In the market for BC, help.

[diver 85]

My recommendation:...for the money & a great BC is a Scout by Zeagle, $200 and shipping may be free???.........I own one & enjoy the heck out of it.

Buy Zeagle Scout BC 7108VK with reviews at scuba.com

 

[fisherdvm]

I believe the back-inflate face-plant is now mostly myth. It dates to the 1977 Scubapro back inflate unit. I tried it back then, and the BC concept had yet to be perfected. There are not a lot of face-down divers floating around today.
Good luck with it.

I don't know if I would call it a myth. I've dove 3 different back inflate - both jacket, and back plate. You can feel that it is more difficult to stay comfortable on the surface - especially if you have a large wing and overinflated, with weight forward on a belt. A balanced wing with a heavy back plate might be different. A large wing with a light plate, and weighted forward belt or pocket can tilt you face down. A myth has no truth in it. But there is some truth to a larger wing, excess air, and center of gravity forward. Simple physics - simple mechanics. Can't deny the facts.

 

[itr1416]

Some BC, especially back inflated BC, when over inflated, will push your face into the water. That is one of the reason why many divers like to stick to the jacket style with air pockets to your side and to your front. I wonder if the BC you rented was a back inflate BC jacket type? Next time, just deflate it a little bit, and you will feel alot better.

Your probably right, it must have been a back inflated BC and I remember now my instructor telling me to avoid those for that very reason. I'm also positive I had that BC over inflated. I'll watch out for the back inflated BCs and maybe rent a BC like you described above and see how that works out. Thanks.

 

[itr1416]

My recommendation:...for the money & a great BC is a Scout by Zeagle, $200 and shipping may be free???.........I own one & enjoy the heck out of it.

Buy Zeagle Scout BC 7108VK with reviews at scuba.com

This looks like the back inflated BC that I don't want to deal with.

 

[itr1416]

if you are going to be making purchases solely on price then you better stick with renting for a while because (i speak from experience) a bad 1st choice usually means you end up buying a 2nd set later on when you know more and can appreciate better quaility (and thank gosh for ebay to fob off your old gear)

dive gear can be life saving equiment (and not to forget you want to enjoy diving it it also) and spending an extra $50 most prob will be well worth it

i see even scubatoys have the zeagle brigade at $400 (but mention SB and you get a 10% discount)

just some thougths to consider

cheers

I know what you are saying. I'm the biggest advocate of "you get what you pay for". But there are tons of BCs on the market and there seems to be a good selection of BCs in the price range of lower 200s and 300s. I'm sure there are a couple out there that suit my level of experience that I am currently at that will not tend to float me face down on the surface. So I think I have a little more information to make a better choice. Thanks everyone for your advice.

 

[texdiveguy]

I would recommend you look at the Zeagle line and Oceanic. I persl. dive a Zeagle Tech Pac, but that would not be a good pick for you. Zeagle does have some awesome recreational bc's you might consider.

 

[itr1416]

I believe there are quite a few people on Scubaboard that are happy with ScubaL products which look to be in your price range.

scubaL.com - Scuba Gear and Diving Equipment Store

No thanks....

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...-weight-systems/223724-ripped-off-scubal.html

 

[littlejohn]

I was having the same thing happen to me, till I got my weigh right.
To much weight in the front pockets will put you face down.

Went with a steel tank, dropped some lead and move some to the back trim pockets.
Made all the difference in the world.

When you pick out one you like, rent one first and make sure it works for you.

There is a big dive show in south Fl in a few weeks where you can dive the demo gear.

 

[Oceanna21]

With only 12 dives in your pocket, it might be better if you hung back and tried out different BCDs, just to get a feel. As mentioned in the thread, rushing off to buy a BC might mean a more expensive purchase later when you have figured out your diving style, likes and dislikes. This time is also good to learn little tips and tricks that help you cope with your gear and such (e.g. the face-plant issue with the BC. Leaning back and float on your back helps Relaxing!)

Furthermore, diving with a BC that you don't really like is not a nice experience. I once borrowed a friend's BC to try it out and spent the whole dive pulling down the BC to prevent the tank from banging into the back of my head. Not nice!! :no I learnt then that no matter how similar in body size and shape the two of you are, some customization is still needed :14:

This is a good time to figure out little details such as if youprefer a weight-integrated BC or to a weight belt; number of pockets/D-rings you'd like for gear such as torches, SMBs etc as well as the type of diving. Some progress quite rapidly into technical diving and this will play a part in determining what gear you buy.

I say take your time, talk to ppl and ask questions about gear, diving techniques etc before you commit. Above all, don't forget to have fun!!

 

[Rickg]

No thanks....

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...-weight-systems/223724-ripped-off-scubal.html

Yep, I read that thread also. All 2 posts - of which 1 was negative and 1 was positive. ScubaL used to be know as Triple-L and there have been a lot of positive things said on Scubaboard about their product.

That said, you can't go wrong if you should decide to buy from Scubatoys.com and they give a 10% discount to Scubaboard members. Another place worth checking out is unrealfind.com.