When I started diving AP Valves had 95% of the club market, they were legendary for their toughness. Some people still use the same jacket decades later.
However they were big and bulky and not as comfortable as others so they slowly lost out to the competition. With their attention on their rebreather program they lost their market leader position, they completley missed out on the tech market, only producing a couple of average models late in the game. Their customer service though remained as good as ever.
As for a BC have you considered a wing /backplate combo? A wing provides a better lift profile, is more comfortable to use, does not restrict mobility or chest expansion, packs away in a smaller space, being modular it allows for a better and cheaper upgrade route if you decide to tech up with twins, stages etc. A stab jacket restricts arm movement it restricts access to the chest area it also can if improperly set up and overinflated restrict chest movement which can leed to restricted breathing which can lead to a panic attack/hperventilation which often means death. (Incident pit)
Here's what I mean. Manufacturer's site
here Halcyon make excellant products, its owned and run by divers who hold world records in cave diving- they know what they are talking about. My wing has seen almost 10 years of service, dived on many a wreck into which I've squeezed through many a tight hole and it still looks like new.
As for regs, apex. I've got 5 apex first stages and 1 poseidon which I now only use to analyse the mix.
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