A few questions...1 thread

[cdarroch]

I will infallibly recommend SCUBAPRO for recreational diving, as I've had nothing but great experiences with their gear. If you're going to be diving a lot recreationally, this is what you want. With "annual service" (nothing's needed doing in several years) and proper maintenance, my original SCUBAPRO Classic Plus BCD has about 1,500 dives on it and is showing minimal wear and tear, excluding colour loss from the sun. By contrast, every piece of Mares equipment I've ever used has either fallen to pieces, ceased to function properly, or both within a year or two. I'm sure many will disagree with me, but I can only speak from my personal experience!

 

[MarkSteffen]

I've heard that on this post and others...I think I will stay away from Mares for this reason.

 

[diversteve]

Before I bought my Ranger, I looked really hard at a ScubaPro Knighthawk. In fact I went to my LDS thinking I was going to buy the ScubaPro. In the end it was the fit that swayed me, features and quality seemed virtually the same.

 

[lowviz]

You tend to get what you pay for as far as BC's are concerned.

Differences:
back-inflate and vest style
back inflate keeps you chest area open and is IMHO (in my humble opinion) more comfortable
vest-stye gives more stable flotation on the surface
integrated secondary regulator vs. using another hose and octopus.
one less hose on your regulator and the reg comes with the BC
you don't get a 'really good' secondary regulator (but they do work fine, I own one)
integrated weights vs non-integrated (use a weight belt)
heavier people often like integrated weights as a weight belt won't stay in place
OTOH (on the other hand) integrated weights let you put some of the weight on a belt

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

Deep Sea Supply is famous for their BCs. The reputation is deserved, for quality, innovation, and superb customer service.

Agreed

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

I have a Mares Dragonfly Airtrim BC that is about 8 years old and I have never had any problems with it. I also have a Mares Vector Origin that is only used in the pool without any problems. The Airtrim, either you like it or you don't, I like it. Mares is a worldwide company that manufactures very reliable high end dive gear. 99.9% of the people I dive with all have Mares dive gear. I would recommend it to anybody at anytime.