Sea Quest Black Diamond or Balance?

[KY_BOB]

Please do not tell me that I need to buy a BP/W. If I ever decide to tech dive, I'll buy one then.

I plan on buying either the Black Diamond of Balance from the LDS within a week or two. I would like opinions/comparisons of them. The both have their pros and cons. Here's my take one them. Please add your own. I'm especially interested in hearing from anyone that has been diving in both.

Keep in mind that 90% of my diving will be in quarries with a thick wetsuit with an occasional (once a year) vacation with air travel.

Black Diamond

pros
Lots of pockets and D rings
a lot of lift - 50#
convertible to handle doubles
can handle a lot of lead (32# ditchable, 10# trim)

cons
heavy and bulky to travel with
less streamlined in the water


Balance
pros
Light and easy to travel with.
more streamlined

cons
less lift 36# (plenty for a single cylinder)
with a 7mm farmer john, I'll have it close to maxed out on lead (20# ditchable 10# trim)
less pocket space


FWIW I'll also trying to decide on getting the air2 option on either and an open to opinions on this too. I have a perfectly good octo but it would be nice to have one less hose. Hopefully it'll never be used but I have no problem donating my primary in an OOA situation.

I'll edit this post and add any pros and cons that seem relevant to me.

 

[tk trekers]

I have the Black Diamond and while I'm still relatively new, this is the only BCD I have owned. I tried on a bunch and when I tried on the Black Diamond, it just felt right on me. I am a big guy (6'8" and 260 lbs) and the fit was very good for me where several of the others I had tried on did not fit me very well and I don't like the way the jacket style feels. I have a good friend that is a service tech for an LDS and he said that quite a few "bigger" guys had these and that they were very durable and had held up very well for the instructors he knew that were using them. I think the same can be said for most well made BCD's that are properly cared for though.

I like the steel D-rings, I like the pockets and the large integrated weight pockets. A lot of the cheaper versions use plastic D-rings, don't have very much weight capacity and the pockets are so small it looks like it would be hard to stow a small dive light in one. I like the fact that it is a back inflate and for the other pros you already mentioned. I figure if I ever switch to a BP/W set-up I'll be that much more ahead than if I had gone with the jacket style.

I also have the Air2 on mine but I also carry an octo (usually diving with wife & son so I figure 2 back-ups would be better). It is OK, a tad difficult to really use at depth and with your primary reg being donated to another diver, you are really going to have to maintain a close ascent to the other person which will be very difficult if they are panicked because of the shorter hose length.

While it is heavy and bulky, I don't notice that underwater and fitting it into my gear bag I would say that it takes up only slightly more room than my wife's Oceanic Herra or my son's SeaQuest Pro Unlimited but it is also a lot bigger size. I didn't buy it with the hopes of squeezing it into a carry-on bag, there are many BCD's much better suited to travel than this one and if I ever get to the point that I find I am traveling by air more than diving locally or driving to, then maybe I'll look into one of those then.

 

[KY_BOB]

Thanks for your input. You make some good points. The ultimate decision won't be made until I put them on one after the other. Comfort will be the utmost consideration. At this point, I'm leaning toward the Black Diamond for the reason that's it's better to have too much than not enough be it pockets, D rings, weight capacity or lift. I want to be able to carry my backup light on most dives in case, I want to look into a crevice. I carry diving shears in one of my pockets, and if I go boat diving, I'll want to carry a sausage. I like the stream lined aspect of the Balance but I'm not sure that it will carry the gear that I want to take in all situations.

I might be able to save a couple of buck by buying online but if I buy it from the LDS, dive it and don't like it, he'll exchange it for me.

BTW: I'm a short big guy. 5'8" 190# with a 46" chest and pretty wide shoulders.

 

[Lee Taylor]

I have dove a Zeagle Ranger (with and inflator hose octo) for the past 13 years. I am targeting a Black Diamond. I personally like the back up octo on the inflator hose. I have tried the back up octo both ways. When it is not on the inflator hose it does not get as much attention and my feeling is it would be easier for it to find its way behind you and flopping in the breeze so to speak. One always knows where their inflator hose is. Much of the time the inflator hose is in your hand or secured close by. I seem to remember the Black Diamond having a rigid molded plastic tank mounting interface, for lack of better words. I would like that. I dont like the tank shifting about. I like it rigidly fixed to my back.

