladders and fittings are tested overnight to ensure absolute air tightness.
Be seen, Be safe
- High Visibility: all jackets feature hi-viz reflective strips.
Rapid Release System
- Positive Lock security– Most AP BCDs offer the option of either cargo clips or integrated weight pouches.
Total Buoyancy Control
- Complete control – responsive inflators & dump valves always-to-hand.
We dive every product we build. All our BCDs are put through their paces, first in the lab then punished in practice. We know the challenges you face as a diver every time you go out, so we try to address them with every design improvement. We use the vast array of advanced technology available to us as one of the world’s leading dive equipment manufacturers and put it to good practical use so you always notice the difference when you use an AP Valve or try on a Commando, Travelwing or Tekwing for the first time.
Jeff Parker AP ©The AP BCD Lifetime Warranty
We have absolute faith in the products we make and we want you to feel the same way. That’s why we offer a first user lifetime warranty on every BCD we sell.
We guarantee our BCDs against faulty materials and workmanship for a period of 3 years and the inner bag material and weld for a lifetime. Put simply, if your inner bag weld fails we will replace it free of charge within 5 working days and cover the return postage to you. Confidence you can trust in.
Easy to service - Easy to get service
You’ll always get top after-sales support from us and an infinite, future-proof supply of spares and replacement parts. We offer professional product servicing direct from our fast turnaround in-house department in Cornwall, UK.
Or, you can do it yourself. Our BCD and OC range of fittings and valves have been designed to be simple to service without jeopardising the integrity of the airtight seal which means you - or your local dive shop - can easily perform routine maintenance.