OP
Gilligan
Contributor
gogums:
I'm probably the last person to be of any help to you on scuba gear as all of mine is old, like me. My gear is too far behind the curve and I don't keep up with the latest products.
I have an old "Seaquest Dimension XP" BCD which is a backlift type. I like backlift BCD's.
I have a Scubapro regulator setup which works fine but I'm not convinced I would buy Scubapro again because of its first stage design. It allows water to enter so as to work off ambient pressure. In my opinion this creates an additional maintenance issue. You need to soak, not rinse, that first stage for about 20 to 30 minutes every time to be sure no salt or debris is left in those holes or the next time you turn the air on the piston and/or the cylinder can get scored from any crystalized salt residue or sand. Those parts are not covered for free in the annual maintenance. Fortunately, I had only a small amount of scoring on mine before a gear tech put me wise to this.
As for fins, I use the Force Fin Pro model with the insert so as to use them without booties. I'm not recommending Force Fins overall. I use them to prevent foot cramping from an old foot injury. Fins with booties seem to cramp that foot. The Force Fin does not because of its design.
