future diver with some gear questions

[tenacious]

normal prices the regulators are $550
gauges are $250
bp & wing is $775

so i just saved $780!
i already have a set of fins, so i am an certification, octopus, and wetsuit away from "getting my feet wet. so far i've only spent $900 and i think i have some nice gear especially for what I paid.

i know some people suggested holding off on buying gear, but i couldn't let those deals pass me buy. i figure that i will have my own stuff when i go to get certified and hopefully the instructor will be able to help me get it setup and adjusted properly. i feel more comfortable doing it that way than learning on stuff I'm not going to own or use.

 

[divad]

in true "me" fashion, i found a deal I couldn't say no to and just bought a scubapro pure tek bp&w complete single tank setup for $385. another demo from scuba.com! i don't think i can lose with this setup, if I don't like it i could probably sell it for a small profit.

Good luck re "a small profit."

 

[tenacious]

Good luck re "a small profit."

thanks I guess? I think I did ok judging by what used ones go for on here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cl...ms/465638-scubapro-xtek-singale-tank-rig.html

 

[techpro]

i will start off by saying thanks to this site for providing a ton of info for people like me with no knowledge of the sport. i wave been reading a bunch of the sticky threads that have answered a bunch of questions that i otherwise would have had.

my question is this: what gear, equipment, brands, etc should i stay away from? i plan on getting setup with a good dive school and shop but i have found that almost everything in life is a hustle. I don't want to blindly take someones advice who is trying to sell me something without having at least some knowledge about what i'm getting. i would hate to invest in gear from a brand that's going out of buisness, or is known to have issues with their products. What i might be sold to me as a "deal", could end up being junk and i wouldn't know the difference.

i would also be curious to know any regrets you have, or mistakes you made as far as getting trained and buying gear. i am trying to do everything right the first time, which i know could be impossible, but its worth a shot.

i will be training and diving around the PSL Florida area, I am 31 years old and in good physical shape. I spent some time in the military, so I am no stranger to following directions and paying attention to details, hopefully both should help me become a successful diver.
thanks in advance for any advice/ insights, etc.

If I were you, I would save my money and purchase your gear new. The regulator is by far your most important piece of equipment because, it is life support. Most domestic manufactures make a wide variety of product with different performance ratings but remember, price buys performance, if you buy a cheap regulator you will not get as good performance as a more top of the line. Look at the type of diving you think you want to do, then buy your gear accordingly. You do not need to buy the very best but buy with the thought in mind I only want to buy this stuff once. The Aqua Lung Titan LX is a very good performing middle of the line regulator and right now, until October 31st, you can buy it and get the matching Octo free. Aqua Lung does not sell their product online. They do not have any factory approved online dealers
however, the good news is when buying a new regulator from an authorized Aqua Lung Dealer, you will get a lifetime warranty on parts. For as many years as you own your regulator, you will never pay for parts when you take it in for annual servicing. Find and authorized dealer in you area that you like and, buy your equipment from them and if you ever have problems, they are there locally and are a direct line to the manufacture. I would stick with domestic brands because European product, depending on where you live, can be hard to find someone that can service it.

 

[Rythmmaker]

Looks like you have had a lot of advice! And a lot of it contradictory... One thing for certain - you will probably look back later and think, "if I only had all this experience when I decided to invest in my gear, I would have done xxx differently." But you have to HAVE the experience to know what to do with it -and everyone's experience, expectations and path to adventure is different. I bought all my gear after getting certified by my local dive shop, and they sold me some pretty expensive gear - it was almost all scubapro, and I paid a lot for the complete set-up. The only things I think I would have done differently though, would have been NOT buying the deluxe mask, fins. snorkel outfit that was the prerequisite for taking the certification classes. (I could have bought them elsewhere, no problem, but I wanted to know I was getting the "right" stuff). I think I paid about $350 for just those three items. I now know I could have saved half that money at least.

But here's my take away - I bought from my local dive shop who has serviced everything for me, including an emergency fix to a regulator that was not due for service, but had developed a bad air leak and I was only a few days from departure for a dive trip out of the country. They rushed up the repairs and fixed it for me (new parts included) WHILE I WAITED. And the gear they sold me, though it was at the higher end of the price range, has been comfortable, reliable (only problem I've had in 7 years), and I am still very happy with all of it.

Now I feel confident enough to shop for individual pieces on my own. I have bought used gear and been happy with it. But I know I have a full-service dive shop who takes care of me and has my back. And while they cost a bit more than an online gear retailer, I like knowing the owner and the technician that services my gear - on a first-name basis with them both. They have much higher overhead and a lower sales volume, and I don't mind supporting them because of the true service and value they provide. That's my 02 psi.

I am not a dive shop owner. I am not affiliated with any dive shop or manufacturer - I'm just a "regular dude" who knew nothing when I started and luckily found a good reputable dive shop near where I live. Be careful - it's addicting!

Safe diving!!

