No piece of dive gear needs to multi-task more than a Buoyancy Compensator. It has to secure tank, hoses and accessories. It must support weight pouches and cargo pockets and still maintain a streamlined profile. It has to enable you to safely control your ascents and descents, and afford relatively comfortable surface flotation. That’s a tall order. Clearly, no one BC can hit all the marks for all divers in all diving conditions. But if you can identify where you spend most of your wet-time, it’s not so hard to find a BC with your name on it.
When it comes to a lightweight BC designed for travel, it’s hard to beat the Air Travel. no surprise, it earned the Testers’ Choice in the Travel category.
Voted Testers’ Choice in this category, the Axis delivers the functions, features and performance most coveted in a streamlined general-purpose back- buoyancy BC without unnecessary bells and whistles.
This year’s Testers’ Choice winner in the jacket-style category is a comfortable and stable BC with a good weight system, efficient valves, and a long list of convenience features.
Divers looking for an entry-level BC that’s well appointed and performs admirably — and doesn’t cost a lot of money — will be drawn to Prime MRS. It nails the important stuff at a good price, earning it the Best Buy award.
The ScubaLab 2013 testing season is in full swing. Our latest category: Buoyancy Compensators.





