Opinion about equipment..Which is better?

[dal_man13]

I have been contemplating buying a scuba setup and would like some opinions about what brand would be a better buy. Since I will only be diving a few times a year I figured a introductory package would be best. Below are links to three packages I have come accross that I think are decent deals.
Aeris A1 with Aeris EX 100 BC and Gauges, and Octo discounts on sale Aeris

Mares Package #1?&&

Cressi Scuba Diving BCD, Regulator, Console, Octopus, Dive Gear Package, Small | eBay

Your opinion on this is greatly appreciated.

 

[NAUIWOWI]

You have opened pandora's box! I have spent many dry hours reading the impassioned debates about the best gear/configuration on this site, so based on that, and my personal experience here are the answers:
1. Best gear is the one that fits you, your diving style, and needs.
2. Price should not be your only consideration. I am assuming this because of the variety of brand names you are asking about suggests that you are looking at various packages based on price.
3. Consider buying the pricier items at an LDS. my local LDS will let me rent the same styles or regs to try out, and some LDS have their own pool where you can try the equipment before buying. Is it more expensive? Maybe. A lot of places will give you a discount, but expect to pay a bit more than the internet to get to touch it, try it and compare features hands-on. Some things look great on the web, but in your hands not so much.
4. You don't say where you are, so we don't know if you need regs that are good for cold water diving, or if you are a strict warm water diver.

Yes, I know I didn't specifically address the gear you posted. I kinda think that other people's opinion on gear should factor pretty low on your decision. I am a life long fan of scubapro regs, and trust them enough to pass them down to my two kids. Others on this thread while acknowledging that they are quality gear, won't buy them because they may have an issue with company policies. So, you would get two conflicting opinions, both valid but the tie can only be broken by you trying for yourself and then making your own decision. Try before you buy. Sorry for the windy post. Hopes this helps.

 

[BDSC]

I would imagine any of the three would work just fine but I would upgrade any of them to include a computer. Some places now require you to have a computer and even if you only dive a few times a year it just makes sense to have one. A basic computer will add little to the cost of your set-up.

I would probably go with the Aeris since the BCD is weight intergrated.

 

[Damselfish]

What does a few times a year mean? An actual few dives, or a few week long dive trips someplace? If it's really just a few days you may want to rent for awhile and see where this goes for you. Regs need to be serviced periodically which can be expensive, so for infrequent diving renting might be cheaper. OTOH, an inexpensive package may not take too long to break even vs renting if you do dive enough, and if you have your own gear you're likely to dive more - but then if you dive enough there's a good chance you'll soon discover you're not happy with the stuff in your package deal and want to replace it.

I'm just not a fan of premade lowball packages. What is it that attracts you to these packages other than they look like a "decent deal"? If you're going to spend money on gear you may as well figure out what you really want in gear aside from a good deal. It takes more effort, but you are more likely to wind up with at least some gear you won't want to replace in 3 months. Many places will also let you build your own package and offer a similar discount (though this may depend some on the brands involved.) Or you may decide you'd like to put more money into a better reg, and find a good deal on a nice used BC someplace - lots of people decide diving isn't for them or don't like the first (or second or third) BC they buy.

One of the things that you'll want to consider with a reg is if you can get a brand serviced locally. For a BC, brand/service doesn't matter so much but you really want to make sure it fits well and just works for you, which is pretty difficult if you haven't been able to at least try it on. You might find that no size in a particular model really feels right. Which of the brands in those packages can you get serviced? Which BC fits best and has the features you want?

 

[diveprof]

I agree, of the three you have listed the Aeris is the better buy. However, I'm not crazy about the regs of any of the three listed. I would recommend Scubapro, Aqualung or Hog regs. I also echo the need for a dive computer. The Aeris manta is an inexpensive computer that can double as a watch and alarm clock on a trip. Keep in mind that a good setp will last you many years. I'm still diving a circa 1980s reg.

 

[Searcaigh]

Go to your LDS and find out what they have, and if you can try it first.

In the current financial times a decent business is going to give you a better deal than buying stuff online in the long term, especially when it comes to servicing regs.

 

[DevonDiver]

It's personal preference - try before you buy.

My preferences wouldn't include any of the three listed products.

I also probably wouldn't opt to buy a single-brand only 'package', as the optimum components are rarely provided by a single brand/manufacturer. Some manufacturers excel in certain items, but rarely great in all items. Again, the price savings wouldn't be worth the compromise - for me.

 

[vladimir]

The advice from Damselfish on weighing buying vs. rental is good. It might not make sense to buy. The advice on buying from your local dive shop (LDS) is dubious, although it certainly wouldn't hurt to give them a shot. But don't walk in without knowing the price at LeisurePro or ScubaToys for everything you intend to buy.

The Aeris package has the option of adding a computer. I am not a fan of Aeris computers, because of the one-button interface that mine had. They might have evolved since then.

I don't like packages in general, because they usually throw in some no-name crap that you don't want, which makes price comparisons difficult. These three look better than most in that respect, but I'd still rather carefully select the gear that I want and package it together myself. (If you call LeisurePro or ScubaToys with a package of gear that they normally sell, they will probably discount it for you.)

As a new diver, though, you don't have a strong opinion, and most of us have arrived at our opinions through an expensive process of trial and error. If you solicit advice here you will get a lot of conflicting opinions, and it will be hard to separate the useful opinions from the self-serving or naive. If you're going the trial-and-error route, you might as well go cheap—most brand name scuba gear is more than adequate to the task.