Tusa Conquest
| 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.
Tusa Conquest
Features
The big story with Tusa's Conquest is its new 3D air cell made of 840/420 denier nylon. Its hybrid design delivers some serious lift capacity, along with the stability benefits of a jacket design, but with virtually no bulk. The BC features Tusa's independent harness system, an enhanced lumbar backpad for maximum comfort, and a depth-compensating cummerbund for a snug fit. It's loaded with pockets and pouches and festooned with D-rings and grommets galore. It comes with a secure integrated weight system, rear trim pouches, a stylishly slim power inflator and three remote dump valves.
Performance
| Specifications |
|---|
| Average Subjective Test Score| 3.7 |
| Dry Weight| 9.5 lbs. |
| Buoyant Lift| 50 lbs. |
| Inherent Buoyancy| 4 lbs. |
| Weight Capacity| 24/8 lbs. |
| Price| $549 |
| www.tusa.com |
The depth-compensating cummerbund, two-position sternum strap and the shoulder-width adjustments offered by the harness system virtually guarantee a snug fit with the Conquest. A bunch of padding ramps up the comfort but also creates excessive inherent buoyancy; we measured four pounds, more than any BC in this review. There are six cargo pockets but virtually none of them offer much in the way of cargo capacity, due either to their size or their proximity to the weight pouches. The exception is the drop-down mesh pocket, which is large and offers good access. Testers found the Conquest's integrated weight system a bit complicated when compared to others in this go-round, however, once properly loaded the system secures with double-lock buckles and ditches easily. It delivers a stable ride at depth, has a finger friendly inflator and offers a relaxing floating position on the surface.
Bottom Line
Lots of lift without lots of bulk. Comfortable too, but we found the complexity of the integrated weight system annoying and four pounds of inherent buoyancy unacceptable.
| 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.
Tusa Conquest
Features
The big story with Tusa's Conquest is its new 3D air cell made of 840/420 denier nylon. Its hybrid design delivers some serious lift capacity, along with the stability benefits of a jacket design, but with virtually no bulk. The BC features Tusa's independent harness system, an enhanced lumbar backpad for maximum comfort, and a depth-compensating cummerbund for a snug fit. It's loaded with pockets and pouches and festooned with D-rings and grommets galore. It comes with a secure integrated weight system, rear trim pouches, a stylishly slim power inflator and three remote dump valves.
Performance
|Specifications| |---| | Average Subjective Test Score| 3.7| | Dry Weight| 9.5 lbs.| | Buoyant Lift| 50 lbs.| | Inherent Buoyancy| 4 lbs.| | Weight Capacity| 24/8 lbs.| | Price| $549| | www.tusa.com|The depth-compensating cummerbund, two-position sternum strap and the shoulder-width adjustments offered by the harness system virtually guarantee a snug fit with the Conquest. A bunch of padding ramps up the comfort but also creates excessive inherent buoyancy; we measured four pounds, more than any BC in this review. There are six cargo pockets but virtually none of them offer much in the way of cargo capacity, due either to their size or their proximity to the weight pouches. The exception is the drop-down mesh pocket, which is large and offers good access. Testers found the Conquest's integrated weight system a bit complicated when compared to others in this go-round, however, once properly loaded the system secures with double-lock buckles and ditches easily. It delivers a stable ride at depth, has a finger friendly inflator and offers a relaxing floating position on the surface.
Bottom Line
Lots of lift without lots of bulk. Comfortable too, but we found the complexity of the integrated weight system annoying and four pounds of inherent buoyancy unacceptable.
|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| |
