Package opinion??

[tundraotto]

I don't see how damselfish wasn't being nice to you. But that's okay. You said you're okay with it.
I was just being a little cheeky...take some humor plz- lol I'll take a whooping if its worth it!
The safest/best/most important gear at 150' for me would be enough gas, great regulators and a warm suit. So I'd be diving doubles, breathing through Apeks regulators and wearing a drysuit. My bc would be a backplate/wing set up. You have asked, and gotten answers.
now were getting to the nitty gritty - this is the kind of info that is useful!!! - how about some specifics!!! that would be money!!!
It's the collective experience on this forum that is suggesting to wait and see what you like and don't like before making any investment. It's not being said without just cause. Many of us have gone the route you're going...and it cost us money and we've learned from it. THANKS DAD - I WILL PROCEED TO DO AS I SAID - LOL It's up to you if you choose to to heed the advice given or not. Noone's going to make you listen or make you wait. But collectively, it's agreed that it's in your best interest to do so...especially since you're not made of money as you say. (I have done some stupid stuff and on hindsight I have been lucky - on the other hand it has provided me with a lot of joy - the gear has saved me twice from some serious *****e - I dont want to worry about money even though I am not made of it - I will spend what it takes to not be killed by "if he had xxxxx that would not have happened...) I am sure you understand....
Shane

thanks for the reply!!

thanks -and I am not trying to be cheeky - just really curious about opinions on the gear - not so much on the decisionmaking...
Shane[/QUOTE]

 

[PerroneFord]

Hmm ok,

You want opinions on the gear, I'll give you some. Most of it I wouldn't take for free.

Package 1:
Mares, I wouldn't touch it. That's my personal opinion. Console, hate them. I wear my instruments on my wrists where I can see them without having to have a bulky, PITA console to wrestle with. So your Package 1 scores a zero with me.

Package 2:

Force fins: I think they're terrible. But some people love them. If you flutter kick a lot, they're probably great. I don't flutter kick. Since you aren't a diver yet, you don't know what kicks you'll be doing most often.

Mask, fit is everything. Buy the simplest black skirted mask that fits your face with no leaks. Some masks fit thin faces, some are made for wider faces. Gotta try it on.

Mk25/g250 Great combo. Highly recommended and unless you start ice diving, will work for all kinds of diving.

Steel 130 tank, maybe. But if you dive it in tropical conditions, you may be overweighted.

Tusa SPG. Lots of better alternatives. But it's a pretty cheap item so mistakes here aren't too bad.

Zeagle Tech BCD. Wouldn't recommend it. Not that I have anything against Zeagle. They are a good company.

Suunto Gekko. Decent computer, but look at the Vyper instead which has factory supported download capability. And some additional features that are very useful. Or wait to buy a computer and learn to dive without it. That's a far better option to be honest.

Suunto SK7. Great compass. In a lake or a quarry, you'll probably need a good one too.


The problem you have is that like many new divers, you want answers to questions on gear, but you don't have any frame of reference to understand why your choices are poor ones. Or why "packages" are the domain of the new diver only. Experienced divers know not to buy packages because they very rarely come with things that we don't see as throwaway items.

Ebay is chock full of gear from new divers like yourself who rushed into buying everything, and then found out 20 dives later they bought crappy gear at expensive prices and need to unload it on the next unsuspecting newbie. If that is the path you want to take, have at it. The folks here have given you some solid advice.

Best of luck.

 

[bamamedic]

I'm a brand new diver with only 14 dives to my name, so take my advice with a grain of salt:

I purchased all my own gear right after OW certification, and I bought some nice stuff, too, that seemed awesome at the time: Scubapro MK11/S555, Ladyhawk BC, a 3 gauge console with a compass, a wrist mounted air computer, and Mares X-3 fins.

Then I started diving, and discovered that nearly all of my gear wasn't appropriate for what I want to get into: cavern and eventually cave diving. And, the more I dove, the more I discovered that the gear I purchased, though really good, didn't suit me all that well. My fins were a bit too flexible to frog kick well, so I had to buy Jet fins. My BC isn't a good fit for cave diving, so I'm going to a BP/W soon. I've got to get a long primary hose on my reg (I just might give it to my significant other and get Dive Rite regs). Turns out I hate my brick of a console 'cause it seems like it's always dragging on the bottom, no matter where I clip it., and I'm just going to get a simple SPG and clip it off to a D ring. And, I was talked into purchasing an AIR 2...which I've discovered doesn't work so well for me. Grrrr...I'm really wishing that I had followed everyone's advice, and rented gear for a few months before purchasing! Even if you have the money to purchase everything upfront, and repurchase or trade if you decide it doesn't work for you, it's still a PITA to have to do that.

If I could do it all over again, I'd have put up with the inconvenience of renting my gear for a couple of months...I'd have saved myself about $2,000!

