nldiver1984
Contributor
Hi all,
A few months ago I made my first big gear purchase and wanted a BC that was both minimalist and something I could use for both warm and cold water diving with a drysuit. I was recommended the Zeagle Express Tech BCD, but there was no mention of bladder sizes, and being clueless about all the technical details of a BC I went ahead and had it ordered. It came with a 24lb bladder but after reading some other threads on here about the bladder size it seems that this size isn't sufficient for cold water. I tried it out yesterday on a shore dive. I had a 7mm regular neoprene drysuit, an AL80 tank, 2 4lb weights in the BC pocket, a 4lb weight on each tank strap, and 16 lbs on the weight belt. Needless to say I wasn't able to descend, and with the BC removed in shallow water it just sank to the bottom with 16lbs on it. Am I doing something wrong or is this BC not meant for this type of setup? I know there are bigger wings I can get but feel that I should've been told about that from the beginning and not just have a BC which can only be used in tropical waters, something that I may do once a year if I'm lucky. I paid $500 for the BC (includes 15% HST sales tax, Canada). I'm 5'8 155lbs if that's of any help. I'm getting frustrated with all of the details needed when making a gear purchase and the fact that I wasn't given any choice in bladder size. I went back to the shop to see what can be done and was told I'd need to buy another bladder, because it's basically a "you wear it you bought it" policy. I couldn't even try the darn thing on before I bought, because they have minimal gear for sale in the shop and most of it has to be special ordered, so the only indication that I do get if gear is a good buy is basing my decision on reviews and getting help from the good folks here on SB.
If I can't use this BC for what I want to use it for then it will be my last purchase of any scuba gear because "feeling in the dark" with expensive gear like this seems to turn out to be just a disappointing waste of money. Also hate the fact that there's no satisfaction guarantee on gear and I can't return it even after one dive. I won't be getting another bladder or BC any time soon so this one will have to do indefinitely.
A few months ago I made my first big gear purchase and wanted a BC that was both minimalist and something I could use for both warm and cold water diving with a drysuit. I was recommended the Zeagle Express Tech BCD, but there was no mention of bladder sizes, and being clueless about all the technical details of a BC I went ahead and had it ordered. It came with a 24lb bladder but after reading some other threads on here about the bladder size it seems that this size isn't sufficient for cold water. I tried it out yesterday on a shore dive. I had a 7mm regular neoprene drysuit, an AL80 tank, 2 4lb weights in the BC pocket, a 4lb weight on each tank strap, and 16 lbs on the weight belt. Needless to say I wasn't able to descend, and with the BC removed in shallow water it just sank to the bottom with 16lbs on it. Am I doing something wrong or is this BC not meant for this type of setup? I know there are bigger wings I can get but feel that I should've been told about that from the beginning and not just have a BC which can only be used in tropical waters, something that I may do once a year if I'm lucky. I paid $500 for the BC (includes 15% HST sales tax, Canada). I'm 5'8 155lbs if that's of any help. I'm getting frustrated with all of the details needed when making a gear purchase and the fact that I wasn't given any choice in bladder size. I went back to the shop to see what can be done and was told I'd need to buy another bladder, because it's basically a "you wear it you bought it" policy. I couldn't even try the darn thing on before I bought, because they have minimal gear for sale in the shop and most of it has to be special ordered, so the only indication that I do get if gear is a good buy is basing my decision on reviews and getting help from the good folks here on SB.
If I can't use this BC for what I want to use it for then it will be my last purchase of any scuba gear because "feeling in the dark" with expensive gear like this seems to turn out to be just a disappointing waste of money. Also hate the fact that there's no satisfaction guarantee on gear and I can't return it even after one dive. I won't be getting another bladder or BC any time soon so this one will have to do indefinitely.