Equipment Questions

[DiveKitten]

With my BRAND NEW C CARD (!) in hand, I am now ready to start buying gear. However, the dive shops in my area are divided by being authorized dealers for different brands and it seems as though no matter which shop I go to they brand that they carry is the best and most safe gear. (Of course). My question to you guys (and ladies) is what are the most important things to look for when buying equiptment? Are back inflate BC's really better then the jacket style? Which peice of gear do you recomend getting first, a BC or a regulator? Any preferred brands? Also, do you think buying proper equiptment should be a part of a dive class?

Thanks!
~DiveKitten *meow* :kitty:

[canuckdiver]

well, a lot of this is going to fall under personal opinions, but I will offer mine, for what it's worth. ;)

I found when starting out that the piece of equipment that seemed most important to buy was the BC. The reason I say this is because it will have the largest impact on your diving, depending on how comfortable it is and how well it fits. If you rent this, there is no guarantee that you are going to get a proper fitting one every time.

As to back inflate, I have tried all three styles now, jacket, back-inflate, and backplate/wing, and I have to say that after going to BP/wing, I will never go back. I think that the back inflation makes bouyancy MUCH easier to control, and vastly improves freedom of movement.

PM me if I can help in any way.

[Rick Inman]

I recently returned to diving after many years away and have bought a lot of new gear. Before doing so, I spent hours reading posts on this and other boards for info and learned a TON. You will get a billion brand opinions, but here are a few general absolutes (oxymoron) on buying equiptment IMHO.

If you buy online you will save LOTS of money. However, you will not have any decent service, which includes advice, help, adjustments, opinions, maintenance, and good will. I bought some stuff online and had little or no help (except from this board). But after 2 leaky masks I went to my LDS and tonight the DM is bringing me several to test on the dive at no charge. Gee, what cost me more? Three masks or one? However I DID save 300.00 on my new BC. I am buying a 7mm wet suit from my LDS for 80.00 more than online because their service is so great and it is the same wet suit as the one I've been renting from them- and I know it works great! In fact, I highly suggest you rent your gear for a while so you can get to know what works best for you before you buy (another reason to use your LDS).

Which LDS to use? Where did you get your C card? Are you happy with them? They have invested in you during the class. If you are happy with their service, I would use them and enjoy the benifites of becomeing a long-time loyal customer. With that said, unless you have money to burn, sometimes it would be crazy not to buy online. For interesting opinions on buying from your LDS or not, do a search for posts on this issue and read the opinions of GENESIS and MikeFerrara. Divers Union VRS. Dive Shop Owner. Very enlightening.

I love buying new gear and fine tuning it to make it become a part of me! So enjoy!!

[MISFIT DIVER]

Like Canuck said, it is really all going to be a matter of choice. I have used both the jacket style as well as the basck inflate. One is not better than the other. the back inflate does give you a lot more freedom of movement and keeps you more horizonal underwater. A draw back is that has a tendency to push you forward on the surface. Nothing you can not get use to. Jackets give you a more secure feeling but are difficult to get all the air out if needed. I use a balance in the pool with students and a knighthhawk for diving. I think you need to stay with name brands like Seaquest, scuba pro for you BC. I also think it should be you first purchase. You are always better of in the long run buying gear from your LDS. Remember that what you are buying is life support. Can not put a price on that.
With a LDS,you can return it, they can help with questions, and you help to keep them in bussiness.
You will also find that having your own gear is the best investment you can make. It is yours and you become comfortable with it. As for regs, I use nothing but Sherwood and Scuba Pro. The Sherwoods are great, reliable and easy to service. Scuba Pro has a tendency to breath eaisier.

That used up almost all the words I know. In short, go with name brands, get what you like and are comfortable with, and buy from your store. You will get a lot of opionions. Check with your instructor to see what they reccomend or other divers that you know. There will be alot of info and is easy to get overwelmed. Shoot me a PM if I can help any further.

[double125's]

everything is going to come down to personal preference.

I love a back infalate, my wife hates them.

I use different brands depending on what I am looking for: Dive-rite, OMS, Oceanic, Mares, seaquest, AUL, and Princeton tec.

what gear to get first: your first purchase should be a small package because the heart of your system is dependent on each other. Here is what I suggest: bc, reg, octo and your spg/depth guage. Your regulater assembly has a hose for each peice of equipment mentioned that is why I suggest it be purchased together. Computer is an option not a neccessity.

