New equipment help

Hello, I was looking for some newbie advice and somehow i came up with this forum. Great site, lots of good info here. I will be getting certified in about 2 weeks after toying with the idea for about a year and trying to get a few friends together to get it done. I have been freediving and spearfishing for a while now, and getting certified has been delayed many times… Well I have been looking at some equipment to get and I wanted to find out what you guys thought about this. I want to get some equipment so that I could just dive or spearfish once in a while. I am not the kind of person who likes to go too cheap because when I do so I end up spending twice the money, because eventually I end up buying better stuff. I have set myself a limit of $1000 to $1250. I will be diving about 2-4 times a month. I have been asking around and I have been pointed towards 3 brands Aqualung, Sea Quest and Scubapro. I was told by several shops that these brands are very good, have good warranties and parts for them are not as expensive as others. I have gotten some quotes and I was pointed to some equipment which I found it was very good.

I went to an lds and got a quote for this equipment, and ended up going to leisurepro and got a better price, this is the equipment and price.

This is one of the quotes I got that I am cool with

SeaQuest Pro XLT BCD with SureLock weight system - $424.95
AquaLung Legend Supreme Regulator - $309.95
AquaLung Legend Octopus, Yellow - $149.95
Suunto "Gekko" Air/Nitrox 2 Gauge Computer Console – $324.95

That’s a total of $ 1209.80

The BC and the computer I would like to get some recommendations and see if for the money I could get better, or the same for less. The reg I saw and from what they told me I fell in love with it, so that I would most probably like to keep.

Could you guys make some suggestions.

i wouldnt buy just yet.. wait till you get certified and rent for a bit.. thats what i think most people are going to say... i agree give some other stuff a chance ro do what i did and go with a more universal system known as Backplate and Wing. Ill get crap for that but it really depends on what type of diving you will be doing and how much you want to spend.. for a basic set-up that will last you a while you could spend less than that. Well let me know and ill try and help you find more. As far as your current setup goes i would say that it sounds good but the prob with leisurepro is warranties.. i think there is an issue of them not being an authorized dealer or something like that so some companies dont honor the warranties. Not that lesierpro is no good.. i ordered some gear from them and had no problem but you want to check into that first if warranties are important to you! GL!

I would agree with Kray Z, take your class then buy your gear... if you get a chance dive the gear you're planning on buying too.

Your choices are fine, but take the class first.

Also, warranty from LP means you're sending your gear to them to have it serviced, if you buy it from your LDS they may come close to LP's price if you ask them.

wysmar:

Also, warranty from LP means you're sending your gear to them to have it serviced, if you buy it from your LDS they may come close to LP's price if you ask them.

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thanks for clearing that up.. wasnt too sure, had just head something about that when i ordered my backplate.. but then again who cares about a warranty on a BP

If you're just starting to look into equipment fine, but don't buy the major gear before you're certified. Most classes include rental gear or provide it at a good rate. Since you freedive there's much less chance of you dropping out for the usual reasons some people do, but it's still hard to figure out what you like before you've dove on scuba at all.

And yes, Leisure Pro offers their own warrenty on a lot of major equipment rather than the manufacturers warrenty, because they're not an authorized dealer of many brands they sell. This is something to take into consideration especially on your major gear, less of a concern for all the little toys. Some brands of regs also offer free parts for life when bought through an authorized dealer, if you don't have that it might wind up costing you more within a few years. If you really can't afford to buy from the LDS (which is hopefully providing some service for the extra money like just being there so you can see stuff in person) there are other places besides Leisure Pro that sell over the net and do offer manufacturers warrenties and generally better service as well. Do a search here on Leisure Pro, the pros and cons of where to buy and why is an often discussed subject.

Thanks guys, i appreciate the advice. I went to another shop today and i saw the mares dragon and the vector epic, prices were 400 and 300, cheaper than online. Im not buying anything until i take the class, but just doing a little windows shopping to kill some time in the meantime. I also like the seaquest qd pro + which is about the same as the the pro xlt except that it doesnt have a knife holder and the pockets are not extra deep. Big deal.. I Guess ill try some until i find the style i like for the bc. Do you guys recommend that computer and the reg??

Is it true tho that to fix a mares bc might get a bit expensive??

ebzhighestbidder:

Is it true tho that to fix a mares bc might get a bit expensive??

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It can be. I have nothing against Mares' product quality, but their bc's can get a little gadgety (the H.U.B. springs to mind).

ebzhighestbidder:

Thanks guys, i appreciate the advice. I went to another shop today and i saw the mares dragon and the vector epic, prices were 400 and 300, cheaper than online. Im not buying anything until i take the class, but just doing a little windows shopping to kill some time in the meantime. I also like the seaquest qd pro + which is about the same as the the pro xlt except that it doesnt have a knife holder and the pockets are not extra deep. Big deal.. I Guess ill try some until i find the style i like for the bc. Do you guys recommend that computer and the reg??

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Just out of curiosity, what do you like about the pro qd or xlt? They are very bulky and expensive compared to a Malibu or a Balance. Also the current pro qd has grommets for a knife.

wysmar:

Just out of curiosity, what do you like about the pro qd or xlt? They are very bulky and expensive compared to a Malibu or a Balance. Also the current pro qd has grommets for a knife.

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Well those 2 i was told that they inflate on bothe sides and the back, giving you a bit of a balance. Like i said im not locked on the bc, and i have been really looking at all of them. I will not purchase anything until i try different styles, maybe i wont like the big and bulky ones.... I just dont know whether they are good or garbage for the money, maybe i could get the same for less. Just doing some window shopping to keep the motivation going with the group, we call each other and share new findings and ideas...