What's the brand to get?

[aznlmpulse]

you can go check out http://scubadiving.com gear section
they usually have a "must have" list, or top 100 gear for 2006, 2005 etc...it might have what you're looking for.. their regulator shoot out has scoring charts for all the top regs, etc.

 

[Dive-aholic]

John, come out to Lake Pleasant the end of October. A few of us will be diving that weekend and you'll be able to see a variety of gear. It's nice to go into an LDS and see what's on display, but it's nicer to head out to the lake and see what's being dived and talk to the people who own the gear and ask why they dive it. I have a variety of gear I dive, lots of different manufacturers. They all serve their own purpose. The first thing you need to decide is what kind of diving you plan on getting into. Different types of diving call for different types of gear. Once you've decided that, then start looking at what gear is used in that type of diving. This will narrow down your choices quite a bit. BCDs vary quite a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer. They also vary quite a bit in style. You can purchase a jacket style, back inflate, or bp/w. Regs also vary, but they vary within different manufacturer lines. You can find great regs and crappy regs made by the same manufacturer. Usually price will reveal which is which if that's the case. Like I said, come out to the lake and we'll talk. Bring a couple of tanks, too, so we can go diving!

 

[GreenDiverDown]

Careful, John. This is not the way to get ideas on gear. I was gonna single out at least one reponse as really wacky with respect to 'top brands' but there have been multiple wacky suggestions.

Your best bet is to take Rob up on his offer. That dude knows what he's talkin' about... and he's a good guy, to boot. I'm confident that you can bank on what he might recommend.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Thanks for the kind words, Stephen!

 

[spectrum]

Congratulations on taking a proactive stance in gear selection. Too many walk into the dive shop like lambs reporting for slaughter.

Your question however is a bit off the mark. Unless you are heading towards some sort of major specialty the brand to brand diffrerences are not the top drivers. The age of the litigator has pretty much leveled the quality in terms of durability and safety.

For the most part a diver will say that the gear that got them through their last dive safely is the best, whatever brand that was.

What really matters is:
*Gear that fits. Cuts vary from brand to brand so what is good for me may be aweful for you.
*Gear that you can get local service and remote travel support if you have dive travel intentions. Especially true for regulator set and your BCD.
*Gear that has the features you decide you want. This is where advance study, planning and visualization are helpful.
*Gear you can afford. If you need to wait 3 years saving pennies and not diving or paying a fortune in rental fees what's the pont?

Devour the gear foums, the new divers and basic forums and it will start to become clear. Getting a quality set-up is easy, getting the right one for you is the challenge.

Pete

Hello fellow divers,
I am new to the sport of diving and to scubaboard.com. I would like to eventualy purchase my own gear. I have been looking at a lot of equipment but I do not know which brands are the good ones. Could you please list some of the top brands and possibly models too? I am not looking to spend a furtune, but I do want to get a quality set up the first time around.

Thanks!
-john

 

[Dave in PA]

Also realize that most manufacturers have bottom, middle and top of the line equipment. Not everyone will have the specific model you want in stock, but they should be able to order it.

 

[audission]

Hello fellow divers,
I am new to the sport of diving and to scubaboard.com. I would like to eventualy purchase my own gear. I have been looking at a lot of equipment but I do not know which brands are the good ones. Could you please list some of the top brands and possibly models too? I am not looking to spend a furtune, but I do want to get a quality set up the first time around.

Thanks!
-john

It's probably easier to ask what brand NOT to get. IMO a lot of scuba equipment is of a pretty decent standard, and will cope easily with basic rec diving, if that's all you're after. Fit, cost and servicing seem to be the main considerations rather than brand per se.

(However, to answer the original question correctly, it's ATOMIC.)

 

[GreenDiverDown]

Thanks for the kind words, Stephen!

Sorry I called you a dude, dude.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Sorry I called you a dude, dude.

No problem, dude.

 

[RonFrank]

I think you are putting the chicken before the egg, or the cart before the horse, or the... well you get the idea.

Regulator - What does your LDS carry and service? There are very few BAD regs these days. Some considerations are cost of parts for service, and budget.

BC - What kinda body type do you have? RU a regular sized guy, or someone who may need off sizing? Zeagle IMO makes the most custom sized BC's out of the box as you can put medium shoulders on a small BC. What style of BC do you like to dive? Jacket. Back-Inflate, BP/W?

Mask - what fits, period! I like the Cressi-Big Eye syle masks, and the Mares X-Vision is my mask of choice for it's low volume, wide field of view, fit, and I like a black skirt.

Snorkel - Get the biggest brightest one you can find, cause after a long day of diviing when you generally just leave it on the boat, it's easier to spot if it get's seperated from you other gear!

Fins - Some swear by Jets, some swear at them! Apollo Bio-Fins has been leading the pack for years at least according to ScubaDiving.

Exposure Suit - Depends on what you dive. I either do a 3mm fullsuit, or dive dry. If I can't dive it in a 3mm suit, I don't dive wet. Fit here like with a mask is the most important thing, and most 3mm exposure suits out there are good. IMO the high end wet suits generally cost more with little benifit other than maybe a cool logo, and recognizable brand name. I would however suggest super-stretch, ultra-stretch or whatever (names vary by brand) in a suit. I just makes it MUCH easier to get in and out of, and is more comfortable overall.

Computer - Most out there seem to be good. If you plan on diving Nitrox, make sure yours does that. I like the Aeris Atmos II. Very solid, very easy to read, minimal buttons, and user replacable battery. Fits the bill for me!

Side Note: Beware, folks that subscribe to DIR and Hogarthian ideals will have a VERY fixed recommendation as to what you should dive, and how to set it up. There is NO choice on configuration with this group. There is nothing wrong with this, but be aware that 90%+ of the worlds divers are not diving these configurations to the degree that a true DIR diver would suggest. I know tech divers that subscribe to some but not all of thier methods.

I also agree with Stephen that this may not be the best way to make gear choice. You need to figure out more of what you want based on your diving, your experience, and your personal preference. Once you have some things narrowed down to a few choices, then this group can be invaluable to determine what people like and why.