Gear purchase woe's

[Diesel_Diver]

I know everyone has been there at one point in time. I have almost 30 logged dives at this point, PADI OW cert ( at this point hopefully doing SDI Advanced Adventure course soon).
So anyways, looking at purchasing a BC and Reg set.
LDS sells Sherwood and Zeagle for sure maybe some others. Down south I have used Scubapro rental gear, up here in the north its been a Zeagle Halo and various regs.

So I am looking at a Zeagle resort or a Sherwood Avid for BC.
As far as Regulators go looking for a middle of the road cold water suitable (4-10 C) that will perform in the Caribbean as well.

Just basically looking for some honest feedback, not oh this is junk that is crap. If you have one please comment, or even something comparable.

Thanks
Scott

 

[ams511]

Any cold water reg will also perform in warm water. If your LDS is a Sherwood dealer then the Blizzard is the obvious choice. However, Sherwood has changed the Blizzard recently so I do not know its cold water performance. Your best bet is to talk to local divers and see what they use.

 

[rick00001967]

i would stay away from any sherwood reg these days. not my personal opinion. that suggestion is based on what i have been told by more than one repair tech. they made good regs back in the day but the newer versions don't compare.

i have no experience good or bad with zeagle regs. sorry.

zeagle does make some very expensive but very good bcd's. the resort is one i am familiar with. decent bcd. good bang for the buck. i have had issues with weight pockets falling out though. check with your lds to make sure this issue has been corrected by zeagle.
they also have the focus which i believe is basically the same as the resort but with more lift capacity.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

We have an Avid in the dive closet, we bought it used for either my wife or daughter. It's been a good BCD and has lots of Drings if you feel the need to decorate yourself like a Christmas tree. Never had any issues with the weight pockets. If I remember correctly, the only complaint my wife had was the piping around the neck was rough and would rub her at times. We have a Scuba Pro Glide X, Sherwood Avid, Aqualung Pro LT, Aqualung Axiom, Aqualung Pearl, a couple of older men's and dive women's Dacors, Hog BPW with a Transplate, and a Transpac with a Diverite Venture wing. Quality wise, I'd say they are all similar, even the older Dacors that are still in great shape and fully functional. All were bought used because of a good deal,and needing to outfit an entire family. All jacket types we have (we don't have any back inflate jacket type) dive pretty similar with the main difference being number of D rings and locations of dumps. I do like a right shoulder dump on a bcd, big pockets, and d rings on the hips. My goto rig is the Transpac. It's almost like wearing nothing at all.

Can't help you with the Zeagle or reg choices, but I think you will be happy with the Avid.

If you have only dove jacket type BCDs, I would suggest trying a back inflate jacket type (Zeagle Ranger) as well as a BPW or Transpac and wing before you make your purchase. The buoyancy characteristics are the biggest difference, as well as less weight, and no jacket squeeze. You can also set them up to be exactly how you want them ( strap adjustments, wings, D Rings, Pockets, weight attachments, etc.). The possibilities are literally infinite and exactly what you want.

Regardless what you choose, the Avid is a good BCD.

Safe travels, good luck,
Jay

 

[rsingler]

Would beg to differ about Sherwood. They took a hit with the SR1 over little stuff. The design is innovative, and the SR2 is a great set. I work on a dozen brands, and their newest shows good engineering.
Out here on the west coast, we don't see Sherwood much. But I bought a set anyway since I can repair it, and I think it is solid stuff. The Schrader valve dry bleed is a great environmental seal. Much better than the old bubbling first stage.

 

[ams511]

Would beg to differ about Sherwood. They took a hit with the SR1 over little stuff. The design is innovative, and the SR2 is a great set. I work on a dozen brands, and their newest shows good engineering.
Out here on the west coast, we don't see Sherwood much. But I bought a set anyway since I can repair it, and I think it is solid stuff. The Schrader valve dry bleed is a great environmental seal. Much better than the old bubbling first stage.

What did they do to the first stage? They used to have a non-replaceable filter in the piston.Then moved to a replaceable (but not cleanable) filter in the body. Then I noticed they have something called a laser cut filter that supposedly can be cleaned. Are they still using a flow-by piston or have they switched to a flow-through one?

 

[The Chairman]

My favorite BC is the Zeagle Express Tech. All the good features and benies of a BP&Wing, but as easy as a BC. I love it.

 

[rick00001967]

Would beg to differ about Sherwood. They took a hit with the SR1 over little stuff. The design is innovative, and the SR2 is a great set. I work on a dozen brands, and their newest shows good engineering.
Out here on the west coast, we don't see Sherwood much. But I bought a set anyway since I can repair it, and I think it is solid stuff. The Schrader valve dry bleed is a great environmental seal. Much better than the old bubbling first stage.

i should have been more clear.....the previous post had mentioned the blizzard. from what i am told, the old style blizzard was very good. the newer version is not. i agree that the SR1 apparently was crap but have also heard the SR2 is much better. as i said, i have no personal opinion. this is only what i have been told.

 

[The Chairman]

as i said, i have no personal opinion. this is only what i have been told.

Which is why I hardly ever comment on gear I haven't dove yet. I would rather hear a single comment about something you dove than ten thousand hearsay comments.

There are very few "bad" regs or even BCDs out there. I know my favorites and can comment on them with authority on why they've earned that distinction.

 

[rick00001967]

Which is why I hardly ever comment on gear I haven't dove yet. I would rather hear a single comment about something you dove than ten thousand hearsay comments.

There are very few "bad" regs or even BCDs out there. I know my favorites and can comment on them with authority on why they've earned that distinction.

i work for a shop that is a dealer for the gear being discussed. so when my boss and his tech pass along advise to me about gear we could potentially sell i take that advise seriously and absolutely trust their opinion as they have been doing it for over 30 years. otherwise i would agree 100% with your comment.

btw.....to the op.....i have not used personally the resort bcd either but we have several in rental and i have personally witnessed the weight pockets falling out on more than one occasion. i hope that qualifies as a relevant opinion. we have sold several of these. my only advise was to make sure you discuss with your dealer and if you do get one check that each pocket locks in tight.