AP Diving

AP Tekwing

A one-size technical backplate-and-wing BCD from AP Diving, delivering 60 lb of standard lift with modular twinset, pony-cylinder, and redundant-buoyancy upgrades.

Wing / backplate

Modular harness and wing, the standard technical-diving setup. Expect to configure backplate, wing, and harness separately rather than buying a fixed jacket.

AP Tekwing
3.0Comparison Score
$430
Released1995
Stylewing backplate
Weight-integratedNo
Lift capacity60 lbs
Backplatenone
D-rings8
Trim pocketsYes
MaterialEndura FX100 1000-denier coated-nylon outer shell, PU-welded airtight inner bladder (twin-bag construction)
Travel-friendlyNo
Dry weight—
Fitunisex
SizesOne size

"Lift capacity" is the manufacturer-rated buoyancy the wing/bladder can provide at the surface. Match it to your exposure suit, tank, and weighting, not the biggest number available.

Pros
  • 27.44 kg (about 60 lb) of standard lift with a single-cylinder camband rated to 15-liter (8 in) tanks, upgradeable with the Redwing add-on for 50 kg (about 110 lb) of total redundant buoyancy
  • Reflex Element Comfort-Fit harness includes an extendable backplate section meant to shift twinset cylinder weight onto the lower back and pelvis rather than the spine
  • Tool-free twinset camband and pony-cylinder upgrade kits let divers reconfigure from single-tank recreational to twin-cylinder technical setups without buying a new wing
Cons
  • The "backplate" is an integrated part of the twin-bag fabric harness rather than a swappable aluminum or stainless-steel plate like modular wing systems from XDEEP, Halcyon, or Dive Rite
  • One-size-fits-all sizing relies entirely on the harness's adjustment range rather than a size-specific backplate or harness webbing
  • US pricing isn't published directly by AP Diving; the figure here is converted from their UK ex-VAT GBP price and excludes import shipping or duties
Diver community sentiment
Mixed opinions

Sentiment splits along use case. In one Scubaboard "Wing Recommendations" thread, several posters were dismissive of the Tekwing, criticizing it as bulky and overbuilt with excessive material and straps, questioning why anyone would need its 60lb of lift when half that is plenty for most diving. Conversely, in a "Buddy Commando" thread, an instructor who has used the related AP line for years called it "bulletproof," praising durability and AP's lifetime warranty/refurbishment program, and other posters valued the integrated weight-pocket design, though one noted the pouches can add bulk for air travel.

Scubaboard: Wing Recommendations, critical of Tekwing bulkScubaboard: Buddy Commando BCs durability/warranty praise

Summarized from public forum discussion (Scubaboard, Reddit, and similar), not a survey we ran ourselves. See the linked threads for the original conversations.

The Tekwing is AP Diving’s technical backplate-and-wing BCD, built from the same Endura FX100 1000-denier cordura and twin-bag bladder construction as the company’s Commando jacket BCD, but packaged as a one-size harness aimed at divers moving from recreational into technical configurations. It ships with 27.44 kg (about 60 lb) of lift and a single-cylinder camband rated to 15-liter tanks, and can be reconfigured with AP’s twinset camband kits, pony-cylinder bands, or the Redwing redundant-buoyancy wing, which adds a further 22.5 kg (about 50 lb) of backup lift. The harness includes an extendable backplate section intended to distribute twinset cylinder weight across the lower back and pelvis instead of the spine.