Is a Zeagle BCD all that?

[LiteHedded]

two things I don't like about the zeagle:
the waist D rings being on the front instead of more to the side/hips. anything you clip there dangles below you.
and the pockets are pretty useless if you have any ditchable weight in the weight pockets

 

[Kennedydive]

For what it is worth I'll give you my 2 cents.

My first BCD was a Zeagle Tech. I have since switched to a Back Plate and Wing and I do prefer it over the Zeagle for the type of diving I'm doing. That doesn't mean that I couldn't do the same type of diving with the Zeagle and in fact I have. If I were ever to buy another BCD it would be another Zeagle Tech.
My first BCD was a rental unit I purchased from my local dive shop when I started out. The Tech at the time had more D-rings and larger lift capacity than the other units. With the type of diving I was leaning towards this seemed to be the one I'd need as my diving needs grew. I dove that BCD for 6+ years diving everything from single 80's to twin LP 131's with 2 sling tanks. The ease of switching from single setup to doubles was a great feature.
After using and abusing it for that length of time I was ready for another and was getting ready to spend money buying another. After talking to a good friend of mine and talking to others who did technical diving that switched from a Zeagle to a back plate and wing I opted to give it a try. I wasn't sold at first because I really loved my Zeagle and the new way was strange. Since then I’ve seen more benefits with my new setup with my current style of diving.
I never thought I'd be doing the type of diving I'm doing now but the Tech did allow me to be versatile enough to get me to this point safely and comfortable over many years.
Hope this helped.
Jason

 

[vshearer]

I guess the whole drag issue depends. I spent about 7 months working on a schooner on Roatan back in '81 which is where I got really interested in diving. We were able to go over to a local dive op and "borrow" leftover tanks to dive on the wall as long as we brought our own equipment. I found that diving with a steel tank and backpak (no BC and no weights) kept me pretty neutral for most of my dive. From that experience I came to hate the amount of drag created by wearing any type of BC. Of course we took it to the extreme anyhow. No secondary on the reg, and actually didn't even have gauges... you can tell your tank is going empty at depth and have enough to surface fairly easily I do have a vest now since I can't get away with that anymore (got married) and I was an idiot then. But I also know I will probably end up with a minimalist back inflate soon. So yeah, it is personal preference.

 

[Big A]

"Many people appear to evolve to back-inflate over time."

This is what I feel will happen to me. So I thought it best to start looking in that general direction from the start if I can afford to. Then I stumbled upon this website and have learned a lot. The one brand that has come up a lot here is Zeagle so I've researched them and many others threads on this brand and company and feel pretty good about the choice I'l be making.

The quality is there and the price is resonable, in my option better than what I've found in other jacket style BCD's.

















































So from what

 

[highdesert]

Not to mention their lifetime warranty and killer customer support ... sure, there are many good BC's ... you seem to have settled on one of them, so go for it. I think you'll be happy, and life as you know it will not end if, at some point in your diving experience, you opt for something else. Someone will snap up a used Zeagle BC in about 6 minutes 23 seconds.

 

[Colliam7]

The one brand that has come up a lot here is Zeagle so I've researched them and many others threads on this brand and company and feel pretty good about the choice I'l be making. The quality is there and the price is resonable, in my option better than what I've found in other jacket style BCD's.

You are very unlikely to regret a Zeagle purchase, or a back-inflate purchase. Zeagle is quality. If you decide on a BCD rather than a simple BP/W, AND a Zeagle, go for a 'simple' model. A common theme on SB is that people like to simplify their rig over time. Manufacturers continue to come out with gadgets, bells and whistles, and good for them. But, simple is good (which is why many go BP/W). In any event, use your rig to dive, often. Put the equipment to good use, regular use, and frequent use.










































So from what[/quote]

 

[cold diver]

I was able to try a back inflate and a jacket type when I was doing my OW and I quickly adjusted to either, however I had a tendency to over inflate the jacket (on the surface) and squeeze myself enough to make it uncomfortable and difficult to breathe, I am sure with more experince a jacket would have been fine. That being said I chose a Zeagle ranger and love it I have had it for two years and no issues,however if I was looking again I would check out the Zeagle tech, I think I would like the belt without the cummerbund on it better.

 

[ScottZeagle]

Thanks everyone for all the reply's and all around good information and help. I think I'll seriously look into a Zeagle BCD, from what everyone here is telling me I don't think I'll be disappointed.

Unless everyone here is on commission from Zeagle....lol

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:11:

 

[ScottZeagle]

I haven't been able to find anything regarding padding vs. no padding. The few results of tests I have found regarding drag on BCs shows that the difference really is negligible provided you're talking about minor differences. Clearly if you've got some sort of massive BC stuffed with padding to the point it looks like its going to burst, you're going to create some drag. But I'm talking about minimal padding on the shoulders/hips compared to no padding on the shoulders/hips.

Unless you're in some sort of underwater race I don't really see where these minimal reductions in drag would come into play. It should also be noted that generally speaking, when you see a comment on a website about reducing drag with a BC, its usually made by someone trying to sell something. That always makes me a bit suspicious.

Not that there's anything wrong with wanting to be a bit more streamlined and not have 39 pieces of flare attached to your BC. But there are much better reasons, I think, to do it than to cut down on drag.

Very good post, Nick...and spot on, imho.

 

[ScottZeagle]

"Many people appear to evolve to back-inflate over time."

This is what I feel will happen to me. So I thought it best to start looking in that general direction from the start if I can afford to. Then I stumbled upon this website and have learned a lot. The one brand that has come up a lot here is Zeagle so I've researched them and many others threads on this brand and company and feel pretty good about the choice I'l be making.

The quality is there and the price is resonable, in my option better than what I've found in other jacket style BCD's.

Big A...

Take your time, look around, and then make your decision. There is no right or wrong choice - just what is right for you.

If I can answer any specific questions for you, feel free to post them in the Zeagle section, or shoot me a PM.

Scott