Back-inflate vs. Jacket style

Hello everyone,

I have recently grown out of my old jacket style bc. I am looking for a new one soon and have strongly considered purchasing a back-inflate. At this time there is not a certain price point that I have in mind. I dive mostly in the warm waters of the Pacific and Caribbean. If you all could help steer me in the right direction for this new purchase it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Zach Daniel

I like the back inflates, and dove/loved my Scubapro Knighthawk until I decided to pursue tech diving and got a bp/w. The Knighthawk is an extremely rugged, yet extremely comfortable, back inflate BCD with an excellent warranty. I've not dove any of the other brand back inflates, so I can't speak to those.

I previously had a Mares jacket BCD. It was a great starter BCD. I am fairly familiar with the Mares lines and Zeagle as that is what I am using for my reg. What can you tell me about the Scubapro line. I am fairly unfamiliar with that line. Where did you mostly dive EastTNDiver?

As a dive guide,I have used a Scubapro Knighthawk for over ten years. Back inflate,(3) dumps,(2) pockets,(2)trim & (2) large ditchable weight packets. Along with a soft collar and adjustable clumberbum belt but a little expensive if bought new. I also use Scubapro MK25/S600/R395/AIR2,0.5 mm Profile skin,3mm booties,UWATEC TEC/TRI console,twin chamber snorkel,reef gloves,knife, but Apollo Bio/Pro fins S/S straps, Apollo Pro mask,Atomic subframe ClearVu backup,and a wrist Suunto (2nd) computer. Over years I find Scubapro,Apollo,& Atomic to be durable quality products.

"living life without a hard bottom"
KT
KT

scubaboi14:

I previously had a Mares jacket BCD. It was a great starter BCD. I am fairly familiar with the Mares lines and Zeagle as that is what I am using for my reg. What can you tell me about the Scubapro line. I am fairly unfamiliar with that line. Where did you mostly dive EastTNDiver?

Click to expand...

Like Krazytomdiver said, the Scubapro line is a bit pricey compared to some other brands, but their warranties are some of the best in the industry. They're also limited to in-shop sales, so anything you find online will be gray market, and not carry a warranty...at least in the U.S. Other than that, I have dove Scubapro gear for many years and have had zero problems with any of it. As for the Knighthawk, I've dove it in anything from cold quarries/lakes/rivers, to clear warm Caribbean waters. Also, I watched a fellow diver bring in a 10-year old Scubapro BC at our local shop because some seam was beginning to separate due to abuse (his words), and they shipped it off for a factory repair at no cost to him. I've just had really good experiences with Scubapro gear.

Edge Stealth Back Inflate or Zeagle Express Tech. Both nice BC's. I've had my Zeagle for two years now. I sell the Edge. Depending on what features you are looking for either one will work well. You can get the Zeagle for around 250 retail. The Edge is a bit more expensive but not by much. PM me for a price I can't advertise.

How about Zeagle Stilleto.

I have dived with a Beuchat back inflate and love it. Back inflate style BCDs put in the diver an a more natural vertical posture.

I have a Sherwood Tortuga that I've had since I started diving. I have since moved on to a BP&W but still use it when diving with students.
There are some back inflate BCD that are a bit more robustly constructed. There are some which are designed to be more Tec oriented.
The Tortuga has been updated slightly since my model but is essentially the same. I've found it to be a quality built BCD that isn't as light an many "travel" BCD but not too heavy to travel with. As with most rear inflator style it naturally likes to be horizontal and this makes for a great dive.

The only shortcoming while submerged is when attempting to kneel and do skills. I've found to feel comfortable as much of your necessary weigh as possible needs to be shifted from the ditchable pockets to the non-ditchable rear pockets. This can also help at the surface if you tend to over inflate. Since the top complaint of the rear inflator style BCD is face planting at the surface, weighting this way and limiting how much you inflate the BCD are the best way to control this problem.

Sherwood is a manufacturer that uses a MAP pricing agreement so you can usually find a nice discount.

The Zeagle Ranger is a decent back inflate BC, it's one of the most common recreational BCs you'll see other divers using, it was my very 1st BC, and I still have it as part of my 'reserve' gear. Addtionally, being a common BC, you can always fine a nice condition one on EBay at a substantial discount over a new one.