I think it's quite sad that a simple thread from a new diver, asking about good BCs, has ended up in a catfight between two of SB's most venerable and valuable posters. Can we get back to the simple question the guy originally asked?
Good BCs . . . It's a matter of opinion. Some things are bad design -- A friend bought a BC used that had such a peculiar way of securing the integrated weight pockets that it was basically not possible to make them secure, and he lost them repeatedly. That's bad design, but it's fairly uncommon. Some things are viewed as bad design because the person writing the post doesn't like the idea. I don't like the lever-activated BCs. It's way too complicated, unnecessary, and looks like bad design to me, but some people who use them love them.
What's really important is that the BC you buy fit you well, keep the tank stable on your back, fill and vent easily, and if it includes an integrated weight system, keeps the weights securely fastened to you until you WANT to ditch them, and then makes that easy to do. Be aware that, when you try a BC on in a shop, you are getting only a very rough idea of fit, because you will not be walking around upright with gravity pulling down to the same degree when you are underwater. Things which seem quite stable on land can end up being sloppy and uncomfortable in the water. Also be aware that bells and whistles that seem quite attractive before you dive the BC can prove to be less than useful in the long run. This is true, for example, of many pockets on BCs, which turn out to be too small to hold anything much, or difficult to access while diving.
What fascinates me is that there seems to be a fairly common evolution in BCs, at least among those people who ever replace what they originally bought. That evolution is from jacket to back inflate to BP/W. You may want to go look at the "What did you buy that you regret?" thread for some stories.
Good BCs . . . It's a matter of opinion. Some things are bad design -- A friend bought a BC used that had such a peculiar way of securing the integrated weight pockets that it was basically not possible to make them secure, and he lost them repeatedly. That's bad design, but it's fairly uncommon. Some things are viewed as bad design because the person writing the post doesn't like the idea. I don't like the lever-activated BCs. It's way too complicated, unnecessary, and looks like bad design to me, but some people who use them love them.
What's really important is that the BC you buy fit you well, keep the tank stable on your back, fill and vent easily, and if it includes an integrated weight system, keeps the weights securely fastened to you until you WANT to ditch them, and then makes that easy to do. Be aware that, when you try a BC on in a shop, you are getting only a very rough idea of fit, because you will not be walking around upright with gravity pulling down to the same degree when you are underwater. Things which seem quite stable on land can end up being sloppy and uncomfortable in the water. Also be aware that bells and whistles that seem quite attractive before you dive the BC can prove to be less than useful in the long run. This is true, for example, of many pockets on BCs, which turn out to be too small to hold anything much, or difficult to access while diving.
What fascinates me is that there seems to be a fairly common evolution in BCs, at least among those people who ever replace what they originally bought. That evolution is from jacket to back inflate to BP/W. You may want to go look at the "What did you buy that you regret?" thread for some stories.