which bcd

[99tmsmith]

Hello i new to SB and had a few question about bcd and which one i should. Im recently open water certified and am enrolled in the advance open water class at the end of july and i have all my own gear bcd, ocean wet suit with hood, regulator, octopus, console and a computer etc. And i used all my own gear during the open water dives.

For my Bcd i currently have a Sea quest balance bcd and im wanting to upgrade. There's just so many out there idk what to get. My problem is i have to have alot of weight for some reason. im 5 10" around 180 . i have the Xcell hydroflex hooded wetsuit. and during my pool dives i had to have about 30lbs of weights to keep me down and i was told it was because of the wet suit. and about 36lbs in the ocean, 20lbs in my bcd and 16lbs n a weight belt. So im looking for a Bcd That is weight integrated i want to get rid of the weight belt.

I was looking at at the sherwood avid 3.But i was trying to do some research on them and saw that a few people were having trouble with them auto air filling? does anyone know know anything about them?

Also i was looking at the Bare BLackjack bcd? Goods or bad?

And is there any other good bcd out there that you would recommend?
Im not sure yet which route i should go Back inflated or jacket style? Also what size would i need? i have a A large now my it seams big on me. im 5 10 180lbs.
My budget is $400-$500

Any help and opinions would greatly be appreciated!



---------- Post added June 17th, 2014 at 06:13 AM ----------

bump!

 

[Colliam7]

For my Bcd i currently have a Sea quest balance bcd and im wanting to upgrade. There's just so many out there idk what to get. My problem is i have to have alot of weight for some reason. . . . during my pool dives i had to have about 30lbs of weights to keep me down and i was told it was because of the wet suit. and about 36lbs in the ocean, 20lbs in my bcd and 16lbs n a weight belt. So im looking for a Bcd That is weight integrated i want to get rid of the weight belt. . . . I was looking at at the sherwood avid 3. . . . Also i was looking at the Bare BLackjack bcd? Goods or bad? . . . And is there any other good bcd out there that you would recommend? m not sure yet which route i should go Back inflated or jacket style?

A tough set of questions in part, because BCD selection is a matter of personal preference.

In your situation I would seriously consider going with a stainless steel backplate, and a simple web harness, primarily because of your described weight requirements, but also because of the ease of fitting.

You are proposing to replace one positively buoyant jacket BCD with another positively buoyant jacket BCD, with the only change being the addition of weight integration, and a second cylinder cam band in the case of the AVID. That does not seem, at least from my perspective, to be a wise decision. There is nothing particularly wrong with either the Avid or the Blackjack. But, they are both needlessly padded, unnecessarily buoyant BCDs that add to the amount of weight you have to carry - and 36 lbs with a single cylinder in salt water is a lot.

I dove a SeaQuest balance (primarily as a pool BCD) for many years, and recently replaced it with an Aqualung Wave. With either the Balance or the Wave I need at least 9 lbs of weight in the pool, with an AL cylinder and a 1mm exposure suit. If I were to dive with a 3mm or 5mm, and a hood, as an example, I suspect my weight requirement would be considerable. In contrast, with a SS backplate, the AL cylinder and the 1mm suit, I can dive with no added weight.

I suspect that with more experience, and more dives in your logbook, you will see your weight requirement decrease, that is a common experience for newer divers. But, in addition, I think you would be well-served to at least try out a SS backplate, probably with a SS STA (single tank adapter), a simple one-piece web harness (e.g. Ultimate Hogarthian Backplate, Harness and Wing Systems - Dive Gear Express), some trim weight pockets on the cylinder bands (e.g. ScubaPro X-Tek BC Trim Weight Pockets (2) 23.812.000 with reviews at scuba.com), and - since you mentioned it as a preference - some weight pockets on the waist band (e.g. http://www.leisurepro.com/p-div3216/dive-rite-16-lb-73-kg-qb-weight-pocket). I would also use cam bands with stainless steel buckles, rather than plastic buckles.

SS backplates generally weigh about 5-6lb. So, you start off dropping part of your weight requirement, or at least making a substitution - 6 lbs off your waist, to 6lbs on your back. The actual difference is much greater - jacket BCDs like the Balance, for example, are 'floaty' in part because of the unnecessary padding. With a simple harness, you can adjust it to fit you, rather than worrying about what size to get. With trim weight pockets, and the STA you are also keeping weight where most divers need it - adjacent to your upper torso, rather than your waist (where it often pulls the diver's legs down and interferes with good horizontal trim).

Because too many newer divers are never even exposed to the idea of a backplate in their training, the notion may seem a bit strange. So, I would suggest you find a local shop that carries backplates (and has knowledgeable staff that uses them), and see if you can try one before buying. But, I have equipped a number of newer divers with a backplate / wing BCD as their initial gear acquisition, and they find it to be wonderfully streamlined, and comfortable in the water ('I hardly notice that I am wearing anything on my back with the BP' is one recent quote I heard.)

I don't know what type of cylinder you are using for ocean diving, but I also suspect that a steel cylinder might be worth trying.

 

[99tmsmith]

Yeah my brother just bought a back plate it suppose to be in sometime this week. I didn't know how they would be compared to a regular bcd.

 

[Colliam7]

Yeah my brother just bought a back plate it suppose to be in sometime this week. I didn't know how they would be compared to a regular bcd.

OK, try his after he gets it, and see how you like it. But, be sure and try it in the water, not just on land..

