Don't Drink The Kool-Aid

Quality gear and Quality service are available without paying 30% to 50% markup at the Local Dive Shop (LDS).

I'm somewhat new to diving, but I'm amazed at the "It has to be expensive to be any good" mentality of my instructor, and the people on these different message boards.

Just like ANYTHING you get into, you have to be careful when you shop. There are people who LOVE their Black and Decker tools, people who swear by DeWalt, and others that require a name brand that can't be bought at Home Depot. It can all be good, and it can all have certain problems.

Do your homework, try before you buy if that's an option, and most of all, be happy about your choice. I'm convinced that there are a bunch of people who were conned out of a lot of money by their LDS owner...and are convinced that they got a great deal just because they spent 50% more than that idiot on the back row.

blindref757:

Quality gear and Quality service are available without paying 30% to 50% markup at the Local Dive Shop (LDS).

I'm somewhat new to diving, but I'm amazed at the "It has to be expensive to be any good" mentality of my instructor, and the people on these different message boards.

Just like ANYTHING you get into, you have to be careful when you shop. There are people who LOVE their Black and Decker tools, people who swear by DeWalt, and others that require a name brand that can't be bought at Home Depot. It can all be good, and it can all have certain problems.

Do your homework, try before you buy if that's an option, and most of all, be happy about your choice. I'm convinced that there are a bunch of people who were conned out of a lot of money by their LDS owner...and are convinced that they got a great deal just because they spent 50% more than that idiot on the back row.

Click to expand...

Its funny that you mention B & D and DeWalt in the same sentance.... That's like mentioning Chipotle and McDonalds, or Wendys and Baja Fresh together. Same source, different branding / marketing.

Its like this: Everyone will outgrow their LDS. I mean, if you dive regularly (like a couple times a week) and have settled in on your rig, why go back? If you wanna talk about diving, and hang out with divers that talk about diving, I guess.

But that's not my scene. I have mates. I don't need to be a shop rat. I can't ever imagine a time when I'll need an LDS for anything more than a fill. There isn't a shop near me that stocks the stuff I use, I book my boat trips direct, and the stuff I need I get off of ebay or from other divers.

I keep saying - an LDS has you for your first 50 dives. After that, see ya. So you have conflicting objectives at work (and this causes the acrimony that you're articulating here) - as business owners, they need to stay liquid... so its train, train, train and load you up with gear - quickly. Cuz after 50 dives you'll get a clue, find eBay and they never see you again.

c'mon - we all overpaid for our first set of plastic fins, clear 3 window mask, dry snorkle and worthless mesh backpack bag. Its a tragic right of passage.

That said - good stuff is expensive. It costs so much because its worth so much. So, go to eBay and get better gear for what you'd pay for lesser gear. Or better yet, support the community by buying from ScubaBoard's Classified area.

---
Ken

You know, I'm outgrowing my LDS, and it hurts. I LIKE my LDS. I like the people there, and I like the owner, and almost everything I bought from them I either like or it made sense at the time. I still go on charters and fun dives with the shop folks and enjoy them.

But they don't carry what I want any more. I went in today to talk about oxygen analyzers, and they don't have any. I knew more about what was available, and what the prices were, than the owner of the shop. I just upgraded my light with something they don't carry and don't deal. And I'm afraid I'm about to buy a new dry suit from somebody else. And it's sad. They've been good to me. Yes, I bought some moderately expensive things from them, but nothing top of the line. Yes, I've taken a lot of training from them, but we all saw that coming to an end . . . unless I decided to do the divemaster program, I've had everything they offer. And I won't do divemaster with them, if I decide to do it at all, because we have come to parting of the ways philosophically.

Yes, I suspect many people will outgrow their LDS. But it is not necessarily a negative reflection on the LDS. When I was in there today, a woman was there who hadn't dived in a year, since her last trip to the tropics. The shop was encouraging her to take a refresher course before her next trip. I applaud! That's not selling courses to make money -- that's taking care of a customer to make her safe. And I suspect there are far more of her than there are of me -- people who get certified and aggressively move forward to more intense and eventually technical training.

I've outgrown my LDS. And I'm going to miss them.

Most of my gear is Scuba Pro, so with that said, I choose to purchase it from the local shop. As many of you know, the regulator parts for service will pay for what I would have saved buying the reg off the net. Everything was researched on this board before purchase and then I purchased my life support system, SP BC and Uwatec computer from them. Their pricing was way out on some things and on other products they were willing to match prices, like my tanks which they will also get the air fills on.

There are somethings that must be felt and touched, like I needed a new pair of booties, that I had to try on, so the LDS got the sale. They sell a service that can not be matched by an e-tailer. If they go out of business where am I going to get my air fills :06:

As to Ebay, well you better know what you are doing if you want the best deal, because most of the time the same item can be found right off the internet for less money. I spend tons of money buying products off the internet, but not very much from Ebay just because the prices are not always the best there. Plus if it is an auction, it always work out that I am not by a computer when the auction closes.