Wearing this BC at depth just feels good. It’s comfortable and stable, with good valve control and substantial buoyant lift in all sizes for temperate-water diving.

The EX100 is a lightweight all-purpose BC that offers all the basics plus throws in some nice extras, all for the lowest price of any BC in the General Purpose category.

ScubaLab tells you what to expect from what might be the best year ever for new and improved BCs

Tilos’ back-bouyancy Armada BC is targeted to the traveling diver, but it has enough ballast capacity and buoyant lift for local diving too.

You get a lot of BC with IST’s J-1200 Hydro D. This full-featured, light weight, back inflation BC is constructed of rugged 840 denier nylon with a harness system that can be easily adjusted to provide a personalized fit.

Aqua Lung’s Zuma is a featherweight back-buoyancy BC designed for travel. It packs so compactly you can easily fit it into a carry-on bag.

The traditional tec BC is a metal backplate, an air cell — also called a wing — and a harness made from 2-inch webbing.

IST Sports’ J-1000 Alpha is a full-featured, all-purpose BC. During ScubaLab’s 2010 BC tests, the Alpha earned big points with test divers for its ultra-compact yet responsive power inflator, and its overall valve system.

For the traveling diver who demands a high performance travel BC.