Here is what will probably happen. I had a couple that was tight on funds. I loaned/ greatly reduced rental fees so they could dive more. At the end of the first season I calculate I had given them about $650. 00 in free rentals. The wife decided to buy a bc online because it was $150.00 cheaper online. Consider that even if she had paid my price, she still would have been $500.00 ahead of the game. Now they have more gear but they still rent tanks, now pay full price for tank rentals and get charged on a daily basis, before they could pick the tanks up mid week because the husband was in the area and bring them back next week. Whats good for the goose is good for the gander. You were happy to accept free classes and would show up with gear you purchsed online, sorry bad form.
Buying Gear for Christmas, Found Packages from Diver Supply super...Safety Concerns
- Thread starter UncleDonnie
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LowDrag
Contributor
Hey Don, I would talk to your LDS. They seem to be really cool and I would be willing to bet they will bend over backwards to help you with gear. I know my LDS put together a real good package for my wife and I. All we had to do was go in, sit down and talk to them and we worked out a package that fit our budget. Good luck on your gear search and I would definitely stick with your LDS.
Bob DBF
Contributor
Work with your LDS on used gear with a limited budget. You could learn a lot about evaluating used equipment and they can recycle the used and demo gear as their DM's, Instructors and others upgrade to the latest and greatest. Untill I was able to buy new gear, I always checked with my LDS to see what was available, would have bought my latest gear from them but they don't traffic in BP/W's. When you are better at evaluating used gear, private sales and online are also available.
New is not necessarly better than used, and money saved can actually be saved or used on other needed equipment. By not getting a package you can shop for a good deal on each peice and buy as you need. I'd been diving for years before buying a computer, of course for quite a while they wern't yet invented, so that helped.
Bob
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I may be old, but Im not dead yet.
New is not necessarly better than used, and money saved can actually be saved or used on other needed equipment. By not getting a package you can shop for a good deal on each peice and buy as you need. I'd been diving for years before buying a computer, of course for quite a while they wern't yet invented, so that helped.
Bob
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I may be old, but Im not dead yet.
If I were in your shoes, I would absolutely take the advice offered above and buy only what I can afford now from the LDS that has been so very good to me, and then make further purchases later on when I can afford it and when I really understand more fully what I want.
As for Sea Elite....
A few years ago I bought some regulators from a company that no longer exists, Salvo. The regulators were a clone of a Sea Elite model, made in the same factory in Taiwan. They were not very good--techs could never get the IP of one of them to stop creeping, and I was never happy with their breathing characteristics. I turned them into rarely used decompression regulators. On one dive the face plate fell off the second stage on one of the regulators and disappeared into the dark abyss. I needed to get some servicing on the first stages, and with Salvo out of business I had a hard time trying to find anyone who would even try. I finally found a company that could do it, but they would have to use parts from a couple different service kits, meaning regular service costs would be so much that it made more sense to turn them into expensive paper weights and buy new regulators.
So, do you know how you will get those regulators serviced and what it will cost?
As for Sea Elite....
A few years ago I bought some regulators from a company that no longer exists, Salvo. The regulators were a clone of a Sea Elite model, made in the same factory in Taiwan. They were not very good--techs could never get the IP of one of them to stop creeping, and I was never happy with their breathing characteristics. I turned them into rarely used decompression regulators. On one dive the face plate fell off the second stage on one of the regulators and disappeared into the dark abyss. I needed to get some servicing on the first stages, and with Salvo out of business I had a hard time trying to find anyone who would even try. I finally found a company that could do it, but they would have to use parts from a couple different service kits, meaning regular service costs would be so much that it made more sense to turn them into expensive paper weights and buy new regulators.
So, do you know how you will get those regulators serviced and what it will cost?
Support you local shop. They will work with you, I'm sure, and the sense of this thread is unanimous in that. They may even have used but well maintained gear they can sell you, and higher quality than you propose. Used gear from a local shop that has service records and use information can be a very economical way to go.
DivemasterDennis
DivemasterDennis
Completely agree. ^
Wow young man, you need to really think about this. Your dive shop obviously thinks you show some skills that they feel inclined to encourage by waving certification/training fees. They have already saved you a ton of money. How can you even think of not supporting them? As others have said, they will probably bend over backwards to help you get into your own equipment as well. They seem to be a small shop but are authorized dealers in lots of good equipment manufacturers. They even seem to have a rent to own policy.
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kmurray719
Contributor
Hey guys it's Don,
Pretty much my parents just bought a house so funds are very tight right now. Normally I would want to go to my LDS for gear well simply because they are awesome and for every certification I have done so far and including my upcoming certification in the Spring, I am getting a "scholarship" from them for. I.e. they pick kids who they see are dedicated and have a future in the sport and waive the fees associated with the classes.
Well I am starting work soon and as a (very) late (or very early lol) Christmas present/Birthday present I plan on buying my own Scuba Gear. Now I understand Scuba Gear - Snorkeling Equipment - Largest Scuba Diving Equipment Selection - Divers Supply makes their own gear and that is what they sell and how they sell it so cheap. But for example here:
Scuba Gear Premium System Package @ Divers-Supply.com
a) is what they are selling in their packages considered good gear for someone who plans on diving at least once a month during/around peak seasons (May - Oct)
b) should I worry about the cost being so low/is there safety issues or does the gear they sell so cheap or does it not last long.
I plan to buy this:
Scuba Gear Premium System Package @ Divers-Supply.com
With this configuration:
View attachment 141655
How long will this gear last me if I treat it well and is it considered good gear, should I upgrade anything. Thank You
Based on your previous posts, I'm pretty sure I know who your LDS is. Aren't they selling off their rental fleet right now? IIRC, they have Latitude BC's, and regs and computers for sale. It seems that they have an affinity for you, so perhaps they'd even be willing to "discuss" prices or do layaway of some kind on the used gear? I don't think it's "wrong" to buy online by any means, but if you're a new diver and not sure if the things in that package are "good" or will work for the diving you want to do, buying used at a shop seems to make more sense.
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It's pretty awesome that the LDS does this. I bet it frustrates them to see some of those kids show up in new gear bought elsewhere without even asking them for deals.
Maybe they need to make it known earlier on that they make deals too.
OP
UncleDonnie
Registered
Alright, I want to thank EVERYONE who replied. I am combining all the suggestions given. I am not ordering online, I agree that they honestly have saved me well over 700 dollars so I can spend an extra 300 on them even if they did not give a deal. I am also for things like boots, I contacted them and they have tons of extras that either have tiny rips that they have fixed but just are not selling so they are willing to give them to me for free. So I am buying from my LDS and that is that. Thank's everyone.
I want to thank EVERYONE who replied. I am combining all the suggestions given. I am not ordering online, I agree that they honestly have saved me well over 700 dollars so I can spend an extra 300 on them even if they did not give a deal. I am also for things like boots, I contacted them and they have tons of extras that either have tiny rips that they have fixed but just are not selling so they are willing to give them to me for free. So I am buying from my LDS and that is that. Thank's everyone.
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