Zeagle Stiletto or Ranger
- Thread starter skitzo11
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
gerald werner
Registered
For most people it's intuitive since that is how most learn diving. But because of the U shape, air can get trapped and you may have to get slightly upright and wiggle a bit to get it all out. In a donut the air can go around and is less likely to get trapped. I have seen beginning divers using too much weight because they don't get all air out and think they need the weight. But that is not specific to Stiletto but probably all back inflate U and Jacket BCDs.
The question here from the OP was to compare the Stiletto vs the Ranger.......
I use a Stiletto for warm water and a Seaquest Black Diamond for drysuit diving up here in the PacNW. I dive primarily solo.
I find the Stiletto to be an excellent all around back inflate BC. The Stiletto has lots of adjustability, extremely comfortable, plenty of D-rings and attachment points for my video system, emergency and redundant gear, nice pockets, single point integrated weight ripcord system, double tank straps, weight trim pockets at the tank strap, etc.... It's also a tough BC that's been on hundreds of dives over the past 15 or 20 years and take a lick'n and keep on tick'n.
The Ranger is basically similar with more lift, more bulk and a heavier denier material.
I'd say that if you a primarily a warm water or wetsuit diver or using for travel to warm or moderate waters, that the Stiletto would be the better choice between the two. If your diving dry then I would choose the Ranger for the increased lift and heavier material.
PS..... Effectively dumping ALL the gas from a back mount horseshoe is really just a simple matter of technique and experience. If you are upright then simply raise your left shoulder a little higher than your right and use the pull dump. If any remaining gas in your BC hose is a concern then simply raise your deflator above your head and dump it. If you are inverted then both the Stiletto and the Ranger have pull dumps on both bottom ends of the horseshoe.
I use a Stiletto for warm water and a Seaquest Black Diamond for drysuit diving up here in the PacNW. I dive primarily solo.
I find the Stiletto to be an excellent all around back inflate BC. The Stiletto has lots of adjustability, extremely comfortable, plenty of D-rings and attachment points for my video system, emergency and redundant gear, nice pockets, single point integrated weight ripcord system, double tank straps, weight trim pockets at the tank strap, etc.... It's also a tough BC that's been on hundreds of dives over the past 15 or 20 years and take a lick'n and keep on tick'n.
The Ranger is basically similar with more lift, more bulk and a heavier denier material.
I'd say that if you a primarily a warm water or wetsuit diver or using for travel to warm or moderate waters, that the Stiletto would be the better choice between the two. If your diving dry then I would choose the Ranger for the increased lift and heavier material.
PS..... Effectively dumping ALL the gas from a back mount horseshoe is really just a simple matter of technique and experience. If you are upright then simply raise your left shoulder a little higher than your right and use the pull dump. If any remaining gas in your BC hose is a concern then simply raise your deflator above your head and dump it. If you are inverted then both the Stiletto and the Ranger have pull dumps on both bottom ends of the horseshoe.
PullYourselfTogetherMan
Contributor
No. In fact, you'll find that as your diving changes you'll be pretty limited by what the Stiletto or Ranger will allow you to do. With a BP/W, you'll be able to change out backplates to steel or aluminum, change your wing out with absolute ease if you need more lift or if it breaks (which it will eventually), change your webbing out if it gets damaged, etc. These are all things that would require you to buy a whole new bcd if you had a ranger or stiletto. And did I mention that a BP/W is much cheaper...?
Belzelbub
Contributor
I dive a Stiletto, but only warm water dives. Ranger was too big for the dives I do. Single tank (or with a pony) and minimal exposure protection, so 35lbs buoyancy is not an issue for me. Cold water generally means much more thermal protection. A thick wetsuit for example has a lot of buoyancy. That needs to be counteracted with lead to get down. At depth, the buoyancy is less, so now the BC has to compensate. So, if you need to carry a lot of lead to get down, the stiletto might not be enough.
I've had my stiletto since 2016. It's lasted very well. Maybe has a few scuff marks, but that's about it. I've not had a problem with air getting trapped in certain sections. There are dumps at the shoulder (base of the U) as well as two kidney dumps (top of the U), so even if it were to be trapped somewhere, there is likely a dump nearby.
DiverDanCa
Registered
I own both Stiletto and Ranger BCD's. The Stiletto is compact and great for tropical diving. The Ranger is a heavier duty BCD. It your thinking long term and more technical diving, I would probably go with the Ranger if you had to pick one.
I was certified on a jacket BCD but have done all my actual open water diving since with a Stiletto. I looked at the Ranger as well, and liked it, but ended up going with the Stiletto partly I'm sure because of cost at the time. It was also because I was told the Ranger can handle doubles, but when the shop told me that it's more of a one-tank BCD and doubles were a real pain to set up with it, I figured why would I need the extra bells and whistles. However, my dive buddy/close friend regularly dives with a Ranger recreationally and as a DM and loves it. The way he described them was like the Stiletto is a Humvee, and the Ranger is a tank.
Personally, I think it looks big. It's rugged, but I think for most recreational divers it might be overkill unless you really need the lift. He travels fine with his, but in my limited (but still 100+) dives with him, I've been able to do everything he does with his BCD.
I've never taken my BCD in anything other than warm lake water. I haven't had the chance to travel with it yet on a plane, but I've been very happy with my Stiletto. If I were doing it again, I'd probably look at a BP/W but I don't think you need to go that way if you are more comfortable with a ready-made set up. The Stiletto is a good BCD for the absolute beginner, and it's taken me almost from the start through my rescue and Master Scuba Diver level with no problems.
I'm sure I would have loved the Ranger, too, but any concerns I had about the Stiletto not being rugged or powerful enough have been put to rest through my years of diving with it, taking it down to 130 feet, swimming through flooded tree groves in pitch blackness in 60 degree F water, it's been very satisfactory.
I can't speak to how it works in cold water or with dry-suits, but for warm water diving, I think it would serve one's recreational needs well.
Personally, I think it looks big. It's rugged, but I think for most recreational divers it might be overkill unless you really need the lift. He travels fine with his, but in my limited (but still 100+) dives with him, I've been able to do everything he does with his BCD.
I've never taken my BCD in anything other than warm lake water. I haven't had the chance to travel with it yet on a plane, but I've been very happy with my Stiletto. If I were doing it again, I'd probably look at a BP/W but I don't think you need to go that way if you are more comfortable with a ready-made set up. The Stiletto is a good BCD for the absolute beginner, and it's taken me almost from the start through my rescue and Master Scuba Diver level with no problems.
I'm sure I would have loved the Ranger, too, but any concerns I had about the Stiletto not being rugged or powerful enough have been put to rest through my years of diving with it, taking it down to 130 feet, swimming through flooded tree groves in pitch blackness in 60 degree F water, it's been very satisfactory.
I can't speak to how it works in cold water or with dry-suits, but for warm water diving, I think it would serve one's recreational needs well.
ams511
Contributor
My recommendation would be go with a backplate and wing setup. I really like the DTD and DIR zone wings and price is usually cheaper than a decent BCD. If you want to go backmount doubles then you just need a new wing.
Zeagle makes good gear. If your heart is set on either a Stiletto or a Ranger, I would go with the Stiletto. Besides being cheaper it is also more compact and streamlined. I have not dove either BCs but I suspect the Ranger would have a taco problem with a single tank. I looks very wide.
Zeagle makes good gear. If your heart is set on either a Stiletto or a Ranger, I would go with the Stiletto. Besides being cheaper it is also more compact and streamlined. I have not dove either BCs but I suspect the Ranger would have a taco problem with a single tank. I looks very wide.
Similar threads
