Sea Elite is the "store brand" of divers supply. It's made by the same manufacturers who make other dive companies gear but doesn't have the "name reconition" that other gear manufacturers have.
You'll find many a LDS "bashging" SEA ELITe gear, but in reality, many of them have never even used it and some have never seen it. They just bash it because it's not something they sell and it takes away from "their" sales. Of course you see LDS's doing this with other brands also.... You'll also see LDS's bash Divers Supply in general because of their catalog/mail-order/internet sales. Of course they don't like this because they aren't making the sale. (Guess you can't blame them, but it's narrowminded, especially when many of them order personal items off the web.).
Many years ago, I got one of their "entry level regs" and used it for years without a problem. Though it was not a "name brand" or "high performance" regulator that I purchased, it performed great. Other people I know who have bought gear from them under the SEA ELITE name have also been happy.
When I took it to my LDS for service, it was the first one they had serviced and they of course had heard everyone else "bash" it, but said they were surprised by it and that it was rather well made.
You'll find several folks on here that have their "TEC" regulator and really like it.
So is there anything wrong with buying SEA ELITE gear? no.
Are their other manufacturers that offer a higher end product? Yes. (and most of the time at a much highe price).
Are you going to be uh-happy with buying that piece of Sea Elite gear? most likely no.
Are you going to see lots of threads and discussion on Sea Elite gear on here? No... just becuase Divers Supply just doesn't have the "dealerships"(stores) that the other manufacturers have world wide to push their product, so you don't see it as much.
The only negative I could state about their gear is that since it's a "house brand" of their store, that parts are not going to be as readily available all around the country and the US if you're on travel and need them. This shouldn't be an issue at home since your profile says you're in Charlotte and they have a store there. However, since many of their regulators are copies of other brands and many parts are interchangeable (o-rings, etc), you should be OK. A solution to this issue would be to purchase a regulator rebuilt kit and keep in your reg bag or save-a-dive kit. that way you've always got the regulator parts you need.
Hope this helps some.
-Mike
