BC Question (Advantage vs. Recon)

[guero]

I'm torn between the IDI Advantage or the Genesis Recon. I've seen tons of great rankings and feedback on the Avantage but I like the Recon because it gives me the flexibility to change the bladders to different lifts, accept dual tanks, etc (if I end up doing tech diving I dont want to have to buy another BC). But I dont see much about the Recon as far as reviews. Is the Recon an inferior BC to the Advantage?

Also, 'Lift'. How much lift do you need given the amount of weight you carry? Is there a rule of thumb here? (this relates to the 45lb vs 75lb model of the Recon.

[freediver48]

Hey Dude,

Are you sure you are in the right forum? Very few freedivers use BCs, although there is some discussion about emergency lifts. I use an OMS 80lb bladder on a Halcyon plate, and love it.

Best wishes,

doug

[freediver48]

Hi Quero,

I was on the wrong page, sorry about the harsh reply, it's just that the scuba section of this list is usually very quiet. Typically the dialog, which is often very active, is between freedivers, sorry for the mistake. By the way the plate and bladder system works great with either singles or doubles.

Best wishes,

Doug

[Cragrat]

If you can afford a Recon, you might consider a DiveRite (www.diverite.com) or Halcyon (www.halcyon.net) BC. They are much more configerable than the Recon. They also seem to keep their resale value if you ever deceide to get ride of them. I did my research and settled for the Dive Rite. They are very comfortable once you have them set up the way you like it.

45LB it lots of lift unless you are planning on doing something extreme (like side mounting extra tanks).

[Morgan]

I have the Recon 75, and I love it. I honestly have no complaints with it. It immediately improved my comfort, buoyancy and trim in my diving, over my previous Dacor and Scubapro models.
When looking to buy, I made a list of features and qualities I needed, and was torn between this BCD and a Zeagle. I'm not familiar with the IDI Advantage.

Seriously though, if I were buying today, I wouldn't buy ANY commercial (hyped) BCD. I would buy a backplate/harness system with an appropriate sized bladder. This rig is more flexible, comfortable, and reliable than any commercial BCD. You may not realize it when the marketing hype is in your focus right now, but you don't need pockets, reflectors, a dozen d-rings, or whatever. You need a simple, reliable lifting device which you can adapt to your needs. A harness/backplate system is probably cheaper, too. It can mount singles, twins, pony bottles without add-on "accessories", or anything else you diving eventually takes you into.

Heres a Really good site to look at: Global underwater explorers
To get detail on BCDs look here:GUE Bcd recommendations

good luck in your decision!

[guero]

I'd never heard of IDI (International Divers Inc) before either but their equip gets phenominal reviews on Rodales Scuba Diving Magazine site (http://www.scubadiving.com/). I think they rank the Advantage best for like 3 years or so... (course maybe there's some big ad dollars behind the scenes here).

I'd love to think of myself as 'tech' enough to go BP/Wings but honestly my diving is about 90% here in California diving in San Diego kelp forests and Scripps Canyon. The other 10% is tropical. My buddy and I are hooked on wrecks and deep diving but hardcore we ain't. I've got a long way till I'm dropping off the side with 4 tanks, etc. (Yeah, like my wife would ever let me!).

Plus the BP/Wing sets I've seen have been $100-200 more than the Recon/Advantage. (ouch) Does the Recon push you face forward on the surface much? This was the one big selling point to the Advantage was that they said there was little push forward.

[guero]

Morgan... thanks for the tip on the GUE site. I've never come across a better source of info!! I'm glued to it (wish it was a book so I could read it in bed). I may be changing my mind about alot of stuff.

[Morgan]

Yes, GUE site changed my mind about a lot of things, too. But like you were saying, 90% of most people's diving is recreational, not hard-core expedition...

The Recon does push me forward a bit, but not uncontrollably. A tank weight would probably help. You certainly have to be trimmed equally on either side, because you can roll off to one side more easily than in a "jacket" style BCD. But I think that's just any rear-inflation BC's characteristic. Usually if I'm resting or waiting on the surface, I just flop onto my back and relax...look at the stars... whatever.

Is a BP/Wing setup too tech? I don't think so. Neither is a pony bottle, if you like wreck diving. I just think it's a smarter, more efficient rig for ANY kind of diving. And you mentioned travel: if you have an aluminum BP, think how lightweight and compact that setup is! As far as cost - I think it's steep if you buy a "packaged" rig like OMS or Dive Rite. I think you'll find if a good dive store can help you piece it together, it'll be less. But that's from this side of the border, with exchange rates and shipp added to costs you would see, so ???

Hey - you must be diving the HMCS Yukon! Like it? We have four of her sister ships up here, plus a new one on October! Been in 'em all & loving it!