Looking into buying my first bcd (EU)

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Did I mention "Deep 6" anywhere and where did I attack them at all?

Oh man you are disingenuous. Then pray tell, what is the "mini me" company to which you refer. Be honest. For once.

I started out by talking about a Scubapro product and never mentioned Deep 6 at all, none, and you came along attacking SP and plugging your company, I never did.

Is a statement that it is too much money for too little value unreasonable?

I was on the NAUI board? When? No one told me.

Ok, I remembered incorrectly. Someone on the board whom you supported didn't kiss your a** afterwards after he was elected. And to top it off, he exposed how members dues were being spent, making your agency look bad. Both are cardinal sins for you. Hence your attacks on the company as "mini me".

And now you lie and attack NAUI as well, how grand of you.

How in the world is that an attack on NAUI? It isn't.

You are such a selfless great humanitarian.

LOL.

How much? Euros in cash?

How about 1000 Euros? You've got it fairly well hidden. You have repeatedly demonstrated to be disingenuous, so there's no time limit for me.

What bulky material? The Wing or the harness? You know that nothing in the system is floaty, right? Not more so than a wing on the WP/W?

Duh. Look at all that material.

I didn't mention "Deep 6" anywhere. You are proving the point that small miniature vendors without a proven distribution and support network are at the mercy of their supplier and "original equipment manufactures" and if one goes bust, their products disappear and they can't afford first line manufacturers or find alternatives. This doesn't happen with properly financed established international companies. This shows the inherent real risk in mini-me's. BUT, you don't care about that, you have lots of money to burn and you think that "other people's money" doesn't matter either.

Stop being so disingenuous. You veiled Deep six with the "mini me" company. Yes, the affiliate distribution method hasn't worked as well, but the company's finances are still robust and they are going to releasing a significant update to the firmware of their dive computer. They've already shared video of the improvements. It is coming.

You see, no one at all attacked or said anything bad about your company you are trying so hard to plug in and promote, yet you take license to attack products and BRAND name companies that have been in business a lot longer than you have been around without provocation or ANY reason whatsoever. You can't make your point without attacking others. How low is that? You could've just recommended your cheap product sourced by your mini-me company from cheap nameless manufacturers who don't the financial strength and endurance to live through less than ideal conditions but you don't have the common sense nor the guts to see that.

You are inventing what I said. I recommended against the Hydro as all BP/W alternatives are better, more practical, less costlier options. Including from Halcyon. Now that says something!

 

[Alkemichar]

Bottom line: enough options I think, either BP/W or another type of back-inflate BC. And enough fine webshops in the EU that have stuff in stock.

Now watch me buy a 200$ mares bcd and this is jackass.

 

[Alkemichar]

Bottom line, the second hand market here is laughable at best, ebay these days is as dry as the desert and for the price of shipping i wager i can get it shipped for free new. As for the options at hand, a strict traditional backplate wing here is seen as mostly tech diving gear so I will stray towards the hybrid bcd market, mostly looking for something easily packable but having some semblance of lift capacity and preferably a rigid backplate, as much as I respect the flexible options I still want the tank to be firmly fixed to me. As for the scubapro boi in chat I respect your opinion but l believe investing about 200€ more in regs is a better option. And for the techline i will look into it.

 

[BoltSnap]

Bottom line, the second hand market here is laughable at best, ebay these days is as dry as the desert and for the price of shipping i wager i can get it shipped for free new. As for the options at hand, a strict traditional backplate wing here is seen as mostly tech diving gear so I will stray towards the hybrid bcd market, mostly looking for something easily packable but having some semblance of lift capacity and preferably a rigid backplate, as much as I respect the flexible options I still want the tank to be firmly fixed to me. As for the scubapro boi in chat I respect your opinion but l believe investing about 200€ more in regs is a better option. And for the techline i will look into it.

