New diver looking for a BC

[Dmkknife]

Hi,

I am a new diver and I'm in the same position as scubachris82, looking for a good BC.

I live in Michigan where the water is cold and the wrecks are fairly deep. (Lake Huron) Likely will be doing these dives in a dry suit.

I have considered the Zeagle Ranger, Zeagle Tech, or even a Zeagle 911.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

PS. Has any one heard of an Orion BC made by Triple-L ?

Thank You

 

[Titan8883]

Hi,

I am a new diver and I'm in the same position as scubachris82, looking for a good BC.

I live in Michigan where the water is cold and the wrecks are fairly deep. (Lake Huron) Likely will be doing these dives in a dry suit.

I have considered the Zeagle Ranger, Zeagle Tech, or even a Zeagle 911.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

PS. Has any one heard of an Orion BC made by Triple-L ?

Thank You

I was recently pointed toward the JET Harness when I asked about a good bc. Its a BP/Wing but is custom built to your specs and the price is great also. http://www.jetharness.com/

 

[Seasquatch]

i just purchased the 911. havent used it yet, but am looking forward to it. I am fairly new to diving (less hten a year) but i decided to get a good bc so i dont need to buy twice. Hope it works out for me. Good luck for you.

 

[Dmkknife]

i just purchased the 911. havent used it yet, but am looking forward to it. I am fairly new to diving (less hten a year) but i decided to get a good bc so i dont need to buy twice. Hope it works out for me. Good luck for you.

#########################################
I purchased a used Ranger but haven't received it yet.

From what I have read in Scuba Diver Magazine the Zeagles are very nice. I'm hoping for the best

I don't have any gear so I will be looking for Regs etc. soon too.

Best of luck

 

[ocpaul]

You may think this is too "techcnical", but I would take a serious look at a good backplate & wing setup. You can tailor such a rig to virtually any kind of diving. I have been diving for 9 years and have recently changed from a back inflate BC (an old Zeagle) to a BP&W.

Good luck!

 

[sgtmnstr]

I dive the Ranger Limited and love it. Its tough and sturdy, got beached on a reef the other day on a crazy shore re-entry and didn't put a scratch on it. Its modular so different parts can be changed out as worn or damaged. ie I changed my harness yesterday from an XL down to a LRG in about a minute but kept the original for use with a thicker wet suit, or a dry suit when I get back up north. You can convert it from single's to duals easily as well. Can be had on line for $474.00 pm me if you need the web site.

Best of luck Rich

 

[HaoleDiver]

Hey man,

While I respect the benefits of a BP/Wing setup, lets face it, starting off with a jacket or back inflate BC is how most divers do it, its how most dive shops teach it, its the easiest choice. When divers begin thinking of specific diver goals, customizability, whether they want to go tech, etc - then a BP/Wing setup comes into play.
I dove a Scubapro Glide Plus for awhile, and liked it because it was simple, and sturdy, but then I switched to a Zeagle Ranger Ltd, and love it. The back inflate is great, the weight release is absolutely the best there is, the design is streamlined and easy to use, all in all its awesome.
Its a little pricey, and if money is an issue, go with a regular ranger.

 

[theskull]

The Ranger is an excellent BC that will last forever, and most likely fulfill all your diving needs for a lifetime.

Dive save and have fun,
theskull

 

[yknot]

I use a Zeagle 911 and think that the size of the wing is really a bit much, even for Michigan. At about 65lbs of lift, the wing would work with doubles but is just too much to lug around with a single tank. I don't own a backplate and wing so cannot claim that they are the only way to go, but these are my personal observations about my BC: very well made in the USA, lifetime warranty, reliability and craftsmanship of Zeagles is as good as anything else I have seen. Disadvantage is that my BC is heavy out of the water before a dive and heavier still after it has soaked up some water. While I have never tested this, I bet that these BC's are close to neutral, if not marginaly positive. This means that the 10+ lbs you have on your back is not doing anything towards helping you decend. I wish I had known of the existance of BP&W before- I would think that a lot of the weight you carry on your back is deducted from the amount of lead you will need, and for a single tank, most of us don't need more than 35lbs of lift. As far as the Triple-L Orions are concerned- they look like a Ranger with conventional pull out weight pockets instead of the zip cord system. Bottom line is you could get one delivered, including shipping, for about $150. I am definitly considering one for my kids to use.