Supporting my local dive shop(s) is frustrating

[Julius SCHMIDT]

I turned up to my first course with full gear used it for decades and only replaced worn out bits changed tanks from aluminium to steel that's all I changed because I'm very capable from the first time I breathed a reg underwater, with my floppy poodle jacket a natural maybe there's another one somewhere, maybe this guy and his wife

 

[DiveClimbRide]

Look I'm not sure I could spend 5k (usd) on a set of gear if i tried unless I went for a full tech setup with tanks and top of the line everything + custom drysuit. I'm not worried so much about the gear before the course as much as somehow spending 10k on 2 sets of gear. Especially if it's a package deal.

 

[Jafo19D]

 

[formernuke]

Look I'm not sure I could spend 5k (usd) on a set of gear if i tried unless I went for a full tech setup with tanks and top of the line everything + custom drysuit. I'm not worried so much about the gear before the course as much as somehow spending 10k on 2 sets of gear. Especially if it's a package deal.

I could. Shearwater teric with transmitter, atomic BC, atomic titanium reg with same octo etc.

The only part I would actually recommend to someone ONCE CERTIFIED is the teric and even then I like the perdix better.

 

[jonhall]

My instructor recommended the integrated air/inflator. He uses one. The dive shop he's affiliated with recommended them too.

I think this is interesting considering the air/inflator is not a popular choice among the majority of new or experienced divers. I understand why others have mentioned this as a red flag. It may relate to your premise of this particular dive shop (and the shops in your area) being limited as to the gear they carry so this is what they push. Had your instructor and the shop recommended a BC/octo of a particular brand right off the bat, would that have become your gear of choice?

I might have become a little ticked off, in hindsight, with both the instructor and MYSELF, had that instructor recommended one particular style of gear and I felt pressured or obligated (or whatever term you want to fill in) to buy into it, only to realize later that there was something else out there better for me. To me it's not much different than a SB member, in a thread where someone asks for recommendations on gear, recommending that a new diver forget everything else and get the brand or model that they suggest. I want pros and cons and time to research before making my decision. The only gear recommended to me, my wife, and son when we were becoming certified were the mask, fins, and snorkel.

All the "try before you buy" advice is not particularly useful when my only option for trying out gear is to rent gear that is designed for the rental market. I don't see any dive shops renting out a wide spectrum of high end gear, and if they do have any, it's typically confined to a single manufacturer. The shop that is affiliated with my classes carries only Scubapro gear. If I want to try out something else from a different manufacturer, I can't, unless I sign up for a class at a different shop.

This is the way it is. That's why some have suggested that unless you have a well stocked LDS, rent until you have a better idea of what you want - not all rental gear is low end. As to style of BC/reg, IMO, the only thing that really matters is a proper fit. As I posted earlier in this thread, I bought my travel BC and reg, an airsource, without ever having tried either before - my first 30 dives had been with rental gear, all with octo - and I have no regrets. There's not some huge learning curve between the 2 types, but again, I'm glad I didn't lock myself into using one type in the very beginning (I don't even know if there was an airsource back in 1998) as one needs to be prepared for change if something goes wrong with their gear while on a trip - a gear malfunction can happen. My perceived experience through the years is that serious divers all use an octo set up and divers renting gear get the same - my airsource, still foreign to some DM's, is almost always the only one on a dive boat - actually my dive buddy purchased this type about 3 years ago. The bottom line is that you know how to use your gear, and be familiar and comfortable with using a foreign BC and octo in case of an unexpected situation.

As in many threads, some make suggestions, some disagree, and some think they must defend their position whether any of it is really important or not. This is the positive of SB - as this is in the "new diver" thread, new divers can tune in and, if they block out the crap (unimportant stuff), can get some good advice based on experiences of others. The discussion is not so much about the OP's situation, as he never asked for advice on anything - just vented on LDS's in his area, but it turned into a good discussion for new divers considering gear when starting out.

 

[formernuke]

not all rental gear is low end.

One here rents halycon.

