I am sensing a lot of love for the Tech 2g.
Another +1 for the Tec2G. I've had mine for about 4 years now and have no issues with it than having to replace the gage guard a few times. I know many people who also dive with it.
IMHO, it's one of the best values out there. As someone else has pointed out, you can pick them up new for under $300 now days.
Besides the price, some other pros are - great gage mode, depth averaging and stop-watch functions. It also uses an IrDA interface for download which means the difference between spending $20(or less) for a generic USB IrDA adapter versus ~$100 for some proprietary download cable. The only real cons that I have found are - the display could be laid out better (in fact, some of the characters are on the smaller side), the user interface is a little on the kludgey side. IMHO these are minor shortcomings that are offset by the pluses.
One other point regarding the bungee mount...as some have already pointed out, it is not necessary. In fact, some believe that it is actually a good idea to have at least one wrist mounted device on an adjustable band in order to help mitigate a potential wrist seal leak. I wear mine in the OEM adjustable wrist mount. Just something to think about.
Good luck with your upcoming class.
BTW ... If you're taking your class in the SoCal area and interested in borrowing a Tec2g or Uwatec BT for a day or two, feel free to shoot me a PM.