has anybody tried this

[diveasr]

has anybody tried this bc http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-3/005029/Aquatec-X-Wing-BC.htmlç
http://aquatecusa.com/old_web/bc-003.htm
http://www.aquatecusa.com/products/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=18_35_41&products_id=2

do you think its ok for my 14 year old cousin, about 2 years diving and dives twice a month

 

[herman]

Never seen one but 44lbs is a lot of lift for single tank warm water dives, esp if your cousin is average size or smaller.
At $229 I have to wonder about the quality as well.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

http://www.scubatoys.com/store/search_results.asp?iLevel=1&txtsearchParamCat=ALL&txtsearchParamMan=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtsearchParamType=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch&txtsearchParamTxt=closeouts

There are two BC's there for $250, and some more for $300. Scuba Toys is well known here and on other forums, infact, they have two guys (the owners ) on here that participate actively. You can call or pm or email them and they will help you in any way possible. There are only a few other shops I would reccomend to people like this, but they deal with technical diving equipment

 

[Scuba.com]

The Aquatec is a very basic back inflator BC. Most divers prefer more comfort in the harness. For new divers we suggest a jacket vest style which tends to be more comfortable to use on the surface. Take a look at the XSScuba Paragon:
http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-2/005145/XS-Scuba-Paragon-BC.html

 

[diveasr]

my cousin has already tried back inflate and he preferred it, but thx for all ur replies

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Haven't tried it, but I have it bookmarked for when I need a new BC.

I dive a new-old-stock Ocean Dynamics BC that was manufactured in the '70's. It's just like the X-Wing, except slightly less lift, no noisemaker, and doesn't have the pull dump in the inflator or the d-rings on the sides (not sure what they are for anyway). A lot of manufacturers used to make similar products.

I love my OD BC. It weighs next-to-nothing in air, is neutral in the water, and packs in a boot box (almost a shoe box).

I bought it to use as a travel BC, but then liked it so much I sold my Ranger. The Ranger was about four pounds heavier, and about four pounds positive, so that's about eight extra pounds I was hauling through the surf.

WRT to padded straps, I never dive without at least a shorty wetsuit, so the wetsuit provides enough padding for me. Especially as my rig is getting lighter and lighter.

I'll probably ruffle some feathers here, but this type of BC (I call it a backpack and wing) has many of the advantages of a BP/W, and in my mind is even better for travel.

Your cousin will probably want to add a d-ring or three, and a pocket, but the beauty of the 2" harness is that you can set it up however you want.

 

[CompuDude]

Back inflate BCs are great, but that wing is HUGE! WAY too much lift, esp. for a 14 year old. It's just going to flap around in the water.