17 New BCs Tested and Reviewed By ScubaLab
In the latest scuba diving gear review from ScubaLab, we tested 18 new BCs to measure their buoyant lift, inherent buoyancy and its ability to prevent uncontrolled ascents underwater. After that, a team of divers went into the field to test the scuba diving equipment based on categories including comfort, ease of use, stability and functionality. Select your style of BC below, and find out which ones performed the best — plus the best gear at the lowest price.
Jon WhittleBetter Buoy
We put 18 BCs to the test in our latest ScubaLab Gear Review to find the best BC for you. Separated in 4 categories, these BCs were put through a series of objective and ergonomic tests to provide the most unbiased results in the industry.
How We Test BCs
ERGONOMIC TESTING
Testing was conducted at Blue Grotto Dive Resort in Williston, Florida, by a team of test divers equipped with underwater slates. Divers recorded their observations about each BC’s performance, and assigned scores from 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor) in each of the following categories:
| CATEGORY | CRITERIA |
|---|---|
| Assembly | Ease and security of tank and hose attachments |
| Loading Weights | Ease of loading integrated-weight system |
| Comfort and Adjustability | Both in and out of the water |
| Attitude and Stability | Control and security in swim, vertical and other positions |
| Cargo Pockets | Access, closures and capacity |
| Valve Operation | Inflating by power and manual inflator, and exhausting with all dump valves |
| Ascent Control | Ability to maintain proper ascent rate and attitude |
| Surface Floating | Comfort and security at the surface |
| Ditching Weights | Ability to drop weights quickly and easily without fear of accidental ditching |
You can see pictures from the in-water tests here.
The most important factors for test divers were stable harnesses with good adjustments, hassle-free weight systems, and smooth inflation and exhaust valves
OBEJECTIVE TESTING
We conducted three in-water tests on each BC to measure criteria important to performance and safety.
Flow-Rate Test
We tested the ability of each BC’s exhaust system to prevent uncontrolled ascent in the event of a stuck power inflator. At 10 feet of depth, each BC was loaded with 20 percent of the manufacturer’s claimed buoyant lift, and held upright while the power inflator and left upper exhaust were simultaneously activated for 20 seconds. Industry standards require that at the conclusion, for obvious safety reasons, at least one valve should exhaust rapidly enough that the BC remains negatively buoyant. All BCs in this year’s test met that requirement.
Buoyant Lift
Each BC (size medium unless otherwise noted) was fully inflated while mounted upright to a neutrally buoyant bucket. The bucket was then weighted until the BC would not support another pound without sinking.
Inherent Buoyancy
Each BC was submerged and air was removed from air cell, pockets, padding, etc. Weights were then added in half-pound increments until the BC sank.
Jon WhittleZeagle's first-jacket style BC is our Tester's Choice for this category.
Zeagle Halo
Zeagle has made a name with rugged, tech-y back-inflation BCs. But in its first at-bat in [jacket BCs](Zeagle Halo){rel=nofollow}, they’ve hit a home run with the Halo, which brings everything we liked about Zeagle back-inflates into a comfortable, and capable wraparound BC. The harness has loads of adjustability, and the two-strap tank attachment makes the soft back plate rock-solid stable. Seven stainless D-rings and two zippered cargo pockets (nearly 10 inches deep) offer a place for everything. The Ripcord integrated weights are a pain to rethread if you ever dump them, but the single release has a hook-and-loop safety strap to make sure it won’t happen by accident. The system earned high scores for easy loading with its red-zippered top access, and when you do ditch your weights, they jump out like they’re spring-loaded. The Halo is the most expensive BC here and one of the heaviest — about 8 pounds in medium — but it’s thoughtfully designed with great attention to detail and ruggedly built of tough materials with a well-finished look and feel. The Halo is our Testers Choice in the Jacket-Style category.
PRICE: $773.95 CONACT: zeagle.com
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Jon WhittleDivers marked this BC with good scores across the board, especially for comfort and stability.
Beuchat Masterlift X-Air Light
The hybrid Masterlift looks like a back-inflate model because of the way the air cell extends past the shoulders of the harness. But with a little air in it, you’ll see that the cell extends into the sides. Inflated with the straps loose it makes a U shape, rather than the split-fish form of most jackets; that makes for a comfortable fit (even more so because of the curved, soft back plate). The air cell is large, but it has a streamlined shape and trim straps above the shoulders. The Masterlift earned very good scores across the board, with divers particularly praising the big, white exhaust-valve pulls and the weight system, which uses hook-and-loop safety flaps as well as pull-to-release buckles. The zippered cargo pockets are roomy and accessible, the double metal tank buckles are easy to cinch, and trim weight pockets are easy-loading. Above all, divers liked the Masterlift’s solid, stable comfort.
