paulwall
Contributor
Well, I still like the fit and comfort of the BC, but I have to add a couple of gripes.
1) the deflate buttons on the power inflator are hard plastic, and chip and crack easily (ask me how I know). No failure, but not as comfortable without gloves. I have seen one that disintegrated/failed in another post. I've lost a bit of confidence in their inflator mechanisms.
2) The velcro pockets are generous, but a little bit of a pain when you have stuff stored in the "tiny" zippered pockets that form their flap.
3) the trim pockets are too deep, and when inverted, the trim weights will shift up in the pockets, and don't seem to readily slide back down as easily as they slid up.
4) the stock tank straps are WAAAY too long. I purchased some aftermarket and they hold single tanks much better
5) No handle to hold on to the BC without a tank (minor annoyance).
6) the semi-rigid backpack is better than the hard plastic, but not as "packable" as a softpack.
7) bottom line: I'm glad I didn't spend more than $200 (127 for the BC, $25 for the straps, $35 for pool time) to find this out. I'm having my Sherwood Harpoon Inflator hose repaired "Just in Case". I might replace the power inflators on the Triple-L for more assurance.
8) the power inflator hoses that ship with the BC are long enough - barely. I think they should be at least 3-4" longer to keep the inflators flat against the body of the BC. The tank rides a little high with the two straps.
So, I'm reasonably still happy with the BC, it has a lot of nice features, but the power inflator mechanisms are the pits.
1) the deflate buttons on the power inflator are hard plastic, and chip and crack easily (ask me how I know). No failure, but not as comfortable without gloves. I have seen one that disintegrated/failed in another post. I've lost a bit of confidence in their inflator mechanisms.
2) The velcro pockets are generous, but a little bit of a pain when you have stuff stored in the "tiny" zippered pockets that form their flap.
3) the trim pockets are too deep, and when inverted, the trim weights will shift up in the pockets, and don't seem to readily slide back down as easily as they slid up.
4) the stock tank straps are WAAAY too long. I purchased some aftermarket and they hold single tanks much better
5) No handle to hold on to the BC without a tank (minor annoyance).
6) the semi-rigid backpack is better than the hard plastic, but not as "packable" as a softpack.
7) bottom line: I'm glad I didn't spend more than $200 (127 for the BC, $25 for the straps, $35 for pool time) to find this out. I'm having my Sherwood Harpoon Inflator hose repaired "Just in Case". I might replace the power inflators on the Triple-L for more assurance.
8) the power inflator hoses that ship with the BC are long enough - barely. I think they should be at least 3-4" longer to keep the inflators flat against the body of the BC. The tank rides a little high with the two straps.
So, I'm reasonably still happy with the BC, it has a lot of nice features, but the power inflator mechanisms are the pits.
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