Opinion on Lotus I3 BCD?

[vjones1957]

I just replaced my I3 and have gone back to the traditional BC style with inflator hose. I liked the I3 reasonably well but could never get over the worry of someone else brushing into me or kicking me and inflating it. I have used many BCs in over 20 years of diving and have have been kicked by other divers in every way possible. You do need to pay attention to the placement of your gear since a hose that is near the inflation lever can inflate by accident if it rubs on it.

 

[JBPilot]

I'm a guy and have the original first version of the i3 and can not say enough good things about it. I won't repeat what everyone else has said, but if you have a lds that carries the line you should be able to get them to order one in for you to try. The shop close to me has ordered stuff for people to look at before and if they didn't buy it they put it out in the show room and sold it to someone else. I'm sure you wouldn't be the only lady close to your size that would be looking for a bc.

Good luck and safe diving with no matter which one you chose!

 

[Khaaaan!]

I can't speak to the Lotus, as I've never used it for obvious reasons. However, I have used both the Axiom i3 and the Dimension i3. Both are superb; in comfort, in performance, pretty much everything. The i3 is a great system, easy to learn and easier to use on the go, so i can recommend it.

 

[crosshairs]

My girlfriend and I both dive I3 systems and we both love them....She has the Aqualung soul and I have the Axiom....She is about 105 Lbs and the Soul was the only one that fit her nicely...

I just replaced my I3 and have gone back to the traditional BC style with inflator hose. I liked the I3 reasonably well but could never get over the worry of someone else brushing into me or kicking me and inflating it.

I gotta say of all the reasons I have ever heard of to not like the I3 this one is probably the most ridiculous.... if your that worried about someone kicking you and inflating your BC, perhaps you should pay attention to where you are and not dive within 2 feet of other divers.

 

[mtngoat2674]

Much of what I liked about the i3 has already been mentioned, so I'll go into a few things that I noticed about it. I demo'ed one through a dive operator and I really liked the fit. I'm a backpacker and it fits just like my favorite pack. Having been certified in 2004, I'm pretty used to a standard inflator, so the muscle memory of reaching up instead of down needed changing. That's something only time would change. Ease of use was definitely there. I will very likely purchase one in the future for tropical, non-technical dives. But my decision was ultimately made by two factors: I'm heading into technical diving, and I most often dive a dry suit. Using the i3 with a dry suit was somewhat awkward for me. Since I roll to my right automatically, lifting my left elbow when I'm ascending to vent air from the suit, having to reach down to the lever on the i3 was just awkward. Not impossible by any means, but awkward for me. Perhaps using one more would alleviate that, but the tech aspect was not compatible in any case.