Starter Scuba Gear Package

[PugetDiver]

well.... i'd love a 20k Harley (even if it's an overpriced 20k Halrey)... but not
in this lifetime

at the time i bought my initial gear, i had two choices:

1. continue renting and hating it while i saved for nice gear; or
2. buy what i could afford at the time

i chose 2, and have not regretted. since then, i've come to upgrade my equipment
to suit the directions my diving has taken. for example, i could have bought
a $500 BC, but i still would have had to move over to a bp/wings

so... my $250 BC served me very well while i needed it. my original Dacor Fury
is now my secondary reg. i still have my original wetsuit, even though i've
gone dry. i could have bought a $400 wetsuit, but my $120 one continues
to serve me well when i need it.

and so on

there's lots of value to be found out there if you don't let the big names
scare you out of buying expensive

AMEN BROTHER!

 

[PugetDiver]

Thanks for all of the continued input. So how much does 'quality gear' cost?

How much you got?


That's what my LDS would say.

 

[jcole]

Hi PugetDiver,

Thanks for your interest and insight. I'm trying to find the right balance between cost and getting safe and reliable equipment that will last me a while.

I'd like to stay in the $700+ range, but if that isn't realistic then I'm willing to spend more if there is good reason for it.

I'm pretty new to diving, so this is a learning experience for me and I'm hoping to learn from other's experience and not have to make all the mistakes myself.

John

 

[jcole]

My local dive shop also has these packages listed:

http://austinaquasports.com/scuba gear packages.html

Two of them contain ScubaPro gear and are in the $800-900 range.

Any thoughts on these?

Thanks all.

John

 

[PerroneFord]

There is $500 crap out here, and $250 decent stuff out there. It's not about the name, its about the gear. I *HATE* buying crap, no matter how much it costs, but I'm a cheap SOB who prefers to buy something once if possible. That said, after I certified some years ago, I bought a Zeagle back inflation BC, Oceanic's top regs, and a host of other stuff. Ended up selling most of it, though I did keep the regs.

Some of us are more Technically oriented, and are fairly biased in what we might recommend. I know I am trying to avoid that. Real technical gear tends to favor efficiency, and easy of movement through the water. Stuff even a novice would appreciate, but the gear is in line with some of the more expensive stuff out there. So it might not make sense for you.

In looking at a BC, I personally prefer the "back inflation" ones as they tend to be more comfortable. You are less constricted when you add air, and they feel lighter in the water. This is true of technical backplates and wings, or more common BCs that have the air bladder in the back. They cost more though.

A decent regulator will offer a balanced first stage and an easy breathing second stage. You don't need a lot of whiz-bang features, just a decent regulator. You got some good suggestions already.

I'll stop short of recommending brands, but take a look at what your local dive shops carry, and service. This can be very important. Even if you buy some of this stuff online, and save a bunch of money, you'll be walking into those local shops for some things. It pays to get to know them.

Best of luck to you.

 

[H2Andy]

Any thoughts on these?

just to give you an idea, a ScubaPro Mk2/190 is less than $160 at leisurepro.com

an extra 190 (as an octopus) is $90

that's $250

the Equator is not weight-integrated. the Dacor Talon, for example, is. that's
$230

so far, $480

then add a SeaElite Slimline console (http://www.diverssupplyusa.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=16360) for $95

and you're at $575 for a the same regs, a better BC, and a comparable gauge

 

[Poseidon8118]

Someone please explain to me what “low quality” gear is…is it gear that kills more people than “high quality”? Do you mean “high quality” gear doesn’t fail??? Does this “low quality” gear fall apart underwater while diving? Can you sense my sarcasm? Please use a term like “lower performance” or “entry level” instead of “low quality”, because this may mislead new divers into believing the lower cost equipment isn’t safe. The quality of gear seems pretty consistent through most manufacturers’ product lines. It seems the more you pay the more performance, features, and least important (exotic materials) that you’ll receive.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

just to give you an idea, a ScubaPro Mk2/190 is less than $160 at leisurepro.com

an extra 190 (as an octopus) is $90

that's $250

No factory warranty. Scubapro spent a lot of money this year to get their equipment out of internet shops. Leisurepro has about a 6 month supply of scubapro equipment left and they'll never get it again.

 

[PerroneFord]

Hmm, when you buy a $20k car vs. a $50k, do you expect a difference? Just lots of bells and whistles? exotic metals? Both get you from point A to point B. Most people are fairly familiar with the concept of increased performance in some regard for more money. Sometimes it's just hype.

Sometimes lower cost equipment is NOT safe. Depending on how it's used. That $200 regulator is gonna get overworked pretty fast in cold water with two people breathing off it. Is that unsafe? It is to me. That cheapo BC that floats you on your face instead of a your back might seem pretty unsafe if you get injured and need to float yourself on the surface for a while.

Sometimes added cost buys extra safety features. And that's when it's important to me. Fancy colors and exotic metals mean zero in my book, but added performance under duress, mean plenty.

Someone please explain to me what “low quality” gear is…is it gear that kills more people than “high quality”? Do you mean “high quality” gear doesn’t fail??? Does this “low quality” gear fall apart underwater while diving? Can you sense my sarcasm? Please use a term like “lower performance” or “entry level” instead of “low quality”, because this may mislead new divers into believing the lower cost equipment isn’t safe. The quality of gear seems pretty consistent through most manufacturers’ product lines. It seems the more you pay the more performance, features, and least important (exotic materials) that you’ll receive.

 

[Kim]

Sometimes lower cost equipment is NOT safe. Depending on how it's used. That $200 regulator is gonna get overworked pretty fast in cold water with two people breathing off it. Is that unsafe? It is to me. That cheapo BC that floats you on your face instead of a your back might seem pretty unsafe if you get injured and need to float yourself on the surface for a while.

I know where you are coming from but lets keep it a bit real. First off, he's not intending to dive cold water so he doesn't really 'need' a cold water anti-freeze reg now does he? As far as BCs go - which jacket style BCs floats you on your face? You have more chance ending up like that wearing the DIR Holy Grail of a BP/W. Basically you need the tools to to do the job - and if you are not careful you can easily buy the more expensive better tools which are more than capable of doing the job that you will never do. In the final analysis, how many real accidents happened because the gear being used was no good? They happen often enough due to bad maintenance - but that occurs with any kind of gear if you don't look after it properly, no?