Here's a different perspective. First, there is no legitimate way to call a recreational BC 'life support.' If it fails, and they occasionally do, you don't die, unless you are diving in a grossly incompetent manner. You just swim to the surface and drop your weights once you're there. Second, I would go with the simplest, most minimal BC you can find, and I would not spend any serious amount of money on it. These things are very simple devices, and almost anything will do the job as long as it reasonably fits.
That said, the type of BC you use can have a really big impact on how your dive feels, but it's not so much a difference between brands, it's a difference between types. The best ones IMO 'disappear' in the water, with very little padding and/or clutter in your chest and torso area. They can also influence your trim by dictating the weight distribution. If you are diving with aluminum tanks, you might consider trying a steel backplate with webbing harness and a compact aircell. These tend to have the best weight distribution for the buoyant AL tanks and there is typically very little extraneous plastic and padding which tends to add to your positive buoyancy, requiring more weight to dive with.
Usually it takes some experience to really feel the difference between these types of BCs, so since you're a new diver, try something simple and inexpensive, standard inflator connection, and do some dives with it. Once you get some more experience you can try different types, including a backplate, and then make a more informed decision about what would fit your diving.
For now, just keep in mind that for many very experienced divers, less is more when it comes to BCs. This is almost opposite from the way the big companies tend to sell their recreational BCs in shops. A big reason for this is because BCs in dive shops are displayed and tried on in the shop, which clearly is a completely different environment than in the water where you would be using it.
