Help me choose my first BC! Travel or full size?

Hi All,
I'm finally getting my first set of dive gear after about 80 dives. I live in Kansas City, MO, so the only diving I do is when I travel - typically 2-3 trips per year. I just do recreational diving in the tropics, but I may dive cold water some day (but definitely would be a rare thing). I do occasional deep dives (120-130'), but nothing more advanced than that really. I don't dive Nitrox or anything (yet), but may give it a try at some point. I've looked into BCDs, and found some that are attractive, but it's hard to know what will be best for me. I like the idea of getting something light and compact for travel since I won't be doing any local diving! But I don't want to skimp too much on features or comfort. My build is 5' 11" and 145 pounds. I do have some minor back pain from time to time and my neck is usually sore after diving (not sure if the ergonomics of some of these can help?). I'm leaning more towards a jacket or hybrid type BC, but may consider a back inflate one. Cost is a concern, but I'm okay with spending some money to get quality gear. These are the ones I'm considering, but I'm open to looking at others as well. What would you suggest for my needs?

Top 3:
1. ScubaPro Go travel BC - (I would probably get with Air 2 integrated to further simplify / reduce my gear (instead of an octopus). I haven't looked around for lower prices yet, but I would imagine I could get it for less than the MSRP of $599 (with Air2)? Anyway, I love that it's light and packs into a small bag. The few reviews I've seen (it's pretty new) make it sound like it's comfortable and feels more like a regular BC... Thoughts?
2. Zeagle Stilleto travel BC - From reviews on LeisurePro, it looks like Zeagle has a big following and great reviews, but that alone doesn't mean the Stilleto is great (but the reviews I have seen look good). So far I've seen it for $522. I'm guessing that adding Air2 gets it to ~$650 so it would be pricier than the ScubaPro Go - not sure I want to spend this much.
3. Aqua Lung Axiom i3 - I found a good price on this at $477. Not a travel BC, but it doesn't have the back plate others do so it can fold down unlike most. Two different LDSs highly recommended this BC, so I'm considering it even though it isn't a travel BC (although they don't sell ScubaPro so can't compare to the Go). The i3 has the convenient inflate / deflate switch, but is this new tech that may cause problems later? I also like that this is designed to distribute more weight to the hips rather than the back and have heard it's very comfortable compared to most BCs. All of this makes this BC very attractive. Only thing I don't like is the i3 inflater prevents me from using an Air 2 and instead would need to get an octopus (though not a big deal), which gets the cost to ~$577 with octopus (to compare with the Go and its Air2). OR, the Axiom without the i3 is less (~$400) and I could add Air2 to it. Thoughts?

Also considering:
4. Cressi Travelight - Sounds like another good travel BC, and it looks like a regular one. User reviews on LeisurePro look really good too. I've seen it for $425, but would hope to find it for less. With Air2 added is about $575 so not much cheaper...
5. A few other non-travel BCs that are significantly lower cost but have great user reviews on LeisurePro:
A: Cressi AquaPro 5 - only $230 and a 4.8/5 rating on LeisurePro.
B: Sherwood Avid CQR2 - decent price of $340 and another 4.8/5 rating on LeisurePro.
C: Oceanic Probe LX - another decent price of $350 and 4.8/5 rating on LeisurePro.
...but these lower price ones may have high ratings largely because of their price point?

As you can see, I'm really torn between getting a "travel" BC and a full-featured BC. Which would you all suggest? Thanks,
--Kyle

First very few users have much experience with various BC's so ratings can be somewhat worthless.

I dive the Zeagle Stiletto for travel. Back Inflate, 35lbs of lift, lightweight at 7lbs. Great BC, but unfortunately they have gone up in price. LP has sales on these usually around end of model year so maybe Sept / Oct. I see these used and old stock for around $350 but not as often lately as our economy weakens.

Stiletto - Recreational BCs - BCs - Zeagle Dive Systems

Another option is the Express Tech BC which is a travel BC. It sells new for $260 from LP bare bones so add a weight system and dive.

Express Tech - Backplate BCs - BCs - Zeagle Dive Systems

These are both made overseas but can be serviced in Florida.

I use a BP/W for cold water diving. I like it but prefer a back inflate BC.

https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?page=home

There are a ton of BC's out there. I would get a back inflate. Used is not a bad idea.

bc zeagle | eBay


Happy Hunting!

I've done used a aqualung i3 lotus before. Not sure the difference is between the lotus and the axiom is but the i3 is a great bc. I would not want a travel bc because they typically don't hold up as well as normal ones like and i3 but I wouldn't worry about that. I would totally go with the i3 with the integrated alternate reg. I prefer a octo over the integrated though because of the longer hose on a octo. I just got a aqualung abs octo and it's great.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I tried on an Aqua Lung Axiom BC today (and Axiom i3) and really liked it. I think I'm probably going to get it and add an Air2 to it instead of an octopus. The i3 inflate / deflate switch is nice, but I'd prefer without it. Unfortunately the i3 version has some other nice features (particularly a nicely padded back), but they don't include them on the regular Axiom Kinda silly - they should have just made it exactly the same with and without the i3... Anyway, I'm leaning towards this BC. Any other feedback is welcome! Thanks,
--Kyle

Hi All, just to close out this thread, I thought I'd share that I purchased the Aqua Lung Axiom (not the i3 model). I think the i3 feature is neat, but a) it's extra money, b) it's different from everyone else and I suppose it could cause problems in an emergency situation where not everyone knows how to use it, and c) I'm afraid it could be another possible failure point that could be more likely to fail than a regular inflator? I'm really disappointed that Aqua Lung includes things like the padded back (and I think the long drop-down pocket) only on the i3 model as those would have been nice. Anyway, the Axiom felt really comfortable and I figured I'd rather be comfortable than have something a little more compact for travel. Not to mention it folds down pretty small anyway. Take care,
--Kyle