First BCD - Cressi Start Pro?

[jw195]

Hi,

I'd class myself as a novice diver with around 20 dives and my PADI AOW certification completed since starting diving 2 years ago.

This year i have booked myself on a Red Sea Liveaboard and decided its about time i got my own BCD.

Due to quite a tight budget i was originally looking at purchasing a used BCD and then getting it serviced but have recently found some deals on a brand new Cressi Start Pro BCD for around £135gbp ($200usd).

Has anyone used this BCD in the past? or got any recommendations for good BCDs in a similar price range?

Any and all help is much appreciated

 

[tbone1004]

I would highly recommend looking at a BP/W bud, sorry to be the first to chime in, but while you are going to have to stretch budget a little bit for a used one, it is worth stretching. No need to have them serviced as there isn't much to go wrong, when you look at all of the advantages over a standard BC it is quite obvious. Alternative would be to rent from the liveaboard for this trip if that is an option

 

[Neilwood]

Agree with Tbone - for travel especially it is hard to look past a BP&W set up for weight & packing. Also due to its modular nature, if a piece breaks (webbing gets worn or the wing gets damaged), you simply replace that and not the entire setup.

 

[dbulmer]

I agree with the first 2 posters on BP/w but ....
I did use a Cressi Aqualite (it's a discontinued model) and it was very comfortable and easy to use.

From looking at your choice I'd be tempted to go for the Cressi Start - it does not have weight integration pockets and is slightly cheaper - you said you were on a budget so I'd go for either the cheapest you can get or for the much more expensive BP/W.

Weight integrated pockets are a much discussed topic on SB and I'm very much in the "they are crap" camp so very biased. You might to want to see what others think about that.

For holiday diving abroad I think the Cressi BCs are perfectly fine but if you find yourself wanting to dive in the UK or want to do more advanced diving in the future buying a BP/W now would be a good investment.

Ah one more thing- I have seen divers wearing their BCs on the plane so if you are wondering how to pack it there's one option you can consider

 

[cannon fodder]

I have an aquapro 5 BCD which is a very similar looking Cressi. As far as I can tell it is the same thing from a couple of years ago, the pro start version may be a newly named, raise the price, version of the same thing. For warm water diving, it works, bottom line. I have no major issues with it. The biggest problem with the Cressi is that it is 4 pounds possitive in fresh water, verified in my bathtub with weights. For vacation travel, since the weight pockets are attached, you cannot lose them. For cold water diving, they do not hold enough weight for a drysuit or heavy wet suit. The jacket is also constricting in a heavy wetsuit and drysuit.

I bought a BP/W recently and was suprised at how comfortable it is. I used it in Tortola 2 weeks ago and it worked as well as the Cressi, or better, and I am sure that the BP/W will be much more comfortable in a drysuit. But, as I said, the biggest benefit of the Cressi, is that it works fine and is well suited for warm water diving. If you travel get the Cressi, if you wnat something that works in cold and warm water get a BP/W, if you can afford it get both. The Cressis is significantly lighter than a BP/W for travel.

Derek

 

[jw195]

Thanks all for your replies - after looking through this forum multiple times before posting this thread i did have a look at BP&W but the sad fact is that my budget isn't likely to increase in the next few years.

I have dived in the UK (both Sea and fresh water) in the past with a 6.5mm wetsuit and 6.5mm shortie with a jacket style BCD + weight belt and had no issues with it (although that may just be because i've had nothing to compare it to) so I think for now i'm going to continue looking for a jacket style.

Thanks for your advice about getting the Start rather than the pro because of the weight restrictions on the pockets - I was looking at weight integration because i've had issues with weight belts slipping in the past. I have however recently purchased a weight harness so that removes the need for the weight integration

 

[tbone1004]

with that much neoprene you have to make sure the jacket bc's will have enough lift to compensate for their compression at depth. The most unsafe thing about standard jackets is their lift volume is largely determined by their size. With that much neoprene you need at bare minimum 35lbs of lift which this one luckily has. I would highly recommend buying a used backplate if you can help it. The fact that someone mentioned it is 4lbs positive would be a 100% deal breaker for me. Having to carry an extra 4lbs of lead just to sink the bc is idiotic. You will almost always need the 6lbs that a steel plate will give you, whether that is bathing suit diving in the ocean with an AL80, or diving at home with that thick wetsuit, it would be a much better investment. Buy used off of ebay, or off of here, there isn't much that can go wrong with them.

 

[Neilwood]

with that much neoprene you have to make sure the jacket bc's will have enough lift to compensate for their compression at depth. The most unsafe thing about standard jackets is their lift volume is largely determined by their size. With that much neoprene you need at bare minimum 35lbs of lift which this one luckily has. I would highly recommend buying a used backplate if you can help it. The fact that someone mentioned it is 4lbs positive would be a 100% deal breaker for me. Having to carry an extra 4lbs of lead just to sink the bc is idiotic. You will almost always need the 6lbs that a steel plate will give you, whether that is bathing suit diving in the ocean with an AL80, or diving at home with that thick wetsuit, it would be a much better investment. Buy used off of ebay, or off of here, there isn't much that can go wrong with them.

That was one of the main reasons I went with a BP&W - I can cut the amount of lead needed to sink by the weight of the plate and also by the amount of the positive buoyancy of the jacket.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

If you're going to go with a jacket I'd just get the cheapest and simplest one available being the Cressi Start. Just borrow weights on your trip and put on a weight belt, old school, just like they used to before all the weight integrated BS started. The reason I say get the cheapest is because in my estimation there really isn't a lot of difference performance wise between a top dollar jacket and the cheapest one., they're still jackets. Usually with the most expensive you're just paying for a bunch of gimmicky features that you really don't need and in some cases a premium for brand identity, which doesn't mean a damn thing as far as how they perform.
Or if you want dirt cheap look at ebay or various online classifieds.

With all that said, I'm a BP/W fan myself. You can get a complete BP/W setup from DGX (Dive Gear Express) on-line for 299.00, and other deals for 399.00, and DSS rigs for not much more than that. That's only $100-$200 more for something that will last you for the rest of your diving life.
Read any reviews, once you get into a BP/W you won't want anything alse.
If you're smart you'll buy your second BC first.

 

[stuartv]

if you can afford it get both. The Cressis is significantly lighter than a BP/W for travel.

The Cressi is lighter than SOME BP/Ws for travel. My BP/W that has a Kydex BP is only 0.5 pounds for the BP. That plus the wing and harness is lighter than most integrated BCDs.

Even if you can afford both, if you buy a BP/W I don't know why you would want to also have an integrated BCD. The vast of majority of people who get a BP/W would never want to use an integrated BCD again. Not all, of course. I bought my first BP/W from a guy who bought it, tried it for a week, then switched back to an integrated BCD.

As Eric said, DGX has a complete BP/W rig for $299.

https://www.divegearexpress.com/dgx-custom-singles-harness-backplate-wing-package

The wing is the same wing as the Dive Rite Travel EXP just labelled for DGX. A great size for warm water diving. I would buy that over any $200 integrated BCD. Though, if the OP wants to also use it for diving in a 6.5 with a 6.5 shorty over the top, that wing wouldn't be big enough.