Sanity check on float arms before I buy

Having had two ball ends detach from 'chinese' arms and nearly losing my lights/strobes on both occasions, I am prepping to invest in good arms (prob Nauticam).

I think i've got a flexible solution, but thought i'd share before I buy to see if anyone sees something I'm missing. I really don't want to get this wrong. Sorry for essay in advance!

My equipment:

• GH5 in Nauticam housing, 35 port & WWL-1B
• 2x Inon z240
• 2x SUPE Vk6pro

I usually use both video lights and strobes together on a triple clamp (suits how I typically capture). Aiming for balanced (and streamlined) rig because will be mounted on scooter.

Have undertaken an extensive 'weighing in water' session, with following possible configs (all weight in fresh):

Config 1) Housing + strobes + lights + 4x triple clamps = 2.295kg (most often config)

Config 2) Housing + strobes only + 4x triple clamps = 1.350kg (possible)

Config 3) Housing only = 1.020kg (unlikely to ever use)

I've come up with the following arms i'd need to buy, that I think would work for config 1) and 2)

•  Nauticam 90x220mm (1.440kg combined) +
•  Nauticam 300mm standard arm (for extension only) +
•  existing chinese arm across top of housing (0.580kg)

total buoyancy = 2.020kg (275g under in fresh, maybe about right in salt). It also gives me an approx. 9" + 12" arm set for wide angle/ 120deg lights, which I think is desirable(?)

Then for config 2), I would take off the chinese arm across the top of housing, for total bouyancy = 1440kg (90g positive in fresh and a bit more in salt)

Questions I'm posing to myself:

• Is the +90g/ -275g bouyancy swing going to be noticable?
• Is 9" + 12" arm combo sensible for deep dark low vis UK waters, even if I do shoot wide angle and have 120deg lights?
• Is using a float across the top of the housing sensible for my most used config? (thinking this reduces drag out wide, but also reduces number of new float arms to buy). Possible downside is access to dials.
• Is there a buy option I am missing?

If anyone has made it this far, thanks for reading and appreciate any thoughts. I'm a buy once sort of guy and this has been going round my head for too long!

2 hours ago, OwenF said:

Is using a float across the top of the housing sensible for my most used config? (thinking this reduces drag out wide, but also reduces number of new float arms to buy). Possible downside is access to dials.

Hey Owen

I have my gear set up like this with an 8" arm across the top of my housing linked to 2x triple joints.  An 8" + 5" arm leading to my strobes. I have a dive computer on the horizontal arm. Yes, the horizontal arm does block, to an extent, viewing things or possibly (but less so on my system) accessing dials. But I can't say, for me, it's a show stopper by any means. The horizontal arms allows you to spread the buoyancy more (I use Stix foam which I prefer to fixed buoyancy arms) and provides an excellent handle for moving the gear whether in or out of water.

A 21" arm spread seems huge to me especially in murky UK waters. My style of WA shooting is to concentrate the strobes on one element of the reef and use ambient light for the rest. This does not require huge arms. I must admit I struggle a bit to think what you are going to light with a (presumably) 2x 21" spread.

On cheap arms etc, totally agree. Buy cheap, buy (at least) twice. I bought ULCS arms and clamps around 2003. They are still as good as new and they have traversed through 6 different housings and systems.

How did the defective arms fail? by breaking, unscrewing, other? 

Also, photos of the arms, floats, strobes and foam setups on the housing would help us readers to visualize and understand the otherwise a bit difficult to follow descriptions.
 

How did the defective arms fail? by breaking, unscrewing, other? 

Also, photos of the arms, floats, strobes and foam setups on the housing would help us readers to visualize and understand the otherwise a bit difficult to follow descriptions.
 

A 21" arm spread seems huge to me especially in murky UK waters. My style of WA shooting is to concentrate the strobes on one element of the reef and use ambient light for the rest. This does not require huge arms. I must admit I struggle a bit to think what you are going to light with a (presumably) 2x 21" spread.

Here's a pic of how mine is setup. It's not as clunky or bulky as this pic suggests.

I would suggest you don't want a positive housing, when I got my new housing I dived a combo that worked with my older housing and it was slightly positive and it was positively painful to use.  I did the calculations and it was only about 100 grams positive.  How this manifests on your s will probably depend on configuration - it looks like you have a WWL on board so that will be negative.  I was using a 170mm dome (glass) so that was trying to twist up. 

