ZEUS - got one

[RStyle]

Well.........tried the Stilleto and the Zeus. Loved the comfort and freedom of the Zeus.
Wanted the pockets of the Stiletto so ordered a storage pocket for the Zeus. Without question a light and super comfortable BC

Found out that my totally functional Ranger and my wife's Zeagle are 15 yrs old. Never a problem with either one. May even go back to the Ranger on occasion. Unless the zipper makes me crazy

My only concern (may have convinced me not to buy it except for their great service and the Lifetime warranty) was the Zipper.
1) It should be all metal. I have zippers like these on my boat, and although those are exposed to the elements constantly, sooner or later the "teeth" fall apart. Zeagle may want to consider changing to a more resistant material or metal
2) Not so easy to Zip and unzip. Need both hands. With my Ranger, I coulld hold my camera with one hand and with the other unlock clip and unzip velcro strap. Or you can hold on to the Panga with one arm and undo your Ranger with the other one
3) If you are on a trip to the other side of the planet, and the zipper breaks, there is no other backup to keep the BC functional (The Ranger and Stiletto have the buckle and the large Velcro strap. Almost makes you want to travel with another front piece.
4) I will be going on a 7 day trip in June and will see how it goes.

 

[DiveMaven]

I've been diving a Zena for 5 years and have NEVER had a problem with the zipper (200 dives, all in salt water). Scott actually posted at one time that they have never gotten a Zena back with zipper problems, so I don't think you have to worry about it.

I don't need 2 hands to UNzip my Zena, though definitely 2 to zip up. Perhaps you'll find that once you have a bit of experience with your Zeus, you only need one hand to unzip as well.

Congrats on your new BC....looking forward to hearing what you think once you've had a chance to dive it a bit.

 

[Downing]

My Zeus arrived Thursday, and I put it through its paces in the pool on Saturday.

I definitely need both hands to work the zipper up. Don't remember whether I needed two hands to zip it down. It may break in with use.

Had to work on fit for a while. So many points of adjustment! But I think I have the fit dialed in now. I'm going to do another pool session next weekend just to play with it some more. This BC is way more comfortable than my jacket-style Seaquest Pro QD, and I consider the Pro QD to be pretty darn comfortable to begin with.

I didn't discover the zippers on the weight pockets until after I got out of the pool. :doh2: Jeez, for such a small BC there's a lot going on. :blinking: I think I was focusing so much on the ditchable weight system, which is very different from my jacket BC, that I just assumed there was only one way in and out for the weights. The Zeagle way makes a lot more sense.

The chest strap seems unnecessary to me. Can't hurt, though, I suppose.

I bought but didn't use the optional lumbar pad as the Zeus seemed sufficiently padded, at least for a pool session. I'll take it with me to Hawaii in July just in case I start to "feel" the need for more padding after multiple dives. I also got the pocket, although I'm not sure I'll ever use it either.

Scott was right about my Atomic SSI safe second/inflator fitting the Zeus. All I had to do was unscrew the Zeagle inflator off the threaded fitting and screw the SS1 back onto the threaded fitting. In other words, just like a sprayer nozzle on a garden hose. No adapter necessary.

All in all, a very lightweight, well-made and rugged piece of gear.

 

[DiveMaven]

Great review, thanks for posting! I also have the lumbar pad for my Zena and although I agree it wasn't "necessary", it just adds a bit of luxury and fills in my lower back nicely.

 

[ScottZeagle]

We have never had a zipper problem with the ZENA BCs, and I really don't believe that we will with the Zeus BC either. They are top quality YKK zippers and can stand up to a lot of use...

The only difference between the ZENA zipper and the ZEUS zipper is the stainless steel zipper pull, which has a locking mechanism which keeps it from unzipping accidently....and is also why it requires two hands to zip it, as the zipper tab has to be pulled "forward" to zip it up. Also, the zipper should get easier the more you use it!!

We went with the stainless steel pull in order to make it look different and maybe a bit more "manly"....but the plastic one would work just as well!!

Thanks for the early input. I truly appreciate hearing the feedback, and please post more after you guys have been out diving with them!!!

Scott

 

[RStyle]

Hi Dive Maven or Scott:

Should the zipper be lubricated with silicone spray or just wash and keep clean? Owner manual does not say.

Got the utility pocket for the Zeus today. I guess it goes in one of the straps holding the front pad.(no instructions or pics) It also has a velcro "loop" in the back but not sure what that is for.
LOVE the plastic clip inside the utility pocket. I usually carry a small light or a magnifying glass (I am old) and a small strobe and I always had to leave the lanyards hanging out of the storage pocket to clip wherever I could find a place on the BC. Now they can be clipped inside the utility pocket and out of the way. I will get retractable cords so they do not tangle inside the pocket.
Spacious too!

 

[Downing]

RStyle,

I knew I had seen a picture of the utility pocket on the Zeus somewhere. So I checked the Zeagle catalog that came with my Zeus, and sure enough, there's a small photo of the Zeus with the attached pocket at the bottom of page 2.

From the photo it appears the pocket attaches to one of the lower D-rings on the BC by way of the velcro loop on the back of the pocket. It's hard to tell for sure since the photo is of the front of the BC.

At the same time, I was wondering what plastic clip you were talking about, so I pulled my utility pocket out of my reg bag. Hmmm. No plastic clip.

Then I noticed the utility pocket in the photo, and again on page 7, is not the same as the utility pocket I received with my Zeus. In fact, I don't see my utility pocket anywhere in the catalog. The one in the catalog says "Zeagle" across the top. It's more rectangular than mine and has a zipper on top. My pocket doesn't have the Zeagle name, only the Z in a circle logo, is more square and has no zipper. Plus mine has two velcro straps, one on the back and another one that extends from the back underneath to the front.

Hey, maybe it's like one of those misprinted stamps and is worth a fortune. Scott, am I rich?

 

[RStyle]

Mine says Zeagle across the front top
Zipper on top and mesh at the bottom
Two 3 inch straps on the back and the velcro loop
Super handy plastic clip inside on top.

 

[DiveMaven]

The utility pocket for the Zena/Zeus has the velcro loop on the back so you can attach it to the straps on your BC. It's really a regular utility pocket that was modified so it can be attached to the Zena/Zeus BC since we don't have cumberbuns, or cumberbun straps. I like it because it's easy to put on and take off, depending on whether or not I want to use it.

 

[Downing]

Mine says Zeagle across the front top
Zipper on top and mesh at the bottom
Two 3 inch straps on the back and the velcro loop
Super handy plastic clip inside on top.

Well, I definitely got the wrong pocket.

That's it. I'm returning the Zeus. Bad Zeagle.

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Ok, not really. But it would have been nice to have gotten the correct pocket.

The more I think about it, the more I think the way DiveMaven attaches her pocket to her strap is the correct way. There would be more for the velcro strap on the back to hold onto versus attaching it to a D-ring.

Now watch, Scott's going to come on here and say I've got the correct pocket and it's supposed to attach to a D-ring.