Scuba BCDs > Nautic Scuba BCDs

Advantages: Light enough to take abroad without paying excess baggage
Disadvantages: only 4 D rings (but that's a minor thing)

When thinking about buying a BCD earlier this year, I wandered into the local dive shop for a look around. I've dived with the people from the shop, and knew I could trust them not to rip me off by selling me something I didn't need. During the conversation I mentioned I was going on holiday in a couple of weeks. George the owner said if I wanted to take one to try out on the holiday I could. I selected the Oceanic Nautic 1000, which is a pretty ...
...loads of kit off your jacket, this isn't for you. When packing, the jacket fitted nicely into the luggage and didn't add a lot of weight to it, so I would recommend it for this alone. Once in Cyprus, a trip to the dive centre to arrange some dives and into the water we went. After a play around in the shallows to get used to the jacket, I found it very easy to use. There are more expensive jackets with LOTS more D-rings, but at the moment, I don't ... Read review

Advantages: Lightweight and good life
Disadvantages: Air gets trapped on the ascent

...new lightweight BCD called the Ralf Tech Travelight Tech which is a wing design. For those who are not up on the technicalities of diving to give it its full name BCD stands for Buoyancy Control Device and is the means by which when at the surface a diver stays afloat as the jacket or wing design is attached via a hose to your air cylinder allowing you to add air to it similar to a life jacket and also to dump air out of it when you want to go down ...
...control your position in the water and to control both your ascent and descent speed. As well as this primary use a BCD is also important as not only is your cylinder attached to it but also you attach or secure any number of additional items you need to dive safely such as torches, reels and numerous other things that are either secreted into zipped pockets or attached to metal D rings on the outside of the BCD. It needs to be hard wearing ideally ... Read review

Advantages: Good for girls!
Disadvantages: Might need a light weightbelt

The Diva LX has been designed with women in mind, and it actually works, with features like no straps crossing the chest. My old BCD was a cheap 'off the shelf' which didn't really fit and tipped me back when inflated at the surface and pulled me forward when underwater. The Diva LX however, is far better than this with a semi-wing design. The pockets are as easy to get into as they're ever going to be, and there are enough D-rings to keep me happy ...
...the weight-pockets, but know that some people don't put all their confidence in them. The trim pockets on the tank cummerbund are quite useful, but I think some people may want to put some weight onto a separate weightbelt that may negate the purpose of an integrated BC for them. Overall it has been well designed with lots of small features like the integration of the direct feed into the dump hose. Compared with my last BC, diving with this is (slightly ... Read review

Advantages: excellent all round performer
Disadvantages: Can't really think of any

I have had a Buddy BCD all the time I have been diving and it has never let me down. It is tough and durable and although it is now starting to fade a little, it is still one of the best jackets on the market. Whenever anyone asks me what sort of jacket they should buy I will tell them to buy a buddy. There are lots of different styles and types and even colours for those of you who like everything to match. I have done an emergency assent with mine ... Read review

Advantages: Longevity
Disadvantages: Bulky

I’ve had an Apex Buddy Commando for ten years to date and it’s still going strong. They are a British made product and available from nearly all diveshops in the UK. The best thing about them is their toughness, though mine’s faded a bit the material is showing no signs of wear and tear. The emergency inflation cylinder had to be replaced a few years ago as it became badly corroded, and the inflator fell apart eventually, but these ...
...about them is their bulkiness. The chest area is cluttered and the weight belt often seems obscured. If carrying an SMB, a couple of torches and a stage, things start to get a bit difficult. For ordinary diving though, this is an ideal, and long-lasting, piece of kit. There is plenty of stowage space in the four front pockets, two on each side. One velcro sealed and one open. For a long time this BC seemed to be the de rigeur of the UK club diver, ... Read review