Beginner Gear

[raposarose]

Sometimes it doesn't pay to go to the small local dive shop.

I bought my gear at a very small shop and got a lot of help on it which was very good.

Later I had to return one item though. I knew beforehand that the policy was returns for store credit only so that was ok, though I prefer more flexible policies.

In the meantime though, I had found one item at a local sporting goods store for $15 instead of the $26 at the LDS. When I mentioned it the dive shop owner first said that it must have been a different item. I said it wasn't and he just gruffly muttered "well buy it there then!" When I mentioned that I already had purchased the item he just walked away and wouldn't even talk to me.

I understand that local dive shops can charge a little bit more for their service but it would be nice if at least the service was good or if they were a little bit competitive with pricing (I didn't ask them to meet the other store's price, but just a small discount would have made me happy enough). The salesman felt so bad about the owner's treatment that he gave me the difference from his own dive instruction budget. I didn't ask for that but I appreciated it. But next time I went there the other salesperson spent a long time trying to make me feel bad for accepting $10 from the first salesperson!

If they had just approached me face to face and said that they can't afford it I wouldn't have minded. But if you are the most expensive shop in town at least you can be friendly too!

I found another dive shop that is bigger and more corporate seeming, but still a dive shop. They have been very friendly about everything...they allow returns and exchanges, and they match competitors prices. It seems that sometimes small and local is not equal to better.

 

[gt2003]

I see your point. If they steer you in the wrong direction why would you want to support them when there is someone out there who will. The only reason I travel almost 2 hours for archery gear is I have a much higher level of confidence, trust and comraderie with the staff in the shop. I trust that they'll take care of me and equip me with the best and most reliable equipment. The profit they make is worth the confidence I gain by going to them. So, when I find that in a dive shop, thats where my loyalty will be. I hope its the one closest to the house, lol. Just did the math and for basic fins, masks, snorkels and boots for me and my wife the difference including tax, shipping etc is $110. I'm sure he'll come close to splitting the difference with me. A price I'm willing to pay to find a dive shop I have confidence in. Now, enough about archery, I'm ready to get certified.

 

[raposarose]

I guess in the end it is all about trust. That archery place sounds more than worth it! I would pay more for a place I could really trust too. It probably means feeling out a few local places to find the right fit.

For the same reason I chose to get certified at the YMCA later on this summer. Seems good to go to a community based place that isn't only after another sale.

Anyway, as for the original post...I also got the Scubapro Jetfins and so far they seem to be a good choice. I have only gone snorkeling but they seem to give good power for each kick.

As for the other gear you can check:
http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/
for some reviews.

Good luck!

 

[aquagirl]

I agree and believe that anyone can agree that an LDS that provides service and knowledge is better than shopping online. BUT, if they do not then I see nothing wrong with looking for something somewhere else - even online. I, for one, have not bought anything online yet. I do prefer going to a shop even if it costs a little more. But what I was trying to say is that if you're not getting the service and knowledge and Jack45 wants to buy online, I don't see a problem in that. I think we all have different experiences from our LDS and I envy those that have a great comaraderie with their LDS. I hope I find that soon. Cornfed- I do plan to keep looking. Perhaps that's why I buy in shops rather than online. What surprised me was that the original posting about gear turned into a heated discussion on to buy or not to buy from your LDS. And since Jack45 hasn't posted since these posting began, I think we may have scared him off.

 

[washow88]

I use LDS and online as well, if I go to the dive shop for advice, I would buy it from them.
Just be fair, many online stores are willing to spend some time with you on the phone to help you purchase the right gear.
Good luck and let us know about your final decision.

 

[tonyc]

I think if lds wants you to buy their equipment then they should try to be competitive and not bulls*%t their customers. This is a capitalist, democratic country where the consumer is (or at least should be) in charge. I am just about to start my ow class and I'm so excited, but so far my experience hasn't been too great. I told them that my wife was not a good swimmer and they didn't seem to mind so long as I had money in my pocket. The day I signed up, my dive shop started trying to set me up with a whole diving system, telling me "Oh don't worry you get a twenty percent discount", but then looking online I find the same products at half the price (that would be a fifty percent discount off their price, or should I say 50% markup at the store). The other thing that upsets me is they told me "oh the class is half off" and on the phone and in the shop they quote me one price. Then after I pay, they say, "you also need the 70.00 textbook." By the way, I had just bought three instruction books at borders, all of which had the same information, and the total was about seventy dollars! I just want people to be honest with me. I want expert instruction and am willing to pay for it, but I don't want to pay double for equipment just so I can ask a few more questions or try something on. I'm not cheap, I'm just a little smarter of a consumer. Hope not to offend too much here.