If I read it correctly you were asking if they should include an in-depth review of what to look for in gear selection during basic scuba course. they used to do that but unfortunatly it was a sales pitch on what the dive store sold not what was the best equipment to buy. Your best resource for equipment selection and reviews is rodales scuba diving . www.scubadiving.com

[double125's]

MISFIT DIVER once bubbled...
Remember that what you are buying is life support. Can not put a price on that.

Actually the manufaturers managed to find a way and it is quite flattering in their favor.

If you go with a back inflate and it pushes you foreward on the surface then just flip up on your back and navigate backwards. look atmy website, I have a picture of it there.

[Lead_carrier]

Get excellent quality and stick with brands that can be serviced anywhere. I'll probably start a flame but stay away from in-house brands. Pay the extra and go with a major manufacturer. As for the type, if you have the luxury of diving the different types try them 3 or 4 times. Everyone has their own preference. I prefer a jacket then back inflate. I don't care for bp/wings but that is me. Many people swear by them. It is according to the type of diving you're going to do as to reg you want. For excellent all around diving the middle of the pack from Apeks, ScubaPro, Mares, etc. will work great. They will work great to get you started. If you get more into diving and start doing tech diving you can always upgrade and use your mid level as a backup.

[docmartin]

the bc has the biggest impact on your diving. as to what kind...well, that's a tough one. you need to try them to find out what you like best. for me it's back inflation. i also travel a lot and like things to pack small. a backplate and wings are great from that standpoint. so is a dive rite transpac II with travel wings.

having said the bc is key i have to agree with double125's. since the inflator couplings are not all the same a rental reg's hose may not always fit on your bc. therefore, it makes most sense to get the bc, reg and alternate at the same time.

finally, since usually dive shops run the courses i doubt they could give you unbiased instruction on buying equipment.

ps: for gear reviews beyond rodale's check out the british diver magazine. i find their reviews very good.

http://www.divernet.com/

[Wendy]

You are lucky enough to have a good selection since you are in a high diving area. Go by Lloyd Bailey's, Extreme Exposure (in High Springs) and Ginnie Springs also sells some gear. See if you can't rent some of the gear you are interested in getting and go try it out at Ginnie. I personally use a bp/harness/wing set up and I love it. But you won't know what's best for you til you try it. You don't want to buy something you'll end up hating.

[DiveKitten]

Thanks for everyone's imput! Renting around is a great idea. Then I'll get a much better idea of how comfortable the gear is for me. I have a short waist and the BC I used in class kept sliding around at depth.

At one of the shops I was looking at a very reasonably priced Zeagle reg/octo setup. Any exp. with or thought on Zeagles? (I don't know if Zeagle would be considered "name brand" in the dive world.) Also, at a shop in St. Pete, I had a salesperson tell me that Dacor BCD's are deathtraps but didn't elaborate. Thought?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm a total newbie!

~DK

[double125's]

zeagle makes really good bc's and I am pretty sure their regs are good too. If i am not mistakin' they recalled some of their regs. I would check their website first before purchasing it. www.zeagle.com

BTW they would be ranked as a major name brand.
no thoughts on the bc by dacor it might have just been a personal opinion.

[MacHeath]

Well I hate to disagree with everyone (especially on my first post!!), but out here in SE Asia a computer is the first thing to buy.

Most dive operators won't let you dive without one, most people are unwilling to buddy with someone who hasn't got one, and it makes diving safer/easier/longer.

Computers don't make mistakes with time, depth or ascent rate, divers do. OK they give no guarantee, but they reduce the risks greatly and let you get on with the dive.

Just my opinion.

[Walter]

A BC is key. You want a BC that is streamlined. To get a streamlined BC, avoid "features" such as padding in the back and cummerbunds. Go with a bladderless (AKA single bladder) design. These features are available with a vest style as well as wings. An excellent example of a vest BC that will give you years of excellent service is the Scubapro Classic Sport. The Classic is a poor choice, IMHO, while the Classic Sport is a very good choice.

