I weigh 240 and swim like a steel beam. What is your opinion on the best brand/model of inflatable PFD ?

Mustang survival is the best - IMO.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Mustang_Deluxe_MD3183_HIT_Auto-Hydrostatic/descpage-MDAH.html

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Mustang_Elite_Inflatable_PFD/descpage-MEI.html

guys in my bass club have the BPS and Cabela's brand, but they always complain about inflating at random times. I've got 2 Mustang models and never had an issue. ( 10+ years of owning and purchased the re-arm kits when they expire )

Those, the onyx and mustang are the 4 I'm trying to decide between. I've been wearing a life jacket all this time. I do take it off when I get hot. With my diabetes taking a toll on my feet, vision and balance my wife freaks out when she see's me fishing without one. I now have to have a friend or my son with me if she does not want to go for her to be at ease. Somehow one of these is the answer for her.

I bought mine when west marine had them on sale for 50 bucks. Two years no issues. They all work the same way

I don't trust the autos. Full vest for me especially after some of the boating accidents this year I've seen. Not worth the risk in my opinion

i 2nd that Jaret Latto.

Mustang HIT model is the one I have worn for the past 10 years, no accidental activation, comfortable light weight and has much more buoyancy (35 pounds) than a foam or other type jacket life jacket, it also is a type II so in the event you do go in it has the inflation pillow behind you head so it will turn you over in the water to be face up..Have replaced the cartridge twice...and before I replace it tested it...worked perfectly..I did replace it with another one just like it this year, when I did my annual check using the manual fill tube I blew up and inflated the vest it wouldn't hold the air overnight so it had developed a small leak somewhere..It is so light and comfortable I forget i have it on...I have a couple of other brands too, Bass Pro and Cabelas guide wear brand ...both okay but not as comfortable as the Mustang HIT..the one you will wear is the best...this article below shows the importance of not what type but that you wear one..

https://www.usps.org/eddept/files/other_20_handout.pdf

Wow ToadThrower good read! I think this is the route I will go.

Accident activation is when it needs to work... We speared a wave running about 45 mph and the boat did an about face. Throwing me from the boat. The vest did not deploy. I found myself at the or near bottom of the lake not knowing which way was up. Do not know how long I was under but my partner was sure glad to see me when I finally came to the surface..... The green light was still on when I took it off.... I pulled the cord several time while under the water but it would not activate. 2 days later at home I pulled it again and it went off. So on one overboard I had 2 misses 1 pressure did not activate or the pull cord.

For me and my boat I do not care how hot they are full time vest for me.... I guess it was not my time.

It is your choice to make but will it deploy or not when it is really needed....
Just my personal experience with a self deploy life vest

Accident activation is when it needs to work... We speared a wave running about 45 mph and the boat did an about face. Throwing me from the boat. The vest did not deploy. I found myself at the or near bottom of the lake not knowing which way was up. Do not know how long I was under but my partner was sure glad to see me when I finally came to the surface..... The green light was still on when I took it off.... I pulled the cord several time while under the water but it would not activate. 2 days later at home I pulled it again and it went off. So on one overboard I had 2 misses 1 pressure did not activate or the pull cord.

For me and my boat I do not care how hot they are full time vest for me.... I guess it was not my time.

It is your choice to make but will it deploy or not when it is really needed....
Just my personal experience with a self deploy life vest

Dobbin.....specifically which make and model was this? I'm just wondering. I've never heard of performance like this with one of the Mustang Survival Models. I don't want to put my confidence in one of these if this is the way they perform, but I also don't want to rule out all automatic life vests based on the performance of just one make and model.

Sorry been out of pocket. It was a Mustang HIT. Not sure of the model but it was the one that you did not haft to have on to be legal by just being in the boat. It was not very old either about 6 months. After about a week I got it out of the rod box and pulled the cord with it laying on the boat deck and me standing on the ground. Poof it blew up just like it was supposed to do... it was also supposed to deploy when it was 3 inches under water.

Don't have a clue why it did not work but it soured me to them... It layed around for about a year still holding air when I throwed it in the trash...

Well yeah, I can see how that would sour you on them. And your experience has now soured me on them. With something like a life vest there is absolutely zero margin for error. Working 99% of the time just aint good enough. It's gotta work 100% of the time. Looks like I just wasted $260 on a worthless inflatable life vest. Thanks for the info! That's what I like about these forums. It's hard for a bad product to hide.

Hey Jaret and Ranger...do y'all have any info on those Mustang HITs not working? That post from Dobbin has completely changed my mind about wearing an auto inflatable. I have always thought that the $99 models from Cabelas might be suspect but now I can't feel good about any of them.

I thought I heard they were illegal in Texas on this forum somewhere about getting a ticket