Back inflate: Apeks Black Ice vs Zeagle Stilleto vs scubapro nighthawk

[runsongas]

if you only need a tropical lift bpw, the dgx package with 25lb wing should be fine. or spend a little more on a dss 17 or oxycheq/apeks 18 setup. plate is up to you whether you prefer to keep your travel weight down or prefer using the plate for ballast.

 

[tbzep]

Unlike the above poster, I like the Ripcord, if you have to drop weights you don't have to replace anything 10 minutes later to continue diving - if you drop any of the pull-out systems you'll need to use a belt till you can replace them. And it's easy to re-thread.

If you actually drop weights that you/your buddy can't easily and quickly recover and re-use, you likely have an emergency and probably don't need to be back in the water 10 minutes later, but that's another thread for another time.

If you're a rec diver that never practices emergency ditching, nor fools with handing up weights before climbing on a boat (SOP for many dive teams), the Zeagle pull-cord system is a good choice. If you practice ditching with any regularity, or are required to hand up your weights by your boat captain, you will grow tired of the Zeagle system quickly. It's especially annoying if you are training with another team (or a buddy) using something like the Aqualung Pro QDM and you have to remove the BCD to re-thread your Zeagle as they immediately go to the next training evolution without missing a beat. Don't get me wrong, the Zeagle BCD's are well made and work well, but all the teams I've seen that use them hate training with them and don't enjoy climbing back on a boat with them. That's why I went back to the weight belt. The average rec diver will probably practice dropping weights one time and never fool with it again unless required to in a class.

 

[diversteve]

Since you chose to respond in your world, I'll respond in mine.

I've actually dove with a woman who the first thing she did back on the dock was to pull the ripcord and let her husband collect them and rethread it while they were waiting for their surface interval to pass - unusual I admit - especially since the waiting area was a dozen or less steps away. Let's be charitable and say that I didn't know they sold wetsuits in that circumference...lol

I read the instructions when I bought it yet the one time I had to re-thread my Ripcord several years later without them - it wasn't difficult.

I don't have any problems unzipping and handing up my weights over a decade or Ranger ownership - I have the yellow Zeagle weight pockets and they have a wide, easy to grasp handle on them for just that reason.

Some people have posted that illogically there is a hesitation to drop other weight pockets in an emergency since you'll likely then have to buy new ones. It wouldn't be a problem for me vs. the alternative but it has been mentioned here more than once.

I also don't think that your particular scenario applies to most recreational divers like the OP looking for his first BCD. Also your criticism of the release mechanism is based on your need to wear thick gloves while diving - I can find/grasp the handle just fine with my bare fingers in tropical situations where I dive.

I do agree that as a PSD, the ripcord makes a tempting target for someone you're trying to rescue (not recover) if they're fighting you in the water. I just think the situation you've described is very much in the minority here.

 

[tbzep]

I read the instructions when I bought it yet the one time I had to re-thread my Ripcord several years later without them - it wasn't difficult.

And that is exactly what I referred to. Over a period of years you pulled the cord once. No practice. New divers need to practice. Heck, even old divers need to do it once in a while.

Other than that, I agree that Zeagle makes a good BCD especially if one dives in warm water where zippers with weight bags and ripcords anchored with velcro aren't an issue for gloves.

 

[Scuba-74]

I bought a Stiletto this fall and used it on a whopping 4 dives so far - 2 cold saltwater and 2 cold freshwater. I like it, although I can't compare it with the other two on your list.

The one advantage of Zeagle that I don't think has been mentioned is that you can easily unscrew the BX power inflator (or the Octo-Z inflator/octo that I have) and attach a garden hose to the BC to rinse the bladder. Also if you use Octo-Z, you can unscrew it from the BC hose and keep it with your reg. You can also easily readjust the cummerband, which was good for me as I fall between L and XL.

I think utility pockets could be a little larger, and I'm a bit uneasy about the rip cord. On one hand, I like the idea and have read that it provides for the fastest way to ditch weight. On the other hand, the idea of re-threading it every time one practices ditching serves as a strong deterrent to practice, at least for me personally. But overall, I definitely like the BC.

 

[tbzep]

Since I knocked the Zeagle rip cord system from a practicality standpoint, I'll mention another good thing about Zeagle products that may or may not have been brought up. In addition to the adjustments Scuba-74 mentioned, you can mix and match the harness system sizes to get a custom fit. It's no big deal unless you gain/lose weight and you end up maxing out an adjustment but you don't want to buy a completely new BCD. I'm assuming the whole Zeagle line is like this. I only have experience with the 911 and Ranger.

 

[Scuba-74]

I'm assuming the whole Zeagle line is like this. I only have experience with the 911 and Ranger.

Stiletto has the same modular approach, so you can mix and match sizes of the components, etc.

However, I'm not sure you can use it with doubles. I haven't researched it any further, but I've been told at the shop that doubles can be mounted on Ranger but not the Stiletto.

 

[claymore]

One of the big advantages of the Stiletto is the double tank bands which I find make the tank more stable and almost eliminates any chance of the tank slipping down in the bands.

 

[diversteve]

I could be wrong but I thought the Stiletto wing was sewn in. The shoulders, front panels etc. are modular as part of their PFS system though. The wing though is a "35lb lift capacity low profile retracting bladder"

Stiletto's are single tank bc's.

The Stiletto is designed for divers who do both warm and temperate water diving but don’t need the twin tank capability or higher lift of a heavy-duty BC

For the Ranger there's both a doubles tank kit (two small plates + mounting hardware) or it will take a Zeagle backplate. I don't believe either works with the Stiletto.

 

[claymore]

The Stiletto’s wing is modular and can be ordered/changed to other sizes like the Ranger, Express Tech and the rest of the modular Zeagle BC’s. I move my 24#, 36# and 44# between my Express Tech, Ranger and BPW as the needs change.