I ended up getting bruises and soreness in the hips from where the integrated weights hit me for my size.
I think that the less weight that you have to add to your rig, the better. That's because weight on a belt or in an integrated weight pocket is often uncomfortable, shifts, and causes problems like this. By diving a steel BP/W, you take at least six pounds off of your weight belt, and even more compared to a jacket BC that is inherently buoyant (a steel tank helps this even more, but if the OP is traveling with this or renting a tank, that might not be an option).
And not only are you taking weight off of your weight belt, you are moving it to a much more logical position - right between your lungs and your tank, in the center of mass of the diver/rig. This is one of the reasons why many of us love the feel, fit and trim of this option.
Personally, I hate weight belts. I take my steel BP to the tropics, stick two 2 pound weights in the trim pockets on the tank straps, and I'm perfectly weighted with a thin wetsuit. Very comfortable. Some people insist on ditchable weight (that's another discussion), but even if you want that, you will still have a lot less on your belt with a BP/W.
People often give the advice to try several BCs before buying. I guess stores do have some rental units that you could try, but do people really know about stores that will let you comparison shop with a wide range of BCs? How would that work, if you wanted to try anything other than their rentals (which probably aren't new or high end models)? It's very common advice here, but I don't think that it's very practical.
Seriously, people here frequently recommend BP/Ws because it's always the same question, so we always give the same answer. I really can't think of any advantage of a jacket BC over a BP - cost, comfort, flexibility, serviceability, durability, diving characteristics, customizability. If you progress to tech then you are all set, and if you have to shave off every pound for travel, you can use Kydex plates. Of course, most people are happy with whatever they have and will recommend it, but it's pretty rare to find people who dive a properly fit BP/W and then go back to a jacket BC.
