Do you get what you pay for
Sea Sponge	Do the forum members thing that when it comes to BCD's you get what you pay for? In other words do I need to pay about £450-£500 for a BCD that will suit me diving UK waters?
ian.wood0	You may have already bought yourself a BC by now but if you havn,t there is definately no need to spend a fortune on any equipment unless what you look like is a priority. On the other hand do not go for the cheapest on the market. look for somthing in the price range of £250 - £350. Try a few on see which one is best for your size and shape if you have the chance try friends out in the pool. Look at the features, does it have enough D rings for the type of diving you are planning, is there adequate lift, are the pockets big enough. Any reputable shop will help you on these points. Hope this helps a little, Ian
Sea Sponge	Thanks for the reply Ian. I haven’t purchased yet, I did want a weight integrated BC but am a bit put off by articles I have read suggesting the Velcro fastenings for the weights is not very durable and can lead to them slipping out, a bit of a sobering thought.
Phil B	IMHO the 'dodgy velcro' is a bit of an urban myth. I use a Seaquest pro qd+ and find the weights very secure - which is more than I can say for a lot of rental weight belts I've used! Just make sure they are properly affixed as part of your pre-dive check and you should be fine. Safe Diving Phil
Sea Sponge	Thanks Phil, I have talked to a lot of divers now and have not come across anyone who has had a problem with the Velcro on weight integrated BCD’s but many have heard of a friend of a friend having lost there weights on a dive. Your reference to urban myth strikes me as true. I had my doubts, in these days of instant litigation I could not see manufacturers like Scuba Pro and its ilk continuing to turn them out if this was a problem.
markscuba	hi me and my buddy have just purchased B.C.D S we went for a scuba pro glide 2000.it has intergrated weights with buckles not velcro it fits very nice and when fully inflated it does not squeeze you in the chest area like many bcds we have tried.it has 4 air dumps and lots of rings for hanging bits on we looked in many shops in london and could only find it for about £370 so we searched the internet and found it on www.scubastore.com for £242 + £20 delivery it arrived 3 days later by D.H.L and is perfect and by saving £108 we purchased scubapro split fins as well for less than we would have paid for just a bcd.if i was you go into a few shops and try on some bcd`s then remember the make and model then try the website and see how much we get ripped off in this country.hope this answers a few questions dive safe mark{sharky}barry
Sea Sponge	I am swaying towards a ScubaPro Glide 2000. Has anyone got one of these and do you think you made a wise choice, would you buy something different if you were offered a full refund on your Glide 2000.
STEVE	I have a Cressi Safety 109. The weight pockets have velcro fastenings but the weights enter from the top of the pocket so you have to release the velcro and lift a complete inner pouch containing the weights out. Unless you are upside-down then the weights aren't going anywhere without your assistance. They need a good pull to get them out anyway. The other nice bit about the Cressi is that it also has weight pockets at the top of the jacket so you can distrubute the weights about yourself should you wish to fine tune your attitude in the water. Hope that helps. Steve. Never test the depth of the water with both feet!
STEVE	Forgot to add. I was going to buy the ScubraPro glide 2000, but my local shop recommended the Cressi as a better BCD and slightly cheaper. Steve. Never test the depth of the water with both feet!