Sherwood Freedom

I know the "Sherwood Freedom" question has been asked a few times before (yes, I ran a search before asking the question), but nobody has brought this up in a while so I thought I'd ask once again. I have head/read some good press on this BC and was considering buying one based on this information.

My current perception of Sherwood is pretty low, but that's honestly an unfair supposition -- my only experience with Sherwood BCs has been with their rental stuff (which is usually the lowest-end product and typically pretty beat up). I'm sure they make products as good as anybody else.

Do any of you have any experience with the Sherwood Freedom BC? And how about the Sherwood company in general? Do they make well engineered and durable products? Can anybody refute my current opinion of this company?

With respect to the BC itself -- does this BC do a good job at keeping you relatively neutral on the surface? And are the ergonomics well thought out?

I'm not a huge guy - 5' 7", about 145 lbs (38" chest, 30" waist) -- so I don't need a BC with a huge amount of lift. I am mostly concerned about the fit, drag, ergonomics, and safety of the device. Obviously the fit is something I will have to determine for myself, but any opinions you have about the BC in other respects will be most appreciated.

Thx...Doug

rental cr@p is exactly that, rental CR@P. Sherwood makes quite a few very nice productd in my opinion, the Freedom being one of them. While trying to decide on my last new BC I dove the Freedom several times and it was a tough choice I made against it (the BC I did buy just plain fit my frame slightly better).

Things I was impressed with on the Freedom were the fit and what appeared to be very nice overall construction, ie heavy denier, overstitching, etc. If you are looking into back inflates the Freedom seems to be right up there on everyones' short list right now, so if you like it I see no reason to harbor any reservations.

side note; I usually dive Sherwood regs as well and have yet to encounter even the slightest trouble with them.

I have the Sherwood Avid. As a new diver, I have no basis of comparison, but the Sherwood is much, much nicer than the rental BC. I enjoy mine and no problems so far.

Good Luck.

I to have the sherwood avid and it works great for me

Have a Sherwood BC that is 8 or 9 yrs old, still works greatalthough I have just gone to backinflated BC have kept old one for visiting friends use.

Does the Freedom fit kind of big?

I'm a rookie, use a medium on rentals.

I just tried a Freedom. Granted I didn't dive with it, but the small seamed to fit!

Or could it be that rentals are usually jackets and this was the first back inflate I've tried on?

Dgangi.
What are your expectations of a BCD?, What sort of diving are you doing and where do you expect to go as far as levels go?

Its important due to the fact that a large majority of Technical divers have been through this all before and most (not all) end up with a BP and harness, Transpac or Zeagle Ranger.
I myself went through 4 BC's before ending up with a Ranger, TP and BP/Harness, I use all three for a variety of reasons.
It was a costly exercise, I lost money every time I "Upgraded".
I only wish I had just gone out and bought the right thing at the start.

Many people say, you dont need "tech" BC's for rec diving, this is correct, in a way. But if you think, even a remote chance, that you may want to further develop your skills, do the research on wings etc now, it will save you a bundle.

Sherwood has a great name, and Im sure can offer you a reliable rec BC.

Zeagle and Diverite also have great products that will allow your setup to grow with your knowledge.

Im not trying to talk you out of the Sherwood, just trying to look at it from a differant view.

Dave

:embarr:

Sheesh, I wish I had looked at the date before writing all that crap......

I'll probably go for AOW and Nitrox at some point. I don't really see me getting into Technical Diving though.

I tried a few BCs including a ScubaPro Classic Plus.

There billions of threads on the what style BC is best. I've only dove with vest style BCs to this point, but why limit myself. I want to try some of the others to see if I even like them.

The one thing I really like about Sherwood in general though is:
Dual Tank Straps!

Duh! I just realized that question was for dgangi, NOT me!

Grunzster.
Take a serious look at the Zeagle Ranger, Transpac II or ScubaPro Knighthawk, They are all great BC's and will allow you to do a little tech work.
I really like the Zeagle for a Mid Range BC, super comfortable, and reasonable price!

If you know someone with a BP/Harness this is similar in size to you, try that as well, Youll be amazed at how free and easy you will feel, its a great way to start diving.
Dave