Best overall jacket style BCD- Scubapro vs. Oceanic vs. Bare

[keithbt]

In my opinion the best is a Scubapro Knighthawk.....jacket stlye with back inflate...comfort.stream line.high quality.steach cumberbun.handle....but just an opinion...try to rent the differrnt types you want to buy..

 

[BDSC]

In my opinion the best is a Scubapro Knighthawk.....jacket stlye with back inflate...comfort.stream line.high quality.steach cumberbun.handle....but just an opinion...try to rent the differrnt types you want to buy..

The Knighthawk is not a Jacket BC.

 

[BDSC]

+1 on the BP/W. Jacket BC's are for rental fleets, not divers that hit the water with any frequency.

What a crock of BS.

Another vote for the Scubapro Classic. A great BC and you could even dive doubles in the future if you wanted to.

 

[chile7236]

Interesting you say that. Of my four main buddies, two dive Classics, one dives a pro qd and the other a bpw. The Classic is
an awesome jacket for warm water and photogs IMO. The bubble moves as needed.

i am kind of a gear huer and have owned the classic and pro qd at one point or another and think both are great...currently in a bpw but thinking about picking up another classic or pro qd just....because

 

[DiveMaven]

Buy the one that fits you best. A good fit is everything in picking a BC and not all brands/styles are created for every body type. Scuba Pro, Oceanic, and Bare are good brands, so if they all fit you equally, buy the one that's the best price and has the features you want.

 

[WaterV]

I have a bare curve, its the model with the wing in the back. Althought I really LOVE it, I wish I would have listen to the people telling me to go with the bp/w... If you are thinking that you will EVENTUALLY go with doubles, then go with the bp/w. The other nice thing with the bp/w is that you can take off a few pounds of lead, in cold water diving, it makes a big difference. If you are 100% sure you will never do 2 tanks, you might want to go with the jacket, and then I would recommend the bare since it's the one I know. I think it might be a bit heavy for traveling but it has tons of pockets and a lot of D rings.

 

[Colliam7]

I am looking for a good jacket style BCD that works well for cold and warm water diving and easy to use for overseas trips. So far I am looking at a deal on ScubaPro, Oceanic and Bare models. Any suggestions in terms of best quality with flexibility? I cannot find much in terms of ratings from Scuba Lab on these brand of BCD from the tester choice awards. I want something that has good pockets, easy to tote across airports for overseas dive trips yet can use in the cold waters of Monterey or warm Caribbean and easy to streamline my gear.

Three thoughts: 1) you are generally not likely to find true 'ratings' on equipment of this type (jacket BCD), although there may be plenty of 'reviews'; 2) The three brands you mentioned are all known / established / reputable, and any one can be considered reliable; 3) most people do not usually think of a jacket BCD as being the easiest to 'tote across airports', simply because they do not compress in lugagge quite as much as a travel BCD (usually back-inflate) or a lightweight BP/W. That said, jackets are not a particular problem with weight, and generally not with space, either.

Most true jacket BCDs will have front pockets of (more than) ample size, their lift capacity will be in a fairly standard range and quite sufficient for single cylinder diving (AL or steel), and there will be limited differences in performance between them. My jacket happens to be a SeaQuest Pro , so I won't attempt to comment on specific models in the brand lines you mentioned, beyond my earlier comments on the reputation of all three manufacturers. Honestly, a jacket BCD is a jacket BCD, irrespective of bells and whistles that manufacturers may add. The primary consideration for me would be fit - the sizing does vary somewhat across brand, and a L in one line may be a ML in another line. That isn't a problem, just be sure to find the brand / model that fits you.

For travel, there are some fairly light weight back-inflate BCDs, in several brand lines, that are possibly a bit easier to 'tote' than jacket models. But, since you have established a jacket model as your choice, my recommnedation is try several on, find the one that fits you, and go with it. If most of your diving is local, the 'totability' will not be an issue, anyway.

 

[Peter_C]

I made it 25 dives in a Scubapro Knighthawk before ditching it and going to a BP/W. Sure would have saved myself a bunch of money if I would have gone straight to a BP/W. A stainless plate works great for cold and warm water diving. A 30lb wing will take care of cold and warm water travels for single tank diving. If you ever want to dive doubles you can, but most folks just dive single tanks.

Most of the local divers I know that dive a fair amount, dive BP/W's and use drysuits for comfort. Of course most of them also use bungee backups so they always know where their backup reg is.

 

[ekremer]

I have to ask this question. How intent are you on a jacket style? I see that you are new, have you ever tried a back inflate? (I am skipping the backplate plate and wing part for now.)

I know I found diving a back inflate a night and day difference to a standard jacket style. Also, because the bladder is in the back, you tend to get way more pocket space.
That brings up the next question. Why big pockets? What do you intend to bring down with you?

 

[merxlin]

I have to ask this question. How intent are you on a jacket style? I see that you are new, have you ever tried a back inflate? (I am skipping the backplate plate and wing part for now.)

I know I found diving a back inflate a night and day difference to a standard jacket style. Also, because the bladder is in the back, you tend to get way more pocket space.
That brings up the next question. Why big pockets? What do you intend to bring down with you?

I'll agree on the back inflate and loved my Knighthawk. But I'll disagree on the pockets- it had one roll down that was a pain in the butt to use. That said, I rarely used it.