 

[ckey45]

Ive been diving Zeagle for more years than I care to remember, love their products. Last February I made a trip to Cozumel and used my brothers Balance just for a change of pace. I have to admit, its not as bulky as my Zeagle as far as packing goes, it was however the most comfortable BC I.ve ever used.

 

[ShakaZulu]

I'm certainly not tech, but dive a Hog setup. I used to own a Black Diamond (a bit too much lift for Rec diving resulting in lots of places for air to get trapped) and it was fine, but the BP/W is soooo much nicer. You really need to dive all three to make an informed decision. In the end, it's your money, and you need to buy what ever makes you feel comfortable and allows you the opportunity to grow.

 

[bill-da-ho]

Thanks for your input. You make some good points. The ultimate decision won't be made until I put them on one after the other. Comfort will be the utmost consideration. At this point, I'm leaning toward the Black Diamond for the reason that's it's better to have too much than not enough be it pockets, D rings, weight capacity or lift. I want to be able to carry my backup light on most dives in case, I want to look into a crevice. I carry diving shears in one of my pockets, and if I go boat diving, I'll want to carry a sausage. I like the stream lined aspect of the Balance but I'm not sure that it will carry the gear that I want to take in all situations.

I might be able to save a couple of buck by buying online but if I buy it from the LDS, dive it and don't like it, he'll exchange it for me.

BTW: I'm a short big guy. 5'8" 190# with a 46" chest and pretty wide shoulders.

Hey Bob,
I have the black diamond, just got it two weeks ago,, so far so good. I did put 8lbs of trim weights in the trim pockets,, with the back inflate, it has a tendency to push you forward at the surface. Not a big deal once your use to it I'm told.
I like the pockets and how they operate too, my first BC I couldnt get the pockets opened up, but I dont have any problems with the black diamond. I'm a big guy too, 6'2" 250lbs,, it is expandable too, incase I should grow some more.
I got it from my LDS for the same exact price as leisurepro.
I have the air2 option, I like it, but your primary air hose will have to be a little bit longer. I did an OOA drill with it first dive out, and found my primary hose to be too short, I changed that out befor the next dive. Dont know about the other BC your looking at,, but I do like the black diamond

Bill

 

[colo_diver]

I personally dive the Balance with the airsource. I switched from the ProQD. I like that fact that it has plenty of lift if needed and it is lighter and easied to travel with. Add on to that that it was the editors pick as the top travel BCD from Sport Diver a few months back

That said let me act like your LDS

Tell be about the type of diving you are going to be doing? Do you want or need all the extra rings?

If you are going to be doing most of your diving in a 7mil I would probably lean more to the Diamond just because of the extra lift.

 

[ShakaZulu]

blah, blah ,blah....... it has a tendency to push you forward at the surface. Not a big deal once your use to it I'm told.
blah, blah , blah....

That is due to the fact that you have a BC with a potential 50lbs of lift. Don't put so much air in it, and you'll be fine. The idea is not to float your torso on top of the water, just get your mouth above it

 

[jlovold]

Between the two, I would prefer the Balance hands down.

What do you need a lot of D-rings for? You can still attach several items to one D-ring, but why?
If you attach stuff to your D-rings, you want them to be far apart to avoid tangling.
And what do you need all the lead for? In a wetsuit, you won´t be close to max capacity, unless you are severely overweighted.

And why do you need pockets on the vest? they are usually very difficult to reach, and don´t have much room for anything.

And why do you need a lot of lift? Do you plan to salvage anchors? If so, you should get a lifting-bag instead, as it is a lot safer. The big cell on the BD has a tendency to put you face down, especially with alu-tanks. But so will the Balance, unless you add some trim-weights to the tank-strap.

And forget the Black D for doubles... It cant handle it without a steel- or alu- backplate.

I dive the Black D a lot in my job, but I don´t like it very much.

And about wing/backplate: It is not just for tech-divers. IMO, a single-tank setup is superior to both vests you have mentioned, and will weigh less when ready to dive. there will also be plenty of room for backuplights, as you attach them to the shoulder D-rings and use rubber straps to secure them to the harness under your arms, totally out of the way, and very easy to reach.

As you feel it is OK to donate your primary reg, you might consider wearing your secondary, with a short hose, in a bungee under your chin...