First BC: Sherwood Tortuga vs Mares Dragon vs Aqua Lung Balance

[ChaosHokie]

Hi everyone,

so I'm looking to get my first BC, and I'm kind of torn between the Sherwood Tortuga, Mares Dragon, and Seaquest/AquaLung Balance.

Now, I'm mostly a warmer water diver, and typically need to travel to dive and I realize these three BCs are kind of big.... I also have about 15 dives to date.

All of the LDS's I visited here push the Balance, and I've rented one on a quarry dive. My friend, who runs a LDS in another country, is pushing the Sherwood, and I've rented a couple of Mares on various dives.

My concern with the Sherwood is that I've read in various places where people say that it leaks water and it's hard to maintain buoyancy control over a long dive. The other issue with the Mares and Sherwood is that none of the LDSs stock Sherwood or Mares BCs, so I don't have any way to "check one out".

I've also read a lot about the BP/W combos, but I'm not real comfortable with that yet.

Thanks!

 

[2 Big 2 Fail]

How are you going to pick? People mostly speak highly of what they own. As you've seen, shops speak highly of what they sell. All the makers produce good gear. There's nothing I've seen that suggests that any of those three products are flawed. I suppose there are worse ways to pick than to ask about three pretty equivalent BC's, but I doubt surveying forum users is any better than flipping coins, and it probably doesn't make a bit of difference. Since the LDS deals AquaLung, if you liked the one you rented, maybe you choose it and try to wrangle a package deal on whatever else you want.

 

[DevonDiver]

I think you need to decide/share your criteria.

What are you looking for in terms of features, buoyancy and price?

 

[Rascally Rabbit]

I've dove 3 out of the 4 rigs you mention.
I presently use a Sherwood Tortuga when diving with students. I've owned it for 3 years and it has served me well. No leaks. When I am diving for my own recreation I use a BP&W It does tend to offer a better diving experience once you have the experience to trim it out properly for the dive profile it will be used on.

Many divers will say to go directly to the BP&W and this is where I disagree. A jacket style BC has limits on how it may be trimmed and configured built into it. This simplifies your decisions. Once you have finely tuned your buoyancy control with experience and learned to trim the jacket BC you'll have some background to draw on in configuring and trimming a BP&W.

I have experience using a friends Balance BCD. I found it to be at least as good as the Tortuga.
Either of these BCD would serve you well and allow you to develope as a diver. Althought the BP&W is a good choice for an experienced diver unless you have experienced BP&W users to help you configure and find proper trim it may just offer you to much to work with. The bueaty of the BP&W is that it is a modular system that allows for a seemingly endless number of configuration choices. Personally I feel best served when I am ready to make choices myself and not have others make them for me.

 

[sgl308]

In choosing a BC, keep in mind if your LDS carries it, they will be able to service it or send it in for warranty repairs. A problem I am now dealing with since I bought my Sherwood in Wisconsin and have yet to find a local dive shop that stocks Sherwood in central FL.

The most important quality in a piece of equipment is safety. All 3 BCD's you mentioned are big names and well known. That shouldn't be an issue. The next is comfort. Try on the BC's and see how it fits. Make sure you're comfortable with the location and function of the quick releases, chest strap (if it has one), and pockets. After comfort is out of the way, then figure out how stylish you want to look with different colors and how you "look" wearing the BC.

 

[sgl308]

In choosing a BC, keep in mind if your LDS carries it, they will be able to service it or send it in for warranty repairs. A problem I am now dealing with since I bought my Sherwood in Wisconsin and have yet to find a local dive shop that stocks Sherwood in central FL.

The most important quality in a piece of equipment is safety. All 3 BCD's you mentioned are big names and well known. That shouldn't be an issue. The next is comfort. Try on the BC's and see how it fits. Make sure you're comfortable with the location and function of the quick releases, chest strap (if it has one), and pockets. After comfort is out of the way, then figure out how stylish you want to look with different colors and how you "look" wearing the BC.