Zeagle Stiletto or BP/W?

[Decommissioned]

It sounds like what your LDS really said was "I carry stilletos but not bp/ws, so let me make up some reasons as to why you should spend money with me and not somewhere else."

Also, all his rationales against bp/ws sound like they come from someone that has never used one, but read about them once.

I was thinking the exact same thing.

 

[Aviyes]

While I love my Stiletto and it is great and was easy to setup and use out of the box, after having seen more bp/w in use on dive trips I do wish I had gone that route first. But, I felt limited by just having moved and not knowing anyone that used one or that could provide help with setup questions. Being my first BC, I was hesitant to try to do the setup via youtube videos. If tech diving is in your future, I would follow the other suggestions for bp/w.

 

[Decommissioned]

While I love my Stiletto and it is great and was easy to setup and use out of the box, after having seen more bp/w in use on dive trips I do wish I had gone that route first. But, I felt limited by just having moved and not knowing anyone that used one or that could provide help with setup questions. Being my first BC, I was hesitant to try to do the setup via youtube videos. If tech diving is in your future, I would follow the other suggestions for bp/w.

This is what I'm trying to avoid. I don't want to buy a Stiletto and then realize later on that I should've bought a BP/W in the first place.

 

[Decommissioned]

My wife has a Stiletto but she is sick of carrying so much lead. She saw my BPW and asked about it, then saw how little of lead I need to carry with a steel plate and told me to start buying parts.
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I'm sure that Stiletto is at least 5lbs. buoyant.

Yeah I currently carry ALOT of weight with my Jacket Oceanic BC so if I can significantly go down on weight would be a huge benefit.

 

[Decommissioned]

The Stiletto is a back inflate BCD so to some extent it will dive like a BPW.

Negative. It is what it is. You will be able to do very little customization to it.
Positive. It is all set up for you and ready to go.

BPW...

Negative. There is a learning curve to set up and adjustment.
Positive. Because of this it is almost infinitely adjustable. Need more lift, change wings. Want more weight centrally, use a steel plate. Foot heavy, cam band trim pockets.

In short, if you want something ready to jump in the water, buy the Stiletto.

If you are willing to put in some time and effort and interested in a rig you can customize to your specific needs and can grow with you. Buy a BPW

I'm a very customization type of person. I have this issue with my current jacket BC. I want D-Rings in certain places and I can't do it with my jacket BC. I am always up for a challenge to learn something new. I'm also good at trying something and failing until I figure it out so the BP/W learning curve is right up my alley.

 

[eelnoraa]

You're right I forgot to mention that XDeep does have a wing that can handle doubles that I believe can be switched out with the Ghost wing. So if I can change it out I would just buy this wing and use it with my Ghost Deluxe harness.
NX PROJECT - Double tank technical BC System; Tec Wing

From what I can see in xdeep website, I think what you are referring to is Zen. I am not saying Ghost won't work, just now from what I can see. Keep in mind, it is not just the wing. When move to double back ground, the standard bolt distant is 11". Just make sure Ghost plate has that.

Also why deluxe harness? and why the need for padding? No opposing the idea, just want to understand your reason.

 

[Decommissioned]

From what I can see in xdeep website, I think what you are referring to is Zen. I am not saying Ghost won't work, just now from what I can see. Keep in mind, it is not just the wing. When move to double back ground, the standard bolt distant is 11". Just make sure Ghost plate has that.

Also why deluxe harness? and why the need for padding? No opposing the idea, just want to understand your reason.

I like how the deluxe harness has the clip buckles on the shoulder straps for easy don/doff-ing as I do use those and I need padding for my body and back as I have bulging discs.

 

[Carlos Danger]

I dove the Zeagle Stiletto for about 10 years, but switched to a BP/W rig in 2017. The Stiletto is a good back-inflation style BCD, but still suffers from the same issues that all non-BP/W systems suffer from. BP/W is definitely the way to go IMHO:

BP/W Pluses:

• Simplicity
• Stability
• Durability
• Options
• Many parts are standardized across brands
• Unbeatable in-dive performance
• Ideal buoyancy/trim characteristics and weight distribution

BP/W Minuses:

• May take additional time for initial setup
• May be less travel-friendly depending on materials and configuration
• May have to use alternate equipment configurations and/or may drive other equipment choices

 

[saxman242]

I like how the deluxe harness has the clip buckles on the shoulder straps for easy don/doff-ing as I do use those and I need padding for my body and back as I have bulging discs.

With a bp/w with a crotch strap, one wears the shoulder straps significantly looser than what you're used to with a normal bc.
The need to disconnect the shoulder straps tends to be a lot less necessary than you'd think.

 

[lexvil]

I'm a very customization type of person. I have this issue with my current jacket BC. I want D-Rings in certain places and I can't do it with my jacket BC. I am always up for a challenge to learn something new. I'm also good at trying something and failing until I figure it out so the BP/W learning curve is right up my alley.

I believe you’ve answered your own question.