looking for a great BCD

[doctormike]

I would recommend getting the least bulky, most streamlined and simplest BC that fits you well. I've seen a number of divers go for the big BCs with the up and down levers and the like, and within a year, almost all of them are back here telling us about the new BC they bought (and, I can't resist saying it, it's usually a backplate and wing system )

TSandM is always right.

I had a jacket BC, then a back inflation BC, then last year I got a Halcyon Eclipse BP/W.

No comparison. The Halcyon is SO much better than the last two BCs.

BP/W divers tend to be a bit evangelical about their gear, but I will say that this is NOT just for tech divers. I take mine to the Caribbean and dive in a 3 mm shorty wetsuit, or put a weight in the back and use it with my dry suit up here. It's terrific - VERY stable, VERY streamlined, tough as nails, extremely comfortable, and infinitely customizable. It's also great to be wearing a rig that is 6 lbs negative (instead of being positive even when empty, like a traditional BC)... less weight on the belt or in the pockets.

Two downsides - they are a bit more pricey, and if you dive in a t-shirt they don't have much padding (unless you add it). But even with a minimal exposure suit (like my 3mm shorty), mine is very comfortable.

Mike

 

[Lord Melch]

TSandM is always right.

I had a jacket BC, then a back inflation BC, then last year I got a Halcyon Eclipse BP/W.

Mike

Looks like a nice piece of kit.

 

[ToPpS]

I have the Mares Dragon without air trim. AT seemed a bit fiddley for me with extra things that can go wrong.

Inflator mechanism is enclosed and not fully serviceable to my knowledge. Probably have to replace the the entire mechanism if it starts leaking

The reason I chose to get the non AT version of the Pegasus was because I want the manual inflate option close at hand. The AT probably is a great addition to a BCD and I have to admit I have yet to hear anyone complain about it. Like I said it was purely a redundancy thing/choice.

If you're a recreational diver who is going to plan there dive and dive their plan then you should be fine with AT. Give it a try in your LDS and see if it comes easily to hand.

 

[obada.jandali]

ooooooooookkk!!! 1st of all THANX ALOT PPL!!!!

so i'm gonna be looking for the following,

A jacket BCD which fits me well, and is comfy especially when inflated, gonna get a weight integrated BCD, regular inflator/def, durable, but still.. one more question...

should i get a ("wraparound") or a ("back inflation.")BCD?? how do they differ? performance wise? any remarkable differences? uses??

i'm gonna be trying some BCDs in the coming few weekends, and will be buying one by the beginning of August, that's when i plan to be finished with my advanced OW and Nitrox courses so i will be taking some time off from education and will be logging alot of dives!! so i'm gonna be purchasing everything i'm missing from my gear!!


KEEP GOING DEEPER!!!

 

[sansky]

Go for the backplate, you won't regret it. Jacket BCs suck. Every single person who even begins to think that a jacket BC might be remotely appropriate for any sort of diving must be a total and complete moron who is barely able to get him/herself out of bed and certainly can't handle complex tasks like tying shoes.

I just thought I'd save us from another endless thread and go right for the personal insults!

... out of curiosity, how many dives do you have? I have over 3500 and have always used a jacket BC, front adjustable ... never had it squeeze ....

Squeeze ... I don't know where people get that from? If one is properly weighted, they should not have to fill their BC up with air ... unless they are waiting on the surface for any length of time.

 

[halocline]

... out of curiosity, how many dives do you have? I have over 3500 and have always used a jacket BC, front adjustable ... never had it squeeze ....

Squeeze ... I don't know where people get that from? If one is properly weighted, they should not have to fill their BC up with air ... unless they are waiting on the surface for any length of time.

Relax, it was a joke. The multitude of BC vs BP/W threads often devolve into a pissing match, I was making fun of that. I don't actually believe that jacket BC users can't tie their shoes.

I didn't say anything about squeeze, did I?

 

[obada.jandali]

ok ppl, appearantly we're having a shoe tying competition next week!! prizes to be disclosed later!!:mooner:

 

[Ghanguss]

My first BC was a wrap aound type and did squeeze when fully inflated. Never caused any problems for me though.

