Looking for opinions on the Seaquest Balance

[Paco II]

Looking to move from a jacket to a back-inflated. Anyone have any comments, good or bad, on the Balance?

And please, no suggestions of a Bp/W. Not interested in that just yet

 

[backspin]

Paco

I have just bought the balance at the weekend. I haven't had the chancve to dive it yet, that will happen this sunday, i am in the philippines for a 10 day holiday.

The bc is very well made and the fit is very good. I will let you know how it dives after my holiday.

Backspin

 

[bigmak]

For what it's worth from a new diver, I have 5 dives on mine and like it a lot more then the jacket style I used while getting my cert.

 

[bigmak]

For what it's worth from a new diver, I have 5 dives on mine and like it a lot more then the jacket style I used while getting my cert.

 

[Hockeynut]

I got one and I like it.

 

[soonerwink]

Great, I have had one for 6 years and it's still going strong. I have never had any problems with it. If I ever wear this one out I will probably buy another.

 

[DutchDown]

I've had mine more than 4 years and would buy one again. I like it.

Phil

 

[TSandM]

My husband owns one and loves it. I like the fact that it has trim pockets, so you can move some weight up onto your back to make a horizontal posture easier to achieve.

(BTW, my husband owns the Balance and a BP/W, and says they dive very similarly. But he dives the BP/W these days . . . )

 

[xSandman3]

I used to like mine a lot, until I went bp/w for everyday diving and a Black Diamond for teaching. Once I started using something other than the Balance, I was able to actually compare it to other options.

Good things about the Balance:
1. It's fairly compact
2. It's back-inflate
3. It's built very well

Less than wonderful Balance attributes:
1. The pockets are useless
2. Any tank heavier than a standard AL80 will move the thing around and screw up your trim

Overall, it's a great BC as far as trim and quality. The Surelock weight system rocks...I've never lost a pouch in 200+ dives.

 

[split0101]

I have a Balance and I really like it. I dive it with a Steel 120 and dont have any issues with it. I made some DIY mods to make the BCD more practical for the type of diving that I do (added some extra d-rings, a lift bag holder, etc). Also this is a good BCD to get the feel for how a BP works so if you ever switch it will make the learning curve much smaller.