Going To Buy Scuba Gear… But Where?

[antblck]

Hello Scuba Board community!
I'm currently looking forward to buying scuba equipment before starting my DM training but I feel like I'm kind of in a predicament. First I want to say that I'm looking to buy my equipment in person (for best fit etc).
Home for me is Virginia, USA and there is limited diving but I plan on continuing to dive for a very long time (and hopefully be moving someplace by the beach sometime soon). I won't be back in the US though for a few more months and I'm currently based out of Pondicherry, India where there is a dive center (Temple Adventures) which is very nice and a ScubaPro shop. However, I'm worried they won't have much variety and I'll be paying more than necessary. In the next week I will be going to Thailand to gain experience and complete the number of dives needed for DiveMaster. My plan was to buy all my gear (Wetsuit,bcd,booties,fins,mask,reg,bp/w, ect) there since there would be lots of options with shops and I automatically assumed the prices would be wayyy cheaper (considering high demand and competition)…. However, I recently read that actually they might cost more because of shipping/commissions/and because they can? (is this true? this was about Ko Tao) And so now I'm rethinking it and wondering if I should wait and just rent till I get back to USA? Buy in Pondicherry? Or buy someplace else in Thailand? (Also note I plan on completing DMT on this side on the world)
Where would it be cheaper to buy in Thailand? Bangkok? Phuket? Are there perks/cons to buy gear in these places? Also considering I don't live in Thailand it's not like having a strong connection to a certain LDS will benefit me for maintenance considerations etc…
Thank you so much for taking time to read my little ramble and I really appreciate what your more experienced views are...

I don't know why I'm over thinking this so much… I'm probably making this more complicated than it has to be.
The reason why I'm so desperate to save money is because I still have to pay for University (and it's not cheap in the US) and buy scuba equipment was an unforeseen expenditure (that I am of course willing to pay… after all, it's an investment… much like education)

 

[diversteve]

Comparing Temple prices it looks like the U.S. Scubapro prices are slightly cheaper. Matched up against www.leisurepro.com

They don't list all the U.S. BC options though on their website: SCUBAPRO - BCS

 

[2airishuman]

Consider all brands. Consider used gear where appropriate. Shop on-line stores so you know how the LDS compares and choose accordingly.

People seem to get rid of perfectly good BP/W setups on ebay fairly often, and there are deals to be had, especially if you are patient. You can also get good deals on regulators if you can service them yourself or work with someone who will do so reasonably.

Leisure Pro, Divers Supply, Dive Right in Scuba, Piranha Dive Manufacturing, and Dive Gear Express are my on-line stores of choice. Each has slightly different product lines, all of them have given me good service.