Anguish over buying gear

[Calamari68]

My fiance is set to take a course on mar 3-5. She already bought her necessary personal gear (Mask, fins, snorkle) from the LDS. They have "package deals" for example,

1. Atomic Split fins
2. Scuba max snorkle
3. Aqualung Quartz mask
4. booties

for about $350

The LDS has 3 full package deals:

$1000 gets you --
Silicone Mask, Dual Purge Snorkel, Low Top Booties and Explorer Fins

First and Second Stage Sport Regulator with Octopus and Holder, Hose Protectors and CRS Regulator Tuning, Orientation and Pool dive

Depth Gauge, Pressure Gauge, Compass Console with Hook and Ring, AMS-Computer Depth Testing, Orientation and Pool Dive

Weight Integrated BCD & BCS-BCD Testing, Orientation and Pool Dive

Hot Skin

Gloves, Dive Knife, Fold Away Mesh Gear Bag, Log Book Cover, Dive Watch, No Fog & Slate

(and the course is included)

my question is about the gear/price ratio... I am very picky about gear and want to make sure I am getting a reasonable deal. The $1300 package features a scubapro ladyhawk BC, 3mm wetsuit, and a dive computer.

I know she and I are going to start diving on a regular basis and we want our own gear. I just want to make sure she is getting quality items.

I tried looking at scubadiving.com, but you need an account to see the reviews. And they have disabled the account creation feature.

I know I have not really asked any specific questions yet...

I guess what I want to know is: Can you get a quality setup for about $1300? Or should that price be lower?

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good source for reviews online? Other than scubadiving.com... until I can create an acct.

I really appreciate comments.

 

[The Kraken]

Calamari,
You may want to cross reference your equipment list with Larry at ScubaToys.com and get a price comparison.

You can also go on-line and check pricing at LeisurePro.com.

If you buy your own gear from an LDS other than the one through which the instruction is being taken, make sure you aren't surprised by some sneaky little practices such as charging you $75 to $100 to "inspect" your gear before you can take the class. Basically this amounts to a penality for not purchasing your gear from them.

There are numerous on-line scuba suppliers where you can check pricing.

Best of luck.

Safe dives . . . . . .
. . . safer ascents!

the Kraken

 

[usnadiver03]

I have had great experiences with the folks at www.scuba.com, their return policy is bar none the best I have seen, and if you call them and tell them the package you listed here, they will give you the honest-to-goodness can we do better answer. Just a thought.

Happy Diving...

 

[Damselfish]

Depending what you need, you can get a quality setup for $1300, but there's no way to tell if that is one and is giving you value. I don't know if it "should" be less. You could certainly spend more too.


Spending $350 for fins/mask/snorkel/3mm booties seems high to me. It may or may not be a good price for the specific ones in that package, but I could go out and buy good stuff for $250 or less. (Read about pros and cons of split fins before you buy any and see if you can try both. While you're at it, read about all sorts of gear. You can find a lot of information and opinions on Scubaboard by searching.)

Apollo Bio fins $140 at Scubatoys
Aqualung quartz mask turns up online for about $40
That snorkel is probably a $20 item, tops.
Don't know what kind of booties those are, but you can probably get a pair of 3mm low booties for $20-30.

So you could but the equivalent online for more like $250. Now, it's worth picking out these things (except the snorkel doesn't matter much) from your LDS because you'd like to try them on or try them out, especially when you're new and not as familiar with different gear. It's tricky to get a mask over the net that fits your face and doesn't leak, and the service and convienience is definitely worth something. But I don't think it's like they are giving you any great deal or anything. I'm guessing it's pretty much all at retail at best.


It's hard to say what those packages should cost since you don't mention brands/models for most of it. But I will say, it is best if they allow you to build your own package or allow substitutions or choices within a package, do they? For masks, BC, wetsuits in particular fit is very important. Some people try on many many brands and models of each before finding the right ones. It's unlikely that what comes together in a package will be the best fit. Also, you've got one package there that includes a skin, and another that includes a 3mm wetsuit. Do you know if a skin is enough for you where you will be diving, or will you need the 3mm, or more? If you buy the package with the skin, you might still have to purchase a wetsuit anyway.

 

[The Chairman]

I have had great experiences with the folks at www.scuba.com,

Just don't tell them you belong to www.ScubaBoard.com. Apparently they really, really don't like us!

I would check out www.ScubaToys.com or www.DiversDirect.com

 

[Web Monkey]

It's really hard to say what you should be paying, since the "hidden value" is that you get to try the stuff on and should be able to try it out in the pool to see if it fits and you like it. Also, the list isn't very specific. Without knowing what specific equipment the list refers to, it's impossible to tell if you're getting a deal or getting hosed.

For example, the most important items are the regulator and the BC, but the term "Sport Regulator" is meaningless. It could be anything. Same with the BC. Getting an $800 reg in a $1000 package would be impressive. Getting a $250 reg would not.

If you can get specific brands/models then you can tell if you're getting a reasonable deal. Since she is new, you also need to factor in the cost of the dealer's time to for fitting/adjusting/pool tryouts, etc.

Terry

My fiance is set to take a course on mar 3-5. She already bought her necessary personal gear (Mask, fins, snorkle) from the LDS. They have "package deals" for example,

. . .

I really appreciate comments.

 

[Paco]

It seems to me that if the gear is good and includes the certification class, it is not a bad deal.

Oh, and why does scuba.com dislike us?

 

[gratefuljames]

I would go to the LDS and try on stuff, find out what I liked, get the make and model numbers and then go on pricegrabber.com or whatever and find the best prices. Then call the LDS and give them the opportunity to match the prices (which is fair, and if they don't then you-know-what them) and then buy them from the lowest priced sources. Make sure you are buying new equipment that is subject to full mfr. warranty. Also, be advised that a "not yet certified" diver is really not supposed to be able to buy equipment, but, hey, who cares about the rules? Anyway, don't pay the prices you cited, which are probably almost double what you can land that equipment for doing it the way I suggested. Also, a lot of this "name brand" crap is exactly that. I have a pair of no-name neoprene dive boots that have lasted for 7 years, and I thimk I paid about $25 for them. Also, I would go more simple on Mask/Fins. For example, you can get a Cressi Horizon mask and Avanti Quattro fins for about $200 delivered (or less). Let's start an argument while we're at it: split fins are also called "Weenie Fins" for a reason. So, under my config, adding a $15 snorkel, you can get top 'o the line stuff and pay about $250 at most (and I am sure you can find the mask and fins for less than I cited)...be a smart shopper!!!!

 

[spectrum]

Overall it may be a good value but as mentioned without specifics it's pretty fuzzy.

Of more concern is investing that much before diving any variety of gear.

$350 for basic gear is not cheap but you can spend that much at list buyng things like Atomic splits. The first problem is that not all divers enjoy that model. Some love them other don't. There is no
'best" in many items of scuba gear. it's all about fit and YOUR or HER best adaptation..

Get specifics and at least get some significant pool time in the gear before commiting.

Pete

 

[TSandM]

I assume you are going to do this, but don't buy anything until she's completed her class. The statistics are pretty dismal about how many people get certified and never go on to dive at all. I've been dismayed at the number of people I have met who took the class and have never been in the water since. And there are many more who only dive on vacations. Make sure she gets through the course and the open water dives and still likes it!