PRICE: $639 CONTACT: beuchat-diving.com
Jon WhittleThis jacket-style BC is great for a beginning diver.
Genesis Drift
Designed as an entry-level jacket, the Drift has a good range of adjustability, including a cummerbund that self-adjusts at depth. Padding is minimal, but divers only noticed that out of the water, and the payoff is less than 1½ pounds of inherent buoyancy in the Drift, despite being the lightest BC in its category. There’s no right-shoulder exhaust or shoulder D-rings, but there are several clips and snap attachments mounted on it. It accepts Akona’s BC Pro Kit, and there’s a right-side cargo pocket. The weight system uses top-loading weight pockets that release with a pull of the knob hanging below. Divers rated the weight-loading very good, though some felt the right-side knob could be mistaken for the dump valve. But the knobs hang about 7 inches apart and have distinctly different sizes and shapes; it seems unlikely a diver would mistake them once familiar with the BC.
PRICE: $415 CONTACT: genesisscuba.com
Jon WhittleThis rugged BC's performance had divers impressed, making it our Best Buy in the jacket-style category.
Mares Prime MRS +
The Prime brings together things test divers liked, including a low-profile left-shoulder exhaust, an ergonomic inflator and a reliable weight system. Its harness earned very good scores for both comfort and stability. That comfort comes despite minimal padding, which contributes to its very low inherent buoyancy. No BC in its category was rated higher for stable surface floating, smooth valve operation, or the ability to ditch weights quickly and surely without fear of accidentally dropping them. It has two very good octo pockets, though just a single aluminum D-ring and a pair of plastic ones, and the zippered cargo pockets are deep, if a little narrow at the top. But it offers ruggedly durable construction and impressive performance that captures everything we look for in a jacket BC, despite having the lowest price in its category. The Mares Prime MRS + is our Best Buy in the Jacket-Style category.
PRICE: $380 CONTACT: mares.com
Jon WhittleThis comfortable, no-nonsense jacket BC can be fitted with optional weight pockets.
Scubapro X-One
The X-One is a no-nonsense jacket with a full back plate and comfortable harness. It’s made with an impressive assortment of materials, such as the nonabsorbent back pad and quick-dry coated mesh for the cummerbund, and lots of heavy-duty, abrasion-resistant materials. We measured less than a ½-pound of inherent buoyancy. It has only three D-rings, but it has very good octo pockets, and cargo pockets that are sizable, although some divers thought the closures interfered with access. Only one of the sizes we tried was fitted with the optional weight pockets, which divers rated good for both loading and ditching. The inflator’s oral inflate/deflate button is on the top rather than the end, a configuration test divers have been split on — we’ve noticed that divers with larger, stronger hands like them better. Divers rated the BC very good for stability and comfort whether at depth or on the surface.
PRICE: $510 CONTACT: scubapro.com
Jon WhittleThis BC was full of clever surprises that divers loved — like a tank-buckle cam that locks when half-closed.
Tusa Conquest II
The Conquest IIis so chock-full of goodies — clever clips, hooks, fastenings and adjustments, and lower exhausts on both left and right — that it took us a while to find them all. But what divers most appreciated was the harness with lots of easy adjustability, and a top-notch anatomical back plate with near-perfect padding. Despite the easy-chairlike comfort, we measured zero inherent buoyancy in the Conquest II. Divers rated it excellent for ease of assembly (thanks in part to the tank-buckle cam that locks when half-closed), for surface-floating position and for ascent control. Divers also liked the new Active Purge Assist, an extra button on the inflator that uses a piston powered by the low-pressure hose to open the left-shoulder exhaust when the button is pressed. It’s a neat feature, although you’ll want to make sure your buddy is familiar with it; ditto for the weight system, which twists to release.
PRICE: $649 CONTACT: tusa.com
Jon WhittleThe SeaBlazer was named a favorite by several divers and offers reliable performance at a reasonable price.
XS Scuba SeaBlazer
The SeaBlazer has a lot of well-thought-out features that impressed test divers, several of whom named it one of their favorites. It tied the top score for stability thanks to a harness with a very good range of adjustability, although some divers felt it was sized a little small, opting for a size larger than usual. The inflator and exhausts are of conventional design but worked smoothly, tying the top score for valve operation. The weight pockets load easily and release predictably, earning a very good score for reliable ditching. While the cargo pockets weren’t the largest, they’re wider at the back, so they don’t get tight when at the surface, and the curved double zipper makes it easy to access their contents without contorting your arms; divers rated the pockets excellent, the highest score in the test. The SeaBlazer also has octo pockets, six aluminum D-rings, and an easy-latching stainless tank buckle. The SeaBlazer showed impressive performance at a reasonable price.
PRICE: $465 CONTACT: xsscuba.com
Jon WhittleDesigned for female divers, this BC was rated highly for fit, comfort, and stability.
