Equipment Question.. Serious help please

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taymag

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Location
South Florida
Does anyone have any experience with these brands? I cannot pay $50 for rentals everytime and am looking to buy. For now I will be diving no deeper than 65' (our deepest wreck). Any advice/answers would be greatly appreciated. I was just certified and have 5 dives so far and am HOOKED but would like to buy equipment rather than spend $50 to rent anymore. THANK YOU!!! :D (link below)

COMPLETE SCUBA DIVE GEAR, EQUIPMENT
 
If the gear is in good shape, I'd say that's a very good deal for those brands and models. But I'll defer to the real bargain hunters around here. ;-)
 
If the gear is in good shape, I'd say that's a very good deal for those brands and models. But I'll defer to the real bargain hunters around here. ;-)

I know its something you dont want to cheap out on considering youre not at the bottom of the ocean hah.

Is there a way to "inspect it" prior to purchase? I would also want to get it serviced regardless of if they tell me it was "just service", so around what is that going to cost?
 
Definitely get it serviced regardless, the regs, the BC, and get the computer battery changed. Reg overhaul around here is $25-50 per stage plus parts. BC around $40-60. A lot of it depends on condition. If anything has corrosion, it could be more.
 
Get it checked out and dive with it. If the shop clears it you are good to go. All my gear I bought was used the first time I got gear. I had it all serviced and it was fine for 2 years.
 
Of that equipment, the only pieces I can comment on from experience are the BCD and wetsuit. Before I switched to a backplate/wing (BP/W), that was the BCD I used. I liked it, and it worked for me at the time. The only complaint I had was the pockets couldn't hold much with the ditchable weight pockets installed. I felt the BCD was well-made and I think I paid about $400 for it, so that alone would tell me the deal you linked to is decent. That NeoSport wetsuit is the inexpensive line made by Henderson. I find them very un-stretchy and not very comfortable. Mine is my pool suit and I'll be replacing it with one of my worn out regular suits when they are up for replacement.

The rest of that gear I don't know too much about, so I will withhold comment.

One thing I would say is be careful jumping on what looks like a good deal at the moment. I purchased a lot of my gear initially as a bulk purchase. Then, I sold most of it and re-bought new gear that better suited the diving I was doing just a few years later, when I knew what decent gear was and what best fit my situation.

You will find endless threads about it on here with a simple search, but I highly suggest considering a BP/W for your BCD. They are simple, cheap (especially used), last forever, and are modular and grow with you as you grow as a diver. I know you said you don't plan to go deeper than 65 feet. But you inevitably will want to go deeper, if for nothing more than to complete your Advanced Open Water course. But what if you want to do doubles, or need more lift to carry a pony bottle or support your drysuit in the case of a complete flood? A BP/W allows you do do all these things plus you trim out so much better and will need to wear less weight.

For the regulator, a better question to ask yourself is what brands are serviced by your local dive shop. You need to maintain it, and should definitely get a used reg checked out before diving it. Not all shops service all brands, so you need to consider that when buying. When I bought my first reg, I neglected to do this and had to mail it out for service for the few years I had it before switching to a brand my dive shop serviced.

For the computer, does it use a similar algorithm to the ones your normal buddy/buddies use? That may come into play as different computers will calculate different bottom times and it is best to match what your buddies are using. Also, see if the battery is user replaceable or if you have to send it out to be changed.

I realize you are tired of putting money into rentals and want to get your own stuff right away. I don't blame you, but I suggest you consider the above, as you most likely will end up selling all or a lot of it when you figure out what you really want. Knowing that, if you still think the deal is a good deal, by all means go for it.

When people ask me what gear to buy, if they are unable to buy everything at once, I suggest getting it in this order:
1. wetsuit--definitely don't want to rent one, and getting one that fits your body type is so much better than diving one that fits "ok"
2. computer--I suggest a wrist computer--that allows you to rent regs but still have your own computer with you. Having your own computer allows you to be familiar with its function and you know that it is in good repair, plus most keep your dive profiles saved, and this allows you to log your own dives easier, if you choose to use it to do so
3. Regs or BCD--this is kind of a toss up. Most places have decent BCDs to rent. Most places have decent regs. But I've seen crappy regs and crappy BCDs in rental fleets, so it all depends. Given that it is life support, I would say the regs have a slight edge. BCDs are generally adjustable, so you can get by renting one until your situation is right for buying one (of course BP/Ws fit all sizes of divers, so I again highly recommend one).

Another suggestion would be to rent a few more times and ask other divers on the boat or wherever what they are using and what they think of it. Ask to try it if they aren't using it or are willing to let you borrow it. Ask buddies to let you try spare gear. Try some different shops to get a sampling of different rental gear for potential future purchase.

You will find that when you think you are done buying gear, you're not. There is always something else you need/want.

Sorry for the novel, but I can go on and on about this stuff. Just my opinions from personal experience and trying to pass on my knowledge to others so they can avoid making some of the same mistakes I made regarding gear.
 
For the regulator, a better question to ask yourself is what brands are serviced by your local dive shop. You need to maintain it, and should definitely get a used reg checked out before diving it. Not all shops service all brands, so you need to consider that when buying. When I bought my first reg, I neglected to do this and had to mail it out for service for the few years I had it before switching to a brand my dive shop serviced.

This is the exact point I was going to make. Check to see if your LDS will service it.
 
It all seems kind of entry level to me. The softgoods I won't comment on because I won't pay money for someone else's used gear - assuming it fits. Those are inexpensive paddle fins and it looks like a thin wetsuit.

The Mares Rover is an entry level workhorse reg. Their version of a rental reg. Check to see if it's balanced otherwise it may breathe harder deeper. They sell for just under/over $200 (MR2/MR12) + another $50-80 for the Octo.

The BC is discontinued. The LX is a hybrid so it has a front bladder and functions like a Jacket. Most people certify in them since one size fits all. Many people later like all their inflation on their backs - hence the popularity of back-inflate models or backplate/wing designs. it looks like a slightly better jacket than the entry level since it has weight integration.

The computer sells in the $3-400 range currently.

I don't think he paid $1500 for all of it though. Here's newer versions of most of that gear in a starter package for $799. Competitive BC Package - Dive Right in Scuba

So for $500 it looks like a fair deal. You certainly won't have a problem finding a Mares or Aeris dealer in South Florida for service. Divers Direct on I95 is both.
 
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You will find endless threads about it on here with a simple search, but I highly suggest considering a BP/W for your BCD. They are simple, cheap (especially used), last forever, and are modular and grow with you as you grow as a diver. I know you said you don't plan to go deeper than 65 feet. But you inevitably will want to go deeper, if for nothing more than to complete your Advanced Open Water course. But what if you want to do doubles, or need more lift to carry a pony bottle or support your drysuit in the case of a complete flood? A BP/W allows you do do all these things plus you trim out so much better and will need to wear less weight.


If you think that you might get into technical diving, diving with doubles, or dry suit diving, you should get a backplate and wing. But if you are sure that you will only be doing warm water, single tank, recreational diving in a wetsuit, then you should get a backplate and wing.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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