By the way.. I'm also very into woodworking and I often buy things in a certain local shop because I want him to stay in business, but he provides me with top notch customer service and he's honest with me.

Tony.

 

[washow88]

You won’t offend me. I do not care what kind of business, if I do not get the top or near top customer service I would take my money and spend it somewhere else.
I am like you, I like to support the local business, but I could not do anything about it if they do not want to stay in competitive market.
The instruction books from Borders need to be the same OW manual the dive shop is using not just the same information because you need to study for the quizzes and the final test from it.

 

[JohnF]

Jack45 once bubbled...
I am a beginner looking for the least expensive gear for the best quality. I have come up with this gear based on price and recommendations from a previous post. If there is anything on this list you would not recommend please let me know.

ScubaPro Crystal Vu with Purge – $38
ScubaPro Jetfins – $62
ScubaPro Fino Snorkel – $23
Tusa Imprex 5mm boots – $30
Sherwood Magnum Regulator – $183
Sherwood Standard Octopus – $65
Henderson 3mm wetsuit – $110


I will rent my BC and guages till I can afford it.

All this obtained on LeisurePro.com (try it on in stores then purchase proper size over net)

1: Try on any mask you're going to buy. Think twice about a purge mask. I have one which I never use when diving because between the reg in the mouth and the purge button, it's awkward holding my nose to equalize. In fact I use my two index fingers for the job.

2: Try the fins on the boots you plan to use to make sure they slide off easily and don't wrinkle up the boots making your foot sore. As for the boots, give some thought to short booties if you're only diving warm water. I use moccassin style booties so I can wear them to walk to the boat and not have an extra pair of shoes to contend with on the boat. They may wear out a little faster but the convenience of them is great and I don't look like like a doofus walking in ankle high booties.

3: For warm water the Sherwoods are bulletproof, if not the state of the art. After you get used to them and try others you may well find some big differences in breathing quality. But that being said, I have Apeks regs now and at anything above 100' or so my Sherwood Blizzard works just as well.

4: Don't abuse your lds too badly. Look down the road to when you want service, air fills etc. They don't get rich on classes or air fills generally, so if you deprive them of the equipment margin they may well not be there some day soon. Check the price on fills and service at your online supplier. Before you order from the online supplier, make a list of what you want and ask your lds to price the whole package for you. You might be surprised at what they can do. I've seen good package deals on regs and bcd sets.

5: Spend the extra bucks now and get a full reg set with console with compass and spg at least. Check the price on a good bottom timer. If that is too much then get a depth gauge in the console.

6: If you decide to go with the separate pieces of the reg rig don't forget to buy an inflator hose, and make sure the octo comes with a hose as well.

Have fun

JohnF

 

[adjuster-jd]

I have posted in another thread that I was able to get my LDS to come reasonably close to LP prices when I purchased the whole package of gear from them. I gave them all the prices from Leisure Pro and told them I would rather buy locally so what could they do to get the sale? They were able to come within about 10-15 percent over LP prices, which considering local service and real warranty on the gear was a fair compromise.

My suggestion is that you do the same with your shop - see if they can come close to online pricing and if they can, you can decide if the price difference is worth it to have local service, goodwill, local warranty service if needed, etc. If they can't sell for a reasonable price, then at least you tried.

 

[Dyno Bill]

When I started diving I didnt have a ton of extra cash so I kept snooping around, you know telling friends that I was starting a new sport and was looking for equipment. It wasnt all that long before a friend came to me telling me about another friend of his that wanted to sell all of his old stuff. It was calssic old Scuba Pro everything, two full sets BC's to spaerguns and I bought it all for 300 bucks. I had both regs re-built at maybe 50 bucks each back then and the lp inflators looked at for 20 more. I dove that stuff for yrs until I decided to get more up to date and bought something newer. The bottom line is that I still use my old Scuba Pro regs because they just never fail and I have put them through a ton since I bought them. So for my experiance a high quality used reg with a tune up isnt a bad thing, only my opinion.
Bill.....Dive Safe