Gear/equipment comparison questions

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SHAWNFROMMOIGH

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Location
North Carolina, for now
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I’m new, meaning brand new, to diving and I am looking for differences on diving gear. From regulators to BC’s, you name it. For example some regulator manufacturers use pistons versus diaphragms in their 2nd stage. Is one style inherently “better” than another? Are there any “real” differences between the two? And then there are BC’s. Wings, no wings, if back floatation, how much? Confusing.
I did look around on the board here some to see if there was a section that compared different types of equipment / manufacturers and didn’t see anything that jumped out at this noob saying that’s what was discussed. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

And I HAVE looked at my LDS and, well, let’s just say they are the only one’s in town and only want to sell what they might happen to have…right now.


Thanks in advance,
SHAWNFROMMOIGH
 
There is no one place that does a side-by-side comparison. It's up to you to browse the many threads here, and come away with a bit of a gestalt. There are a few very specific differences, like environmentally sealed diaphragm regs being better for very cold water diving or for diving in contaminated water. Most scuba gear WORKS, because the liability involved in having it not do so is too high; some things are more convenient or pleasant to use, but the ultra-high-end stuff often has many bells and whistles that don't prove to be useful in actual practice.
 
Great truth spoken above. Complicating this is the quote you made: "They are the only game in Town"... What that means, is if you buy other stuff, and aren't into learning how to tech it yourself, you may be out of luck for getting it serviced...... I'm not saying you need to shop at your LDS, but there are reasons for it.

You can ship gear out for service, learn to do it yourself (assuming you can obtain parts), or drive elsewhere, but those are decisions you need to make for yourself.

Gear is terribly personal, though there are many that use common set-ups for specific reasons.
 
And I HAVE looked at my LDS and, well, let’s just say they are the only one’s in town and only want to sell what they might happen to have…right now.

If it were me, I'd probably ask if they would sell a full set of old rental gear. :idk:

My first set of dive gear cost me $300. I had been unable to skip work for Poipu Diver's going out of business sale after Hurricane Iniki, so I was the last person to buy anything that day. I got a dive bag, Henderson 3 mm long sleeve shorty, ScubaPro Classic BC, ScubaPro reg set, cheap mask, booties and ancient Jet Fins; might have even got a weight belt thrown in.

Yes it is likely that gear had "surged" around inside of the dive shop a week earlier, but it worked fine every time I used it, and two years later I traded the BC & reg set for my first Nikonos V (flooded) which cost me $90 to have repaired.

:D
 
For BCDs, have a look at my article, it answers many of your questions: Scuba Equipment : Selecting a Buoyancy Control Device (BCD)


And I HAVE looked at my LDS and, well, let’s just say they are the only one’s in town and only want to sell what they might happen to have…right now.

Disregard them then. It's a demand-driven market, so there's no reason at all to be constricted by a retailer who thinks that they can influence customers into a supply-driven mentality.

Check out the top gear article on Scuba Gear Reports, it talks about alot of gear, new gear reviews, head to head comparisons and other valueable information.

Novice divers need to be careful with 'reviews'. Many such reviews are not much more than paid advertising, not offering an unbiased and critical evaluation. Some reviewers get paid by manufacturers to write about products. Other review sites/magazines are pressured into writing positive reviews (or at least, not negative ones) by the fact that manufacturers won't supply them with gear for review if they write anything critical.

The site quoted above doesn't seem that 'independent'. The 'reviews' don't do much more than reiterate the product descriptions provided by the manufacturers - and there is a distinct lack of criticism. That always makes me suspicious.
 
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And I HAVE looked at my LDS and, well, let’s just say they are the only one’s in town and only want to sell what they might happen to have…right now.

Where in NC are you? There are options for you within relatively short drive I am sure.
 
I suggest you stick to the equipment your diving scool provides you with for the beginning.
Rent the equipment at the sites you dive until you know that you will continue diving for a longer period.
Then make a list where you want to dive in (the near) future
warm water only / cold water / ice diving?
just for fun once a year when on holiday or on a regular basis all year?
Will you go into wreck/cave/tecnical/nitrox/deep diving?
do you want to fly and take your equipment with you?
Who is going to service your equipment?