 

[Searcaigh]

Average ball park expenses for a complete set of basis gear converted from UK prices at today's exchange rate

Mask, fins, boots and snorkel $300
BCD $600
Scubapro Mk25 EVO S600 with Octopus $700
5mm Wetsuit $400
Basic computer (Suunto Zoop) $300

Total $2,300, probably cheaper if you buy as a package.

So x2 that leaves $5,400 to go diving, which in my neck of the woods = 98 boat dives for each you (Air only not Nitrox).

 

[formernuke]

Average ball park expenses for a complete set of basis gear converted from UK prices at today's exchange rate

Mask, fins, boots and snorkel $300
BCD $600
Scubapro Mk25 EVO S600 with Octopus $700
5mm Wetsuit $400
Basic computer (Suunto Zoop) $300

Total $2,300, probably cheaper if you buy as a package.

So x2 that leaves $5,400 to go diving, which in my neck of the woods = 98 boat dives for each you (Air only not Nitrox).

I agree but if you get talked into:

Atomic bc1 or 2 1449.95
Atomic t3 1899.95
Atomic SS1 309.95
Shearwater teric with transmitter 1445.00

So 5,104.85 without mask, fins, exposure protection. I believe scubapro has similar offerings at around the same price. In short I can believe 10k for two divers if getting that kind of stuff.

 

[MaxTorque]

The problem i have with this thread is that the OP asked for advice, and now says "ok, i don't like your advice, but i like the advice my instuctor/shop gave to me" and yet, not being certified or with any experience, the OP, realistically, cannot actually decide which advice is better!

Take the integrated inflator second. You may find, for your sort of diving, in the places, conditions, and frequency with which you dive this is the PERFECT solution. Chances are, if you dive shallower than say 25m, in water clear water, in guided large groups, and look after your gear, in 15 years of diving you'll never have to actually use it!

You may however find that it's a total piece of junk and a complete liability. The actual integrated inflator second hasn't changed, but you and your type of diving have.


So whilst your shop or instructor might recommend A, and people on this forum might recommend B, only future you can actually find out who was "right" (BTW, there are actually very few clear cut RIGHT or WRONG things in diving, with the exception of not holding your breath when ascending and actually turning on your tank before you jump in,pretty much everything else is far far murkier and subjective!)


This is why so many posters are saying "don't buy yet" simply because they know that you don't know yet, and in fact, can't know yet!

So, with the assumption you've at least tried scuba once (go do a "try dive" In a pool) hell you might hate it, then yes, buy yourself some really good basics, a quality, prefect fitting wetsuit, a good fitting mask, and even some nice fins you like, none of which are really that expensive, even for really nice ones) but for now, hold fire on the more complex bits of kit until you can make a more valid choice. And when you can, which doesn't have to be after 1,000 dives and 20 years, then hell, go mad, bash your credit card to death at your LDS and online, then book some nice expensive diving trips, heck, the industry right now could use your money

 

[ssssnake529]

At this point I'm starting to think the OP is trolling.

I never asked for anyone's opinion on whether or not I should purchase gear. I never asked for anyone's opinion on what gear I should buy, or whether it is more economical to purchase or rent.

My original post was an observation on local dive shop operations and how they seem to have challenges maintaining adequate stock and fulfilling customer needs. The thread has devolved into something else entirely.

All the unsolicited advice on this thread that I've received regarding how stupid it is to throw away my money on purchasing my own gear was just that, unsolicited. I guess It's nice that so many people have jumped in and warned me that I am wasting my money buying my own gear, but I never asked for an opinion on that subject. If I'd been interested on hearing everyone's thoughts on that subject, I would have asked. I didn't ask.

I'm certain I could save money if I rented gear for a long time. It's likely that some of the gear I've purchased will get replaced because I don't like it as well as something else. I don't care. I like to have my own gear. Every ski resort and heli-ski operation in the world has rental gear available. I don't use it, even though (in contrast to dive shops,) you can demo pretty much any high end ski gear you want. I prefer to ski on my own gear. I know how it performs. I know how it's been maintained. I know the release characteristics of the bindings. I take the same approach to all of the gear intensive activities I participate in. Intimate familiarity with the gear I am using is important to me, particularly in activities where the gear is crucial to my safety.