BARE Blackjack
| May 09 Scuba Lab Quick Links |
|---|
| General Purpose BCs |
| --- |
| BARE Blackjack| BARE Blackwing |
| BARE Voodoo| Mares Prestige MRS Plus |
| SCUBAPRO Glide Pro| Tusa Conquest |
| Zeagle Ranger LTD| |
| Dual Purpose BCs |
| --- |
| Aeris 5 Oceans| Cressi Aquaride |
| Oceanic Cruz| SCUBAPRO Equator |
| Cressi Travelight| Cressi Light Jac |
| True Travel BCs |
| --- |
| Zeagle Zeus| |
General Purpose BCs
General Purpose BCs offer lots of buoyant lift and integrated weight systems that can accommodate the ballast needed when using thick wetsuits or drysuits. They are usually appointed with generous pockets, D-rings, and grommets for attaching a variety of accessories. Features and comfort commonly rate higher in priority than dry weight, so as a group they tend to be the heaviest BCs on the market.
BARE Blackjack
Features
The Blackjack is the quintessential full-featured jacket-style BC. It's made of rugged 1000 denier Cordura nylon and includes a fully padded hard backpack with molded carry handle, making it easy to heft on land and stable in the water. The range of adjustment is huge, with lengthy waist and shoulder straps and an easily adjustable cummerbund. A two-position sternum strap with double pulls allows you to fit it over or under a dry suit valve. You'll have no trouble finding a place to put all your goodies with two large cargo pockets, a couple small accessory compartments that are perfect for a light or signal tube, and a mini zip pouch on the cummerbund. On top of all this, just about anywhere you look you'll find stainless steel D-rings or mounting grommets for attaching additional gear.
Performance
| Specifications |
|---|
| Average Subjective Test Score| 3.9 |
| Dry Weight| 9.5 lbs. |
| Buoyant Lift| 44 lbs. |
| Inherent Buoyancy| 2 lbs. |
| Weight Capacity| 30/10 lbs. |
| Price| $500 |
| www.baresports.com |
Wide-cut padded shoulders bear the weight of a fully-loaded rig nicely. At depth, where the bulkiness of the jacket-style design is barely noticeable, the Blackjack creates a comfortable swimming attitude. Ascents and descents are efficiently controlled with a somewhat clunky power inflator. This is one of only two BCs reviewed where all three heads-up methods of deflation were able to keep pace with a stuck inflate button. The weight pouches are a bit difficult to load while wearing the BC because the buckles are located slightly back, and while they are hidden beneath the cargo pocket the base of the pocket opens with Velcro to reveal the buckle. However, large handles located well-forward make ditching the pouches a snap. Cargo pockets are also positioned forward, offering good access and plenty of storage capacity.
Bottom Line
The Blackjack was our favorite BC of the BARE line. It offers a snug and stable fit, excellent valve performance and generous cargo carrying capability.
| Quick Links |
|---|
| General Purpose BCs |
| --- |
| BARE Blackjack| BARE Blackwing |
| BARE Voodoo| Mares Prestige MRS Plus |
| SCUBAPRO Glide Pro| Tusa Conquest |
| Zeagle Ranger LTD| |
| Dual Purpose BCs |
| --- |
| Aeris 5 Oceans| Cressi Aquaride |
| Oceanic Cruz| SCUBAPRO Equator |
| Cressi Travelight| Cressi Light Jac |
| True Travel BCs |
| --- |
| Zeagle Zeus| |
General Purpose BCs
General Purpose BCs offer lots of buoyant lift and integrated weight systems that can accommodate the ballast needed when using thick wetsuits or drysuits. They are usually appointed with generous pockets, D-rings, and grommets for attaching a variety of accessories. Features and comfort commonly rate higher in priority than dry weight, so as a group they tend to be the heaviest BCs on the market.
BARE Blackjack
Features
The Blackjack is the quintessential full-featured jacket-style BC. It's made of rugged 1000 denier Cordura nylon and includes a fully padded hard backpack with molded carry handle, making it easy to heft on land and stable in the water. The range of adjustment is huge, with lengthy waist and shoulder straps and an easily adjustable cummerbund. A two-position sternum strap with double pulls allows you to fit it over or under a dry suit valve. You'll have no trouble finding a place to put all your goodies with two large cargo pockets, a couple small accessory compartments that are perfect for a light or signal tube, and a mini zip pouch on the cummerbund. On top of all this, just about anywhere you look you'll find stainless steel D-rings or mounting grommets for attaching additional gear.
Performance
|Specifications| |---| | Average Subjective Test Score| 3.9| | Dry Weight| 9.5 lbs.| | Buoyant Lift| 44 lbs.| | Inherent Buoyancy| 2 lbs.| | Weight Capacity| 30/10 lbs.| | Price| $500| | www.baresports.com|Wide-cut padded shoulders bear the weight of a fully-loaded rig nicely. At depth, where the bulkiness of the jacket-style design is barely noticeable, the Blackjack creates a comfortable swimming attitude. Ascents and descents are efficiently controlled with a somewhat clunky power inflator. This is one of only two BCs reviewed where all three heads-up methods of deflation were able to keep pace with a stuck inflate button. The weight pouches are a bit difficult to load while wearing the BC because the buckles are located slightly back, and while they are hidden beneath the cargo pocket the base of the pocket opens with Velcro to reveal the buckle. However, large handles located well-forward make ditching the pouches a snap. Cargo pockets are also positioned forward, offering good access and plenty of storage capacity.
Bottom Line
The Blackjack was our favorite BC of the BARE line. It offers a snug and stable fit, excellent valve performance and generous cargo carrying capability.
|Quick Links| |---| |General Purpose BCs| |---| | BARE Blackjack| BARE Blackwing| | BARE Voodoo| Mares Prestige MRS Plus| | SCUBAPRO Glide Pro| Tusa Conquest| | Zeagle Ranger LTD| | |Dual Purpose BCs| |---| | Aeris 5 Oceans| Cressi Aquaride| | Oceanic Cruz| SCUBAPRO Equator| | Cressi Travelight| Cressi Light Jac| |True Travel BCs| |---| | Zeagle Zeus| |
