confused first bcd buy

[topflowerrubberforever]

:11: :11: :11: :11:
ok i have asked around my LDS and SB and friends of mine who own their own gear. Concerning the regulator octopus and guages.. I am going for a Scubapro MK2+ r190. i chose it because it was simple, easy to service and has been on the market for a long time and that the SB community liked it.

now the BCD....

i was thinking of something simple. but i recently saw a tech diving video which was very impressive. i don't think it's useful here though. i never really understood the difference between the BP/wing system and a regular BCD. can i use a BP/W on a rec dive? i plan to log a lot of dives in the next few years and i want something to last. that's it i just want one proper and inexpensive buy. i have been fired on with many many many suggestions and was warned by lots of people that threads have lots of opinions involved.

i narrowed it down to a few choices but don't know what to look for in a BCD.
Mares Vector
Cressi S112

and i just got off the phone with another dive shop and they said they can get me a
Halcyon BP/wing and strap set or something like that (don't know much about those things)

the halcyon is the most expensive one .. i'm guessing you guys would know that..

how do i make the choice? what do i give up when buying a less expensive BCD?

thanks a bunch. Whoever started up SB .. you guys did a great job in this!

Jalal

 

[Boogie711]

Jalal - this has already been addressed in some form in some of your earlier threads. Go back and read the thread you started about the Mares Hub, and you'll find myself and a number of others made some recommendations regarding a BP/Wing. They are very popular around here, but that's for a reason.

 

[topflowerrubberforever]

alright boogie will do!

thanks!

 

[RonFrank]

Before you consider a BP/Wing, you should likely FIRST decide on if you want a Back inflate vs. jacket style BCD.

IF you decide upon a Back inflate model, THEN you may want to consider a BP/Wing.

I dive a Zeagle Ranger. If I could purchase just about anything on the market, I'd likey get another Zeagle, but maybe the Stiletto to downsize the bulk.

Some other things you should consider is if you think you may get into two tank diving? If so a more tech BCD is needed as most jacket style BCD do NOT handle doubles.

I would HIGHLY recommend diving both a Jacket style and Back inflate BCD before purchase. The Dive shop I certified with has both in the student/rental dept. Look for a LDS that does as well, and at least try both types out if you have not made up your mind.

Ron

 

[turnerjd]

Going back to the very basics...

How many dives have you done?
What type of diving do you like doing?

If you are new to diving with not many more than you certification dives, then I would suggest that simply renting as many different BCDs as possible is the best thing to do. Obviously, if you don't have a large number/choice of LDS and rental BCDs then this is a bit more difficult. Obviously, if you have done a larger number of dives you should have started developing some ideas for yourself - no?

If you manage to dive in as many different types as possible you should be able to make a decision based on what is correct for you, and the diving you are interested in. If you are goint to be doing "recreational" diving, then there is nothing wrong in getting a simple jacket style BCD. If you don't know what a Halcyon BP/wings are then perhaps you are not doing the right type of diving to be using one - however, if you are doing more adventurous diving and thinking of going doubles soon then mebe a bit of research is in order here. Perhaps the best bit of advice is to go with what you are most comfortable with, not what people on the internet say is best for you. We don't know what type of diving you do!

The best thing to do is (either now if you have the experience) or after a few more dives in rental equipment is to make a list of what features YOU want, and what features YOU don't want. Also think about what your budget is, and what continiuing education you are going to be doing over the next few years you should be able to narrow down the choice to one or two good BCDs.

HTH

Jon T