|May 09 Scuba Lab Quick Links| |---| |General Purpose BCs| |---| | BARE Blackjack| BARE Blackwing| | BARE Voodoo| Mares Prestige MRS Plus| | SCUBAPRO Glide Pro| Tusa Conquest| | Zeagle Ranger LTD| | |Dual Purpose BCs| |---| | Aeris 5 Oceans| Cressi Aquaride| | Oceanic Cruz| SCUBAPRO Equator| | Cressi Travelight| Cressi Light Jac| |True Travel BCs| |---| | Zeagle Zeus| |

General Purpose BCs

General Purpose BCs offer lots of buoyant lift and integrated weight systems that can accommodate the ballast needed when using thick wetsuits or drysuits. They are usually appointed with generous pockets, D-rings, and grommets for attaching a variety of accessories. Features and comfort commonly rate higher in priority than dry weight, so as a group they tend to be the heaviest BCs on the market.

SCUBAPRO Glide Pro

Features

The Glide Pro is only slightly different from the original Glide. It's constructed of a more durable 420 denier nylon, it offers a modified cut in the shoulders for a more contoured fit and increased comfort, and it now has grommets in case you want to attach a knife. Beyond that, this jacket-style BC still features the same time-proven velvety soft neck roll and comfy back pad, large zippered cargo pockets, a small cummerbund pouch, and half-dozen stainless-steel D-rings. The integrated weight system securely stows plenty of ballast for temperate water conditions, and, oh yeah, it's one of only two BCs in this review that's offered in six sizes.

Performance

|Specifications| |---| | Average Subjective Test Score| 4.7| | Dry Weight| 9 lbs.| | Buoyant Lift| 36 lbs.| | Inherent Buoyancy| 2.25 lbs.| | Weight Capacity| 20/10 lbs.| | Price| $599; $721 with Air2| | www.scubapro.com|

What do you change when you have a BC that already hits all the marks? Thankfully, very little. The Glide has long been known as a dependable, no-nonsense jacket-style BC. So Scubapro didn't want to mess with success-just dial in a little more durability and comfort. And it paid off. The Glide Pro offers a very familiar, secure fit, enhanced by swivel buckles that allow shoulder straps to conform under your arms. Combined with a wider than most depth-compensating cummerbund and padded shoulders that cushion the weight of the load, you get a comfortable BC that snugs right down on you. This contributes to the excellent stability you get with the Glide Pro at depth. The two big cargo pockets are well positioned for easy access, and the small pocket on the cummerbund turns out to be just right for a bottle of defog. You can easily self-load the integrated weight system while wearing the Glide Pro. Once locked in, testers considered it the most secure weight system going, although the ditching procedure requires squeezing the buckles before pulling pouches--rather than just pulling pouches like on most mechanical weight systems. It's easy to do, you just have to be familiar with the system.

Bottom Line

The Glide Pro shares the stage with the Prestige MRS Plus as one of our favorite BCs in this use category. Comfortable, stable at depth, with a great valve system that delivers excellent ascent control. It carries more inherent buoyancy than we'd like, but for all the upside, we can live with that.

|Quick Links| |---| |General Purpose BCs| |---| | BARE Blackjack| BARE Blackwing| | BARE Voodoo| Mares Prestige MRS Plus| | SCUBAPRO Glide Pro| Tusa Conquest| | Zeagle Ranger LTD| | |Dual Purpose BCs| |---| | Aeris 5 Oceans| Cressi Aquaride| | Oceanic Cruz| SCUBAPRO Equator| | Cressi Travelight| Cressi Light Jac| |True Travel BCs| |---| | Zeagle Zeus| |