Buying own equipment...help please!

Hi all,

I'm a fairly newbie diver, got certified last June, and have done only 3 dives since then. I'm hoping to buy my own equipment this winter so I'm ready to go once the ice thaws...no I'm not that brave yet to try ice diving. I realize this is a fairly broad question, hoping this is the right forum to post it in.

What I'm looking for is a jacket BCD, reg/octopus set, a tank, and a computer....and I'm looking to spend around $1000 or so, with some flexibility. Since I'm a newbie, I'm just looking for some good safe reliable equipment that won't break the bank. I get the hunch that the sky's the limit when it comes to price...

I'm noticing that there are some good deals to be had online with packages, but I'm not sure which retailer/outlet to try. What types of questions should I ask regarding warranties, servicing, etc? FYI, I'm in Canada, can I expect any hassles importing the stuff from the US?

Also, would there be any particular brands to avoid? I'm noticing a lot of opinions out there regarding equipment are like cars...some people perfer Fords, some Toyotas, but most will get you from A-B without much hassle. It's a bit overwhelming, to be honest...

Cheers and thanks in advance!

I think you're going to have a hard time doing all that for $1000.
That's basically:
$240 for BCD
$240 for reg
$400 for computer
$120 or so for an AL80

I would try to cough up $400 more. Get a good reg. ScubaPro, Atomic...at least a balanced piston and nice 2nd stage.

Check out Leisurepro and Ebay.

To get decent/good gear for under $1000 for everything, you're going to likely have to look for used packages, for example, from Craigslist. Also, the cheapest online or LDS items aren't necessarily the ones that will best suit you.

I heard from a friend that prices are much cheaper in Europe, though.

Opinions on gear are more available than blades of grass or grains of sand. How does a newbie know who to believe? You don't. Period.

The best thing I can say is avoid Dacor and other brands that are out of business. I'd also avoid Poseidon because parts can be hard to come by in the states and take time to get. Most other brands are readily serviceable and that is really all that matters.

Warranties are worthless for the most part. The highest cost of service is labor - not parts. There is also the fact that most modern regulators work better if not serviced - due to the overhwelming numbr of really poor and unknowledgeable service providers out there. I have regs in their 8th, 9th and 10th year that have never been serviced and they work perfectly. I have regs serviced last year that leak... and didn't before taking them in.

Proper care of your equipment is paramount. Rinsing, drying and proper storage is far more important than a warranty in the ife of your gear. For this reason, buying used gear is a viable way to go... as long as you know the person you're buying from and know they are meticulous with their gear. There are lots of guys and girls in this sport that sell off perfectly great - well cared for gear because they themselves have to buy the latest greatest gadget.

Just don't overpay. I have posted many times on this board what gear should cost. You shoul literally be able to get everything you'll ever need for scuba in the $1000 - $1500 price range. This includes two tanks, a reg set, BCD, nice computer, mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, and all accessories. Never pay full dive shop retail... never.

Recently certified ,thats great.Why not go to where you were certified and purchase there. Why do these new divers automatically look to internet dealers before their LDS.?? Part of your instructors job was to teach you what gear is appropriate for your type of diving.If he/she did not teach you any benefits/features of dive gear they failed to do the job you already paid them for. We offer our newly certified students to purchase gear during or shortly after (4-6 weeks) after being certified and we do something that no internet dealer or any other facility in the area can offer: the money you paid for your ow course that you took from us- academic and pool part-which in our case is $269.- is taken off your bill when you purchase any package consisting of a regulator system & bcd & computer.We also allow these customers FREE unlimited use of our onsite indoor heated pool any time when available so they can check out their gear or just want to get wet. You cannot use a pool for free buying from a internet dealer. Use our tanks/air/weights, ALL no charge for deal. Do other LDS anywhere offer this service for their customers? I would like to see that they start to do so.

It is possible to get a set of scuba gear for about $1000.

