You have to evaluate what you are using your gear for, and are those uses going to change over time.
The pro QD is not too bad as far as stability jacket type BCD's go. It has weight integration that takes some weight of your hips, and also places weight closer to your centre of gravity and higher up your body so it is possible to acheive the prone position just about naturally whilst underwater. The prone position is the "ideal" position to be in as you are more streamlined, your finning has no effect on your buoyancy and manouvering is easier.
How many divers have you seen swimming along on a 45 degree angle, finning like crazy and going just about nowhere? Their buoyancy is affected by their finning so they tend to be slightly negative, which increases the effort they have to put into their finning, which in turn increases air consumtion, stirs up the nitrogen in the body, stirs up silt and sand from the bottom and basically makes you have a less than optimal dive... and you feel shattered afterwards.
The Pro QD however has pockets that you cannot get into when weight integration is in and /or the jacket is inflated (like on the surface and trying to get your safety sausage out so the boat can find you) and also squeezes you around the middle as you inflate it more.
These problems can be overcome by using the Black Diamond, which is a rear inflation BCD. This BCD will put you in the prone postion naturally, wont squeeze you around the middle and you can access the pockets. However on the down side they are quite big and bulky and have 50 million D-Rings all over it so you look like you just walked out of a piercing studio.
IMHO your best bet is to go for a Backplate and wing type BCD. They are a simple one piece harness with a stainless steel or ali backplate & wing that doesnt restrict or clutter you, they have rear inflation which again is great for the prone position, you can add weight pockets and general pockets onto the waist strap, the backplate lets you take 6lbs of your weight belt and distributes this over more of your body (again great for the prone postion) and best of all, they are infinitly adjustable. You can move D-Rings to suit and you can add different wings for different jobs. You will never out grow it.
No-one can fault Apeks for regs. The TX50 is a great reg and virtually bullet proof. I use the DS$ with an Oceanic second(smaller reg-great) and have done for years.
I too would recomend losing the console. They are bulky, induce drag and hammer the reef as most people let them dangle somewhat. Also the wrist mount computer is easier to read as you simply turn your wrist and the depth is their. Suunto Vypers are a great computer.
Forget about the Air2 mate. They are a ***** to service, they get smashed about (great considering it is a life saving piece of equipment) and smash about reefs and also you have to take it out of your mouth whilst ascending to dump air. Why task load yourself more when you are laready task loaded? They make no sense and really are just the case of dive manufactureres trying to reinvent the wheel. Ask experienced divers if they ever use them?
What you are doing is right - ask questions before you buy. It might save you a few dollars down the track. I know i got burnt in the early days
Regards
Azza
The pro QD is not too bad as far as stability jacket type BCD's go. It has weight integration that takes some weight of your hips, and also places weight closer to your centre of gravity and higher up your body so it is possible to acheive the prone position just about naturally whilst underwater. The prone position is the "ideal" position to be in as you are more streamlined, your finning has no effect on your buoyancy and manouvering is easier.
How many divers have you seen swimming along on a 45 degree angle, finning like crazy and going just about nowhere? Their buoyancy is affected by their finning so they tend to be slightly negative, which increases the effort they have to put into their finning, which in turn increases air consumtion, stirs up the nitrogen in the body, stirs up silt and sand from the bottom and basically makes you have a less than optimal dive... and you feel shattered afterwards.
The Pro QD however has pockets that you cannot get into when weight integration is in and /or the jacket is inflated (like on the surface and trying to get your safety sausage out so the boat can find you) and also squeezes you around the middle as you inflate it more.
These problems can be overcome by using the Black Diamond, which is a rear inflation BCD. This BCD will put you in the prone postion naturally, wont squeeze you around the middle and you can access the pockets. However on the down side they are quite big and bulky and have 50 million D-Rings all over it so you look like you just walked out of a piercing studio.
IMHO your best bet is to go for a Backplate and wing type BCD. They are a simple one piece harness with a stainless steel or ali backplate & wing that doesnt restrict or clutter you, they have rear inflation which again is great for the prone position, you can add weight pockets and general pockets onto the waist strap, the backplate lets you take 6lbs of your weight belt and distributes this over more of your body (again great for the prone postion) and best of all, they are infinitly adjustable. You can move D-Rings to suit and you can add different wings for different jobs. You will never out grow it.
No-one can fault Apeks for regs. The TX50 is a great reg and virtually bullet proof. I use the DS$ with an Oceanic second(smaller reg-great) and have done for years.
I too would recomend losing the console. They are bulky, induce drag and hammer the reef as most people let them dangle somewhat. Also the wrist mount computer is easier to read as you simply turn your wrist and the depth is their. Suunto Vypers are a great computer.
Forget about the Air2 mate. They are a ***** to service, they get smashed about (great considering it is a life saving piece of equipment) and smash about reefs and also you have to take it out of your mouth whilst ascending to dump air. Why task load yourself more when you are laready task loaded? They make no sense and really are just the case of dive manufactureres trying to reinvent the wheel. Ask experienced divers if they ever use them?
What you are doing is right - ask questions before you buy. It might save you a few dollars down the track. I know i got burnt in the early days
Regards
Azza