Finding the "right" regulator is difficult :)
You might find some information here:
Scuba Regulator Reviews and Discounts

One very important point is often missed:
Try the equipment before you buy it. test it under water, you have to feel comfortable with it
 
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I’m new, meaning brand new, to diving and I am looking for differences on diving gear. From regulators to BC’s, you name it.
TSandM:
There is no one place that does a side-by-side comparison.
As Lynne points out, you may have to sort through a number of threads on gear to get to the level of detail you appear to be seeking. Having said that, there are quite a few SB threads on BCDs - covering not only style (jacket, back-inflate, plates/wings) but manufacturers as well - and quite a few threads on regulators, covering design, brand, model, etc. But, what the majority of threads ultimnately boil down to is fairly straightforward: for simple recreational diving, there are not huge differences in gear performance and functionality. But, there are some differences in cost, and some BIG differences in personal preference among SB members (and we are all happy to share those with you). What matters to many divers is availability of local service and support.

It might help SB members help you if you could distill your confusion down to a series of more specific questions, such as the one you asked about piston versus diaphragm regulators (although I wonder of you meant to say '1st stage' not '2nd stage' in your post). Then, we can either direct you to one or more previous posts covering the specific question, or offer thoughts.
SHAWNFROMMOIGH:
I did look around on the board here some to see if there was a section that compared different types of equipment / manufacturers and didn’t see anything that jumped out at this noob saying that’s what was discussed.

SHAWNFROMMOIGH:
And I HAVE looked at my LDS and, well, let’s just say they are the only one’s in town and only want to sell what they might happen to have…right now.
But, that doesn't mean they cannot help answer a number of questions you may have. And, just because they are 'enthusiastic' about what they have does not mean that what they have is not necessarily useful for you.
iztok:
Where in NC are you? There are options for you within relatively short drive I am sure.
Agree. Even in the western mountains - far from the coast - that is the case. Certainly in the larger population areas (Charlotte, W-S, Greensboro, Raleigh-Durham, Wilmington, etc) you have quite a few options. If you can ID your general location, we may be able to suggest some sources of good information. Yes, shops exists to sell gear, which is how they make their money. But, there are a number of very good, and financially sucessful, shops in NC that can appropriately help a new diver 'take the plunge' into gear.
DevonDiver:
Novice divers need to be careful with 'reviews'. Many such reviews are not much more than paid advertising, not offering an unbiased and critical evaluation
VERY good advice.
 
Welcome to the board.
The bottom line is most all of the new dive gear you can buy today is pretty much equal, personal preference is the major factor in deciding which gear to buy. Piston vs diaphragm is more sales debate than any real UW difference, both are time tested designs that work well. The diaphragm has a little advantage if you dive very cold or dirty water, in NC unless you dive the quarries in the dead of winter, it's a non issue. Balanced vs non balanced in both the first and second stages is more sales hype than reality for most divers. While a balanced system does breath a little better over the dive, most divers can't tell the difference if they are using a properly tuned set of regs. Pretty much any brand/type in the same price range will dive just as well as the top of the line.
BCs are pretty much the same. Each design has it's plusses and negatives. No brand or design is "the best" reguardless of what some folks will no doubt tell you, they all work and for the most part do the job they are intended to do. Again it's more about personal preference than anything else.

My recommendations are these:
Stick with a major brand, not because they are better but sooner or later you will need service or parts. The major brands are more likely to be around in 10 years and finding a dealer is easier.
Choose a model that is in the mid price range. They have all the useful features with out all the bling that the top of the line models charge you dearly for.
Dive for a while, renting or borrowing as much gear of different types are you can and decide what you like because in the end, you are the one who has to be happy with the gear.
Used gear, esp BCs can be a great deal and if you decide you don't like it, odds are you can sell it for most of what you have in it, not something that can be said for new gear.

In the end, what is important is you are the one who has to be happy with it.
 

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