Does this sound like a strong first gear choice?

Hello everyone. I started diving this summer, and, due to my location away from a rental shop ( 6 hours to where I would be getting it) I have decided to purchase gear. The shop I got trained in was quite far from the place where I stay while I'm in this city, so last time I was in town, I went LDS shopping. The first two, nothing spectacular, I felt pretty out of place, and just didn't want to really deal with them. I know this may sound reasonably mean, but I wanted to find a place where I "wanted" to spend my money. I found this place, and to make a long story short, I left with some Diver Training magazines for free, a business card, and a new local dive shop. In emailing the store owner, I found a package , which I'm really interested, but i wanted to run it by the geniuses on Scubaboard.

Concept ll BCD, Envoy 1st and 2nd stage regulator, Envoy octopus, and the Navigator console for $1195.00 CDN . I've researced the products, and from what I've heard, people really like them, and I think that its for a good price. Thank you in advance, Jesse

the Zeagle Envoy is a great regulator, especially so for the price.

i don't know much about the Concept, but if you are going back-inflate anyway, i would suggest a backplate and wings. much more configurable and adjustable, less drag, much easier to keep trim under control, etc. etc. do a search for "bp/wings"
and you'll see.

instead of the console, have you thought about using a computer? a cheap (but excellent) Aeris Atmos 2 will serve you well. you'll also need a pressure gauge to read tank pressure. you will probably end up diving a computer anyway, so mind as well start now.

these are some suggetsions, hope they're helpful

if you haven't yet, price check stuff at ScubaToys

The Envoy is a very good starter regulator, but if you are diving in very cold water, you want an enviromentally sealed regualtor.

To echo--you will almost definitely want an environmentally sealed reg. Check out scubatoys--they had an *awesome* zeagle package with a bc and an entire reg setup, including octo, and my LDS was willing to match the price, about what you were quoting here. The reg in this package was the flathead, and the envoy as octo.

and if you are looking for a back inflate, I got my package with a custom fit stiletto.

I don't actually know anything about the concept bc or the navigator console, but I would check out the zeagle packages on scubatoys--you'll get a better reg for the same price.

good point

the Zeagle Envoy Deluxe is sealed, isn't it? if it is, that's a great reg too

H2Andy:

good point

the Zeagle Envoy Deluxe is sealed, isn't it? if it is, that's a great reg too

Click to expand...

Nope. Here's the Zeagle comparison chart:

http://www.zeagle.com/index.php?src...rs&PHPSESSID=d7bf4f1c5af99a0c89ccdba8931427c2

sweet, thank you

Zeagle makes great stuff, and is a great company with excellent support. I have a Concept II, it works very well, tough, and will last a long time. The Envoy reg is also excellent. I think you are looking at a very solid package that can last you for years and years.. But, the hard part about judging if this is a good package for you is knowing what kind of diving you plan on doing and where. As was mentioned, if you are diving very cold water, you might want to upgrade the reg to the ZX-50D (which I also have, and is a great reg) which is enviro sealed and has some extra adjustments available on the second stage. If you plan to travel alot, you might want to think about the Zeagle Stilleto instead, since it packs easier than the Concept. So I think that your choice of Zeagle is one you won't be disappointed with, but you will have to think about which of their products best fits the type of diving you will be doing.
Good Luck

Thanks for the info. I've checked on a few prices online, but, as the price is not that different, I'd rather buy local in Canada. I'll talk with the store about perhaps upgrading to an environmently sealed reg, as in my mind, my diving will be in rather cold water, and I don't think I can really go wrong getting the environmentally sealed reg. Thanks for the info again, Jesse

And about the computer, I know I'll be going to one in the future, but for now, with my budget, I'd rather invest in a good BCD and reg, and save the computer for later in my diving career.