Help Needed!

Hello fellow Forum members,

I need your help desperately.
My new found hobby has dug deep inside my pockets.

Don't freak, I wont ask you for money!

But my PADI instructor told me that I need to spend another $1400 for a good diving system, of course at his store.

I know he will hook me up with awesome gear, like he did with my mask, fins, boots, snorkie, which came up to around 600 and some dollars.

However, I can't afford it by any means possible...

Scuba.com has this diving system package that just went down $200 and some dollars on price this past week, to stay at a total of $714... Half what my instructor told me i had to spend... Doesn't the offer already make you ticklish in the stomach if you were in my situation?

The package consists of the following gear:

Sherwood Avid BCD
Sherwood Oasis Regulator
Sherwood 2 gauge console
Sherwood Minimus Octo

and for free with it
Tec 40 Dive Light
4 Alkaline Batteries
Light Retractor
Gauge Retractor
Blunt Sidekick BC Dive Knife
Free 660 Denier 30" x 13" x 13" Duffel Bag
Free Hammerhead T-Shirt


Please, tell me that this is really good gear and I wont have to stab my wallet to death!

By the way, this page has all their system packages... Check 'em out and give me the skinny.
http://www.diversdiscount.com/resources/frameset-cat.asp?cat=Buoyancy+Compensators

Thanks!!

Gonz

my 2 cents - to me anything over $20 is a lot of money. As you are new to the sport, I suggest you buy from someone (or with someone) who can give you lots and lots of guidance.

The $600 for your personal gear sounds a bit stiff to being with. So does the $1400.

My LDS sold me:
Sherwood Avid BCD
Sherwood Blizzard Regulator/ DIN connection (same as Oasis with frost resistant plating)
Genisis 5000 PSI SPG/Depth/Compass and Temp.
Sherwood Minimus Octo
All ordered in fresh 2005 stuff for $954 including state sales tax.

Your shop should be able to do better for this set-up. FWIW I like it all.

The other gadgets are worth something but not that much. I rigged a 6" bungee on my console with a bolt snap to a left shoulder D ring and see no need for a retractor on this set-up. More to fail. I can read everything with ease including navigating. If I am intense with the compass I unclip it to hold it in the most effective way. There are other compass mounts but that's another existing thread.


Remember that some online items are a year or so behind but the changes are often trivial. Local support is worth a modest premium to me.

Pete

mrgonz:

Hello fellow Forum members,

I need your help desperately.
My new found hobby has dug deep inside my pockets.

Don't freak, I wont ask you for money!

But my PADI instructor told me that I need to spend another $1400 for a good diving system, of course at his store.

I know he will hook me up with awesome gear, like he did with my mask, fins, boots, snorkie, which came up to around 600 and some dollars.

However, I can't afford it by any means possible...

Scuba.com has this diving system package that just went down $200 and some dollars on price this past week, to stay at a total of $714... Half what my instructor told me i had to spend... Doesn't the offer already make you ticklish in the stomach if you were in my situation?

The package consists of the following gear:

Sherwood Avid BCD
Sherwood Oasis Regulator
Sherwood 2 gauge console
Sherwood Minimus Octo

and for free with it
Tec 40 Dive Light
4 Alkaline Batteries
Light Retractor
Gauge Retractor
Blunt Sidekick BC Dive Knife
Free 660 Denier 30" x 13" x 13" Duffel Bag
Free Hammerhead T-Shirt


Please, tell me that this is really good gear and I wont have to stab my wallet to death!

By the way, this page has all their system packages... Check 'em out and give me the skinny.
http://www.diversdiscount.com/resources/frameset-cat.asp?cat=Buoyancy+Compensators

Thanks!!

Gonz

Click to expand...

Mrgonz,
Your primary financial responsibility is to yourself, not a retail sales establishment. PADI instructors are generally affilliated with a dive shop and are predisposed to sell the equipment the store offers at the price at which the LDS desires to sell it.

I've seen some shops actually charge prices OVER the MSRP for equipment.

There are a number of on-line sources for scuba gear at greatly reduced prices.

I would suggest that you find some good on-line pricing and see if the dive shop will meet the pricing. If they don't then maximize your available assests in the most efficacious manner.

