kyley
Contributor
Hi All,
I'm finally getting my first set of dive gear after about 80 dives. I live in Kansas City, MO, so the only diving I do is when I travel - typically 2-3 trips per year. I just do recreational diving in the tropics, but I may dive cold water some day (but definitely would be a rare thing). I do occasional deep dives (120-130'), but nothing more advanced than that really. I don't dive Nitrox or anything (yet), but may give it a try at some point. I've looked into BCDs, and found some that are attractive, but it's hard to know what will be best for me. I like the idea of getting something light and compact for travel since I won't be doing any local diving! But I don't want to skimp too much on features or comfort. My build is 5' 11" and 145 pounds. I do have some minor back pain from time to time and my neck is usually sore after diving (not sure if the ergonomics of some of these can help?). I'm leaning more towards a jacket or hybrid type BC, but may consider a back inflate one. Cost is a concern, but I'm okay with spending some money to get quality gear. These are the ones I'm considering, but I'm open to looking at others as well. What would you suggest for my needs?
Top 3:
1. ScubaPro Go travel BC - (I would probably get with Air 2 integrated to further simplify / reduce my gear (instead of an octopus). I haven't looked around for lower prices yet, but I would imagine I could get it for less than the MSRP of $599 (with Air2)? Anyway, I love that it's light and packs into a small bag. The few reviews I've seen (it's pretty new) make it sound like it's comfortable and feels more like a regular BC... Thoughts?
2. Zeagle Stilleto travel BC - From reviews on LeisurePro, it looks like Zeagle has a big following and great reviews, but that alone doesn't mean the Stilleto is great (but the reviews I have seen look good). So far I've seen it for $522. I'm guessing that adding Air2 gets it to ~$650 so it would be pricier than the ScubaPro Go - not sure I want to spend this much.
3. Aqua Lung Axiom i3 - I found a good price on this at $477. Not a travel BC, but it doesn't have the back plate others do so it can fold down unlike most. Two different LDSs highly recommended this BC, so I'm considering it even though it isn't a travel BC (although they don't sell ScubaPro so can't compare to the Go). The i3 has the convenient inflate / deflate switch, but is this new tech that may cause problems later? I also like that this is designed to distribute more weight to the hips rather than the back and have heard it's very comfortable compared to most BCs. All of this makes this BC very attractive. Only thing I don't like is the i3 inflater prevents me from using an Air 2 and instead would need to get an octopus (though not a big deal), which gets the cost to ~$577 with octopus (to compare with the Go and its Air2). OR, the Axiom without the i3 is less (~$400) and I could add Air2 to it. Thoughts?
Also considering:
4. Cressi Travelight - Sounds like another good travel BC, and it looks like a regular one. User reviews on LeisurePro look really good too. I've seen it for $425, but would hope to find it for less. With Air2 added is about $575 so not much cheaper...
5. A few other non-travel BCs that are significantly lower cost but have great user reviews on LeisurePro:
A: Cressi AquaPro 5 - only $230 and a 4.8/5 rating on LeisurePro.
B: Sherwood Avid CQR2 - decent price of $340 and another 4.8/5 rating on LeisurePro.
C: Oceanic Probe LX - another decent price of $350 and 4.8/5 rating on LeisurePro.
...but these lower price ones may have high ratings largely because of their price point?
As you can see, I'm really torn between getting a "travel" BC and a full-featured BC. Which would you all suggest? Thanks,
--Kyle
I'm finally getting my first set of dive gear after about 80 dives. I live in Kansas City, MO, so the only diving I do is when I travel - typically 2-3 trips per year. I just do recreational diving in the tropics, but I may dive cold water some day (but definitely would be a rare thing). I do occasional deep dives (120-130'), but nothing more advanced than that really. I don't dive Nitrox or anything (yet), but may give it a try at some point. I've looked into BCDs, and found some that are attractive, but it's hard to know what will be best for me. I like the idea of getting something light and compact for travel since I won't be doing any local diving! But I don't want to skimp too much on features or comfort. My build is 5' 11" and 145 pounds. I do have some minor back pain from time to time and my neck is usually sore after diving (not sure if the ergonomics of some of these can help?). I'm leaning more towards a jacket or hybrid type BC, but may consider a back inflate one. Cost is a concern, but I'm okay with spending some money to get quality gear. These are the ones I'm considering, but I'm open to looking at others as well. What would you suggest for my needs?
Top 3:
1. ScubaPro Go travel BC - (I would probably get with Air 2 integrated to further simplify / reduce my gear (instead of an octopus). I haven't looked around for lower prices yet, but I would imagine I could get it for less than the MSRP of $599 (with Air2)? Anyway, I love that it's light and packs into a small bag. The few reviews I've seen (it's pretty new) make it sound like it's comfortable and feels more like a regular BC... Thoughts?
2. Zeagle Stilleto travel BC - From reviews on LeisurePro, it looks like Zeagle has a big following and great reviews, but that alone doesn't mean the Stilleto is great (but the reviews I have seen look good). So far I've seen it for $522. I'm guessing that adding Air2 gets it to ~$650 so it would be pricier than the ScubaPro Go - not sure I want to spend this much.
3. Aqua Lung Axiom i3 - I found a good price on this at $477. Not a travel BC, but it doesn't have the back plate others do so it can fold down unlike most. Two different LDSs highly recommended this BC, so I'm considering it even though it isn't a travel BC (although they don't sell ScubaPro so can't compare to the Go). The i3 has the convenient inflate / deflate switch, but is this new tech that may cause problems later? I also like that this is designed to distribute more weight to the hips rather than the back and have heard it's very comfortable compared to most BCs. All of this makes this BC very attractive. Only thing I don't like is the i3 inflater prevents me from using an Air 2 and instead would need to get an octopus (though not a big deal), which gets the cost to ~$577 with octopus (to compare with the Go and its Air2). OR, the Axiom without the i3 is less (~$400) and I could add Air2 to it. Thoughts?
Also considering:
4. Cressi Travelight - Sounds like another good travel BC, and it looks like a regular one. User reviews on LeisurePro look really good too. I've seen it for $425, but would hope to find it for less. With Air2 added is about $575 so not much cheaper...
5. A few other non-travel BCs that are significantly lower cost but have great user reviews on LeisurePro:
A: Cressi AquaPro 5 - only $230 and a 4.8/5 rating on LeisurePro.
B: Sherwood Avid CQR2 - decent price of $340 and another 4.8/5 rating on LeisurePro.
C: Oceanic Probe LX - another decent price of $350 and 4.8/5 rating on LeisurePro.
...but these lower price ones may have high ratings largely because of their price point?
As you can see, I'm really torn between getting a "travel" BC and a full-featured BC. Which would you all suggest? Thanks,
--Kyle
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