Are you "cheap"?

[Matt S.]

It is taking approx $4100 to get the wife and I equipped. I bought good used stuff where I could (craigslist worked for me), but some things are new. But I'd rather spend $250 on a used Zeagle BCD than $150 on something new from LeisurePro, ya know?

Highlights:
Bare D6 Pro for her, $450 closeout from Divetank (plus some extras)
Bare CD4 from me, $450 via classifieds here (came with a lot of goodies)
Dive Rite RG2500ICE regs, new, from Phil Ellis' shop. ($378 including octo and DIN/yoke adapter)
Zeagle Ranger BCD for me ($250 used, w/ weights)
SeaQuest Libra for her ($150 used, w/ weights)
Suunto D6 computers (got a ridiculous price through a contact at the company)

The little stuff sure adds up too though, doesn't it?

 

[sambolino44]

Sorry about not having specifics on the prices, but I seem to have blocked that out.

I'm cheap on some stuff, extravagant on others. I shopped around and found the best prices on my mask and fins, but they are expensive models. Since I always planned to move up to a drysuit, I bought my wetsuit used (rental) at my LDS garage sale, and it was pretty cheap. I got the cheapest computer I could find, new, but it's still a major brand (Suunto Gekko). I had a cheap snorkel, but when I started actually using it for snorkeling I replaced it with a better one. I paid top dollar for good regs, about average for my steel cylinder, and whatever it was that I paid for my ScubaPro Classic BC, it was too much because that thing sucks! I made a dive knife out of an old flashlight pouch and a 14 cent steak knife.

The thousands of dollars I spent to go to Costa Rica and Corsica were well spent. As was the money I spent on SCUBA classes.

SCUBA diving is something that, if you want to do it, you gotta have a JOB!

 

[dive_lover88]

i prefer to use it as "long term investments"(the one that keeps you pumping in money without returns)

 

[scubawally]

you asked what i paid for my gear so here it is

bare d-6 prodry dry suit $1150
abyss atlantis 2mm crushed neoprene drysuit $2650
bare dry gloves $200
bare tech pro hood $50
turtles fins with spring straps $210
mares seta mask $60
tussa visualator mask $110
oms bcd dual bladder $1150
oms sta $150
twin faber lp 112 tanks w isolator manifold $1500
two luxfer 80 aluminum tanks $450
suunto gekko nitrox dive computer $450
diverite nitek he dive computer $1300
scubapro mk25/s600 regs in din $920
scubapro mk16/r190 regs in din $550
scubapro mk16/r190 regs in din $550
scubapro mk2/r190 regs in yoke (o2 clean) $650
scubapro mk5/109 regs in yoke (used) $300
Beauchat regs (used) $300
Main dive light $120
back up dive light $50
back up dive light $50
lift bag and reel $200
slate $30
weight harness and weights $200


Total $12200




all prices are approximate and are listed in canadian dollars. I shoud alsoinclude the 25000 for the jeep i had to buy to lug all of this stuff around

 

[mnj1233]

Now you can sell it all and buy a rebreather!!!!

you asked what i paid for my gear so here it is

bare d-6 prodry dry suit $1150
abyss atlantis 2mm crushed neoprene drysuit $2650
bare dry gloves $200
bare tech pro hood $50
turtles fins with spring straps $210
mares seta mask $60
tussa visualator mask $110
oms bcd dual bladder $1150
oms sta $150
twin faber lp 112 tanks w isolator manifold $1500
two luxfer 80 aluminum tanks $450
suunto gekko nitrox dive computer $450
diverite nitek he dive computer $1300
scubapro mk25/s600 regs in din $920
scubapro mk16/r190 regs in din $550
scubapro mk16/r190 regs in din $550
scubapro mk2/r190 regs in yoke (o2 clean) $650
scubapro mk5/109 regs in yoke (used) $300
Beauchat regs (used) $300
Main dive light $120
back up dive light $50
back up dive light $50
lift bag and reel $200
slate $30
weight harness and weights $200


Total $12200




all prices are approximate and are listed in canadian dollars. I shoud alsoinclude the 25000 for the jeep i had to buy to lug all of this stuff around

 

[asaara]

Can you buy jet fins anywhere *but* eBay now? ;-) I have mostly "sale" gear with a bit of used and regular-retail-cause-I-need-it-*now* stuff thrown in. The way I accumulated it in bits and pieces probably makes me cheap - hell, I'm *still* borrowing gear since I didn't bring all of it with me, and some of it got stolen recently (mask, computer...*growls and hisses*)

The LDSs where I'm diving at the moment don't seem too interested in selling gear, they seem to do much more training, guided dives, and air fills...right on the beach is a good location. And from across the Atlantic, Ontario isn't significantly closer than Texas, so from here Scubatoys is no less local than somewhere in Toronto... ;-)

 

[mark43]

I have close to 5k in gear, including photograpic eq. and I am still buying. Now that you have me thinking about this I guess I better go do some more work make more money. Does my Zodiac count?

 

[mark43]

WOW now that I think about it I actuall have close to 9k instead of 5k with out the boat.

 

[IslandFrog]

Hey Guba,

Much of my gear, I have bought and paid LDS prices for, some of it I have researched and purchased online. I have multiples of many items, and have found them to come in handy, and not just for myself. For example, the first week of this month, I was on a trip to Bonaire. During this trip, both extra masks that I brought were used by others who were having fogging problems. We also had one person who's computer died on them, so my spare computer was put to use. There have been several times that even on local dives, I have been able to provide someone else with a spare item that has kept them diving when otherwise a gear problem would have ended thier day. I have also been on the receiving end of needing to borrow a piece of extra gear from someone.

As a single with a fair amount of disposable income, I have probably spent way too much on this hobby, but the enjoyment that I get from it more than makes up for it.

-Brad

 

[Ed Palma]

Yep. I'm cheap.

Reg: $123
BCD: $153
Mask: $29
Fins: $48
Wetsuit: $67
Dive computer: $138

I thought I was cheap, but apparently there were others! I'm impressed!