first bc?

[Mike Nelson]

After a lot of research here and elsewhere, I'd finally decided I wanted a back inflate BCD, and I'd narrowed it down to the Knighthawk and the Ranger. My instructors at the LDS were really steering me towards either the Knighthawk or the DUI Delta Wings that the shop carried. The store owner had nothing but bad things to say about the Ranger and about Zeagle service - both of which were at serious odds with what I've read here about both the Ranger and service.

Then - I find that a good percentage of the instructors and DMs (including one who was steering me to the Knighthawk) actually dive the Ranger themselves! I put two and two together - they're supposed to push the brands the LDS carries.

I took my business elsewhere - and bought the Ranger, my regs, computer, and dry suit at another nearby LDS, where they seem a lot more honest, don't care where I buy the gear that I don't buy from them (they spent 45 minutes last night helping me set up the new tanks I bought from the Hot Deals section - free of charge), and even threw in the books and tuition for my AOW course on my gear package, for free.

I'm very happy with the Ranger - and I've just completed my O/W cert.

 

[StSomewhere]

If I knew the what I know now I wuld go with the back plate wing.

eBay is your friend.

 

[waynne fowler]

but the thing is i would like to get somthing i can expand as i dive more.
Does anyone think that has a ranger that it would be a ok starter bc?

Some good advice here SCUBADOG82. As you can tell many people love the Zeagle. It is certainly a well made BC, the customer service is second to none, and far better then the majority. One of the coolest stories I've heard is about a situation that arose with one of the mother manatees in Florida (feel free to correct any wrong information folks) anyway AFAIR the story was that one of the mothers got hit buy a boat and could not stay on the surface properly.. Zeagle heard about this, closed the factory for the day and made a custom BCD for this manatee so she could stay alive an raise her young... Now that's what I call a great company..

My Zeagle treated me well for over two years, however as my diving progressed and my requirements changed I was forced to put it away. It just had too much going on in the front and the pockets, as most pockets are on BC's, in my opinion useless as most of the people I know , especially here in the PNW cannot get into them ourselves nor are the roomy enough to carry the things that we need... remember this is my opinion and those of people that I dive with all the time... all six of us had Rangers I'm the only one who still has mine.. just went out a while ago to pet it... she was a good BC... I'll give her to a good home.. she's kinda ugly now chorine bleached and about 500 dives but still has some life in her.... The only part of the BC that I would say is weak is the weight system.. we like weight integration for the most part not only to get the weight off our hips but also to be able to have some control in a weight ditch situation. However with the Ranger it's an all or nothing drop. Pull the cord and both sides drop. Not ideal.. Being able to ditch one side at a time is ideal when we talk about ditching weights... Which in and of itself is not a great thing to have to do. THAT is the weak point in the weight system... rethreading it is way too easy.. if I can do it any 2 year old can...

In conclusion if you truly are looking for the last BC you will ever need, do check out the BP/W system.. find someone that knows how to set it up properly you will be amazed at how rock solid the tank is on your back. You will need to learn to get in and out of it, it won't be as comfortable on the surface (but we don't dive there anyway.. we're not on land in our rigs all that long).. That being said it will do what your wanting... it WILL EXPAND with you as your diving abilities/desires increase.
It will do the 30' dives for 30mins awesomely... but if you ever have the desire/skills to, it will do the 300'ers for 300mins also.

You need to sit back and think about where you see yourself 5 years from now.. If you say I will never want to do any technical environments then the world is open to you.. If you will do technical environments then your better served with a BP/W.. If OTOH you just don't know... buy as if you will do technical training in the future that way your covered.

Just my additional 2 cents.

 

[tiburon72157]

I've been diving my Zeagle Ranger for 5 years now. It's durable, reliable, comfortable and has stood up to every challenge. It is a solid BC that performs dive after dive.

 

[SCUBADOG82]

Thankyou everyone. I plan on going next weekend and trying the ranger and a couple of other ones on. But I thankyall for letting me know that the ranger is an option if i like the way it fits. After what the guy at the shop said i was prety sure it was a sucky bc. Its always good to hear from people that actualy use them though.Thanks everyone

 

[halocline]

Since you're a new diver, I would recommend that you try to dive several different types of BCs before you buy anything. BC style is a pretty personal thing, and only with some experience can you know what's best for you. I bet more divers have switched BCs more often than any other piece of gear. The ranger is a pretty big BC that's designed for tech use and cold water use; if you're diving in warm water without a lot of weight, thin suit, and AL80, chances are you'd eventually prefer something smaller with less lift and less bulk.

My first BC was a used jacket style SP that I got from a friend, and it got me through many dives to the point where I had enough experience to buy something that I knew was more suited to my diving style and environment.

In terms of quality, Zeagle BCs have a very good reputation and have a good resale value, which might come in handy some day, as it's likely that no matter what you buy now, after 50-100 dives you'll want to try something else.