hi, i'm currently looking around for a PFD.

after reading various comments i am looking for something with a crotch strap and auto inflation that can be changed to manual inflation if desired.

some questions remain:

what are the pros and cons of the various brands, e.g. Burke, Hutchwilco, Marlin, etc.? are there any good reasons to choose one over the other?

is it preferable to have a PFD with an integrated harness system, or are there reasons why having a separate harness is betterer?