well lets toss in my opinion

-nothing screams $800 to me.....sorry, nice vest from aeromedix, but i'd never depend my life on something "inflatable", my luck it would be that one time it failed.

-agreed with the USCG rating........only the best.


-i own 2 myself
-a Astral rescue vest........nice for whitewater use, very comfortable, but its not made for unconscious wearer scenario, the other is standard type 1 ocean vest

here are some generic links for visualization
http://www.sar-shop.com/products/product.asp?pID=331&cID=318

and my typical wear one
http://www.astralbuoyancy.com/products/men/greenJacket/index.html