I love my integrated weights, now that I'm used to them. The key phrase there is "used to them". I took a new BC with weight integration on my first boat dive. Bad decision. Too much of a learning curve, and I fought the thing for 30 minutes, trying to figure out my trim. I didn't have the weights placed properly in the pockets, and everytime I moved, they moved, which caused me to list from one side to the other. I wish I had a video, it had to be funny to watch, because I was getting frustrated as hell. I did the same thing on my second dive, because no stupid BC was going to get the best of me. It did...lol. I finally took the DM's advice on the second day's dives, and went back to the weight belt, just so the trip wasn't a total waste. It made all the difference in the world, and I got to enjoy my bottom time, which incidentally doubled, since I was no longer fighting, and was actually relaxed in the water.
The first thing I did when I got home was to head to a local dive spot, and spend time in the water figuring the weight integration system out. No stupid BC gonna beat me..lol. After i worked it out, I have no desire to use a belt again. My trim is waaaay better, since my center of gravity and my center of bouyancy are closer together. I also find neutral bouyancy a lot faster, since my trim is so much better. With the belt, it was harder, since my lower half always seemed to drift down.
The moral of this long story is to try any new gear out in a pool, and either get comfortable with it or ditch it BEFORE you go on a trip. Practice is the only way to find out if it's going to work for you or not. The only bad thing about my trip was that I wasted two dives fighting new equipment. That's one more lesson learned for me. And my wife says I'm hardheaded...wonder where she gets that idea? :54: