Package Deal

[halocline]

This is what I'm looking at as dive system.
The BC - Zeagle Escape $320
The Regulator - Oceanic Alpha 8 $149.95
Octopus- Oceanic Slimline 2 Octo $89.95
SPG - Sherwood 3 Gauge Navcon with Compass
and Max Depth Indicator 200 feet $200.00
Computer - Aeris Atmos 2 Air/Nitrox Computer $214.98

Looks okay; I'd reconsider the $200 3 guage console. What you really need is a simple SPG. You can rely on your computer for depth/time info, and wear a compass on your wrist if you need one. One of the most common "upgrades" that divers make is getting rid of their console for a wrist computer and single SPG. The analog depth guage is good to have I suppose, but your atmos computer is pretty reliable and if it fails, you can just stay with your buddy for the remainder of the dive to get depth info. The scary part of AI computers is if they fail, you lose all dive info.

Regarding the reg, it is true that almost any reg sold by a reputable company is likely to give you prefectly adequate performance for recreational diving. The higher end regs will supply more air, more easily, if you're under a lot of stress (meaning breathing heavy) while at extreme depth. I've had my low performance scubapro MK2/R190 (about $200 when I bought it) to 130ft and BARELY noticed it's performance falling, if that gves you any indication. I would not hesitate to dive with it to that depth again. Now, lets say at that depth your buddy got trapped out of air and scared so you were both breathing off it like hoovers; then you'd notice for sure. You'd still get enough air. (well, for a few minutes anyhow depending on your tank!)

 

[Tigerman]

Not having much knowledge about the gear youre considering, Id just give you something to compare with..
I bought a brand new rig which consisted of the following;
BARE CD4 drysuit
Aladin Prime computer
Scandinavian Model 230 BAR bottle (dont ask me what that is in any other measurement, I wouldnt know although i could probably look it up)
Coltrisub BCD
Coltrisub regulator and octopus
I paid just short of $3000 for this setup, which of the drysuit was a good $1000.

Im not sure how the prices on scuba gear here in Norway is, but I expect them to be higher than most places..

 

[Adobo]

Hey Everyone. I Am Looking At Buying A Set Up Pretty Soon. The Lds That I Did Training With Offered What Seems To Be A Great Deal. Any Input On It Would Be Much Appreciated.

Oceanic Vt3 Transmitter And Wrist Computer (new) $750
Zeagle Escape Bc (new) $350
Used But Refurbished Regulator & Octo (i Can't Remember The Brand) $300

Does This Sound Like A Decent Deal? I Do Like The Zeagle Escape. That's What I Was Trained On And Haven't Used Anything Else. But I Think It Works Great. Anyone Know Of Any Packages That Are A Better Value?

I would run screaming from any dive shop who offers to sell the new guy a $750 computer. What in heaven's name would you ever do with that thing. And then, they want you to buy a second hand/refurbished reg. Hmm.... just the kind of dive shop I want a relationship with(said sarcastically). Absolutely appalling. Seriously.

Your new list sounds a lot more reasonably. However, here are some things to consider.
- I dunno much about Oceanic regs. I've never used one. One generic piece of advice though, get a balanced 1st stage and a balance second stage if at all possible. (If you can afford a to have your pocket picked to the tune of $800 for a dive computer, you can afford a decent reg.) Another really good brand/value are Zeagle regs.
- The Zeagle BCs are good. However, you might as well ask yourself now whether or not a backplate and wing is something you wanna get into.
- I personally like to keep my computer and compass on my arms. You might consider whether or not that is something that appeals to you.

 

[Carribeandiver]

As far as that goes though, what is the real difference in these regulators? I have only used the Oceanic's that I've trained with and yeah I can breathe, but what else is there to look for in a regulator? I know I want it to be capable of 40% Nitrox without adjustments, but other than than, what's the difference between a Tusa RS-110 reg that only costs $136 and Poisedon that costs $700? Is it just the material it's made with, or will you really feel the difference?

As far as the acronyms, I'm lost with what AI and SPG means.

