Buyer Paralysis

[RobPNW]

If it makes you feel any better, I have bought and sold a number of things and believe I am almost where I want to be on equipment for years to come. I obsess a bit like you. The only advice I can give you is to not just pay full price on impulse but watch for deals. I've saved probably a couple thousand dollars getting stuff on clearance, black Friday, opportunities on Craigslist etc. At least that way, if I decide I want something else, I can sell it and not lose too much.

 

[Bierstadt]

Different strokes for different folks, but my approach is to start researching those future purchases long before I know I will be ready to make them. By the time I am ready I have no doubts or anxiety about the decision, only the satisfaction of completing the process. As a bonus I get to look forward to it for quite a while, which I also find satisfying.

FWIW I love my Seaskin drysuit. Whichever you get from your list will serve you well.

 

[Tracerbullet]

More like you suffer from anxiety not knowing what product works and what doesn't.

Probably a more accurate description.

To answer another post, no this is my first drysuit

 

[NothingClever]

I suffer from analysis paralysis.

FIFY.

I sometimes suffer bouts of it, too.

I’ve found that accepting I’m not ready to make a decision and walking away from the topic for a time allows me to return to it later with fresh perspective.

Might consider reaching out to @stuartv or you can dive into his Seaskin thread that has over 1,250+ replies.

Did by Dive6 you mean Deep6?

 

[Jcp2]

Probably a more accurate description.

To answer another post, no this is my first drysuit

Have you considered getting a used drysuit to use until you figure out what really works best for you? There is a lot of information available on the board but you need some frame of personal reference to decide whether that information is useful for you as to how you actually dive.

 

[Wibble]

For a first drysuit a Seaskin would be a good option. It's cheap but will be fine provided it fits. It'll be missing big pockets and some of the other good-to-haves.

Problem with drysuits is their second-hand value's very low compared with most other scuba kit such as torches, regs, wings, computers, cylinders, etc. However, it's an essential tool for cold water diving, so pretty much the cost of diving.

If it's an off-the-shelf standard size suit, you should be able to return it if it doesn't fit. If it's customised then you need to make sure someone else is responsible for measuring you so they take the cost if it's wrong.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

For a first drysuit a Seaskin would be a good option. It's cheap but will be fine provided it fits. It'll be missing big pockets and some of the other good-to-haves.

Problem with drysuits is their second-hand value's very low compared with most other scuba kit such as torches, regs, wings, computers, cylinders, etc. However, it's an essential tool for cold water diving, so pretty much the cost of diving.

If it's an off-the-shelf standard size suit, you should be able to return it if it doesn't fit. If it's customised then you need to make sure someone else is responsible for measuring you so they take the cost if it's wrong.

Why would the Seaskin be missing big pockets and other good to haves?

 

[Lorenzoid]

A drysuit, like a reg set, is a big purchase, so it's certainly understandable. I used to suffer from this syndrome, but I think I'm at a different stage now. It's the same for me with booking travel and diving. Back in the day, I was the type to make spreadsheets of pros and cons, but nowadays I just don't feel I have the time to analyze and vacillate. I do a minimum of research, generally choosing something that countless others have chosen and been satisfied with, pull the trigger, and don't look back.

On the drysuit decision, I simply went with a brand that a number of other divers I know use. The suit may not have been at the absolute optimal intersecton of cost, quality, features, or whatever, but I was confident it would work for me well enough.

 

[Big Dan K]

I have the same problem buying gear. My anxieties generally get resolved one of two ways. The quick way is when I find what I wanted on sale and can at least feel like I got a good deal. The slow way is letting my wife make the call. When weighing the pros and cons, I tend to share my worries with my wife and use her for a sounding board. She eventually buys it for me or forces me to buy it just to shut me up.

 

[Jcp2]

Problem with drysuits is their second-hand value's very low compared with most other scuba kit such as torches, regs, wings, computers, cylinders, etc. However, it's an essential tool for cold water diving, so pretty much the cost of diving.

It’s a problem for the first owner but a benefit for the second owner, who may have to be very patient to get a suit that fits if not a common size.