Zeagle Ranger LTD vs. Seaquest Pro QD with i3

[ConorM]

Hello,

I'm a relative newbie to scuba diving, and I want to get a full time BC. I've looked on this forum and on the internet at the various BC models and makes, and I'm trying to decide between the Zeagle Ranger LTD and the new Seaquest Pro QD (owned by Aqualung), which has a new touted i3 system which allows you to inflate and deflate your bc without a hose.

Pro QD with i3

Has anyone here used the Pro QD and can evaluate it, or is an expert that can judge whether Aqualung's new bc method is a really great improvement or just a bell or whistle? Thanks...

 

[DiveMaven]

My husband had the Pro QD+ (w/o i3) and switched to a Ranger LTD. He couldn't be happier with changing to a FAR less bulky BC.

There's been a lot of discussion about the i3 around here, so if you search you can find many pages to read. Personally, my only concern with it is as a rescue diver: 1) I'm not intimately familiar with the i3 and this could hamper my ability to rescue someone; and 2) I wouldn't be able to control the inflator and keep the diver in trouble away from it due to it's position.

Perhaps both issues are moot points with people who have had experience dealing with them, but since I have no exposure or experience with the i3, I wouldn't know how to mitigate the problems during a rescue with a stranger. For example, we had an incident recently with a stranger who didn't inflate her BC and was having trouble at the surface (and panicking a bit). My husband was able to reach over and grab her inflator hose to add air to her BC. Had she had an i3 system, he wouldn't have known what to do

 

[fisheater]

Very good points DiveMaven.

 

[BlueFrog]

I own a Pro QD with traditional AirSource but just dove with an i3 and it was interesting, good, but different. Let me say that it worked very well and exactly as advertised however I just couldn't get used to it. It was very much ME and not the equipment but I don't see me buying an i3 anytime soon, I'm just too "old school". That being said, my wife tried the Pearl with i3 and loved it. She had no problem transitioning and found that her buoyancy was as easy to maintain as a traditional system. So our final review was two thumbs up from my wife and positive review from me. It may be a gimmick but it really does work, only time will tell if its the next big thing.

One negative to consider with the Pro QD is that its very heavy and bulky for air travel if that's a consideration. I've found that the back-inflates are a little easier to pack so if you fly a lot, may want to consider the Zeagle. I've owned the old Zeagle Ranger and think its a great BC but I switched to a DiveRite Transpac so I can change the wings depending on the diving I'm doing and its lighter for travel. I hope this helps

Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions, I'm happy to help if I can.

 

[hobodiver]

My husband had the Pro QD+ (w/o i3) and switched to a Ranger LTD. He couldn't be happier with changing to a FAR less bulky BC.

There's been a lot of discussion about the i3 around here, so if you search you can find many pages to read. Personally, my only concern with it is as a rescue diver: 1) I'm not intimately familiar with the i3 and this could hamper my ability to rescue someone; and 2) I wouldn't be able to control the inflator and keep the diver in trouble away from it due to it's position.

Perhaps both issues are moot points with people who have had experience dealing with them, but since I have no exposure or experience with the i3, I wouldn't know how to mitigate the problems during a rescue with a stranger. For example, we had an incident recently with a stranger who didn't inflate her BC and was having trouble at the surface (and panicking a bit). My husband was able to reach over and grab her inflator hose to add air to her BC. Had she had an i3 system, he wouldn't have known what to do

I don't have one, and have never used one, but I've thought about it. As for the non-standard inflator, the oral inflator which is where the usual inflator would be can be replaced by an Airsource, which serves as an Octo, as well as a standard power inflator. If I did buy one, that's how it would be configured.

 

[MarineResearch]

I recently participated in a rescue course and found the wide variety of BCs to be quite a challenge, but a really good learning experience. I own a Ranger, which is a pain to use in a rescue course since you have to re-string the weight pouches after being "rescued". The Seaquest Pro QD weights are easy to remove if one can't find the inflator. In the event of a rescue, there's a good chance I'll ditch their weights first, especially since lead is relatively cheap.

When diving with a group of people I find myself walking around and looking at everyone's equipment, especially their BC and air supply configurations. Some people do some really interesting things with their equipment that make the differences in BCs seem trivial by comparison.

In the end, while I hope I never need to be rescued, I like the bright red ripcord and easily accessible inflater on the Ranger.

 

[C0N3RY]

Ranger FTW. From what I've seen the ripcord system is more hassle than convenience (re-stringing). But I think you'll appreciate back inflation over jacket style. And if you ever decide, you can switch it for use with doubles

 

[raider11]

I have try both and now I own a Ranger. The Pro QD, it is jacket style, I prefer back inflated. The i3 inflator works fine, but I like the old fashion inflator hose.

With the Ranger you can use any Zeagle wing, from small 24lb to a big Berta 85lb. You can use doubles. The ripcord is the easiest and faster weight dump system, and you only need 1 hand to do it. Rethreating the ripcord is easy and you won´t be doing it very often, if you do you have bigger problems than choosing a BC

Both are great BC, you can´t go wrong.

 

[DiveMaven]

Bear in mind that the ripcord takes no more than 2-3 minutes to rethread, and since you'd really only pull it in case of an emergency, the last worry on your mind would be about how long it would take to rethread the ripcord.

In the case of our recent panicking diver, it was FAR easier to grab her inflator and put air in her BC than it would have been to dump her weights. My husband was floating next to her, so it was a no brainer to reach over and hit the button.

 

[MarineResearch]

Bear in mind that the ripcord takes no more than 2-3 minutes to rethread, and since you'd really only pull it in case of an emergency, the last worry on your mind would be about how long it would take to rethread the ripcord.

In the case of our recent panicking diver, it was FAR easier to grab her inflator and put air in her BC than it would have been to dump her weights. My husband was floating next to her, so it was a no brainer to reach over and hit the button.

Correct. The ripcord is only a hassle when you get rescued multiple times in the same day. Luckily, I rarely play rescue dummy.

I would agree that in a mild panic, the inflator is much easier. In a real panic situation, the weights come in handy for beating some sense into the diver.