Aqua Lung Lotus
The Lotus replaces Aqua Lung’s popular Libra; like its predecessor, the Lotus is designed to better fit women divers. The shoulder straps — mounted with swiveling buckles — are curved for narrower shoulders, the sides of the harness are shaped to fit women’s hips, and the torso is a bit shorter. Female test divers appreciated the effort, rating the Lotus highly for fit, comfort and stability. They also liked the drop-down cargo pockets — something often missing in back-inflation models — as well as the eight D-rings (four stainless and four plastic), the octo pocket, and the hook-and-loop flap on the left side to secure a console hose. The air cell is large but well-managed by a bungee that runs the width of the cell; the low-profile exhaust valves and through-the-harness high-pressure-hose-routing option help keep things streamlined. Divers praised the weight and trim pockets, which can manage a total of 30 pounds.
PRICE: $549 CONTACT: aqualung.com
Jon WhittleOur test divers were so impressed with the Ultralight that it won both Testers Choice and Best Buy in our travel BC category.
Cressi Ultralight
You don’t expect a lot of frills in a travel BC that weighs barely 5 pounds, so no surprise that the Ultralight has just a few plastic D-rings and one drop-down cargo pocket. But when it came to performance, the Ultralight turned out to be a heavyweight. Despite its stripped-down, packable design, with a flexible back plate and single-tank cam band, testers gave it top scores for comfort and stability. It was rock-solid underwater, with no tank wobble or shifting, and divers gave it an excellent score for its surface floating position — not usually a strong point for lightweight back-inflation BCs. More surprising was the Ultralight’s comfort, thanks to nicely shaped and padded shoulder straps and backpad. The integrated weights were a snap to load and release, and the buttons on the ergonomic inflator were in just the right places. And the few frills were well-chosen, like the right shoulder exhaust and the adjustable sternum strap. Along with taking top scores in most categories, the Ultralight was among every test diver’s top two favorites. It is both the Testers Choice and Best Buy in the Travel category.
PRICE: $419.95 CONTACT: cressiusa.com
Jon WhittleThis jacket-style BC can be packed pretty tightly, but it still manages to squeeze in a number of useful features.
Scubapro Go
The jacket-style Go weighs less than 6 pounds and folds up pretty compactly, but it still manages to squeeze in lots of features: integrated weights, a right shoulder exhaust, swivel shoulder buckles, very comfortable cummerbund and a half-dozen aluminum D-rings. Its soft back plate/double tank band configuration was rated excellent for assembly and very good for comfort and stability. Divers scored the Go’s surface-floating position excellent and gave a score of very good to its simple but effective weight system, which uses horizontal pockets that release with a pinch of the buckles. The large, zippered cargo pockets get squeezed a bit with larger loads in the weight pockets but still earned top scores among travel BCs. Stable, comfortable and full of features for a lightweight, foldable jacket, the Go also uses lots of quick-dry and nonabsorbent materials to help ease the hassle of traveling with a BC.
PRICE: $523 CONTACT: scubapro.com
Jon WhittleThis BC has a short back plate that allows you to fold it up tightly for travel.
Seac Trip
This is a full-featured jacket with clever design elements that keep it relatively light — just over 7 pounds — and allow it to pack small for easier travel. Divers gave it very good scores almost across the board (cargo pockets, which divers rated good, get tight quickly once weights are loaded). Some divers found that the short back plate pressed against their lower back on land, but once in the water they found the Trip comfortable and stable. That short back plate lets you fold up the Trip surprisingly small; a handy hook-and-loop strap keeps it in a tight package. Weights load from the top via hook-and-loop flaps, and dump from below by pinching the buckles and giving a firm pull on the bottom hook-and-loop flap. They work well with hard or soft weights and got a very good score. Testers dinged the BC for ease of ditching, however — the bottom pull handle looks like a release, but it won’t ditch without pinching the buckle.
PRICE: $549 CONTACT seacusa.com
Jon WhittleVentura's updated travel BC increases stability without adding more bulk or weight.
Sherwood Scuba Ventura
The Ventura’s update to its backpack increases stability without adding bulk or weight. While better securing the tank, the back plate improves the comfort of the harness and keeps the BC’s weight at about 5 pounds in size medium. It has no cargo pockets and not much in the way of D-rings, but the shoulder straps are nicely padded and shaped, and the lower harness straps are firm and supportive. The harness helped the Ventura tie the top score in its category for comfort. We also liked its rear air cell, which is made of a rugged coated material that doesn’t absorb water. Weights load via a top zipper and drop with a pull of the release knob. The loading design earned top scores, and the release was rated very good, though some divers thought the right-side pull could be located farther from the lower exhaust knob, which is shaped differently from the weight release.
