|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.

Mares Prestige MRS Plus

Features

The Prestige MRS Plus's streamlined appearance conceals a new Cordura 1000 nylon bladder designed to deliver enough lift to handle virtually any sport diving scenario. This jacket-style BC has big shoulder and waist buckles with grab-rings for cinching everything down and extended tabs for easy loosening, even when wearing thick gloves. It offers humongous cargo space with pleated 3-D pockets, and plenty of D-rings to attach additional gear. The MRS Plus integrated weight system provides lots of ballast capacity with a user-friendly load/ditch design. The BC comes in six sizes starting at XXS for those smaller divers who often have trouble finding a BC that fits. Note: the standard Prestige is identical to the Prestige MRS Plus, minus the integrated weight system.

Performance

|Specifications| |---| | Average Subjective Test Score| 4.3| | Dry Weight| 9.5 lbs.| | Buoyant Lift| 45 lbs.| | Inherent Buoyancy| .9 lbs.| | Weight Capacity| 36/10 lbs.| | Price| $500| | www.mares.com|

The Prestige MRS Plus is big on features but simple in its performance, a great combination in our book. Initial set-up is a snap. Weight pouches are positioned forward making them very easy to load while wearing the BC, and even easier to ditch. We rated it one of the most comfortable jacket-style BCs in this review, with efficient adjustments and ample padding, yet it was the only General Purpose BC to register less than a pound of inherent buoyancy. At depth, the snug fit translates into a very secure, stable ride with no hint of tank wobble or rig shifting. The Ergo power inflator is slim with prominent buttons for responsive buoyancy control, and thoughtfully routed remote exhaust valve pull cords are easy to find. The pleated cargo pockets offer excellent access with forward-reaching zipper closures and excellent storage capacity.

Bottom Line

The Prestige MRS Plus is one of our two favorite BCs in this use category. It offers the comfort and stability of a high-lift jacket-style BC without the bulkiness. The MRS Plus weight system is one of the best integrated ballast systems in this go-round; it's definitely worth the extra $75 over the standard Prestige.

|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| |