Anyone here that has tried out SUBEA brand by decathlon or has seen its BCD firsthand?

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Never heard of this brand, the pictures show a lower end BCD; lite materials, a lot of plastic, thin nylon. I've not heard of this company or the predecessor "Tribord". What are your other options for BCDs in your budget range?
 
Never heard of this brand, the pictures show a lower end BCD; lite materials, a lot of plastic, thin nylon. I've not heard of this company or the predecessor "Tribord". What are your other options for BCDs in your budget range?
The next cheaper one is SEAC and is about 60% costlier than this.
 
Apologies for this but 'yes' for yes, it's a bad thing or yes, it's a good thing?
Please don't start a recursive 'yes' for this.
It looks ok and it may be, by the way your US link is to a different type of b/c, in my opinion it’s better to buy a known commodity (known brand with a track record) than risk something like this as your only b/c but sometimes taking a chance pays off.
 
Does it make the product (BCD in this case) unreliable?

no, but without any track record of durability, it leaves me with pause... What happens with stitching that fails on the rig? What happens if a plastic (and stitched in) ring breaks? Webbing frays on the harness.... What then? Weight pocket plastic mount cracks. What to do? I saw one (not this brand) once with non-replaceable cam bands (that broke).... Inflator hose/attachment - is it a proprietary size/thread?

What is the warranty on this product?

If you can’t get parts, it’s a bad thing.

I would pick a brand you can get service on in your country and if cost is a factor, just pick the cheapest one. Any basic BC from a reputable, established company is probably going to work decently for warm water diving. Just decide if you want integrated weights or not.

This is good advice if you can afford it. Budget issues? Can you rent until you have the monies?

I'll say it first here - BP/W....

Yes, we are a bunch of fanatics...... Webbing frays? Replace it for $20-$50. Ring in the wrong position? Move it or add another. Bladder goes? Replace it well below the cost of the whole rig. New wing needed? That part can be replaced. Plate will last forever....
 
Never heard of this brand, the pictures show a lower end BCD; lite materials, a lot of plastic, thin nylon. I've not heard of this company or the predecessor "Tribord". What are your other options for BCDs in your budget range?

I´m astonished that you can measure the nylon thickness with only a pic. I've worked with many main line BCD brands and models and they all have a lot of plastic.
Decathlon is an European sport gear company and very rarely seen in America unless you travel to Europe and buy sport gear.
I bought several items, not only scuba gear, shoes, jackets, etc. Several co-workers also bought items there and all of them are also happy with the quality and durability of the Decathlon and related brands products. Decathlon is a "must go" shop if you travel to Europe. I know that Decathlon buys white label items and apply their brand, but quality and durability is part of the specifications when buying wholesale white label products. Just like any major brand in America.
 
no, but without any track record of durability, it leaves me with pause... What happens with stitching that fails on the rig? What happens if a plastic (and stitched in) ring breaks? Webbing frays on the harness.... What then? Weight pocket plastic mount cracks. What to do? I saw one (not this brand) once with non-replaceable cam bands (that broke).... Inflator hose/attachment - is it a proprietary size/thread?

What is the warranty on this product?



This is good advice if you can afford it. Budget issues? Can you rent until you have the monies?

I'll say it first here - BP/W....

Yes, we are a bunch of fanatics...... Webbing frays? Replace it for $20-$50. Ring in the wrong position? Move it or add another. Bladder goes? Replace it well below the cost of the whole rig. New wing needed? That part can be replaced. Plate will last forever....


They do give me 2 years of warranty and I am not exactly an instructor or DM. But I have been renting BCDs at dive shops for a while now and I think in terms of comfortability it just makes sense to have essential gear of your own size and fit. I would really just use it for recreational diving and about 2-3 times a year on dive trips lasting about 10 days.
 
Hi
Go for it.
As Emoreira said, this is from Decathlon which is a major outdoor company with a lot of shops in plenty of countries.
And I am sure all the bcd from the "diving brands" are from the same 3 or 4 factories.
In India, it may be the most "make sense" choice.
But of course, personally I would go for a BP :)
 
It’s probably OK for a while. I’m sure it works.
The problem might be that for that price it’s not going to be any high end or even moderate end BC, it’s going to be barely marginal in quality as far as thickness of material, stitching, clips, plastic components, etc.
This is something that is the very bottom and like I say, it probably works OK, but don’t expect long term durability. It’s for very lightweight diving in tropics. Don’t expect to use big tanks and a lot of ballast. I have no idea where you plan to dive but if it’s warm water with benign conditions then go for it, even if it falls apart in a few years your’re not in it that much.
If you plan to do a lot of diving and progress into more challenging stuff then I’d skip it and go straight to an basic Back Plate and Wing unit which if you look around can be had for not too much more than that jacket.
Search Dive Gear Express website. They have a basic BP/W for under $400 and it would last many years. There are no frills though, if you want frills then you’ll be back to a jacket.
 

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