PRICE: $470 CONTACT sherwoodscuba.com
Jon WhittleThe Dimension is our Testers Choice for back-inflation BCs.
Aqua Lung Dimension
This BC’s harness is built around a back plate covered with a soft pad that’s wide at the bottom but narrow at the top; the shoulder straps, secured with swivel buckles, have thin but firm padding, as do the side straps. Together, they offer a comfortable, adjustable, secure fit without restricting movement. To keep things streamlined, it has low-profile exhausts throughout, including on the right shoulder. The air cell has a through-harness routing option for the high-pressure hose, an excellent octo pocket and a hook-and-loop flap to secure a console. Though big enough to provide loads of lift, the air cell is well-controlled by a middle bungee. There are four stainless D-rings and large drop-down cargo pockets on both sides; the right pocket has an interior D-ring to secure gear. The weight system was rated very good for loading and excellent for ditching. The Dimension is our Testers Choice in the Back-Inflation category.
PRICE: $549 CONTACT: aqualung.com
Jon WhittleThis back-inflate can be trimmed down to create a capable travel BC.
Mares Hybrid Pro Tec
This is a rugged, modular, everything-including-the-kitchen-sink BC. The star of the show is the excellent harness with a suspension system that keeps your lower back from touching anything but the comfy lumbar support. A depth-compensating cummerbund, plush upper-back padding, and perfectly shaped and padded shoulder straps complete a harness that one diver described as “comfortable as an easy chair.” It’s rock-solid, with divers giving it an excellent score for stability in any attitude. There are cargo pockets, ditchable weight pockets for up to 26 pounds (size medium and up), boatloads of lift and 10 aluminum D-rings. It also has enough inherent buoyancy that divers noticed it, and it’s chunky, at nearly 10 pounds. But the backpack folds, and the vest with the weight and cargo pockets and most of the D-rings can be detached in minutes to trim about 4 pounds, creating a capable travel BC.
PRICE: $680 CONTACT mares.com
Jon WhittleDivers loved this BC's easy-to-use integrated weight-system.
Seac Nick
“Perfect,” “awesome” and “magic” were the words divers used to describe the Nick’s integrated-weight system. The locking mechanism is on the outside where it’s easy to load and secure, but it’s thin and streamlined to keep out of the way. The lock clicks securely into place and ditches reliably with a tug of the handle. Divers rated the system excellent for both loading and ditching. Unfortunately the sample we tried was available only in size large, but the harness had good adjustability and nice lumbar support, and divers rated it very good for comfort and stability. The Nick has six stainless D-rings and drop-down cargo pockets on both sides that are big enough to be useful, but the hook-and-loop closures secure only the middles of the openings, so smaller gear could slip out. The inflator worked well, but the mouthpiece — while angled for good access — is rock-hard. The big air cell provides mega lift, but a good bungee system keeps it well-contained.
PRICE: $599 CONTACT: seacusa.com
Jon WhittleThis back-inflate's harness provides divers with an unrestricted range of motion.
XS Scuba Phantom
With its narrow back and compact waist, the Phantom’s harness provides unrestricted range of motion. Divers rated it excellent for ease of setup thanks to the stainless buckle that makes for simple cinching of the tank band. Even though the soft back plate is thin, it’s stiffened by the strap arrangement once a tank is attached, and the back pad has good lumbar padding. That helped it earn very good scores for comfort and stability. The straps have so much adjustability that the Phantom covers small to large in just two sizes, but some divers found that the somewhat stiff straps were a little tough to pull through the buckles. There are seven aluminum D-rings, and the cargo pockets are a useful size, though they get tighter as weight loads are increased. The weight system is easy to load and secure, and ditches reliably. Weighing less than 5 pounds, the compact Phantom also makes an attractive travel option.
PRICE: $440 CONTACT: xsscuba.com
Jon WhittleThis modular BC allows you to easily customize your harness.
OMS IQ Backpack
This modular BC allows you to mix and match components. We paired the backpack with a 32-pound-lift Performance Mono Wing and cambands. The soft backpack, which also works with double tanks, can hold an optional back plate that slips into a pocket between the pack and the wing, but we tried it solo. Divers rated it very good for comfort and stability. The harness has a wide range of adjustability and enough padding for comfort without adding inherent buoyancy, while the dual tank bands provide a secure framework. As with most tec-oriented backpacks, there are no pockets but plenty of stainless D-rings. What it didn’t have was a pull dump on the inflator (which sat a little far back for several divers); the only other exhaust, on the lower left, was positioned in a way that sometimes required shifting around to thoroughly exhaust the big air cell. Weighing under 8 pounds in our test configuration, the IQ Backpack/Performance Mono Wing could also travel easily.
PRICE: $539 for system as tested CONTACT: omsdive.com
Click here for more information about the BCs in the test.
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