I've used all different styles of BC's and the style doesn't make any difference in performance. If you do decide to go with a vest style, remember they are more comfortable and work better when you leave the chest strap undone. Also keep in mind most people use a BC that is really too big for them, proper fit is important.

As for a regulator, that depends on the type of diving you plan. If you'll be diving shallow and only with folks you can count on to monitor their air, I'd recommend a workhorse like the Sherwood Brut or Magnum. If you'll be making lots of deeper dives, especially with unknown dive buddies, go with a high performance regulator.

[Lead_carrier]

DiveKitten once bubbled...
At one of the shops I was looking at a very reasonably priced Zeagle reg/octo setup. Any exp. with or thought on Zeagles? (I don't know if Zeagle would be considered "name brand" in the dive world.) Also, at a shop in St. Pete, I had a salesperson tell me that Dacor BCD's are deathtraps but didn't elaborate.

~DK

Personally, I don't rank Zeagle as a name brand in the regulator market. I prefer Apeks and ScubaPro.

[jbichsel]

MacHeath once bubbled...
Computers don't make mistakes with time, depth or ascent rate, divers do. OK they give no guarantee, but they reduce the risks greatly and let you get on with the dive.

Just my opinion.

Computers don't make mistakes? What planet do you come from? Do a Google search for "dive computers" then search the results for "recall". Read some of the reasons dive computers have been recalled. Incorrectly calculating desaturation, incorrect algorithum. One manufacturer even knew their algorithum was providing incorrect data, which lead to some injuries, but the owner fired people that wanted to fix it and covered it up, because he wanted to sell the company.

I not only scuba dive but also hunt and shoot. Just like a firearm's safety, a dive computers is a man-made device that can (and will at times) fail. Putting all ones trust in a dive computer is idiotic, in my opinion.

Yes, I dive with a computer. And a console of standard guages as well. Plus a dive slate with my planned dive calculated with The Wheel.

What if the battery for your dive computer dies when you're at 120' just into your dive?:confused:

[MikeFerrara]

Well, let me through in my two cents...

Buying from a shop may or may not be more expensive but probably. Even if it is it CAN still be a good value especially if you don't know much.

IMO, Rodales dosn't know crap about diving or dive equipment.

I spend a lot of class time discussing equipment. Not specific brands but function. Trust me it's stuff Rodales will never tell you. You won't find it in an agency text either. In order to do a good job of choosing a bc you need to understand trim and buoyancy control. To decide what kind of alt you want you need to understand what air sharring methods will work best for you. To pick fins you should know something about finning technique. You should know that many bc's are designed to apeal to the divers caribbean vacation sense of style. The designers take advantage of the fact that while the customer may know nothing about diving they may very well be looking for a new color, extra pocket or a bunch of cool looking d-rings that are all in the wrong places. Fin designers know that since most divers haven't a clue how to use their feet they can design a fin that makes it easier to use poor technique and sell them for big bucks.

Take your equipment advice from people who can dive. Look at the pictures of divers in the magazines and find some one who doesn't look like that in the water to listen to. LOL

Zeagle makes great regs. They're about all I use. I think I have 7 or 8 Zeagles, two Apeks and a sherwood on my argon bottle. And yes I sell them but I wouldn't take a reg I didn't trust to 200 ft or 1/4 mile into a cave just to sell regs. They did have a recall recently. They had a bad batch of high presure seats.

[Diversauras]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...


IMO, Rodales dosn't know crap about diving or dive equipment.



Tell us what you really think...:)

[jonnythan]

jbichsel once bubbled...
What if the battery for your dive computer dies when you're at 120' just into your dive?:confused:

You finish the dive according to your plan. Not hard ;)

[mleong]

Do some reading at www.scubadiving.com gear review section

[_Kurt_]

Also, talk to Smitty at Aquatic Center in Archer Plaza. He is very laid-back and helpful. Lloyd Bailey is great to talk to, but I have difficulty deciding where his BS begins. He LOOOOVES to talk about himself- just ask him!

Equipment-wise- I would get a regulator/octo/gauge or computer setup first. Just my opinion, but that, to me, is life support and I want one that I know has been maintained and repaired properly. I assume rental gear is maintained properly, but I never have used it since my check-out dives 20 years ago. After I got certified, I bought a US Divers regulator rig that I still use today.

Good luck and hope to see you in the water someday!=-)