Jambi once bubbled...
Would a new diver be better off with a quality BCD or BP/Wings? That is my Dilemma. I am a very new diver and very enthusiastic about my new found sport.
Yes, we all were quite enthusiastic at first. However, the reality is that studies have shown that there is an amazingly high drop-out rate...the last number I heard was that 75% dropped within the first ~2 years.
The generic implication is that anything you buy today only has a 25% chance of actually being used long enough that the A-vs-B choice even has a chance of becoming relevant. This is partly because your novice skills are unlikely to be developed to the point that your variation in performance is actually due to the equipment instead of you.
The consequence of this is that one philosophy is to suggest to new divers that they resist the temptation of investing too much money in their gear until they are more than sure that they're going to stick with the sport long term.
I have read the posts and weighed the pros/cons of each system and have boiled it down to this, it all depends on the diver and what kind of diving that diver will be doing. I will be sticking with recreational diving for the next 2-3 years until I feel my skills increase to where they need to be. I WILL progress into technical diving (wife permitting); it just won't be next week.
Agreed, and IMO, you've made a very wise choice in not jumping too quickly into Technical diving (even though I personally consider even 2-3 years of experience to still be very "quick").
I also strongly feel you "get what you pay for" and "you are better off paying now and getting it done right the first time".
Me too, but only after I've determined beyond any shadow of a doubt that my interest/hobby has not been some "flash in the pan". This uncertainty element is a legitimate purchase decision factor that promotes a lesser initial investment.
Either way I will probably end up spending 400-500 regardless of the type of system I opt for.
An alternative to consider is to watch your local Classified Ads to find the novice who went through the same thing ~3 years ago and bought good gear, who's now selling it his $500 BC for $200 because they became a non-diver for whatever reason (lost interest, new baby, bought a house, etc).
I am very interested in hearing from other divers that went through the same problem and had success and are happy or wish they went with a different system than they had.
Its only as big of a problem as you choose to make it.
And while good diving equipment is an enabler, your biggest performance variable right now is your development of good diving skills: excellence in the diver transcends these equipment variation questions to a secondary -- dare I say minor? -- role.
-hh