Aquatec Atlas BCD - any good?

[ha5mth]

Hi
Ive been having a look for BCD's on ebay, and i keep coming accross the atlas aquatec (i think its made by northen divers).

Seems like a good price for what you get.... but im just not sure about it.

I war wondering if anyone on the forum has used this BCD and if so was it any good?

Cheers
Matt

[RonProwse]

Brought one for my son as he needed something with integrated weights and this fitted the bill, he used the BC in Sharm last month and we very happy with it. The version we have includes a scuba horn which is LOAD! Over all a good value budget BC

[Richard Mason]

Originally Posted by ha5mth

Hi
Ive been having a look for BCD's on ebay, and i keep coming accross the atlas aquatec (i think its made by northen divers).

Seems like a good price for what you get.... but im just not sure about it.

I war wondering if anyone on the forum has used this BCD and if so was it any good?

Cheers
Matt

Yes, I have one which my son uses. It's actually an Aquatec Atlas. He finds it very comfortable although I'm not that keen on the integrated wt pockets, you really have to make sure they are in properly, although there is also a clip arrangement to hold them if the velcro should let go. And when the velcro in the pocket let go, this did work very well. (will check this is firmly in next time. I'm just a bit sus of integrated weight systems generally.

Otherwise, it has all the necessary features you'd want in a BC. I have an Apollo Biolift which is almost three times the retail price of the Aquatec Atlas. Now the Biolift appears to be better made than the Aquatec and I think it will probably last longer but it will be perfectly serviceable for a few years at least. The aquatec is also very light so would be good for travelling.

I turfed the integrated inflation mouthpiece and power horn, as the horn kept going off continuously, dumping lots of air. I replaced it with a simple power inflator mouthpiece from LDS.

The backpack is set up for twin cylinders although I have never tried this.

Reasonable value for the price, would be good for a couple of years if you are thinking of upgrading to a wing at a later date.

We've been pretty happy with ours.


Richard M.

[ha5mth]

Hmmm sounds promising....

i think i'll take the plunge....

I'll let you know how i get on

[ha5mth]

Well i've taken the bcd out to cyprus for a weeks diving and also a day trip in swanage.

Have to say im very happy with the purchase, works well, comfortable and the integrated weights are fine, i also quite liked the horn on it. Makes a funny "quack" sound

I agree with what richard says in that its resonable value for the price. I think its a fairly sturdy piece of kit, probably wont last as long as some of the more expensive BCD's out there, but it is just right for my current budget.

I'd recomend it to anyone who wants a BCD with integrated weights but doesn't want to break the bank.

[Gez Ward]

Made in Taiwan similar to other branded makes has CE cert we are told, not sure about the guarantee?
but good value for money.

[Richard Mason]

Originally Posted by ha5mth

Well i've taken the bcd out to cyprus for a weeks diving and also a day trip in swanage.

Have to say im very happy with the purchase, works well, comfortable and the integrated weights are fine, i also quite liked the horn on it. Makes a funny "quack" sound

I agree with what richard says in that its resonable value for the price. I think its a fairly sturdy piece of kit, probably wont last as long as some of the more expensive BCD's out there, but it is just right for my current budget.

I'd recomend it to anyone who wants a BCD with integrated weights but doesn't want to break the bank.

Good, glad you were happy with it. I notice that Northern Diver sell them too, they include an "Instructions" pdf file on their website, so they can't be too bad. What did you pay? Ours cost AU$300, or about 120 pounds sterling.

[ha5mth]

It cost 135 (i think) pounds sterling on ebay.

The guy who sold it to me said he imports them for northern divers form the manufacturer in taiwan. Apparently ND sew on their name on to it somewhere, then charge a bit more.

Dunno if what he said was true, but it works and i've no complaints.

[Richard Mason]

Originally Posted by ha5mth

It cost 135 (i think) pounds sterling on ebay.

The guy who sold it to me said he imports them for northern divers form the manufacturer in taiwan. Apparently ND sew on their name on to it somewhere, then charge a bit more.

Dunno if what he said was true, but it works and i've no complaints.

I'd say he is right. Ours doesn't have ND on it. Also, after I bought ours on e-bay, I was pretty happy with it (my current BCD was then an old Aqualung thing, very basic & pretty uncomfortable) so the next one that came up, I successfully bid on.

Didn't hear anything for a while, I was just starting to get anxious when the seller contacted me, told me he was out of stock in my size and would refund or offer me an Apollo Biolift, but without the Apollo logo on it, for the same price. Biolifts retail here at just under $AU1000, so for $AU295 paid, I was very pleased with the deal. Dunno if I'd have paid a grand for it though.

When it arrived, it had his logo on it....something-else-"lift"....can't remember exactly - labels don't interest me.

This bloke told me (I know, almost as bad as "the bloke in the pub says") that he buys them all from same factory, he imports them directly into Aus and that depending which batch and which country it's going to, they'll put a particular logo on it at the end of the process.

Remember to keep a close eye on the security of the velcro pocket liner and double check that it's secure once you hit the water. I'd be inclined to use lead sheeting rather than ingots as I think it's the lumpiness of the ingots which can affect the strength of the velcro grip.


Richard M.

[pete taylor]

It was either the 'scubapro t one' or the atlas, went for the atlas because it had more stuff on it, Have sea dived and quarry dived in the UK with it and it is fantastic, easily as good as any of the BCDs I used whilst training, loads of lift, dead comfortable and the weight pouches disapear easily if you decide to go down the weight belt route (easier when rib diving)
go for it, got mine in Bristol for £150

would say that the majority of lift is under the arms, can be annoying