Zeagle Stiletto Review

[StSomewhere]

The jacket BC I *thought* I wanted as a new diver did *not* turn out to be the right BC once I had a few dives on it and started to work on my buoyancy and trim.

I'd give backinflates a few more dives before I decided write them off. The ultimate goal is good trim underwater, not a USCG approved lifejacket at the surface.

If you feel like an aluminum tank is turning you upside down, try steel tanks or get some tankband weight pockets or even throw some ankle weights over your valve.

And remember that unless you are overweighted you shouldn't need to have the BC completely inflated at the surface.

 

[tangfish]

Adobo,

I don't want to offend you, but don't you think you should actually BE certified, and do some REAL dives before jumping into equipment reviews?

Can't we all just get along?!!!!

This is a difficult thread to follow because it keeps changing it's mind.

Stiletto... what a great BC!

I agree, lets all mutually agree to disagree and talk about something else. I know, I'm at fault because I started this thread!

 

[shooter226]

I'm not offended by any of your comments. If you want me to be totally honest, I echo Rons thoughts that riding up and turtling. When I first read your review, I thought you said that the ripcord had to be pulled in order to remove the weights - which is where my original comment came from.

In the future, I will try to read better while I am on a phone call...

The ripcord rethreading is a PIA. I think that Zeagle should supply a hot babe with every BC sold to help with this.

I will put my order in for a dozen at this time.

In reality it is the very best system on the market. (Even without the hot babe)

 

[Adobo]

Adobo,

I don't want to offend you, but don't you think you should actually BE certified, and do some REAL dives before jumping into equipment reviews?

Certainly express you opinion of if a mask leaks, or fins hurt, but I would suggest that you need to get more than 15' deep in a pool, get your buoyancy and weighting right, and do a LOT more diving before you start reviewing BCD's or Regs...

Just a suggestion.

Cheers, and congradulations on you decision to dive, it's an awesome experience!

So tell me, exactly what is the right number of dives before someone is capable of giving a personal opinions? Even better, why don't you just save me the trouble and tell me what my opinions should be. (No offense)

Edit: While you're at it, why don't you go ahead and clue me in on the rest of the rules you think I should be following before I do anything else in this forum. I'd hate to have this conversation more than once.

 

[RonFrank]

So tell me, exactly what is the right number of dives before someone is capable of giving a personal opinions? Even better, why don't you just save me the trouble and tell me what my opinions should be. (No offense)

Edit: While you're at it, why don't you go ahead and clue me in on the rest of the rules you think I should be following before I do anything else in this forum. I'd hate to have this conversation more than once.

Personal opinion about a BC? Well at least ONE dive DUDE! For someone to evaluate equipment, one would expect good experience, multiple use of many brands and types of equipment, and a good amount of experience diving to be capable of judging equipment that one may not be familiar with. Or at LEAST good experience with ONE BCD that you have dove in different conditions? :11:

You are not even Certified, and putting out reviews on a public forum? Is that not a BIT premature?

No offense? None taken, but don't act like some hurt puppy after reviewing equipment that you have no business judging because you have never dove?

A LOT Of divers read this stuff, and many may not bother to realize that you have ZERO experience diving OR using different BCD configuarations?

You do offer up a LOT of opinions about BCD's, and since you have never been with one in Open Water, one must ask where these opinions come from?

 

[Adobo]

Personal opinion about a BC? Well at least ONE dive DUDE! For someone to evaluate equipment, one would expect good experience, multiple use of many brands and types of equipment, and a good amount of experience diving to be capable of judging equipment that one may not be familiar with. Or at LEAST good experience with ONE BCD that you have dove in different conditions? :11:

You are not even Certified, and putting out reviews on a public forum? Is that not a BIT premature?

No offense? None taken, but don't act like some hurt puppy after reviewing equipment that you have no business judging because you have never dove?

A LOT Of divers read this stuff, and many may not bother to realize that you have ZERO experience diving OR using different BCD configuarations?

You do offer up a LOT of opinions about BCD's, and since you have never been with one in Open Water, one must ask where these opinions come from?

So if I have been in at least one open water dive, I can post an opinion, right? Well I have. Can we put this issue to rest? If not, then may I suggest that you re-read what lead me to post what I posted? The Zeagle guy suggested that I post my opinion after a few dives. I took that to mean that he was actually interested in feedback. So what was my answer to him? My answer was that I am opinionated and am not afraid to share. So please stay tuned. Meaning... I'll give more when I have more.

Now can we put it to rest? If not, then please read my post about "my opinion of the zeagle brigade". I start the thread by saying "I am a newbie going through OW cert classes. I am so infatuated with scuba diving that I went ahead and purchased my own BCD." All and I mean all of the feedback I give is based on a newbies experience. If no one cares about a newbies opinion, then discard it as useless. However, gauging from the fact that 31 replies (admittedly a few were mine) were posted on the thread, it seems like there are enough people who found the newbies perspective interesting enough to respond. The exception being one guy who didn't bother to read my first sentence for the thread. My intent in posting was so that I could talk about what I was thinking and have the so called experts help me understand better. Guess what, mission accomplished.

