Beginners equipment

[emersonr]

Hi there,

I'm outside US and I'm new in this scuba world and as I will be travelling around Florida I would like to buy my first gear.
I did a reserach and found diver-supply.com which has the Sea Elite brand.

I found some notes in this forum about its products, those posts are little bit older.

I would like to know what do you think about Sea Elite Tek X BCD and Edge or HOG regulators?

I'm outside US, so I'm little bit worried about service when I need some repair in my gear.

Thanks in advanced,

Emerson

 

[tbone1004]

Emerson,

there is no such thing as "beginners" equipment. It is all just equipment in varying degrees of quality and features. You need to evaluate the end goal of your diving and buy the gear required for that type of diving and buy once. Where and when will you be in Florida? It will be easier to help you with specific shops in and around Florida for this than recommend specific gear choices.

 

[parzdiver]

Emerson - One thing to think about is the servicing of the equipment once you have it. Will you be able to find a shop to service the equipment, will you be able to service it yourself, or will you need to ship it to the US to be serviced? There is very little "bad" equipment, and many options. The question you need to ask yourself is does the gear work for the way you will be diving. I think the second concern is maintenance and servicing of the gear.

 

[diversteve]

I suggest something else for the BC.

Sea Elite is the house brand for Divers Supply. They're the only ones who sell it, service it etc. So that may be a problem for you - especially for parts if something specific to the model needs repair/replacement.

Hog/Edge has four dealers in Brazil. So if you're near one of them they're an option. Dealer Locator

Another option in Florida is Divers Direct - they have locations in South Florida. If you happen to be staying near Miami/Ft. Lauderdale their store on I-95 is worth a trip - it's one of the larger scuba stores I've ever seen. Gear Up at Divers Direct. The World's Largest Authorized Scuba Gear and Scuba Diving Equipment Retailer. Find Scuba Equipment, Dive Gear and Dive Equipment. Their website only shows a fraction of what they sell in the store.

All the manufacturers have dealer locators on their websites. So compare anything you find online to see what you can get serviced locally.

 

[emersonr]

I suggest something else for the BC.

Sea Elite is the house brand for Divers Supply. They're the only ones who sell it, service it etc. So that may be a problem for you - especially for parts if something specific to the model needs repair/replacement.

Hog/Edge has four dealers in Brazil. So if you're near one of them they're an option. Dealer Locator

Another option in Florida is Divers Direct - they have locations in South Florida. If you happen to be staying near Miami/Ft. Lauderdale their store on I-95 is worth a trip - it's one of the larger scuba stores I've ever seen. Gear Up at Divers Direct. The World's Largest Authorized Scuba Gear and Scuba Diving Equipment Retailer. Find Scuba Equipment, Dive Gear and Dive Equipment. Their website only shows a fraction of what they sell in the store.

All the manufacturers have dealer locators on their websites. So compare anything you find online to see what you can get serviced locally.

Thank you all for you answers.

I'll be visiting Divers-Supply and DiverDirect. I'll do a research which brands are serviced near my home.

Have a nice day.

Emerson

 

[tbone1004]

what if those two aren't the best place to purchase the gear you need? Why limit yourself to those two shops? If you post where you are going to be, we might be able to send you to better shops that you can get better prices, better gear, and better advice...

 

[emersonr]

what if those two aren't the best place to purchase the gear you need? Why limit yourself to those two shops? If you post where you are going to be, we might be able to send you to better shops that you can get better prices, better gear, and better advice...

Thanks, I will be in Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Florida Keys.

 

[KevinNM]

Divers direct has a lot of space, but I've not been impressed by the staff's depth of knowledge. This includes things like who has the keys to locked cabinets and display cases. But it might have just been a bad day or sales dude. For typical recreational gear they have all the brands at pretty good prices. They will have all sizes of gear they carry in stock in all available colors, unlike the typical dive shop.

The two places in Florida I've bought gear at are various Divers Direct and Extreme Exposure in High Springs. EE is not a typical dive shop, though it might be a typical tech shop.