I thinking about purchasing a steel tank myself, but my problem is that I would be completely without ditchable weight in a 3mm, and overweighted if I ever went to a thinner wetsuit. Something to consider, as a steel 130 is one helluva heavy tank.

Anyways, hope this helps you....

 

[TSandM]

As somebody who bought all her gear immediately out of OW, and replaced almost every single bit of it six months later, I sigh and reiterate that you're getting good advice. Remember that scuba gear, lightly used, resells for a very small fraction of its original purchase price!

But that said, I like the Scubapro reg choice. I use MK25/S600s and I love them. The G250 has been recommended as a better second stage by DA Aquamaster, whose advice I trust. The SK7 compass is the best one you can buy. And HP 130s are pretty nice tanks to have around (we own two).

If you're going to dive in water under 84 degrees, you're going to need some exposure protection. And in the mid to low 70's, you're going to need a fair amount of exposure protection. How much will depend on you -- some people get cold more easily than others. But no dive is fun if you're cold, and getting too cold truly impacts your safety. This is one place where talking to your local friends can be very helpful. Find out what most of them are using, as far as wetsuit thickness. If you dive at home and travel, you'll most likely end up owning more than one suit.

 

[diver 85]

medic001918 and Dandydon have stated it the best IMO.......also IMO, you'll end up buying what you end up buying(lol), probably very close to if not exactly what your buddies have/are using......Nothing wrong with that @ all, just take the time to try out every thing you can ie BC, regulators, even wetsuit if possible(of course tell them there'll be no peeing while you have it on) tank etc......again, you've got time.........good luck, let us know what you settle on & how 'happy' you are with it after a number of dives........

 

[LowVizWiz]

The problem you have is that like many new divers, you want answers to questions on gear, but you don't have any frame of reference to understand why your choices are poor ones. Or why "packages" are the domain of the new diver only. Experienced divers know not to buy packages because they very rarely come with things that we don't see as throwaway items.

Ebay is chock full of gear from new divers like yourself who rushed into buying everything, and then found out 20 dives later they bought crappy gear at expensive prices and need to unload it on the next unsuspecting newbie. If that is the path you want to take, have at it. The folks here have given you some solid advice.

Best of luck.

Your post makes way too much sense and it doesn't dance around the subject. It's obvious to me that the op is bent on not taking the advice he solicited.

I love these threads

To the op, I'm 6'5" and 250 and truly only dive warm waters 72 is my coldest dive. While I think a large steel tank is a good general idea later on (I dive large steel tanks) your reasoning is not making sense. If you're diving in a warm lake you will not need much weight at all. And 55 degrees and above is really cold BTW! so a cheap wet suit from the store won't cut it!

I really hope you do listen.

 

[Kingpatzer]

I'm gonna toss out a completely different point of view.

In my mind, there are two kinds of dives. 3m dives and dry suit dives. AK, like MN, is mostly dry suit diving. Certainly from Sept-May in quarries.

A great dry suit that fits well is essential to an enjoyable dive.

Were I you, and were I serious about wanting to get my own gear, I'd consider exposure protection as my #1 priority, since adequate regs, tanks and BC's can be rented anywhere, but few places rent good dry suits, and even fewer will have one that fits really really well.

Take your 2 grand and go get yourself a good mask, fins and snorkel. Take what's left over and go get yourself a custom fit dry suit.

Now, if you have anything left over, you can get a reg and a computer and whatever else you feel you must have up front.

I promise that is a path to more enjoyable year round diving . .

 

[PerroneFord]

There is a huge difference between asking for advice, and asking for validation.

 

[realdiver7]

I definitely advise that you wait until after certification before buying major gear so you will have a chance to try out various types before you buy. Also, you do NOT want to put your nice new gear in a pool for confined water training because chlorine and other chemicals will cause a lot of damage, even if you can't see the damage right away. The chemicals will literally eat your gear and break it down.

I would stay away from "package deals" and buy high quality from individual manufacturers. ScubaToys is a top-notch operation to deal with, so you are on the right track in that respect. My regulator preference is Scubapro because it is top of the line, high quality, can be serviced locally, and can be serviced at most of my vacation destinations if needed. I also agree with most of what PerroneFord has to say in his posts regarding specifics.

Even though you are very excited and motivated, which are good things, slowing down a bit and getting some real-life experience in the water with gear is much better than buying on the advice of others. Some people buy and dive, but some are "arm chair" buyers and divers who study the intellectual sides of everything, but never do enough diving to see what really works for them. In other words, just because a mask was named "tester's choice," doesn't mean it will fit you and work for you.

Enjoy your new experiences, and let the dive shop take the beating on their rental gear for your training! The shop understands and expects this.

Hope this helps!

 

[tundraotto]

thanks all - the help is appreciated. I expected to get chastized too - but jeesh - its not like its coming out of your wallet so what the heck.....
like said i appreciate all the comments and time all the same!