Baltic Force 190N lifejacket

The Baltic lifejacket has a great pedigree from a company that makes safety gear for people working in some of the most inhospitable environments, the attention to detail is excellent in this lifejacket and the features where present are excellent to outstanding.

Dry Testing

The Baltic Force is somewhat of an outlier here with the lack of offshore provision onboard so this makes it more difficult to compare side by side with our other higher buoyancy life jackets on test. They do provide this lifejacket with those essential items but at extra cost, making this the most expensive lifejacket on test if they were fitted. As we have been unable to test those components we haven’t been able to score on those items, making the lifejacket artificially low scoring.
It is a well constructed and sturdy casing that fits a wide array of body shapes. We would welcome the opportunity to test the SLA version which has full offshore specs, including better provision for PLB or AIS beacon fitment and those all important other elements.

Pool Testing

Phil comments from the pool, “this didn’t right me (in the time I held my breath for) and surprisingly as this is a higher capacity bladder, there’s no sprayhood or light supplied as standard with this, so you would need to put your own on to make it suitable for offshore use or pay more for the upgraded version. It felt comfortable in the pool. The darker orange bladder doesn’t feel very visible. Basic but comfortable model.”

Baltic Force 190N lifejacket

Price from £229 or £264.95 when supplied with light and sprayhood

Buy Baltic Force from Waveinn

How our lifejacket scored on average out of 10 for each of our criteria

9 – Adjust speed ease difficulty
10 – Fastening buckle ease with gloves
9 – Comfort women body size (when tested by men 4)
9 – Practicality. bulk snagging
9 – Manual inflated view and fitment
0 – Sprayhood
2 – PLB fitment
10 – Positioning of essential items
6 – Night view / reflectors / light (if fitted)
9 – Ease of checking bottle / trigger status
3 – Unpacking / repacking
8 – Style
5 – In water score (due to being tested alongside other higher spec models)

74% Total as a percentage

Verdict

This is without doubt a highly capable lifejacket and fits well both shoreside and in the water. The extra buoyancy is noticeable in the longer bladder. We were unable to test the fully fledged offshore equipped lifejacket and if this lifejacket suits you, then make sure you opt for that extra specification.

With thanks to

Note: all of our lifejackets tested conform to either  ISO 12402-3 (coastal/non harness) or ISO 12401 (harness versions), and this means that they all meet the basic safety standards you would expect from a lifejacket.

In order to conduct unbiased testing, our test team were given full freedom to test and evaluate the lifejackets presented to them on the tests days. Their opinions are made in a professional capacity and skippers and end users of the products and are a result of direct hands on experience. This does not override any official safety rating or certification.
legal disclaimer is available here

To read about more lifejackets go to our Best Lifejackets for Boaters and Sailors – Tested Buyers guide where you can find individual reviews for 15 current lifejackets