New BC Gift - Dacor RAV. Help?

[Dominican]

I'm only a level2 diver who has rented cruddy equipment in Costa Rica, Cozumel and the Bahamas. My dad - a non-diver - knowing I've been buying gear bit-by-bit, surprised me with a BC as a birthday present this week. Great intentions, but I found out he ordered me a new Dacor RAV BC that was on clearance from an online retailer.

I'm pretty anal about researching my purchases, and am a little worried. On the one hand, I read that it is/was used by lots of schools/rentals - which is encouraging from a durability standpoint. But I've also read that it's like the cheapest thing out there, and is not likely to have available service support in the near future (or now?). The online info I found was spotty, so I'm turning to you guys for help...

Can anyone help me figure out whether to ask him to return it (if possible) and give me the cash so I can get a better one, or whether I should keep it as a free "beginner" BC. I don't want to offend my dad - afterall a BC is a pretty cool gift - but I also don't want to drown because I was too polite to insist on good gear! Thanks in advance for your help!!!

 

[MSilvia]

I'd say keep it. If you're trying to put your kit together, it'll serve you well for many dives. It may not be optimal from a technical diving standpoint, but you'll do just fine without that. Don't worry... it won't drown you.

 

[RonFrank]

BC's do not need much in the way of service. Most LDS's can service most inflater's on the market.

From a Jacket BC perspective this looks like a good BC with one exception IMO. It has no weight integration. So if you like wearing a weight belt, this is a reasonable choice in a Jacket style BC. Personally the thing I dislike the most about a BP/W system is using a weight belt!

You would be surprised at the number of DM's in places like Coz that use Jacket style BC's. There is nothing wrong with them, and this BC is likely better than a lot of the rental equipment out there.

As to how to deal with your father if you decide you would like something different, well that is entirely up to you.

 

[Dominican]

Thanks for the feedback. I just needed a sanity check in case the RAV has any known probs, or is generally known to be of poor quality. I haven't yet gotten into any particularly technical diving, and thus far I've known nothing other than non-weight-integrated BCDs, so I might go ahead and keep it until I need something more sophisticated... I appreciate your responses, and welcome any other feedback out there!

 

[halocline]

Look on the bright side, most cheap jacket style BCs have less crud on them; less padding, less trim, fewer straps maybe, I don't know. IMO, less is better when it comes to BCs. I have no familiarity with this one, so I can't comment on it. But, Scott Zeagle, owner of the famous BC company, once posted that he dives with a scout, the bottom of the line zeagle, when he's in warm water, and he's using the old one which is really stripped down. That should tell you something.

So, if it fits well, you might have something you'll really like for a while.

It's true about the Cozumel DMs using the cheapest BCs (and regs) around. One guy proudly showed me one of the rattiest old BCs I've ever seen, saying that he lost his gear in the hurricane and was able to find a new BC for $10. He was still looking for the perfect $50 reg.

 

[Stu S.]

These are commonly used in Florida. There is a Scubapro model that is similar, too. Unlike some bulky BC's, a basic jacket is streamlined for swimming. Unless you need something real heavy-duty, you should get years of good diving out of that Dacor.

Thank your Dad.