• Regs: HOG brand - new (It would have been best to take advantage of Black Friday deals. Some online retailers were discounting this brand significantly.) Last year I bought an Apeks reg setup (XTX200 + XTX50 octo) that had just been serviced for $200. Used regs can be a good deal, but you should consider the cost of servicing if you don't know how to do it yourself.
• BCD: Get a used BCD in good functional shape, i.e., every little doodad on the BC should be in working order. Stick with major brands (Seaquest, Scubapro, etc.). If you don't know how to judge the condition of a BCD, pay a pro to do it (BC/reg tech at a local dive shop) or ask an experienced diver to help you out.
• Computer: Buy a nitrox-capable one that happens to be on sale. If you are patient, you can buy a new one for about $200 from an authorized dealer. The computer should come with at least a one year manufacturer's warranty. I've seen the Suunto Zoop on sale for a little over $200 here in San Diego at Sport Chalet.
• Tank: Used tanks, particularly HP steel, can present a very good value. Know the cost of getting the used tank hydrotested and VIP'ed in order to get the tank dive-able. On the other hand, sometimes local dive shops will give away "free" airfill cards to customers who purchase new tanks from them. Be patient and do your price-comparison shopping.

First the dislacimer I own a scuba shop, so I am going to say go to a LDS. Now saying that scuba gear needs no service is like saying you never need a tune up on your car, sure you can get away with it but things just run better when they are serviced.

Actually depending on your needs you can get new gear for about $1,000.00 (US). Right now I have a package which includes a balanced diaphragm regulator, octo, mid level BC and 2 gauge console with computer for right around your price. So it would seems that LDS aren't such a bad palce to start your search, like oly5050 said why not go back to your dive shop and see what they offer you. More importanlty what kind of diving do you want to do? Buying a travel BC may save weight when going to a destination but may not have enough lift to do a good job back where you live. Figure out what you want then try to get a few choices that will meet your needs and oh yeah look for a brand that you can get serviced locally when you do decide to have it worked on.

offthewall1:

Warranties are worthless for the most part. The highest cost of service is labor - not parts. There is also the fact that most modern regulators work better if not serviced - due to the overhwelming numbr of really poor and unknowledgeable service providers out there. I have regs in their 8th, 9th and 10th year that have never been serviced and they work perfectly. I have regs serviced last year that leak... and didn't before taking them in.

Click to expand...

Although we are all familiar with reg "underhauls" (which certainly do occur), the reg leak which you described may have nothing to do with your reg tech lacking knowledge/skill.

To be fair, it's pretty normal for recently overhauled regs to require some adjustment of the cracking pressure on second stages.
As the low pressure seats take a set, it's common for the second stages to free-flow a little. All it takes is increasing the the cracking pressure a little and the leak should stop. The probability of this happening (slight leak shortly after servicing) increases as the reg is tuned closer to the minimum cracking pressure. That's the trade-off for better breathing performance. Some reg techs anticipate this "breaking in" phenomenon and will set the cracking pressure a little higher than the desired long-term setting. When I service my own regs, I wait for the seats to take a set and just go back to tweak the cracking pressure a little. The tuning procedure only takes a couple of minutes and requires minimal tools (a couple wrenches and a screwdriver).

This is assuming that the reg was overhauled and tuned properly. You didn't elaborate on the cause of the leak, so I'm just assuming that it was due to cracking pressure adjustment (which would be a very common cause in recently serviced regs).

I used to think that on line purchases of gear were bad for the industry. That was before I found Scubaboard and links to some of the on line shops and dealers. What changed my mind was realizing that there was more than what my LDS sold, that I could get gear just as good for much less money, and as a tech seeing some of the stuff that was "serviced" by other shops and the shape it came to us in.

Then when my LDS tried to tell me what I wanted and what I did and did not need I began to shop on line. When they ignored my requests for a BPW and long hose, and kept putting me off about a 19 cu ft pony they lost all of my business. To the tune of about $10,000.00 worth of gear over the last 5 years.

Now I also sell a line of gear and most of my customers are nowhere near me. So why do they buy from me? If I had to make a guess it would be based on what I'm told.

1. Better service than they get from an LDS
2. No LDS near them
3. Better prices
4. I have what they want
5. I don't try to pressure them into stuff they do not need or want
6. I don't judge their choices but will make recommendations when asked to.
7. I sell them products based on their needs, interests, and wants. Not mine.
8. I take their means into consideration when recommending gear.

As an example I can put the OP in new high perfomance gear for under a grand easy. Except for a computer. I don't sell computers yet but can recommend another on line dealer that can get him hooked up and still be under the $1000.00 mark when combined with the deal I can give him.