The Dragon is wrap around also but does not sqeeze at all. It is a comfortable BC

 

[hg frogman]

I had a BC with integrated weights when I started diving. I learned a few things about weight integration: 1. When you have the dual goals of holding something securely AND making it easy to remove, it's like that one or the other or both aren't going to be done very well. 2. Putting your weights in your BC makes your BC much harder to handle above ground, and hangs all the weight off your shoulders. It made mine hurt. 3. Integrated weights may or may not end up being where you need the weight to be, in order to balance properly underwater. 4. Integrated weight pockets can carry a limited amount of weight, and it's often simply not enough for cold water diving (this may not be relevant to you).

I ended up using a plain old weight belt, which works fine for me, and my husband uses a weight harness (which has many of the same drawbacks as weight integration, except that it isn't part of the rig so it solves the weight on land issue).

I would recommend getting the least bulky, most streamlined and simplest BC that fits you well. I've seen a number of divers go for the big BCs with the up and down levers and the like, and within a year, almost all of them are back here telling us about the new BC they bought (and, I can't resist saying it, it's usually a backplate and wing system )

Excellent advice. I second it.

There are some issues with weight integrated BCs, and if you can stay away from them it's not bad. For more comfort, you can always put some of your weights on a weightbelt around your waist, and some in the pockets of your BC, provided 1) these pockets stay well closed : a zipper is much better than a velcro (in the long run) for this, and 2) you don't put the weights directly in the pocket, they would damage them and create holes after a while, you put the weights in a small nylon "weight pouch" that you put in the pocket, no holes like this.

The sleekest, simplest BC you can find is usually one of the models that clubs, dive centers, etc, use for rental. It's entry-level, not expensive, yet it usually lasts long. And you can always take/use it as a spare if you favor other equipment (eg BP/Wing) later.

My personal favorite : Scubapro T-Sport (the older model, without the integrated weights, if you can find one). It's light but I did more than 500 dives with mine and it still looks good. You can remove the cumberbund and replace it by 2" webbing and a steel buckle (like I did) to make it even sleeker.

Beware, people often choose their first BC too big for them ... that's a very common reason for a change after a while ! BCs must have a snug fit on land.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

so i'm gonna be looking for the following,

A jacket BCD which fits me well, and is comfy especially when inflated, gonna get a weight integrated BCD, regular inflator/def, durable, but still.. one more question...

should i get a ("wraparound") or a ("back inflation.")BCD?? how do they differ? performance wise? any remarkable differences? uses??

...

KEEP GOING DEEPER!!!

so i,m gonna be correcting your terminology for the following,

A jacket BCD is what people who use terms loosely call a vest BC. Vest BC's come in either Stab or Front Adjust styles; Stability vests have the air cell included in the shoulder straps, Front Adjust do not have the air cell in the adjustable shoulder straps. Both vest BC styles have the air cell wrapping around the front of the vest.

People who lump Back Inflate BC's into one large jacket BC catagory are typically only recommending BP/W, and calling everything else jackets is evidently easier on their thought processes.

Back Inflate BC's have the entire air cell behind the diver. When you are in proper diving trim, it is a little more work to get the air out of the BC. If you are proficient as a diver that little extra effort is not usually an issue, but the fact remains there are times when you must change underwater orientation more with BI than with vest to accomplish the same air release.

BP/W is similar in that respect with the Back Inflate; releasing air from a vest style when horizontal or slightly head down is easier. As one gets more and more head down, I find the vest style with a kidney dump to be way easier to release air from than back inflate, because the kidney dump on a vest is inches from my kidney and very accessable, while the kidney dump for my BI is as far as I can stretch my arm back and up behind me because the air cell is wing like and lifts away from my body when it has air in it. A BP/W should be similar if not worse since it is even more wing-like, no?

I believe this air release issue is an obvious reason why the majority of divers in the world get trained in vest BC's. Let's look at skiing/snowboarding for an analogy; I always knew I would be jumping off cliffs into active avalanche chutes, even at age 3 when I started skiing. First I needed to learn to snow plow. The skis one uses for "couloir" skiing are not easy for a child to learn the snowplow on.

After I had reached the skill level to use proper skis for 60 foot cliff jumps into possibly unstable avalanche chutes, I decided to take up snowboarding. I could have bought the big, long, stiff snowboard that would be perfect for 60 foot cliff jumps into possibly unstable avalanche chutes first, and then slowly learned the basics of snowboarding on that board until I could actually make the runs I planned on making. But it was much easier to learn on an easier to learn the basics board, then progress to more expert boards until I was using the big long stiff board that I do cliff dive into avalanche chutes with.