Sea Quest Black Diamond or Balance?

[Saltybeer]

Thanks KY Bob - do they make halg kg bits for belts or have I got to make something custom?

Just wondered in terms of the Balance - and its role in the AL range - what is significantly different about it to the Black Diamond - is it just slimmed dowm for travel purposes or a very different shape for a different reason? Thanks

 

[KY_BOB]

Thanks KY Bob - do they make halg kg bits for belts or have I got to make something custom?

Just wondered in terms of the Balance - and its role in the AL range - what is significantly different about it to the Black Diamond - is it just slimmed dowm for travel purposes or a very different shape for a different reason? Thanks

I see that your from the UK. I don't know what's available there but there are plenty of online retailers that sell one pound weights. You could order a couple. Two of those would be within 10% of a 1kg weight. You could also buy a 2kg weight and have it cut in half with a bandsaw. Lead cuts easy and you don't have to be able to feed a belt through it with either BC. You could add both pieces to either you trim pockets or your ditchable weight pockets evenly, depending on where you need the weight.

If you don't want to go to the trouble, diving 2 pounds over weight or underweight shouldn't be a big issue. I know that it's best to weight proberly but that just isn't enough weight to make a big difference.

As for the difference in the Balance and Black Diamond, you pretty much hit the nail on the head. They are very similar but the Balance is slimmed down. It doesn't have as much pocket space or as many D rings but it has enough for what I do and it's a lot easier and lighter to pack. If I decide to get into tech diving, I'll go with a BP/W setup.

If I were going to dive only in central US rock quarries, I would have chosen the Black Diamond but I do plan to travel with it some. This isn't what made my decision but the Balance is also about $70 usd cheaper. Unless you are going to be carrying several dive accessories the one huge pocket on the Balance will handle it. I have shears and a foldable snorkle in mine but I have plenty of room to add a backup light and surface marker if I need them.

 

[Joe Cool]

Hello, I own both a Seaquest BD and Balance. I use the BD to dive locally (NW pacific) with a 7mm farmer john and vest. You will need all that lift capacity. However, the BD is too bulky and heavy for dive travel to the tropics or temperate waters.

I replaced my PRO-QD+ BC with a Balance before I went on an extensive dive trip to the Philippines early this year. The Pro-QD+ is a very nice BC but does not pack too well for travel (bulky). I like the streamlined nature of this BC and its easy to pack though not as light as newer back-inflate BC's but quite good.

One plus is that both BC works with my AL SOS sausage. AL has an accessory sausage that mounts on one of the rear lower dump valves.

My complaint with the Balance is its lack of pockets and D-rings. My complaint with both BC's (BD and Balance) is its difficult to dump air when you are in the horizontal position. To effectively dump air, you will have to be more or less upright and move side to side to make sure no air is left inside (when at safety stop at 15-ish feet with around 700 to 800 psi or less in your tank). Their back inflate bladder design seems to easily trap air so be careful. I have had near un-controlled ascents due to trapped air. Once you get used to the characteristics of this BC, they seem to work very well. But, you still have the hassle of needing to be almost upright to dump air effectively. With my PRO-QD BC jacket, dumping air is a breeze even if you are in a horizontal swimming position. I miss that BC. Sometimes, I am thinking of trading my Balance back to the Pro-QD+ but I do like the benefits of using a back-inflate BC. I have not encountered problems of a back-inflate BC pushing me forward when I am at the surface. I just inflate my BC enough so that I would float. Over-inflating the rear bladder will cause the BC to push you forward.

This is my own user experience with the BD and Balance. I hope this helps.

 

[ShakaZulu]

......

I've had it in the pool for a rescue class and love it so far. The back inflate design makes it easier to stay horizontal under water compared to my older jacket style BC.

Woohaaa, can you imagine what it would have been like with the equal weight distribution of a BP/W setup