What gear to buy?

Hello all, im a relatively new diver, went to hawaii and got certified august 2005 on a vacation. Im taking a nitrox class the 14th and decided it was about time to buy dive gear. I will also get my advanced open water shortly. Ok so the real question is what dive gear should i get? Im really looking at getting a scubapro mk25af/s550 setup. i bought a airlab computer for my nitrox class and am looking at a scubapro classic plus bcd. Are there any though or recommendations on these? ive read some threads about these and the regs are spoken of highly. Do you think this is a good choice for a relatively new diver? Just asking for thoughts. thanks for the help.

blancosito:

Hello all, im a relatively new diver, went to Hawaii and got certified august 2005 on a vacation. I'm taking a Nitrox class the 14th and decided it was about time to buy dive gear. I will also get my advanced open water shortly. OK so the real question is what dive gear should i get? I'm really looking at getting a ScubaPro mk25af/s550 setup. i bought a airlab computer for my Nitrox class and am looking at a ScubaPro classic plus BCD. Are there any though or recommendations on these? Ive read some threads about these and the regs are spoken of highly. Do you think this is a good choice for a relatively new diver? Just asking for thoughts. thanks for the help.

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The MK25 is a solid first stage. My daughter's regulator (which used to be mine) is an MK25SA/S600. The SA is effectively an alloy the makes the first stage lighter. I would not consider that a crucial difference. I cannot comment on the S550 since I have never used one.

I currently dive with an Atomic B2 regulator and I really like it. I don't think you could go wrong with either regulator.

One key thing to consider is whether your regular dive shop services the regulator you plan to buy.

I my case my local LDS services both Atomic and ScubaPro regulators.

You don't have to worry about whether or not gear is good for a "new" diver or not. If it's a reputable brand, you like it, it fits well, it does what you want, and you can afford it, then there's nothing wrong with buying it.

blancosito:

Hello all, im a relatively new diver, went to hawaii and got certified august 2005 on a vacation. Im taking a nitrox class the 14th and decided it was about time to buy dive gear. I will also get my advanced open water shortly. Ok so the real question is what dive gear should i get? Im really looking at getting a scubapro mk25af/s550 setup. i bought a airlab computer for my nitrox class and am looking at a scubapro classic plus bcd. Are there any though or recommendations on these? ive read some threads about these and the regs are spoken of highly. Do you think this is a good choice for a relatively new diver? Just asking for thoughts. thanks for the help.

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I think it did happened on some models, so it's good for us to stay tune for all these kinds of info... if you search for more in this forum, you may realize that, it's not like one famous brand can make all flawless equipment.

The June issue of Sxxxx Diver magazine has reviewed the Mk17/S555, have you ever considered Mk17? If you search around in this forum, probably you will find why people may want to consider that....

Get the high performance gear. You will outgrow the entry level gear quickly and then make additional purchases to upgrade.
High performance gear, with scheduled/required service, should last you years!

The Scubapro gear that you mentioned is excellent. Do you get a discount for buying the complete package?

thanks for the suggestions. i just ordered the mk17/s600 combo. After some research i found the 17 which is enviro sealed is just as good if not better then flagship model mk25 and its cheaper which is always a plus. thanks now i just need a bcd

You made a good choice with the regs. SP's are solid and very well-regarded. I have the MK25/S600 myself, and love it.

As for the BC, I would try to rent and dive with several different kinds before settling on a BC. I suspect you are looking at the SP Classic because that's what you (and thousands before you) used in your cert. class. Technology has progressed quite a way, however, and many now prefer the back inflate style (such as the ScubaPro KnightHawk or the Zeagle Ranger, to name two excellent examples). Also gaining rapidly in popularity is the "backplate and wings" model (usually referred to here as bp/w), where you have a stainless steel (for cold water, or aluminum or plastic) backplate, a separate back-inflate "wing" (just like on a back inflate BC, but more adjustable), and a simple web harness. Very streamlined configuration, rock-solid reliability, and darn near bullet-proof. Wears like a dream underwater... the most comfortable I've ever worn, and pretty much everyone who has ever tried one will agree. If you can find one to rent (or borrow), I highly recommend checking it out before purchasing a BC.

Where will you be diving? On vacation only in the carribean and similar locales? Locally, in Texas? Open water or freshwater lakes and springs? Makes a difference as to what we might recommend for you.

agree about the BC, if you haven't looked around much do that first. If it fits you well it's ok, but that BC is not all that different than my Scubapro BC I bought 15 years ago and hated (and replaced within a couple years.) With no adjustibility it just never fit that well and it's kind of clunky. Even if you want a jacket style you can probably do better.

i will mostly bew diving in lakes around here such as lake travis. The three main bcs i have been looking at, partially due to price is the oceanic chute 3, oceanic pro fx, and the dacor talon. These are all sold at my local scubatoys and will come with waranties (another reason). It has appeared that the oceanic chute 3 is made from better material but i havent decided wether i like back or side inflate bcd's. Just to clarify i ended up getting the mk17/s600 and bout a genesis oz titanium 2nd stage which ill turn into my octo