MacGregorSailors.com

Never one to cut $ for safety. The price is tempting. Any comments would be appreciated. There are other auto - manual PFD's that are twice the cost.

Is something missing in this post, or am i just missing what I think is missing?

Appears so

Appears three.

yukonbob wrote:Appears so

Off track from the start.

My Bad. Here is the link.
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-A ... _THUMBNAIL
Thanks,

They look and sound like the real deal. I would also look into replacement charges or if you even can recharge them. The price is the only thing that concerns me and if it didn't have the bps logo on it I wouldn't even consider it for something your life could depend on.

That's a real good price for an auto/manual PFD. I wonder who makes them for BPS.

1st Sail wrote:Never one to cut $ for safety. The price is tempting. Any comments would be appreciated. There are other auto - manual PFD's that are twice the cost.

Took a look at it, and did not see a "D" Ring to attach a life line. I would want the "D" Ring for attaching life line for saety.

Chuck

Looks like a good deal. I thought I got a good deal just bought a coastal auto from WM for $115.

That seems like a pretty good price.

FYI, if you have kids - BPS is hosting free easter egg hunts the next few weekends.

1st Sail wrote:My Bad. Here is the link.
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-A ... _THUMBNAIL
Thanks,

Those look very similar to the Guide Gear brand From Gander Mountain. Same price before Christmas. when I looked, it was identical in design to the Stearns model.

yukonbob wrote:They look and sound like the real deal. I would also look into replacement charges or if you even can recharge them. The price is the only thing that concerns me and if it didn't have the bps logo on it I wouldn't even consider it for something your life could depend on.

We bought one from them and it seemed like it was well made, but then it self-inflated in storage and we haven't been able to find a new cartridge for it at West Marine and I keep forgetting to order one from them if they still have them. We have bought 2 since from WM on sale for not much more for the auto-inflate one and the manual might of been that price or less. We also bought extra cartridges for them, but haven't needed them.

The cartridges are a nightmare and they have tons of different ones model specific. I can't see why they couldn't settle on one or two types for everyone .

We bought the auto for Ruth as she doesn't swim and I wear the manual when I wear one, but usually put on an old fashion one with fixed floatation that zips up the front that I like when anchoring and such and I'm forward. I should wear one more than I do,

Sum

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Website seems a little sparse on detail. Did notice that it uses the smaller CO2 cartridge - meaning this is an inshore jacket - less buoyancy than an offshore one. Check Mustang Survival website for good information.

There are a few options to consider before making a purchase:
- Inshore or offshore (amount of buoyancy)?
- Manual or automatic?
- If automatic, salt tablet or hydrostatic?
- Availability of recharge kits for automatic
- Sailing harness compatible?

I have two Mustang MD3184. These are offshore (35 lbs buoyancy), hydrostatic inflator (needs to be submerged to activate), and have an integrated sailing harness.

Reason for hydrostatic inflator: the less expensive type (this applies to the one linked to the earlier message) uses essentially a salt tablet to activate the inflation. The tablet gets wet, dissolves, and the jacket inflates. I do not know about you, but my in rough water makes for a very wet captain (while the crew is below decks playing table games). Last thing I want is my jacket to inflate while I am driving! Downside to the hydrostatic type is price - both for the jacket (generally always above $200) and the replacement inflators in the range of $75 each.

I've noticed that PFD manufacturers don't make their own firing mechanisms, but use those made by specialists in that field. Halkey-Roberts is one such company, and I know Mustang for one, which our PFD's are, uses them.

The BassPro write up is elusive in saying exactly who that is for this vest , but they do say that the replacement (no hyperlink to it BTW, suspicious, or maybe just a webmaster oversight) has a “Halkey-Roberts bayonet assembly”.

That would lead one to believe (and I assume competent literacy on BassPro's part) that the firing mechanism in the vest itself (a critical component) might be a knock-off part.

Having said that, if I were in the market I would seriously consider buying one of these if I could inspect it up close first. Great price for an automatic inflator, and the rearm kit is a good price too. I don't know how the “expiry date” compares to more expensive ones, though.

The profit margin on these name-brand vests and their re-arm kits does seem to be huge when you see how they're made, but that might be partly for liability and to support all the lawsuits that they must fend off on an on-going basis.

Yeah RobertB - the other advantage to the hydrostatic type is that it doesn't need to be replaced/serviced as frequently (the “expiry date” is a year or two longer), allowing you to amortize the extra cost over a longer period of time.

-B.