Seaquest Balance or Zeagle?

[Cheekymonkey]

I have the seaquest balance... It is about two years old now and I am in the water a couple times a week. I take moderate care of my recreational gear, not amazing, but not terrible. The balance has not held up for me I have several tears in the non bladder portion of the BC so it is still usable but it looks terrible now, and the knife holder is torn to badly to hold the knife sheath anymore. I can't comment on seaquest's warranty, because I have not yet tried to get it repaired, diving to much to have time too . Otherwise besides the fact that the balance wears out faster than most other bc's I have used... It is a very comfortable and usable recreational diving rig and if it wasnt for the wearing out I would wholeheartedly reccomend it.

 

[jmps]

I dive with the Balance and the newer ones have both a left and right shoulder dump along with the right side rear dump. I really like the open design. Mine is holding up well with a few warm water trips and local Lake Michigan diving during the year.

 

[sasscuba]

Zeagle hands down. I went with the Brigade and am very happy!

 

[Skinsfan1311]

I have a Stiletto....it's not that much more $$$ than the Brigade, but it's a sturdier BC than the Brigade. It packs light for travel, (it fits in a carry-on, along with my regs, mask, computer, flashlight, camera, etc).

The most important thing of all....it's a great BC and performs very well. If you do get a Zeagle, don't forget about the yellow weight pouches, (or "yellow thingies"), as Larry from Scubatoys calls 'em. They make life very easy on a dive boat, especially if the crew want's you to hand up your weights before you get back on the boat.

Hope this helps!

 

[DiveMaven]

After my husband lost a weight pocket off of his SeaQuest BC and we had to shell out $25 to replace it, I told him that if it happens again, we're getting him a Zeagle!!

I dive a Zeagle Zena and think the ripcord weight system is the best out there. No pockets to lose, and it only takes about 2 minutes (max) to rethread if you pull it.

Zeagle products have outstanding construction and materials, the customer service is the best, you get a lifetime warranty, and the BCs are completely modular so you can achieve a custom fit. It just doesn't get better than that IMO.

 

[footnote]

To be honest with you. I use the Zero Tech from Coltri Sub. This is the best BCD I ever had in my life. Find out by yourself. Cheers

 

[scubatoys]

I have a Stiletto....it's not that much more $$$ than the Brigade, but it's a sturdier BC than the Brigade. It packs light for travel, (it fits in a carry-on, along with my regs, mask, computer, flashlight, camera, etc).

Actually the stiletto is less sturdy than the brigade. The whole harness system is made of the lighter weight material. (Pretty much the old escape harness with a few metal d-rings) Just the bladder is made from heavier stuff, and we have yet to ever experience one bladder failure on any escape / zena / brigade bladder - so even that might be buying bulk instead strength. Also it is no problem to get the stiletto bladder on the brigade if you wish, then you get the same bladder, but the sturdier harness with the larger and more plentiful d-rings, plus the roll down pocket.

The other Brigade vs. stiletto comparison I should point out is future expansion of the BC. The Brigade - using the Ranger harness is capable of upgrading to different bladders and running dual tanks with the grommet holes already in place - so in that way it seems a bit more versatile as well.

Nothing wrong with the Stiletto, it is a very nice light weight BC... but since the Brigade was my baby... my feelings get hurt when someone says it's less sturdy than the stiletto... much like saying your kid can beat up my kid. When he can't!

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Actually the stiletto is less sturdy than the brigade. The whole harness system is made of the lighter weight material. (Pretty much the old escape harness with a few metal d-rings) Just the bladder is made from heavier stuff, and we have yet to ever experience one bladder failure on any escape / zena / brigade bladder - so even that might be buying bulk instead strength. Also it is no problem to get the stiletto bladder on the brigade if you wish, then you get the same bladder, but the sturdier harness with the larger and more plentiful d-rings, plus the roll down pocket.

The other Brigade vs. stiletto comparison I should point out is future expansion of the BC. The Brigade - using the Ranger harness is capable of upgrading to different bladders and running dual tanks with the grommet holes already in place - so in that way it seems a bit more versatile as well.

Nothing wrong with the Stiletto, it is a very nice light weight BC... but since the Brigade was my baby... my feelings get hurt when someone says it's less sturdy than the stiletto... much like saying your kid can beat up my kid. When he can't!

C'mon Man! Cut me some slack...I just dropped over $700.00 at your shop!!

But you're correct....I was thinking of the Escape....not the Brigade.......sorry 'bout that!

PS...bet my kid can beat up your kid!!!!

 

[scubacoots3]

I have both a Zeagle Ranger and a Dive Rite TransPac and love them both.

-SC3

 

[reaver]

I have a Balance and my wife has the lady's version, the Libra. We bought it last February and had about 10 dives on it. I can't say much about the durability since its too early to tell but I can say that I'm really happy with it. Other than the minimal D rings and pockets, it works very well compared to what we used during our OW training (couldn't remember the brand though).