Zeagle: Ranger or Brigade ?

[ScottZeagle]

After further research, the Brigade is NOT supposed to come with the rear weight system. I believe the first shipment included them, which was our error. Those of you who got them - conrgats - our error is your gain!!!

Scott

 

[LeFlaneur]

I recently bought the Brigade from Scubatoys and have had it on 4 dives. So far I love it. So here are some early observations.

I was literally trying to decide between a Ranger and an Escape when I read about the Brigade. It seemed an obvious choice. I thought it would grow with me better and cover a wider range of options than an Escape.

Right now 30 pounds of bouyancy is more than enough for me. If I start to do more demanding dives I can swap out the bladder and make it a full Ranger.

It is still not the ideal travel BC. I'm sure an Escape would be better if travel is the most important factor. As for me, I liked the ruggedness of the Ranger harness and I just couldn't see where packing space was going to be a make or break issue. Scuba travel is not like backpacking where every ounce counts.

I rented a Malibu for a while. The Brigade seems to have less "unwanted" positive bouyancy than the Malibu. I cut my weight by 2 pounds so far. This could just be me getting used to my own gear, though.

The rear trim pockets were included on mine. I use 2 pounds on each side (out of 16 total). But I'm sure this is a personal preference thing.

The weight pouches, or "yellow thingys" as someone called them, are not included. In my opinion they are a MUST. I didn't get them initially, but one look at the bc and I went out and got them. They are only about 25 bucks for two.

In short... I don't have a lot of experience with different gear, but I think in terms of quality, performance, and room to grow as a diver, the Brigade is an excellent BC.

Anyway... them's my 2 cents.

 

[Skyjunky]

Only thing missing is the "Brigade" logo. Any chance of this happening?

 

[travelmadness]

I recently bought the Brigade from Scubatoys and have had it on 4 dives. So far I love it. So here are some early observations.

I was literally trying to decide between a Ranger and an Escape when I read about the Brigade. It seemed an obvious choice. I thought it would grow with me better and cover a wider range of options than an Escape.

Right now 30 pounds of bouyancy is more than enough for me. If I start to do more demanding dives I can swap out the bladder and make it a full Ranger.

It is still not the ideal travel BC. I'm sure an Escape would be better if travel is the most important factor. As for me, I liked the ruggedness of the Ranger harness and I just couldn't see where packing space was going to be a make or break issue. Scuba travel is not like backpacking where every ounce counts.

I rented a Malibu for a while. The Brigade seems to have less "unwanted" positive bouyancy than the Malibu. I cut my weight by 2 pounds so far. This could just be me getting used to my own gear, though.

The rear trim pockets were included on mine. I use 2 pounds on each side (out of 16 total). But I'm sure this is a personal preference thing.

The weight pouches, or "yellow thingys" as someone called them, are not included. In my opinion they are a MUST. I didn't get them initially, but one look at the bc and I went out and got them. They are only about 25 bucks for two.

In short... I don't have a lot of experience with different gear, but I think in terms of quality, performance, and room to grow as a diver, the Brigade is an excellent BC.

Anyway... them's my 2 cents.

curious what other brands you shopped besides zeagle? did anything else tempt you? did you shop bp/w's?

 

[frenchy07]

Thanks Scott..........any other lapses of mistakes that I can take advantage of?

Seriously though, love my Brigade and my lady loves her Zena. Down to 12 lbs of total weight with it now (pair of 4's in the trim pockets and 2 each in the weight pouches) and planning on shedding 2 more with a little more experience. Got them both limbered up now and they pack down small enough to fit in a 12 x 12 x 12 space in my dive bag.

I do agree that it needs to have its own id badge on it.

Thanks for the quality piece

Brian

 

[LeFlaneur]

curious what other brands you shopped besides zeagle? did anything else tempt you? did you shop bp/w's?

I considered a bp/w, but never dived one. Frankly (and some will roll their eyes) I just didn't think I had enough experience yet. Maybe later. It is also a more expensive option, no matter what I read on this board.

I strongly considered the Dive Rite Transpac/Venture Wing combo. Also.. about $150 more than the Brigade.

I also looked at an Aqualung Malibu and a Seaquest Balance. Both were good. I liked the Balance better of the two. But the Zeagle seemed tougher.

Then there's the fact that that I just like Zeagle. There's a no nonsense, no gimmicks, no flash quality I like in both their BCs and regulators. This is of course my own idiotic issue and should not affect your purchasing decisions.

 

[ScottZeagle]

The Brigade BC is made special for Scuba Toys by Zeagle Systems. From a business standpoint, the question becomes, "Can we sell enough of these to warrant having a special patch made?" In order to do that, a logo has to be done, then a mold made (mold costs are not particularly cheap), then the vinyl patches made from the mold. Like anything else, if you buy 10k - 20k at a time, the price is cheaper than if you buy 1,000.
Zeagle sells over 10 thousand Ranger BCs every year, so the obvious answer is yes on that one. Scuba Toys has yet to sell 1,000 of the Brigade, so it may not be feasible to add it, as it may end up adding a couple of bucks to the price of each BC.

There is your "Business 101" lesson for today...

Dive safe,

Scott

 

[crpntr133]

After further research, the Brigade is NOT supposed to come with the rear weight system. I believe the first shipment included them, which was our error. Those of you who got them - conrgats - our error is your gain!!!

Scott

Now this makes no since because the Brigade is a Ranger harness with the Escape bladder, correct? I just looked at the Zeagle web site and it clearly states that the Ranger (not LTD) has rear trim weight pockets.

If the Brigade doesn't come with trim pockets then Larry needs to know since he is actually doing false advertising. Someboby could be in BIG troouble.

BTW Larry, I like the new photo of the Brigade. The front view does little for a BC.
I am happy with the US flag and Zeagle on my BC. If I ever forget that it is a Brigade then it is time for me to stop diving.

 

[Kestrell]

My brigade has a rear weight system; two pockets on the lower rear. I think they're rated at 8 lbs each. It's a really nice BC. It retains the Rangers wing clips in the event you want to change to a larger wing. The only thing it didn't have was those yellow thingies. They do make "weight management" an easier task, so get them.

Yeah, my wife has a brigade too and it has the rear weight pockets. I have a Ranger LTD and it has the pockets too. They really do help keep you upright at the surface. They are not necessary, but they are convenient.

 

[ScottZeagle]

The Brigade BC is made FOR Scuba Toys. It is based off a Ranger platform, but it does not come with all the features of the Ranger. I spoke to Larry on the phone today, and Larry figured since he recieved his first shipment WITH the rear weight system, that it would be included. Like I said before - that was a ZEAGLE error - not a Scuba Toys error!!! I believe Larry will take care of it, and offer the rear weight system to those who want them included in the future.

As much as we strive for perfection, we are still human and do make mistakes! :11:

I hope this clears some things up...

Scott