I'm going to purchase a new BC soon and I've narrowed it down to either the Oceanic Probe or the Mares Vector 1000.

The Probe is pretty new but I've been hearing good reviews on it.  The Mares has been around for a long time and is very well regarded (I've heard that a number of militaries around the globe use them).

Anyone have any experience with these two?  I've thought about going to a back-inflated design but decided against it.

I cant help you..  I still use a Horseshoe tank mount used by the seals about 40 years ago I think.  Of coarse my double hose sea hunt regulator style is out of date too, but I get great underwater PICS with the bubbles behind me. Good luck [:)]

I had a Mares Vector Pro and it was a good bc.  If you think you'll ever want to venture into technical diving, then I would recommend a Zeagle Ranger.  It's a wings bladder, twin tank compatible (with twin tank kit) integral weightbelt (works great).  I simply prefer a wings bladder to a vest type.  

The Ranger is not a true tech rig, but is a great all around bc.  It'll do more and it will give you more capabilities to expand into other aspects of diving.

I simply got bored with looking a coral reefs and fish.  Wreck and Deep diving are the dive du jour for me now.

I'm a lobster grabber, and the best lobsters to be grabbed are on wrecks.  I'm not going to venture into the tec world anytime soon, though.  

I've looked at both bc's and I'm probably going to go with the Probe.  It's pretty new but it looks very sturdy.  

Hey guys...

Can anyone give me the low down on BC's?

I'm about a thrid of the way through a scuba class right now.  So in other words I'm pretty much clueless.  What's the difference in features, performance, and cost between a technical BC (as IYAOYAS467 puts it) and a recreational rig?

I don't know that I'll be doing anything more than the basic recreational diving on reefs but if the price difference isn't that huge I'd go with the model with the best performance and featureset for a reasonable price. I absolutely hate having to buying things a second time!

Thanks for the input....

Tech rigs usually are back inflation and have many more D rings and more lift capability for carrying more gear.  Tech rigs are usually alot more not just $50 more.  That's on average though and if you spend some time shopping on ebay, you might just possibly get yourself a good deal on a tech bc but I wouldn't hold my breathe.  From what it sounds like, a standard recreational bc will do you just fine.  I've owned a Mares rig for a few years now and love it and I got a damn good deal off ebay.  Check out [url]www.scubadiving.com/gear.com[/url] before you buy anything.  They have gear reviews on just about any product on the market.  And also, just my opinion, I wouldn't buy anything new and anything I bought off ebay, I would have it fully tested before I trust my life with it.

Keving67

Zeagle Ranger all the way.

For Tech and Wreck, I'm using a Mares Syncro Tech.
Good bouyancy control, Lift, and bottom dumps as well, the only drawback IMHO is the way the integrated weights are secured.