Just so you know, if you wanna say that I am mistaken in my opinion about something and you educate me as to why, I will be eternally grateful. But if you wanna say that I am not entitled to my opinion or I am not entitled to share my opinion especially when I qualify where I am coming from, you gotta ask yourself, who appointed you to be the expert on when someone can have an opinion. After all, dude, this is a public forum. Is it not?

For future reference, I am completely okay with the idea of you not replying to any of my posts. You do my that favor and I promise to reciprocate in kind.

 

[djanni]

Point - Counter point.... hear's a different view: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=112511

So if I have been in at least one open water dive, I can post an opinion, right? Well I have. Can we put this issue to rest? If not, then may I suggest that you re-read what lead me to post what I posted? The Zeagle guy suggested that I post my opinion after a few dives. I took that to mean that he was actually interested in feedback. So what was my answer to him? My answer was that I am opinionated and am not afraid to share. So please stay tuned. Meaning... I'll give more when I have more.

Now can we put it to rest? If not, then please read my post about "my opinion of the zeagle brigade". I start the thread by saying "I am a newbie going through OW cert classes. I am so infatuated with scuba diving that I went ahead and purchased my own BCD." All and I mean all of the feedback I give is based on a newbies experience. If no one cares about a newbies opinion, then discard it as useless. However, gauging from the fact that 31 replies (admittedly a few were mine) were posted on the thread, it seems like there are enough people who found the newbies perspective interesting enough to respond. The exception being one guy who didn't bother to read my first sentence for the thread. My intent in posting was so that I could talk about what I was thinking and have the so called experts help me understand better. Guess what, mission accomplished.

Just so you know, if you wanna say that I am mistaken in my opinion about something and you educate me as to why, I will be eternally grateful. But if you wanna say that I am not entitled to my opinion or I am not entitled to share my opinion especially when I qualify where I am coming from, you gotta ask yourself, who appointed you to be the expert on when someone can have an opinion. After all, dude, this is a public forum. Is it not?

For future reference, I am completely okay with the idea of you not replying to any of my posts. You do my that favor and I promise to reciprocate in kind.

 

[marku]

I like adobo. Adobo flakes! Chicken! Or better yet, duck! Adobo flakes in siopao! Chicken pork adobo? Sure, as long as you throw in some atay.

Anyone named Adobo deserves to be heard.

You are alluding to the traditional Pinoy dish, are you?

 

[Adobo]

I like adobo. Adobo flakes! Chicken! Or better yet, duck! Adobo flakes in siopao! Chicken pork adobo? Sure, as long as you throw in some atay.

Anyone named Adobo deserves to be heard.

You are alluding to the traditional Pinoy dish, are you?

You betcha!!! (I was gonna go with Champoy but just thinking about it made my face pucker)

 

[pakman]

Interesting... Well I have only 21 dives in my Stiletto. I'm curious to know how much weight you use as I haven't noticed any turtling tendencies of this BCD. I've tried 2x2kg front and 2x1kg front and 2x1kg back. Most of those dives were done while doing u/w photography on a week liveaboard trip which involved getting into sideways positions with both hands on the camera and other odd positions to get a decent shot. In fact there were a number of sunburst shots (shooting up at the surface)where I would intentionally turtle myself and never felt like I was just getting flopped onto my back. It was a very fluid movement from horizontal face down to face up, take the shot, and roll back to a face down position. (it does help to get your trim and weights dialed in as I'm dealing with very little air in the wing) Second I've haven't noticed any riding up, in fact that's what I love about the stiletto. Its nice and snug and sits just above my hip (which resuls in absolutely no noticeable tank movement). But then I've got a little beer gut that naturally prevents it from sliding up (maybe too many san miguels and bintangs)... Dunno if it would ride up if you're a beanpole. Another thing is with the stiletto I was able to drop 2kg that I would need in my old Tusa jacket BCD. Only small complaint I have is the pockets are bit on the small side, but then if they were bigger it wouldn't be as streamlined. End result is I've just played around with relocating things on the outside (torches) and cutting a slate down in size to fit inside the pocket. I should note that my rather large 6' SMB fits in the pocket.

Since I've switched to the stiletto, I've seen a dramatic improvement in my buoyancy control - being able to get down low horizontally to the bottom to get a close macro shot, etc. Since I've never tried any other back inflate BCD's, I can't positively says this is 100% attributable to the Stiletto...

Thumbs up for packing a Stiletto for traveling when space is tight and I find it very comfortable lying on my back on the surface with it or doing a backwards surface swim back to the boat.

Edit: just noticed the original reviewer/poster is from the pacific northwest (using a drysuit?) whereas I am doing strictly tropical diving in a 2mm shorty or 3/2mm full wetsuit. Never dove a drysuit but I wonder if that may contribute to a less snug fit around the waist.