EDITED for spelling and clarity

 

[tenacious]

techpro & rythm, thanks for the comeback! I bought a bunch of new gear last week, just got most of it today. scuba.com had a closeout/ display item sale so i got everything new for 50% off retail, a win win in my eyes!. i was in contact with a dive shop close to where I live and they are dealers and authorized service providers for Atomic, so it all works out. everything I bought so far has a full factory warranty which I registered with them today.


to update my purchases, here is what I have so far:

atomic frameless mask
atomic sv2 snorkel
atomic z2x sealed DIN 1st and 2nd stage regs
atomic ss1 safe second / inflator
scubapro pure tek single tank BP&W setup
oceanic geo 2 computer
and Tusa 3 gauge console

I am eyeing up a henderson aqua lock hyperstretch wet suit,boots, and gloves. i haven't decided on new fins yet (I have a set from a U.S. Divers snorkel mask and fin set I bought in Bermuda)
the advice in this thread along with advice from the dive shop I contacted and the messages I received on here were tremendously helpful to me making what I think were good decisions so far. So far I have spent around 50% of retail on most items I have for brand new stuff, I am very happy! This is part of the reason I wanted to start buying stuff before I got certified, I know I would have just wanted to get stuff as fast as possible to be able to dive immediately after my certification. I was able to shop around and find deals, and think I did pretty good.
time will tell If I made all the right choices, I'm sure I will add things here and there but that's just my nature (you should see my fishing stuff, lol).

 

[flots am]

I have a graduate degree in Microbiology, and yes scuba diving is very far from sanitary or sterile. The ocean, the quarry, the swimming pool, the rinse tanks....

I do still have some standards . . .

I'll take my chances with the ocean and lake water, but never use the pink-eye bucket (oops - I mean rinse tank).

flots.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I think you did great!
Atomic was a great choice.

techpro & rythm, thanks for the comeback! I bought a bunch of new gear last week, just got most of it today. scuba.com had a closeout/ display item sale so i got everything new for 50% off retail, a win win in my eyes!. i was in contact with a dive shop close to where I live and they are dealers and authorized service providers for Atomic, so it all works out. everything I bought so far has a full factory warranty which I registered with them today.


to update my purchases, here is what I have so far:

atomic frameless mask
atomic sv2 snorkel
atomic z2x sealed DIN 1st and 2nd stage regs
atomic ss1 safe second / inflator
scubapro pure tek single tank BP&W setup
oceanic geo 2 computer
and Tusa 3 gauge console

I am eyeing up a henderson aqua lock hyperstretch wet suit,boots, and gloves. i haven't decided on new fins yet (I have a set from a U.S. Divers snorkel mask and fin set I bought in Bermuda)
the advice in this thread along with advice from the dive shop I contacted and the messages I received on here were tremendously helpful to me making what I think were good decisions so far. So far I have spent around 50% of retail on most items I have for brand new stuff, I am very happy! This is part of the reason I wanted to start buying stuff before I got certified, I know I would have just wanted to get stuff as fast as possible to be able to dive immediately after my certification. I was able to shop around and find deals, and think I did pretty good.
time will tell If I made all the right choices, I'm sure I will add things here and there but that's just my nature (you should see my fishing stuff, lol).

 

[tenacious]

I am going to be certified this afternoon. I couldn't be happier with the gear I chose. I did a couple of pool dives and 1 open water at phil foster park where I will be going again today. my instructor is great and said I have amazing natural instincts and control underwater, she says I'm a natural. She has invited under her wing in order to make me one of her new divemasters when I return in December. I had absolutely no buoyancy issues even with an aluminum 80 instead of the big steel I intend on getting. I am fairly confident that I wont need any weight with the steel. 6 lbs in fresh water was more than enough with the aluminum tank.

I had a couple of shops recommended to me before arriving and after checking out the first one, I knew they weren't the instructors for me. I was basically told that all of my gear was good but wrong. they wouldn't even consider training me in my gear, wanted to convert my 1st stage to a yolk instead of an adaptor, and a few other things that left bad taste in my mouth about them.


dive shop 2 was a complete opposite experience. they were very happy with my gear choices. I had them install my ss1. while I was there they told me they had a discover scuba dive going on Thursday (today) and welcomed me to check it out. I paid for my certification classes and went on my way after talking with them for an hour or so. I took the online part of it and when I was done they called me and said that instead of the discover scuba, I could be certified while I was here if I had time. they pretty much set up dives for me on the fly, I really had no intentions of diving while I was here this time. They have been very helpful and great through the whole experience.

I will post more details when I get back to jersey......
thanks again for all of the advice it was very helpful.

 

[al248005]

I'm sorry but how can you be a DM in December when you just got certified in September. That is scary in itself. I know I wouldn't be comfortable on a boat with a DM that has only been certified for 3 months. Take your time. There's no rush. Get comfortable in your gear, take more training, then pursue the DM route. Please don't be leading dives working as a DM...you are really opening yourself up to major lawsuits if something were to happen and you were working/leading dives as a DM.