I've got question for the folks who don't seem to get good advice from the employees of the LDS's. How good is the advice you get from the online shops? How much time do they spend with you while you pick out your gear? How do you know the <blank> is going to fit/work when you get it and if it doesn't, who pays return shipping if you can return it? Two short stories:
1) a diver I was diving with two weekends ago had some a new mask from a manufacturer that nobody in the area carries. It didn't fit him properly and he had to contend with a significant leak the entire dive.
2) He also bought a quick disconnect for his computer that he installed himself. It was missing the instructions and an Oring. He didn't know it was missing the Oring since the instructions were missing, too. The missing Oring resulted in a leak on the High Pressure hose. It was fixed lakeside by an LDS tech using the toolbox supplied by an LDS owner.
If he had bought those items at the LDS, the mask would have fit him and the quick disconnect would have been installed and tested for him at no charge. He would have had a slightly more enjoyable day diving to boot.
1) a diver I was diving with two weekends ago had some a new mask from a manufacturer that nobody in the area carries. It didn't fit him properly and he had to contend with a significant leak the entire dive.
2) He also bought a quick disconnect for his computer that he installed himself. It was missing the instructions and an Oring. He didn't know it was missing the Oring since the instructions were missing, too. The missing Oring resulted in a leak on the High Pressure hose. It was fixed lakeside by an LDS tech using the toolbox supplied by an LDS owner.
If he had bought those items at the LDS, the mask would have fit him and the quick disconnect would have been installed and tested for him at no charge. He would have had a slightly more enjoyable day diving to boot.