Recommendations for great RENTAL BCD

Jaja · Apr 10, 2011

I need to buy a brand new set of rental BCDs for a 5-star standard dive resort. The current BCDs look terrible which is due in part to normal wear and tear but also they were not stored too well.

For me, a good rental BCD (which will be used by some fun divers but mainly OW and AOW courses) needs to be hard wearing obviously, not prone to fading, have easily available spare parts, and reliable. And price is obviously another factor. I would also like pockets which can genuinely hold a kilo or two of extra weights without tearing the pocket after a few months.

I have seen the Cressi Start Pro which is fairly new - does anyone have any personal experience of this model?

Can anyone recommend another model - but you have to tell me why. Convince me!

Thanks

DevonDiver · Apr 10, 2011

A friend of mine here in the Philippines recently bought a batch of BCDs from Taiwan. Very cheap (including import) and perfectly functional for rental use. They had integrated weights and seemed as solid as any other entry-level bcd i have seen used for rental.

Supermanwoot · Apr 10, 2011

I'd check out the AquaLung Wave. Has optional integrated weights.

The Cressi Aquaride has integrated weights also for a basic BCD.

The Wave is nice since it has the optional weights so you don't have to get them all with integrated in case you want to work on trim or cater to diver preference. The pockets on the wave are enormous, although I don't know if that would really be helpful for a rental but I guess its not a bad thing.

Capt.Gene · Apr 10, 2011

You will get 4 or 5 years of near daily use out of Zeagle Stiletto's.
They are very clorine and sun fade resistant. The 1000 denier material will take a ton of abuse.
They have the best and safest weight system.
They are sleek but still have real and secure pockets.
The PFS system allows you to fit perfectly a stick man or a diving sumo wrestler.
Your clients will go home and brag about what great gear your operation uses.

Capt.Gene · Apr 10, 2011

The cordura material won't fade noticably but the binding tape edges will start to turn gray after a couple of hundread dives

Aqua-Andy · Apr 10, 2011

What about any of the zeagle BC's with the zipcoard weight system? They hold plenty of weight and no weight pockets to loose, And as they do eventually start wearing out you can start mix and matching parts to make serviceable BC's out of ones that are worn out. The Brigade from ScubaToys would be perfect for this and if purchasing a lot of them I'm sure they would give you a good deal. Just think the harness is torn on this one but the bladder is leaking on that one, just take the bladder off the one with a torn harness and put it on the other BC. That is what makes Zeagle a great product is that it is modular and can be repaired.

Jaja · Apr 20, 2011

Thanks for the messages. The Wave has been discontinued, and I'm discounted the Zeagle on account of it being recommended by the boss (sorry!) The Aquaride is more expensive than the Aquapro or Start Pro...

I hope I'm making the right decision with the Start Pro

Capt.Gene · Apr 21, 2011

Jaja:
Thanks for the messages. The Wave has been discontinued, and I'm discounted the Zeagle on account of it being recommended by the boss (sorry!) The Aquaride is more expensive than the Aquapro or Start Pro...

I hope I'm making the right decision with the Start Pro

Did I get this right?
You decided against the Zeagle because the boss wanted Zeagles?
Maybe there's a reason you're not the boss!

MauiScubaSteve · Apr 21, 2011

Jaja:
Thanks for the messages. The Wave has been discontinued

Wave

Aqua Lung:
The new and improved Wave BC still maintains its durability and fade resistance as its predecessor, but now offers optional weight integration. Now you can either dive the Wave in its standard form using a traditional weight belt or upgrade to weight pockets featuring the SureLock II weight system. This versatile and rugged entry level model will provide years of diving fun.

....

*Because of the popularity of this BC in rental fleets, the inflator hose is not included.

Are you sure the Wave has been discontinued; perhaps you mean discounted, due to no inflator hose?

The boat I work for just changed from Mares vest BC's, that were discontinued, to Waves; The vast majority of rentals on Maui are Aqualung Waves.

Recommendations for great RENTAL BCD

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