Now be prepared!! You are about to receive a dearth of responses stating, more or less, that if you don't support your local dive shop and the prices they want you to pay, you're going to put them out of business and you won't have any place to get air fills or rent tanks.

the K

mrgonz:

I know he will hook me up with awesome gear, like he did with my mask, fins, boots, snorkie, which came up to around 600 and some dollars.

However, I can't afford it by any means possible...

Scuba.com has this diving system package that just went down $200 and some dollars on price this past week, to stay at a total of $714... Half what my instructor told me i had to spend... Doesn't the offer already make you ticklish in the stomach if you were in my situation?

Click to expand...

$600 USD sounds real steep for your personal dive gear.

I personally, would make a printout of the site, including the pricing, and sit down with your instructor/lds and let him know that your wallet is really hurting, and that you can get the system for less elsewhere. That will allow your LDS a crack at lowering his/her prices, and a chance to retain their business.

Cheers!

Whew, $600 seem a good bit high for just the items you mentioned. I would suggest you shop around some. As an alternative to new equipment, you can find some good deals on perfectly good used gear. I would not suggest you buy it from Ebay or any place else where you can't actually get your hands on it before buyings it and have it checked by a shop before buying it. If you are anywhere near NY city, you may want to consider droping by Leasure Pro and see what they have to offer.

You can buy your regulator used. You'll need to get it rebuilt, which will, if done by a good technician, make it as good as it was when it came out of the box. You can buy your SPG/console used also, and many times it comes along for free when you buy the regs.

In fact, if you ask here, I'd be willing to bet there are more than a few people with used equipment hanging around that they would hebe happy to sell to you.

You can also buy your BC used, although that's something you would want to see in person first, since you need to check how it fits and what kind of shape it's in.

Terry

mrgonz:

Hello fellow Forum members,

I need your help desperately.
My new found hobby has dug deep inside my pockets.

Don't freak, I wont ask you for money!

But my PADI instructor told me that I need to spend another $1400 for a good diving system, of course at his store.

I know he will hook me up with awesome gear, like he did with my mask, fins, boots, snorkie, which came up to around 600 and some dollars.

Click to expand...

wow - What mask, fins, boots, snorkel did you get for $600+ ?

Woah yeah It seems I hit a wrong key up there!

Lets see

Fins: Cobalt Twinjets - $186
Mask: Genesis Islander - $60 or so
Snorkie: Deep Sea - $27
Boots: Oceanic - $40

So that was a bit over 300 (what was over 700 was that added to the course and materials).

I like to support local stores, but my pockets aren't endless. I'm a full time student, and make $7.25 an hour. I have other bills to take care of already, that's why it's hard for me to afford extremelly expensive gear or an extremelly expensive store.

When I mentioned "online" to the store owner, he "politely flipped out on me". Went on about how if I bought gear online I could get any piece of garbage and ran the risk of not getting anything back (not the case with Scuba.com, I've bought things from them and am very happy). Also how it'd be a waste of time for him to help me choose gear only so I could buy it online (true of course), and the fact that if any gear i bought from him broke, he'd fix it, but not if I purchased it online.

Most of the things he has are Scubapro,and since he's the only Scubapro retailer in Westchester, he has the freedom to adjust prices at his need.

This place has changed ownership 3 times within the past 20 years or so. It's bad that they might not have a hell load of business, but I am not in the position to spent twice as much as i need to in order to support a small business.

Great response Kraken!!! Shop around on0line and allow the LDS to meet or beat the price if they can't get your stuff on-line (like I did). The old addage that you should support your LDS so they stay around is a bunch of ****! The next thing people will be telling you is that you need to pay the LDS bills. Take care of yourself first..The LDS where I signed up for my OW attempted to sell me tons of equipment some of which I needed for class. I was wise and did not purchase it without shopping around. I found a LDS down the road that offered it 40% cheaper. I purchased my BCD,REG,OCTO etc on line and YES with a warranty. Some on here will tell you that you will not get a warranty if you purchase on line. Heed the advise given with caution... Please be mindful that I do support my LDS for items such as mask defogger, trips etc.