Cons: I kind of wish the belts were a brighter color than gray.
The Bottom Line: My whole family owns Stearns 4 Buckle Infinity Life Jacket Vests and they love them. Lightweight yet reliable, these vests are Coaat Guard approved for most watercrafts.
PattyTherre's Full Review: Stearns 4 Buckle Infinity Life Jacket Vest
My husband and I own a small marina and we're always out at the lake when it is warm. We have a jet ski and other watercrafts and I insist that everyone wear a life vest when they go out on a boat or any other watercraft. I don't care how well a person can swim, I strongly believe a life vest is called that because it saves lives.
I bought three Stearns 4 Buckle Infinity Life Jacket Vests, one for each guy in the family, a couple of years ago. These vests are great for any water sport and lightweight as well as comfortable. I have worn one several times and am going to buy one for myself. I have been using a different brand but I'm now sold on Stearns.
About the Product
These are adult jacket style life vests and come in sizes small/medium, large/XL, and XXL. They are made in a few colors - notably silver, blue, and yellow that I saw. I bought the yellow vests because they are super bright and easier to see than any of the other colors.
The Stearns 4 Buckle Infinity Life Jacket Vest is made from 200-denier nylon and has four 1 1/2" adjustable belts with a side release feature. The belts each adjust separately for the perfect fit for anyone. There are three belts around the trunk and one around the upper chest. The front of the vests are cut in a V neck shape to stay away from the throat and they don't float up and cause that annoying choking sensation when you're immersed in water.
Each belt has a simple buckle that snaps and locks but is very easy to quickly release. The body is made with flotation foam that is thin yet extremely effective. These vests are Coast Guard approved Type II devices which means they are fine for water skiing, personal watercrafts, and jet skis.
My Experience
I tried on a vest before buying the ones I bought to get an idea of fit and they run fairly large. A size small/medium is more of a men's size than a women's and that was one reason I didn't buy myself one at the time. I didn't take a lot of time to adjust the belts so I assumed the vest was too big for me. Later, I realized that there is a great amount of versatility as far as size goes and the belts can be adjusted several inches one way or the other.
Although I had thought I was going to buy my husband and older sons different colors each, I decided that the yellow jackets were the best as they are very bright, almost neon, and are very easy to spot.
The Stearns 4 Buckle Infinity Life Jacket Vest is very lightweight. Other vests that similar feel much heavier and that lead me to wonder if the Stearns would be as safe. I was assured by the salesman that the vests were approved for most watercrafts and that they are durable and, most importantly, float just fine, even on a heavier person.
My family liked the sporty look of these vests and they liked that the front was a V shape rather than a rounded one. Our old vests were too high on the neck area and drove all of us crazy. Life vests tend to float upward when in water and they can actually make you choke if they hit your throat. These vests don't do that and that's a relief.
Adjusting the vests is very simple and they do adjust well. Each person can personalize their vest to fit well without being too tight or binding. They slip on like a jacket and quickly buckle. It takes seconds to put one on and go.
I ended up wearing one of the vests quite often because I really liked the V neck as opposed to my higher necked vest. It was much lighter weight and comfortable and I felt safe. I hit the water more than I care to admit and I had no feeling that the Stearns 4 Buckle Infinity Life Jacket Vest was not keeping me buoyant. I stayed afloat without the jacket riding up or choking me and, when I got out of the water, it wasn't heavy or saturated.
My sons wear the vests all the time and I feel as though they are protected from accidents in the water. I don't jet ski but they do and my husband is an avid water skier. We all love to go out in the boat but, for me, there is always a fear that we will end up in the water. I am terrified of drowning as I had near drowning experiences twice as a teen. With the Stearns 4 Buckle Infinity Life Jacket Vest on my family (and soon on me!), I feel that any possibly accident will not end in disaster because they will be buoyant and safe until help comes or until they can get onto their watercraft and indeed, they have been in the water a lot with their vests.
They love them, they wear them, and that makes me relieved. I will be buying one for myself this coming spring. I can adjust the small/medium size to fit my slim frame so soon, we'll be a four Stearns 4 Buckle Infinity Life Jacket Vest family.
These vests are durable and easy to care for. They don't even fade in sunlight and the webbed belts are extremely tough. The vests are looking and working fine two years later and I expect to get much more use out of them. They're also quite affordable which is a big plus!
Buying Info
The Stearns 4 Buckle Infinity Life Jacket Vest can be purchased at outdoor supply stores and any boating stores on and offline. They are about $30.00-$35.00 each. Stearns also makes vests similar to this one for kids and other types of life vests for different types of activities. For us, this type works fine.
Conclusion
The Stearns 4 Buckle Infinity Life Jacket Vest is a very well made life vest for men and women. The lower V neck makes it more comfortable than traditional life vests and it is very adjustable to any body type. It is Coast Guard approved and very durable. We have no complaints about this vest. I wish in a way that the belts were also yellow but that might be going overboard. They are gray on all the colors of these vests that I saw. At any rate, we're very happy with the durability, comfort, and the performance of this vest. Gotta go with 5 stars!
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
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