There is also this one from SB that is back-inflate and works for travel and local diving:

https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.eu/bcds/bcds/seahawk-2-bcd

 

[Cheizz]

There is also this one from SB that is back-inflate and works for travel and local diving:

https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.eu/bcds/bcds/seahawk-2-bcd

And then there are several other fine products by other brands. I've mentioned a few before.

 

[BoltSnap]

And then there are several other fine products by other brands. I've mentioned a few before.

The market is endless, one has to choose what is best for them in terms of their needs, environment, size/comfort, local mfg. support network, quality, price, value, etc.

The OP came to SB asking for advice based on members' experience. He already knows that the market is huge and, most likely, confusing. Each one of us is trying to help. Simply saying that there are "several other fine products..." doesn't really help here. We need, I believe, more specific and to the point otherwise there would be no need for the OP to come here and ask for advice.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

And then there are several other fine products by other brands. I've mentioned a few before.

So you don't want a traditional BP/W. Does.the XDeep Ghost count as such? As for a warm water, back inflate, minimal buoyant fabric system where every gram/ounce is critical, I cannot recommend a better system.

I did own one in the past and I really regret selling it. If I'm ever faced with a travel situation where I need to eliminate all possible weight, I would buy 3 . One for myself, and one each for my wife and daughter.

 

[Cheizz]

We need, I believe, more specific and to the point otherwise there would be no need for the OP to come here and ask for advice.

Agreed. That's why I suggested some specific models in post #8 of this thread

 

[Alkemichar]

Been digging around a bit, and narrowed it down to three bc-s ,those being the xdeep zen, black ice from apeks and and the cressi commander evo, and I am liking the last one more and more since I can source it semi-locally for a reasonable price. Now, as much as dumping a small fortune into a branded bc is nice I'm trying to round up my kit before May so I can go around renting just tanks and dumping 200€ into regs rather than "a bag of air" seems more reasonable right now. As for the recommendations provided, the ultralight bc-s suggested don't fit the aspect of diving locally I mentioned as for sea floor cleanups I am willing to join having some ~13kg of lift capacity it's underwhelming and some don't have any tank support which I feel I will regret in the long run. The strict, bought my steel plate from aliexpress , made a dount from a floatie and a piece of fabric and strapped it together with an old car seatbelt doesn't appeal to me right now, in addition to that the storebought versions of the aforementioned tend to be pricy. I have mentioned that the locals still consider bpw setups to be a tech diver thing simply prompts me that in case I need any assistance the rig on me might confuse the person trying to give me a hand because they are more familiar with traditional jackets or back inflated versions of them. The moment I get comfortable enough doing everything myself ,why not , I will save up and get the glorious metal plate with a floatie on the back if need be pretending people haven't been comfortably diving with regular jacket bc-s for the past 20 odd years simply because of the latest hype. And lastly between being sponsored by SCUBAPRO® (not even mad you go girl) and becoming self aware or fighting for the rights of small business owners I am still open for concrete suggestions for it is Saturday and I am not willing to work overtime nor do I expect retailers to do the same so my purchase will wait until regular business hours.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

@Alkemichar

Of those, I'd recommend (strongly) the XDeep Zen. XDeep does not make a bad product (no jacket style BCDs! ). I think it is fairly clear I hate jacket style BCDs (something breaks, you are out a BCD and too much floaty material - I'm a minimalist). I own the XDeep Stealth 2.0 Tec, Hydro 50 wing, regular XDeep bp, and used to own the XDeep Ghost (which is close to the Zen).

People who consider BP/W to be tech gear are simply wrong. Lots of people, many who will NEVER dive tech, dive a BP/W for all of its benefits. It is how a minority of instructors teach their students in open water. I would recommend at least trying one. It is merely tech capable. You'd still have to get a wing for doubles to make the jump. You do not want to dive a wing meant for doubles on a single tank. Unless you REALLY like tacos.

I'm not sure what kind of assistance you will need. There are plenty of videos (ISE has a good one) for setting it up.