SeaJay, I think you did some good research. Vest inflation is good, the air sloshes around to the high point, so instead of trying to roll you, the air rolls.
now, that said, I actually have a BP.
I started with a zeagle ranger, an old one. I like the weight integrated, it kept me rolled the right way. I guess that BC had a strong mind of its own, but i agreed with it and had it trimmed right. However, it had no pockets, and the shoulder straps went into grommets in the cummerbund, and the grommets kept pulling out. My whole rigged BC, weights and all, fell off my shoulder once when I was taking it off one strap at a time. Plus, it was soft, no structure, so it was almost impossible to change tanks in a small boat or zodiac. It turned into a shapeless mass of webbing, hard to figure out which way was up. It packed small, though!
From there I went to a seaquest black diamond. I thought I wanted a tech BC. I basically wore it out, and by the time I was done with it, I was very tired of it. I didn't need all the d-rings and crap. In warm water, I had the biggest BC on the boat. I was tired of the clutter.
this is me and that BC:
http://www.rogerandjudycarlson.com/divers/pictures/p8244945.html
http://www.rogerandjudycarlson.com/divers/pictures/p7010319.html
http://homepage.mac.com/rogerc/bad_bc.jpg
A friend of mine dives with an old plastic backplate and no bladder, like an old time diver (which he is). He is fast and streamlined. I wanted to be like him, but wanted a small bladder, so I got a backplate. Not much more reason than that, no DIR, no GUE, no caves, no wrecks, no entanglement concerns, just an open water single tank guy trying to be streamlined. I've been doing this since '87, I have around 1000 dives. I went through a tek stage, a hunter stage, a freediver stage, now I'm a photographer. I may change again, but for now, I'm a single tank guy, minimal deco, open water, warm or cold, and very happy there. No immediate desire to go into holes or wrecks, put on doubles or any mixes beyond basic nitrox. I'm comfortable and awfully damn happy in the water with any BC, this is still fun to me.
Anyway, this is my buddy, the one I wanted to copy. Look how streamlined he is!
http://www.rogerandjudycarlson.com/roger/2001cozshel/P8131737.JPG
http://www.rogerandjudycarlson.com/roger/2001cozshel/P8162544.JPG
http://www.rogerandjudycarlson.com/roger/2001cozshel/P8131817.JPG
http://www.rogerandjudycarlson.com/divers/pictures/p8152226.html
So anyway, I have a BP now, and it's nice, but I didn't get religion. It's not that different, I didn't hear a gong or anything. I like having a clean chest, and I like the way the crotch strap lets me keep the whole thing loose. And it doesn't ride up. I'm a photographer now, and my old BC, when I was inverted, it would try to come off over my head (I am positive, with wetsuit, BC is very negative, so the BC would try to shoot down past me). I like the circular bladder, it lets the air roll more than other BCs I've had, so it has the least mind-of its own of any BC I've had. I lke the way the weight is spread out due to the plate and close to the center of lift (good post by MikeFerrara) , that reduces the mind-of-its own.
To really stir this pot, I want an air-2 for an inflator. I don't have an octopus or a safe second right now. As a photog, I am typically solo, and and as a big guy, my tank is usually emptiest. Yeah, I know, there are other failures that could hurt me and a buddy. In an enclosed environment, I can see big benefit to the long hose. In a simple OW environment, the benefits are less, and the cost of having to deal with it every dive, for me, puts the cost/benefit ratio on the side of the short hose. With a short hose on my primary, and an air two inflator, I can give air comfortably to a buddy, and find my backup source reliably and quickly. With no overhead and low deco obligation, we can put up with the aggravation of sharing with the short hose.
I have used a vest, but not many times. I think it is good on mind-of its own and letting you roll how you want, but I disliked the way it squeezed me when full of air. Guess I should have had a different size. Many I have seen don't have much lift, which is less important to me now. I'm also a little concerned about all the seams, but I've never seen one fail, so I assume they are made right. At this point, I lke that stuff is on my back and not on me, but no way will I guarantee that this is the last BC I buy. Only had it a couple months, though, maybe I'll get religion eventually, or join the reich ;-)
As far as pockets go, I added one to the straps of my BP, since no matter what suit I am wearing, I need one pocket for a lens.
I keep my camera and console clipped to each shoulder, and in the interest of greater streamlining and comfort, I don't use big D-rings there. I added very small light-load rings there by burning holes in the straps and adding small d-rings with tiny stainless bolts and big fender washers, with some .75" webbing on the bolt & around the tiny d ring. What works, works. Over time you'll figure out how many pockets, straps, and buckles you want. In warm water I dive with cargo pocket shorts on, I keep the pockets full of stuff. In cold water, I rely more on BC pockets and take fewer toys.
I lke the weights that buckle in, I'm using scubapro's. I've lost weight pouches from my seaquest that velcro'ed in. Luckily, it was at a harbor cleanup, and I was dragging in an outboard motor (walking on the bottom, not lifting with my BC), so I was plenty heavy and didn't notice. Oddly enough, I found someone else's velcro weight pouch that same day. Common loss, I guess.
I have only seen another BP in my diving here in SoCal, maybe I run with the wrong crowd. I don't run into any DIR people. Normal divers don't really notice my rig. The old timers who dive with old plastic BPs with no bladder let me dive with them. They are ok with me having a bladder, since I carry a camera and dive near coral sometimes, but they think I spent too much money.
