New to Scuba diving, need some advice on Aqualung equipment.

First off I just finish my certification this past weekend and am brand new to this site aswell, so I am not sure if this is in the right category. Anyways, I am looking to to start buying my own equipment, but heres the catch. Through work I can get a really good deal on aqualung products, so I would like to get as much of my equipment from aqualung as possible. Now I dont really like the idea of getting all my equipment from one company (they cant possibly make the best everything) but for the price it would be foolish not too. The big things I am having trouble deciding on is a regulator, BC, fins, mask, and dive computors/analog gauges. If anyone i familiar with aqualung products I could really use some help, or some direction in the right way at least. I dont know what aqualung is good at making and not so good at, I did hear that they use proprietary parts which makes maintenance difficult. I insight would be greatly appreciated and thank you in advance.

I'm pretty new to diving and was gear shopping recently for my first gear. From what I learned Aqualung makes good, dependable regulators. The Titan was highly recommended as an entry level reg; its design is rock solid as it is basically the Conshelf which has been around forever. As for their BCs, they are also pretty good. I think the Aqualung line of BCs is the Seaquest stuff and they're good.

Mask and fins, just get what fits you, my experience is that brand doesn't matter that much.

Regulator - Apeks XTX 50/40 octo
Fins - Rockets
Mask - Technika
Dive Computer - Suunto
BC - Dimension i3

Those are all aqualung products. Very good ones too.

That is a good set up right there. If money is not an object then bump up to the XTX 200/50 octo tungsten

Welcome to the board. Nothing at all wrong with AL gear but then again there are lots of great products on the market. Pretty much everyone has their favorites, for me AL, Scubapro or Apexs regs, Suunto computers, any gauges, Zeagle BCs and Mares fins. Shop around and find what you like. The biggest advantage of buying one brand or at least only the brands your local shop sells is getting service is easier. As for proprietary parts, that is true of any brand. IMO, it's best to stick with one of the old names in scuba gear for regs, not because they are better but in the long run they are more likely to be here 10 or 20 years down the road than a new company.

I have aqualung Titan regs and nothing but great things to say for them. Great price range for entry level for sure. I don't know what your water temp is there but I mine are rated for cold water, much needed here. Are you going to ever be going into mixed gases?? Not all regs are made equal when it comes to nitrox, something to think about.

Either way remember that your gear doesn't have to be "the best", - it has to be solid and reliable. There will always be someone with "better or more expensive" gear than you.

Welcome to diving!

edit ps: Just realized that Seaquest BCD's are from Aqualung - have one of those too! I have a Latitude, which I believe is discontinued now. Only ever had a problem once and it was because dirt got caught up in the dump valve (my fault for not cleaning correctly). Great BC to start for sure. However now I am thinking about doubles and this will not work for me.. so think about how far you want your first set of gear to take you before making any major purchases

When looking for equipment. Make sure your LDS services the brands you get.

I know I'm going to get heat for this next issue.... but here goes.

Be careful buying items over the internet, if the seller (person of company) is not an authorized dealer, the item will not be warranted by the
manufacture. :shocked2:

How much of a discount are you getting on Aqualung equipment?

DMs, instructors, and dive shop employees can often get discounts of up to 50% or more off MSRP. That's why you often see those folks with top-of-the-line gear. They know that they can use it for several hundred dives, sell it on the "used gear" market, and still make a small profit. The gear manufacturer gets great advertising since all of the basic OW students want to have gear just like their instructors and DMs.

If you're getting a significant discount like the one I previously mentioned, it might be worthwhile to consider getting the Aqualung Legend or the Apeks XTX50 for your reg setup.

Here are my other recommendations for gear: Seaquest Balance (for BCD), standard Suunto gauges (for SPG and depth gauge, if necessary), and a Suunto computer that you can afford. The Suunto Zoop is a nitrox-compatible computer that can be purchased on sale at an authorized dealer (no special insider discounts) for about $210.

Aqualung/Apeks/Suunto makes a lot of quality gear. All manufacturers use "proprietary" parts in their reg overhaul kits and BCD repair kits. Just make sure that your local dive shop can service/repair/tune the gear that you intend to purchase.

Thank you everyone for the awesome feedback, its really helped. I do have a LDS that services aqualung thankfuly.

@Bubbletrubble, it is around a 50% discount if not alittle more. I was thinking about getting the legend as my reg but it may sound wierd but because I am so new I am alittle wary about getting top of the line equipment with adavanced features that I quite honestly don't understand that well. Same goes for a dive computer, I dont want to get one that is too advanced or overkill for me. All I really plan is local lake/quarry diving with a couple tropical trips planned in the next year or two.

If you go with the top of the line, you will be much happier.
If you dont you more than likely will be upgrading your equipment in a few years.
start out with the best you can afford.

So I like Aqualung products also. Some things that are also available to you through Aqualung is the Apeks brand, including the Back plate, wing and harness. That would give you a full spectrum of BCDs to choose from (jacket, back-inflate, hybrid and BP&W). Aqualung is known worldwide, so servicing should be less of a problem than some of the lesser known brands.

My Legend LX has about 800 dives without a hitch. My Suunto Cobra has >900 dives and two battery changes
on it. I don't like Aqualung fins, but that may be a personal problem...

Enjoy.