scubapeter
Contributor
I've been using a Zeagle scout for several years. It's a small package when packed properly and it won't break the bank..... just my 2 cents
Recommendations for Travel BC
- Thread starter trptman
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The Scout is a gone goose. The Express Tech killed it. This is of course subject to change if a large number of divers filibuster for a made in China bc with no real weight system and a 2 yr warranty.
Did I mention that i recomend the Express Tech?
Did I mention that i recomend the Express Tech?
I can second this recommendation. I really, really like the Express Tech. Some guy in Zephyrhills was able to fill my order and deliver the Express Tech in less than a week.
That guy needs a day off.
johnboywalton
Contributor
I've always thought the term "travel BCD" was too vague, because you need to study the features and match the BCD to your style of travel. If you are a backpacking Dive Master working your way across Southeast Asia, then you probably value lightness and compactness over all other considerations. However, if your idea of a travel BCD is something you can get into one check-in bag with most of your other gear for the flight to Cozumel, then your needs are not so demanding. One of the things that really comes across to me when I talk - not Forum post, but actually talk - to other divers is how their opinions on what a travel BCD is really varies.
Anyway, here are some ideas that either have not been mentioned yet or are in need of correction:
Anyway, here are some ideas that either have not been mentioned yet or are in need of correction:
- Tusa BCJ-1800 Voyager - It's light, but not the lightest or the most compact. However, it's made of tough stuff and has a surprising set of features for its weight.
- The Zeagle Scout - some of the posts in this thread imply that the Zeagle Scout has been discontinued. As you can see here, it is still listed on the Zeagle product line, no announcement has been made regarding its elimination, and it is still widely available with online retailers and brick and mortar outfits.
- Mares Icon
I guess from now on if I want to know what's going on across the street I will call Portugal.
Downing
Contributor
Hey, I think I dealt with the same guy. Only in my case, last December he told me my ET would take about six weeks and by golly six weeks later he was right. Glad to hear the ETs are moving faster now. One helluva of a great BC.
Arf arf!
johnboywalton
Contributor
I did NOT state that Zeagle might not be pulling the Scout in the future, or anything about any plans therein. What I did state was that the BCD had not been pulled yet, and no official announcement or indication of one was out on the market yet.
You clearly know people at Zeagle, and that's great. However, your statement implied (that was the word I used) that the Scout wasn't out there anymore. Zeagle's website still lists the product as being for sale, their news and announcements carry no message that it has been replaced or pulled, and none of the major retailers has put the product on closeout status... and those are all demonstrable facts that the product is still available and will remain so for the middle term. The question is what can someone go and do today or in the near future, not what will be on the market this time next year.
If you say the ET is a better piece of gear, I won't argue with that. But, there have been posts in this thread about how much people liked their Zeagle Scout too. If someone says the thing has been replaced and implies it isn't available when that point blank is not the case, then that is misleading readers about their options and should be corrected. Period.
You clearly know people at Zeagle, and that's great. However, your statement implied (that was the word I used) that the Scout wasn't out there anymore. Zeagle's website still lists the product as being for sale, their news and announcements carry no message that it has been replaced or pulled, and none of the major retailers has put the product on closeout status... and those are all demonstrable facts that the product is still available and will remain so for the middle term. The question is what can someone go and do today or in the near future, not what will be on the market this time next year.
If you say the ET is a better piece of gear, I won't argue with that. But, there have been posts in this thread about how much people liked their Zeagle Scout too. If someone says the thing has been replaced and implies it isn't available when that point blank is not the case, then that is misleading readers about their options and should be corrected. Period.
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Manufacturers do not send out news flashes that an item is out of stock or has been discontinued.
To do so would pizz off that one small dealer who might still have inventory and would not appreciate having the rug pulled out from under him.
When the Octo Z replaced the horrible Apecs- made Octo Plus there were still new Octo Plus units in some stores. Any manufacturer wants to give their dealer a good shot at selling through their inventory, and making any such anouncement devaluating gear would be stupid. Zeagle has not delivered any for months.
They certainly could bring it back if the exchange rate with China were to improve it would be a business decision because cheap price always finds a happy owner.
But please do not misread me, I hope every diver who has one of these loves it and gets great service beyond the 2 year manufacturers warranty. I see many 1980's Zeagles come through my store for necessary service /repair and Zeagle does a world class job making these divers loyal repeat customers, but these units were sold with Lifetime Warrantys. Two years is a heart beat in time for the average diver. Buying back warranty coverage from a diver with the mechanism of an initally lower price was not a good move in my opinion.
If you wear out a component in one of these after 2 years when you pay for the repair or replace the unit you won't really care that you bought it at a discount.
My older Zeagle Scout says "Made in USA", clearly written on the white identification tag sewn inside. I don't remember what the guarantee period was when I bought it quite a few years ago, but I've used it all over the world on close to two hundred dives, and nothing has ever needed any kind of repair or service. I did replace the corrugated hose, as preventive maintenance. That's it. If they are being made in China these days, that's unfortunate. Still, all you need do is hop in a low tech time travel machine and buy one several years ago. It seems to me that by the time a diver dissatisfied with absolute minimalism finishes hanging pockets, straps, d rings and various gadgets on the Express Tech it becomes something closer to a standard travel BC.