Honestly, it is hard to say that there is anything such as a 'regular' BCD these days. Probably, a jacket BCD is as close to 'regular' in the minds of many as anything else, but the industry is clearly shifting. Ten years ago, we probably sold more jackets than anything else. Now, we sell very few jackets, and most of our BCD sales are for back inflation units.

Fundamentally, a backplate IS a BCD, just as a jacket unit is a BCD. BCDs can be primarily categorized as jacket or back-inflation units. A backplate is just one form of a back inflation BCD.

I recently worked with a diver who had stated diving about a year before, and caught the bug. She bought a Zeagle Zena because she liked back-inflation, then bought a second Zena after she 're-sized' herself and wanted a smaller unit. She then took Divemaster with me, then Cavern, and had a chance to experience a backplate, and bought a BP/wing. She LOVES it, and only wonders why she ever spent money on the Zenas.

 

[TSandM]

5'10" - 180, and an 8 mil wetsuit, and 36 pounds? I think you are overweighted.

It is quite common for new divers to have problems descending. Mostly, these are due to technique problems (things like kicking while trying to go down, or inhaling as your head reaches the water). I work classes here in Puget Sound, where our students have 14 mils of neoprene on their torsos and 7 on their limbs, and outside of the very obese folks, we rarely need to put more than about 24 pounds on our students in open water. Your statistics don't sound obese!

I'm also confused about the weight integration. My husband has a SeaQuest Balance BC that he uses in the pool, and it's weight-integrated. Is yours perhaps very old?

I would second Colliam's advice about the backplate system. You aren't terribly far from Hollywood Divers -- stop by there and chat with them. They'll show you how it all works.

 

[Colliam7]

It is quite common for new divers to have problems descending. Mostly, these are due to technique problems (things like kicking while trying to go down, or inhaling as your head reaches the water).

Ain't it the truth? My personal 'hot button' on this - I see this happening with some OW classes at our local quarry / OW dive site, and the Instructor says / does nothing, other than add weight to the diver. It is obvious that the diver is (not altogether surprisingly) a bit anxious about actually descending in water that is not as clear and warm as the pool, and is finning the whole time - in a vertical orientation so the thrust vector is UP. Adding weight causes them to sink, but they are clearly (often massively) over-weighted. And, often continuing to fin all the way down.

 

[99tmsmith]

OK, try his after he gets it, and see how you like it. But, be sure and try it in the water, not just on land..

Honestly, it is hard to say that there is anything such as a 'regular' BCD these days. Probably, a jacket BCD is as close to 'regular' in the minds of many as anything else, but the industry is clearly shifting. Ten years ago, we probably sold more jackets than anything else. Now, we sell very few jackets, and most of our BCD sales are for back inflation units.

Fundamentally, a backplate IS a BCD, just as a jacket unit is a BCD. BCDs can be primarily categorized as jacket or back-inflation units. A backplate is just one form of a back inflation BCD.

I recently worked with a diver who had stated diving about a year before, and caught the bug. She bought a Zeagle Zena because she liked back-inflation, then bought a second Zena after she 're-sized' herself and wanted a smaller unit. She then took Divemaster with me, then Cavern, and had a chance to experience a backplate, and bought a BP/wing. She LOVES it, and only wonders why she ever spent money on the Zenas.

5'10" - 180, and an 8 mil wetsuit, and 36 pounds? I think you are overweighted.

It is quite common for new divers to have problems descending. Mostly, these are due to technique problems (things like kicking while trying to go down, or inhaling as your head reaches the water). I work classes here in Puget Sound, where our students have 14 mils of neoprene on their torsos and 7 on their limbs, and outside of the very obese folks, we rarely need to put more than about 24 pounds on our students in open water. Your statistics don't sound obese!

I'm also confused about the weight integration. My husband has a SeaQuest Balance BC that he uses in the pool, and it's weight-integrated. Is yours perhaps very old?

I would second Colliam's advice about the backplate system. You aren't terribly far from Hollywood Divers -- stop by there and chat with them. They'll show you how it all works.

yeah i actually went to hollywood divers during lunch today and they had the "halcyon" back plates which were very nice, kinda expensive but im sure you get what you pay for. One i saw that had everything and was around $900. they said they rarely sell the jacket style anymore the actually only had 2 in the store. But they also said the back plates are the way to go. My brother just got his in the mail today and he got a "hog" kit. im gonna look around and see whats out there. Were going on vaction to lake havasu this weekend for a couple day and im gonna try his out and see how it is. i looked online for lds in lake havasu and a store there had "Dolfin" back plate on there website so i'll have to check them out too.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I sell hog and manta backplate and wing systems. Halcyon is very good gear but is pricy for some. I have an article on bpw systems I send free to anyone who asks for it and provides an email address via pm.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[99tmsmith]

I sell hog and manta backplate and wing systems. Halcyon is very good gear but is pricy for some. I have an article on bpw systems I send free to anyone who asks for it and provides an email address via pm.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I pm you. and thank you

 

[TSandM]

It used to be that there were very few options for buying backplates, but luckily for consumers, that isn't true any more. There are quite a few brands, and even some of the mainstream folks like ScubaPro have gotten into the fray. There are a lot of differences between setups and it is very important to have good information to make proper choices, or you'll end up with almost as much padding as you had before, a complicated harness that cost you a lot of money and doesn't work any better, and worse, a massively oversized wing sold to you because "you can grow into it". So be careful and don't get talked into a level of complexity that will make your life miserable in the long run.