About to buy my first BCD

[MHSG81]

Hi All,

I'm new here and really hope this will help me in buying my FIRST piece of equipment. I've been renting and realized that I'm really just wasting money every time I rent a BCD - at this point I could have bought one w/what I've spent.

Anyway, I'm a little tight on money but I still want a good BCD that will last me for a bit. The one thing I know I def. want are pockets or something else for my weights so I don't have to wear a weight belt when I dive. Also, I'm a girl but am usually comfortable in whatever I'm renting or using.

So far I've found Tusa which looks quite reasonably priced. Any suggestions or comments on Tusa or another brand?

Thanks for any and all help!!!

[mitsuguy]

I've found Tusa's stuff to be quite well made and at a good price as well...

My wife has the Tusa Reef Tourer Conquest which is a standard BCD with the rest of the features you are looking for. It is not specifically a female BC, but it fits her quite well. It has big pockets and an easy to use integrated weight system and costs only $250 minus 10% forum discount, minus $10 if you make 10 posts here, so you could walk away for about $215... It is built every bit as good as my $400 Tusa Xpert BCJ-6900, which I love as well, being a back inflate model however.

There have been many good reviews of other Tusa BC's, especially the womens selene, but they get pricier.

I highly recommend any of those BC's...

here's my review of the conquest:
Tusa Reef Tourer Conquest - Review

Originally Posted by MHSG81

Hi All,

I'm new here and really hope this will help me in buying my FIRST piece of equipment. I've been renting and realized that I'm really just wasting money every time I rent a BCD - at this point I could have bought one w/what I've spent.

Anyway, I'm a little tight on money but I still want a good BCD that will last me for a bit. The one thing I know I def. want are pockets or something else for my weights so I don't have to wear a weight belt when I dive. Also, I'm a girl but am usually comfortable in whatever I'm renting or using.

So far I've found Tusa which looks quite reasonably priced. Any suggestions or comments on Tusa or another brand?

Thanks for any and all help!!!

[Splitlip]

I would rent, borrow or steal as many BC's as you can if money is an issue. The selection of a BC is a very personal thing.
I went through (purchased) 5 before I found the right one for me.
A BC makes all the difference in the quality of a dive, which is why many recommend buying that first. I disagree. It should be second to last.
Just my $0.02.

Edit:
Your first piece of gear should be your reg. You can read objective reviews, get the best breather for your money. It is your primary life support, you want to know the history. Also, people vomit through rentals.

[obrules15]

I would get a Zeagle BC, either a Lazer or a Zena. I think that the adjustability means you can keep working on it until it is perfect without having to replace it and when you gain/lose weight straps can be exchanged out.

[mitsuguy]

Originally Posted by Splitlip

I would rent, borrow or steal as many BC's as you can if money is an issue. The selection of a BC is a very personal thing.
I went through (purchased) 5 before I found the right one for me.
A BC makes all the difference in the quality of a dive, which is why many recommend buying that first. I disagree. It should be second to last.
Just my $0.02.

Edit:
Your first piece of gear should be your reg. You can read objective reviews, get the best breather for your money. It is your primary life support, you want to know the history. Also, people vomit through rentals.

I disagree with this completely...

How much of a learning curve is there with a new regulator? Absolutely none.

How much of a learning curve is there with a new/different BC? Much more than a regulator, for sure. Weight release placement and operation, inflator hose placement, overall fit, adjustments, etc.

For a diver to be comfortable, they should be completely familiar with their equipment. You can rent any regulator and not have to worry about familiarity. Sure, history of use, service and such play a part, but honestly, have you ever rented a regulator that you couldn't breathe out of? And if so, keep in mind all the horror stories you hear about ones personal reg leaking, not breathing right, etc. edit: I should make this clear - the sooner you can start using the same BC, the faster you will feel more comfortable diving...


As far as recommending a Zeagle, I have nothing against the company, but there are other options that may work better for others. Price appears to be an issue here, and Zeagle is definitely not the cheapest out there that works well...

[diverdan_51]

I agree with mitsuguy - go for the BC first for exactly the same reasons.

[skdvr]

My wife dives a Sherwood Luna and loves that BC. It is very comfortable even when wearing just a bikini. There are lots of choices out there. Like others have said if you can borrow a friends BC or rent a different brand, try as many as you can before you make up your mind. It does make a big difference when you actually have your own gear. You will appreciate that it works the same way every time you dive with it. It just becomes part of you.

Have fun deciding...

Phil

[Splitlip]

What type of BC should the OP buy and then "learn" to use.
STAB jacket, wrap around cell, front adjustable vest, back inflate, Hybrid or maybe BPW. Which is going to be best suited to his body, dive style and equipment? The vast majority of BC's have the inflator over the left shoulder. What's to learn there? Weight integration? Start with a weight belt.
A BC needs to acommodate the diver. Not the other way around.

[mitsuguy]

Originally Posted by Splitlip

What type of BC should the OP buy and then "learn" to use.
STAB jacket, wrap around cell, front adjustable vest, back inflate, Hybrid or maybe BPW. Which is going to be best suited to his body, dive style and equipment? The vast majority of BC's have the inflator over the left shoulder. What's to learn there? Weight integration? Start with a weight belt.
A BC needs to acommodate the diver. Not the other way around.

yes, almost all bc's have the inflator over the left shoulder, but show me two that work the exact same - they all use different locations and shapes for buttons... what if someone needed to dump the BC for any reason? I think being comfortable with the belt release is extremely important... a lot of it is muscle memory, plain and simple...

as far as what type of BC, well, it sounds like the OP has at least a little experience with different BC's - my wife knew for sure after only a few dives that she had to have a standard wrap around BC... I knew, after trying one on at the store that I wanted a back inflate...

As far as weight integration, I truly believe newer divers are much better off with weight integrated BC's - a weight belt is one less task to have a new diver worry with...

[Largo]

For what it is worth, I don't think that you wasted money renting BCDs.
I did that for a couple of years before I found the one I wanted.
Now, I have several and I use the one that fits the type of diving I am doing.
One of my buddies gave away his BCD, because he didn't want to carry it with him on dive trips, and never used it. He does, however, own his own reg, a very nice ScubaPro.

As far as regs, my favorites are Atomic and Zeagle. Tusas are good, as well.

Whatever you decide to buy, do not buy Dacor. The are no longer in business, and it will be difficult to get parts.