PSDarchives.lgsbcd

LGS BCD

1-13-03

IAM LOOKING FOR ANY FEED BACK GOOD OR BAD REGARDING THE LIFEGUARD SYSTEM B.C.

IS THE LIFT EQUAL AND DOES IT REALLY FLOAT YOU FACE UP?
DO THE PONY BOTTLES STAY IN THE POCKETS?
DO THE PONY BOTTLES COME OUT QUICK AND EASY?
DOES IT SECURE TIGHT TO YOUR PRIMARY TANK?

OUR TEAM IS LOOKING FOR A BETTER SYSTEM FOR DEPLOYING THE PONY BOTTLES AND SWITCHING FROM AGA TO SCUBA MASK. CURENTLY WE HAVE A QUICK RELEASE SYSTEM THAT IS CLOSE TO IMPOSSIBLE TO UNCLIP THE BOTTLE WITH GLOVES ON.
ANY INFO WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

DAN GILDEA
OXNARD, CALIFORNIA
POLICE/FIRE DIVE TEAM

1-13-03

I have been diving (both recreational and PSD) with the LGS BC for about 7
years. Here are some comments on your questions -

IS THE LIFT EQUAL AND DOES IT REALLY FLOAT YOU FACE UP?
Frankly, I am not sure what you mean "is the lift egual" if you mean left
and right, i.e., does it twist me around, the answer is no. It does float
me face up, especially with a full tank. I have not really noticed what it
does with a tank below 1000 psi, I don't get to that point much. It has a
lot of bouyancy.

DO THE PONY BOTTLES STAY IN THE POCKETS?
Yes. Never lost one. Been in all kinds of shit water, currents, snags etc.

DO THE PONY BOTTLES COME OUT QUICK AND EASY?
Yes, while it seem that if they stay in so well that they would be hard to
get out. They are not. I have looked at several other systems on the
market and have found that they are expensive and I suspect they would be
difficult to work with especially when you need it the most - black water
when things are going bad. In no vis you know where it is. I can reach back
and pull the bottle myself to hand it off or an entangled diver can easily
locate it and access it.

DOES IT SECURE TIGHT TO YOUR PRIMARY TANK?
The attachment is the same as on many other BCs. Generally, I don't have a
problem. I will admit that if I am not careful I have had an occasional
problem with the tank sliding out. But, that is the same situation that
arises with any fabric band device. There are two ways to avoid the
problem. Either be careful about snugging it up tight or wet the band in
the water before you snug it. Both work well and eliminate any problem.
Generally, I leave my gear set up and when I do that it works fine.

The vest works very well. It has lots of pockets if you are interested in
carrying gear. I strongly recommend the LGS BC for PSD work. However,
while I use it for recreational diving because I am two cheap to buy another
one. It is heavy and a bit bulky. I don't need alot of the advantages it
provides when I am out doing recreational diving, like the extra floatation
or the zillions of pockets. I am not into techical diving so I don't use
two pony tanks. If I had the money for a seperate recreational vest I would
probably go for something nice and simple, light and with a minimal profile.

Hope this helps.

Tom Gerard

1-13-03

The LGS pony bottle harness has a quick release that releases easily with up
to 7mm gloves. Our dive team is in the process of outfitting the entire
unit. We are a volunteer unit so the process is slow and paid for
individually. We have not tried or seen the BC.

Jeff Bueno
ALCO Sheriff's Office
Underwater Recovery Unit 11

1-14-03

No complaints about the Team LGS BC here, we dive monthly and have been using them for 8+ years, no problems.

Keith Mahoney
Chief Diver/Swift Water
Stony Point Fire Department

1-14-03

Dan,
Our team has used the LifeGuard Systems B.C. for four years now I have used
it in salt and fresh water and can say without hesitation tha it is the best
BC I have ever used either for general recreation or public safety
applications. Our team has several LGS B.C.'s and we use them in all
weather; under ice and in the heat of the summer. I have never had hardware
freeze up or stick even when covered in mud, sand or vegitation. It floats
me face up even with a light tank With a child sized maniquin in my arms it
floats me roughly vertical. The vest inflates all the way around and is
comfortable even when fully inflated. The pony bottles fit snug in the
pockets but come out easily when pulled. We use 19cf. pony bottles and they
are a fraction larger in diameter than the smaller ones. We practice out of
air emergencies regularly and have never had a problem getting the bottles
out. I have used 72cf. up through super 80cf tanks and have never had a
problem with the tank slipping. I think as long as the tank is secured well
when it is mounted it won't slip.

Lt. Jeff Warrick
Team Leader
Boone Co. WRT
Lebanon, IN

1-16-03

Our team purchased 18 of the LGS Public Safety BCD's several years ago. We have used them continuously under all kinds of dive conditions including ice, current and debris filled black water. We have dove them to 130', dragged them over zebra mussel encrustations, submerged vehicles, aircraft and boats, through fuel leaks and in and out of boats repeatedly. All of our BCDs are set up to dive at all times and are carrying pony bottles. Through all of this we have had excellent performance. We have certainly had some of the problems that you would expect from any BCD including an occasional broken zipper or leaking bladder seam, etc., but considering the number of units and the use they receive, we have been very satisfied. In addition to the quality, I'd like to commend LGS on the service that we received after our purchase. When we did occasionally experience a problem, Butch, Andrea and Brian were all very helpful in helping us get our equipment taken care of and back in service. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for any PSD application.

Captain Darryl Braley
Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office
Water Emergency Team
Mayville, New York

1-16-03

The LGS BC is an outstanding BC for what we do.. As a side note, if you are
switching to AGA's have you considered rigging your pony as a bailout system
tied directly into the AGA? We use it that way and added an additional male
fitting inline so we can plug in an umbilical and surface supply the diver
if need be... You can make the DCS system for that very cheaply and have an
emergency air system on scene to deliver to the diver in case of entrapment.
Just a thought..

Art Oates
Houston PD

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Phone: 845-657-5544

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