Need advice on first gear purchase and leisurepro.

[jibjab]

I would look into the Sunnto Cobra. I think the price will be pretty close as to buying the vyper, spg, and compass seperately. At my LDS it was less.

not at mine, plus i prefer having a wrist mount and analog pressure guage.

 

[midwayman]

my question was rather, are there any online stores that can sell me what i'm looking for at prices equal to or lower than LP that offer manufacturer warranties?

Sure. A couple stores will pricematch them if you ask. Scubatoys and scuba.com IIRC. I know scubatoys is authorized for all their stuff, not sure about scuba.com

 

[jibjab]

Sure. A couple stores will pricematch them if you ask. Scubatoys and scuba.com IIRC. I know scubatoys is authorized for all their stuff, not sure about scuba.com

scubatoys does not carry aqualung, i will check out scuba.com..

 

[Tanked Monkey]

You might want to call Rich from divetank.com/net. They have locations in BC (you said you were in Quebec, right?), WA, and VA. They sell pretty much everything you listed in your first post.

Mike

 

[CAPNVINNY]

I buy A LOT of stuff from LP but If I was just gonna save $300 on an entire rig,I'd go with a local shop,buy the way,the Balance is a great BC,been using one for 4 years and LOVE it.

 

[scubadobadoo]

For a $300 difference, I'd go with the dive shop and get the full warranty and customer support they will offer you. When my husband had problems with his Legend, the dive shop we bought it from immediately worked on it for no charge.

Personally, I bought all of my major gear from ScubaToys, but I have Zeagle and Aeris branding mostly, and I've had nothing but outstanding customer support from ScubaToys.

I agree, for 300, and this is coming from a frequent LP and intenret buyer.

 

[DST]

Most of your gear choices are okay. You will come to have opinions about whatever you end up choosing. For instance, I can't speak as to the Balance, But i have a Pro Unlimited BC that I really dig. The only thing is that it is a little bulky. Another, really important thing I found was that there are major differences in wetsuits. I don't know about Bare, but not all wetsuits are created equal. Seaquest boasts that there titanium stretchy stuff expands 250%. Henderson claims the same on their Hyperstretch material. I can don the Henderson of the same thickness rating much quicker than the Seaquest. Hyperstretch from Henderson is my preference as I do not enjoy floundering around for ten minutes putting on a wetsuit. It may not be as much of an issue where you live. It may keepyou warmer with all the cardio of donning a thick suit. We live a lot farther south, but primarily where 7/5 Henderson with a Hooded vest and most of the year with a shorty over the top of that. We dive Deep in a local lake where the bottom temps are as low as the high 40's F. The surface Tempmight be 90F, so we need to move quickly so asnot to roast on the surface. The Hyperstretch Henderson does the trick. Alas, I can't yet afford the Drysuit that I have been drooling over... All in time.

The other guys are right also. Developing a good relationship with the shop is key. We have purchased our major servicable gear from the shop, but leisurepro gets most of our other business. The LDS knows that they can't compete. So, for our loyalty, we have received many complimentary air fills, etc. out of our good natured relationship with the LDS.
Hope this helps...

 

[Oxy]

whoops, this thread has taken a wrong turn, i wasn't planning on buying from lp to save $300, for $300 i am more than happy to buy from my LDS and get full warranties, etc.. my question was rather, are there any online stores that can sell me what i'm looking for at prices equal to or lower than LP that offer manufacturer warranties? but most importantly, seeing as how i'm a complete novice, how are my gear choices? any poor choices? anything overkill or a waste? should i be happy with that LDS price? thanks!

I'm still looking for "authorized" online thats cheaper cause I can't afford LDS prices and I refuse to waive warranty just to get equipped at a price that is good.
As for brand/type of equipment I know less than you.

P.S. that $300 savings would pay for my OW cert.

 

[giles45shop]

Nothing like breathing life back into a 2 year old thread!

You'll find that some of the on-line dealers (divesports, scubatoys, etc.) are authorized dealers for some manufacturer's. If you are new to diving and squeezed for cash, you may want to talk to your LDS about some used equipment. They usually have sales on rental equipment as well.

I think one of the major mistakes that newly certified divers make is to go off and buy a package deal of all new equipment before they really see how much they like diving and how much time they can devote to it. You'll see adds on Craigslist, newspapers, etc with text like"complete gear set-up", "only used 4X", "like new condition", "paid $2K, will sell for $900" etc on a regular basis from people who rushed into getting a complete set of brand-spanking new gear just after they got certified.

John