I would also recommend a set of long clamps to join the float arm to the plain arm at the top - it allows the plain arm to fold down parallel to the float arm.  With the standard length clamps it won't fold flat and may limit you ability to position strobes in close if you need to.

Hi Owen,

Give a look at this Italian company:

https://www.flex-arm.com/en/carbon-fiber-arms/carbon-fiber-float-arms

I have been using several of theirs arms and clamps for years now and they are really well made and don't break the bank.

Hi Owen,
Give a look at this Italian company:
https://www.flex-arm.com/en/carbon-fiber-arms/carbon-fiber-float-arms
I have been using several of theirs arms and clamps for years now and they are really well made and don't break the bank.
 

I've been using them for 4 years with several dives > 120 m. Everything perfect. I like that you can even remove the ball if needed. 

For the clamps I don't have an extensive use because I have only a couple of them (the long one) to join arms segment in the middle. For now (1 year) no sign of bending.

Hi Owen,
Give a look at this Italian company:
https://www.flex-arm.com/en/carbon-fiber-arms/carbon-fiber-float-arms
I have been using several of theirs arms and clamps for years now and they are really well made and don't break the bank.
 

3 minutes ago, OwenF said:

HOWEVER, Flex-Arm will not ship to the UK as they expect me (a private customer) to be VAT registered. 

Argh, what a pain. The joys of Brexit. Not. 

I got a pair of Weefine WFA37 adjustable float arms recently, and I'm quite happy with them. They're a bit pricey at $100 apiece, but they allow precise control over buoyancy, and the balls are held by threading rather than glue - one side has a screw-on cap (with a couple o-rings to ensure water-tightness) that has an integral ball (it seems to be a single piece of aluminium); this can be removed to drain the arm and rinse the insides. The part that this cap screws into (also aluminium) has a hole in the middle, through which a stainless steel allen-head screw goes into the end of an aluminium rod that goes through the center of the arm and terminates in a ball on the other side. There is no glue involved in holding the balls together, so I really don't see it disintegrating suddenly.

One downside, however, is that they're fairly heavy in their own right - just about 450g above water, with 520g of rated buoyancy, so having multiples of them will do no kindness to your luggage allowance.

6 hours ago, OwenF said:

So this would have been perfect and having spent a few good hours working out what to buy, I placed the order.

HOWEVER, Flex-Arm will not ship to the UK as they expect me (a private customer) to be VAT registered.

Incredibly disappointing as it looked like a good product and alternative to Nauticam for me.

Beware anyone from UK considering this option.


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I am so sorry for the inconvenience.
After the Brexit for private citizen all trade to and from Europe blew up.
I don't know why they are asking you for that code.
I only know that after the Brexit I receive from UK only tracked parcels. Everything else is lost. I had to cancel subscription to two magazines as well. Las but not the least: the price of sofnolime with customs fees and transport has skyrocketed. Yes, all types of sorb are made in UK.

1 hour ago, Davide DB said:

I am so sorry for the inconvenience.
After the Brexit for private citizen all trade to and from Europe blew up.
I don't know why they are asking you for that code.
I only know that after the Brexit I receive from UK only tracked parcels. Everything else is lost. I had to cancel subscription to two magazines as well. Las but not the least: the price of sofnolime with customs fees and transport has skyrocketed. Yes, all types of sorb are made in UK.

Not your fault! Yes, everything has become that much more difficult and more expensive!

I've had an offer of a business importing for me, but Flex-Arm have stopped responding to me. To be honest, the fear that things will going missing in the post/customs etc has now just put me off the idea altogether. Not to mention, i'm in a hurry!

Looks like i'll just pay the circa 200% more for some Nauticam arms. Such as shame as I found a perfect combination in Flex-Arm and the Nauticam alternative is actually a compromise 

12 hours ago, OwenF said:

Not your fault! Yes, everything has become that much more difficult and more expensive!

I've had an offer of a business importing for me, but Flex-Arm have stopped responding to me. To be honest, the fear that things will going missing in the post/customs etc has now just put me off the idea altogether. Not to mention, i'm in a hurry!

Looks like i'll just pay the circa 200% more for some Nauticam arms. Such as shame as I found a perfect combination in Flex-Arm and the Nauticam alternative is actually a compromise 

The INON arms are quite good also and cheaper, but only rated to 60m if I remember correctly.

I could buy them for you but again we could have custom problems shipping them yo UK...