psusnyder
Registered
I just got back from a trip to Cozumel and used my new Zeagle Escape BC. I wanted to post a short review.
Pros:
Excellent fit. For most BCs, my height at 6'1" is a large, but my waist at 34" is a medium. Zeagle's sizing system is great - Scubatoys set me up with a large shoulder panel and a medium waist. Perfect fit, much better than any other BC I've worn.
Excellent bouyancy. I was able to maintain a horizontal, vertical, or inverted vertical position perfectly. On the surface, it did not push me forward at all. The key is to wear the BC low and to not overinflate. When just hanging out waiting for the boat to pick you up, you can inflate it all the way and lean back and ride it like a raft.
Great weight integration. I used 12 lbs (4 in each front pocket in the yellow thingies and 2 in each rear). I did a test weight dump and rethreading the system only took a few minutes. I recommend taking a close look at how it is threaded. It makes sense and is easy to rethread if you understand how it works. Dumping the rear weights is pretty easy by just reaching back and pulling on the velcro tab.
Good Pockets. They are reasonable size and tucked back and out of the way. I keep a 6' sausage, storm whistle, and folding snorkle in one pocket and a 6 C-cell light and folding knife in the other.
Good value. $335 at Scubatoys. Pretty good packability for travel and enough weight capacity and lift for recreational Pennsylvania diving, unless you are really big and need a lot of lead.
Also, with the two tank straps, there is no way you are going to lose a tank.
Cons:
Pockets. It is not easy to see into them when wearing the BC and they are not really large or easy to get into, so if you are the kind of person who like to keep a lot of stuff in your pockets and get stuff in and out of them all the time, this would be a con. If you're like me and use them to keep back-up and emergency stuff in, then they work well.
Pull dump. I wish they had a top/shoulder pull dump.
Overall, I highly recommend this BC.
Pros:
Excellent fit. For most BCs, my height at 6'1" is a large, but my waist at 34" is a medium. Zeagle's sizing system is great - Scubatoys set me up with a large shoulder panel and a medium waist. Perfect fit, much better than any other BC I've worn.
Excellent bouyancy. I was able to maintain a horizontal, vertical, or inverted vertical position perfectly. On the surface, it did not push me forward at all. The key is to wear the BC low and to not overinflate. When just hanging out waiting for the boat to pick you up, you can inflate it all the way and lean back and ride it like a raft.
Great weight integration. I used 12 lbs (4 in each front pocket in the yellow thingies and 2 in each rear). I did a test weight dump and rethreading the system only took a few minutes. I recommend taking a close look at how it is threaded. It makes sense and is easy to rethread if you understand how it works. Dumping the rear weights is pretty easy by just reaching back and pulling on the velcro tab.
Good Pockets. They are reasonable size and tucked back and out of the way. I keep a 6' sausage, storm whistle, and folding snorkle in one pocket and a 6 C-cell light and folding knife in the other.
Good value. $335 at Scubatoys. Pretty good packability for travel and enough weight capacity and lift for recreational Pennsylvania diving, unless you are really big and need a lot of lead.
Also, with the two tank straps, there is no way you are going to lose a tank.
Cons:
Pockets. It is not easy to see into them when wearing the BC and they are not really large or easy to get into, so if you are the kind of person who like to keep a lot of stuff in your pockets and get stuff in and out of them all the time, this would be a con. If you're like me and use them to keep back-up and emergency stuff in, then they work well.
Pull dump. I wish they had a top/shoulder pull dump.
Overall, I highly recommend this BC.