SPG is abbreviations for Submersible Pressure Gauge. As for your questions regarding regulators and the differences in each. May I suggest you get a copy of The Certified Diver's Hanbook written by Clay Coleman. You can get the book at Amazon for around 20 bucks and it is worth it. Coleman goes into each piece of equipment explaining how it functions, how to maintain it and what you should expect to pay (approximately).
In particular he does into regulators explaining the difference between piston first stages and balanced flow models. Overall, the book is written in simple, down to earth terms and written for everyone from the novice to the professional. Although, I think a professional would get a kick out of some of his detailed explanations because he assumes you know nothing and does his best to explain it to you concisely and completely.
And here is my 2 cents about what equipment to buy. Get what you plan to use for the next 5-10 years. Why buy something with the expectation to buy something else later on? A backup reg or bc is one thing but to deliberately buy a lesser model now because you think it is too advanced for your present day skills may not be the most prudent thing to do.

 

[laffslast]

Yeah, I don't mind buying now to plan for later. That's what I prefer. The regs I've been reading up on a lot have been the Mares Abyss and V42 Proton Metal. I do have a bad problem with dry mouth even when I hydrate big time before the dive. Does is the V42 the latest version of the Abyss or are they two different systems? Mares doesn't have that spiffy comparison chart like Ocean does.

 

[divad]

Once I get into cave/wreck etc then I'll start worrying about reels and such.

And just replace everything else you bought?

 

[laffslast]

And just replace everything else you bought?

Why would I need to replace everything if I'm just waiting to buy a reel?

 

[Adobo]

Why would I need to replace everything if I'm just waiting to buy a reel?

Outstanding question. I wish this one would be asked more often. Hopefully you get a lot of objective answers here.

Here is my personal take. As they say, your mileage may vary.

Open water diving typically requires the least amount of skills/knowledge/equipment to execute safely. Most of the traditional gear offered in dive shops today are configured towards the "casual" diver looking to do open water diving.

Cave/wreck/tech divers execute dives in what most would call "more demanding" environments. As such, they have to have more/better skills, more knowledge and of course, more equipment.

The equipment you are likely seeing in dive shops are not meant to be able to extend to grow with you as you progress into the more demanding environments. This fact is sad but true. As an example, most experienced cave/wreck/tech divers will dive with more tanks so that they have sufficient gas to safely execute a dive. The Zeagle Escape you are looking at is optimized for diving a single tank. I don't think there is much you could do to make it accommodate double tanks. Or even double tanks plus a deco bottle.

If you read the BCD forum, you will see a lot of threads on backplates or BP/W. These are a differnt type of BCD than something like a Zeagle Escape or a Oceanic Outrigger. Backplates are easily configured to do either single tank diving or doubles. If you think cave/wreck/technical diving is in your future, it is a good idea to rethink your BCD.

The three gauge console and the slimline octo also probably should get more scrutiny.

Check out http://www.cavediving.com/how/compare/index.htm

It has a reasonable comparison between the difference between what cave divers use and what the casual diver typically uses. The caver's configuration is easily as good in open water as any casual diver's configuration. And, that configuration will allow you to move from one type of diving without having to relearn new equipment.

Oh, another really good resource for equipment can be found here:
http://www.breakthrudiving.com/xducation/mask.html
http://www.breakthrudiving.com/xducation/backplate.html
http://www.breakthrudiving.com/xducation/wing.html
http://www.breakthrudiving.com/xducation/regulators.html
http://www.breakthrudiving.com/xducation/gauges.html

 

[laffslast]

Wow, I really have bit off more than I can chew. Buying the equipment is turning out to be more reading and researching than the Open Water Class. I'll check out the backplate designs and read some posts regarding that.

 

[DandyDon]

Wow, I really have bit off more than I can chew. Buying the equipment is turning out to be more reading and researching than the Open Water Class. I'll check out the backplate designs and read some posts regarding that.

Yeah, now you're getting into overdoing it. Pick out a good, high performance Reg, get the Zeagle BC and the other items, and start getting to know your gear.

You really need to study the Computer manual forwards & backwards, running Simulated dive drills. Mail the quick reference card to your mom and ask her to mail it back in a week; ppl use them instead of the manual and screw up. :shakehead