I am new to diving and definitely want to pursue it. As a new diver I would like to start buying my own gear which brings up a lot of questions. My dive master has a shop and is a certified Scuba Pro dealer which is what we trained with. Saw a lot of people in the water using his equipment with very few problems so I will probably stick with Scuba Pro equipment. Shopping online offers tremendous savings but I know that includes the warranty. I have done most of my wish listing on Leisure Pro and have investigated their feedback and some of their warranty promises and it looks good up front. My dive masters shop is about an hour and a half away so not too bad. I am interested in the pros and cons. Thanks
Buying equipment
- Thread starter trekride
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Welcome to the board and diving.
Certainly nothing wrong with SP gear, they make fine regs as do all of the other major brands. From a performance and reliability standpoint pretty much any brand name will serve you well so your choice is really about price, features and service. LP does have some great deals however you need to realize that some of the brands they sell, including SP are not covered under the manufactures warranty but instead are covered under a similar LP warranty. This means that any problems you have or if you intend to take advantage of free service parts you will have to ship your reg back to LP and wait for it to return. A good friend is waiting (and renting a reg) on his brand new reg that failed to come back from LP. He is not sure when it will return and is having some buyers remorse because of this. So you need to understand what is actually covered in the warranty and what services you will get. Both cover parts and labor initially but the parts and labor you should really be interested in is the annual service. Both cover parts as long as you keep the reg maintained however neither cover the cost of annual service. The labor for annual service is in the $25 to 30 per stage range or $75 to $90 per year for all stages. If you buy from LP you also need to include shipping, both ways. Other considerations that don't necessarily have a price tag but are worth considering are the relationship you have with both places. Often times (and I do not know your shop) a LDS will go out of their way for a customer, fixing your reg on the spot because you are leaving for a great dive trip tomorrow or loaning you a reg if yours can not be done in time, you are not likely to get that kind of support from LP. And there are others LDSs who will tell you where to place your LP purchased SP reg- poor business but it happens. It's your decision, just consider all the angles before making your choice. Sometimes the least cost is not the best value.
Certainly nothing wrong with SP gear, they make fine regs as do all of the other major brands. From a performance and reliability standpoint pretty much any brand name will serve you well so your choice is really about price, features and service. LP does have some great deals however you need to realize that some of the brands they sell, including SP are not covered under the manufactures warranty but instead are covered under a similar LP warranty. This means that any problems you have or if you intend to take advantage of free service parts you will have to ship your reg back to LP and wait for it to return. A good friend is waiting (and renting a reg) on his brand new reg that failed to come back from LP. He is not sure when it will return and is having some buyers remorse because of this. So you need to understand what is actually covered in the warranty and what services you will get. Both cover parts and labor initially but the parts and labor you should really be interested in is the annual service. Both cover parts as long as you keep the reg maintained however neither cover the cost of annual service. The labor for annual service is in the $25 to 30 per stage range or $75 to $90 per year for all stages. If you buy from LP you also need to include shipping, both ways. Other considerations that don't necessarily have a price tag but are worth considering are the relationship you have with both places. Often times (and I do not know your shop) a LDS will go out of their way for a customer, fixing your reg on the spot because you are leaving for a great dive trip tomorrow or loaning you a reg if yours can not be done in time, you are not likely to get that kind of support from LP. And there are others LDSs who will tell you where to place your LP purchased SP reg- poor business but it happens. It's your decision, just consider all the angles before making your choice. Sometimes the least cost is not the best value.
I am happy with my ScubaPro gear. If you are not in a hurry, you can also consider used gear, even Scubapro, if it comes with the original owners card. The markup at a retail dealer (anything scuba) is high so add ons, and other stuff down the road you certainly could pick up online. It is nice to spend some money, and negotiate a fair discount 10-20% off retail leaving only a mere 30% or more margin for the dealer. At least then you are supporting the local shop, where you hope to be treated decently etc. If the dive shop is out of business, you would have no place to get your air fills. Sure you'll pay some labor charges for SP annually and I strongly suggest annual dealer maintenance, but all the parts (and parts are sometimes needed) for as long as you have it. That would include replacement of anything they can't repair.
There is a million opinions out there, this is mine so don't everyone run out to the tree with a new line and reel to hang me, i've got a dive knife.. Good Luck shopping...
There is a million opinions out there, this is mine so don't everyone run out to the tree with a new line and reel to hang me, i've got a dive knife.. Good Luck shopping...
HelenOster
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boles_ed@hotmail.com
Registered
Trekride,
The single most important thing about buying any piece of gear is how it fits YOU. What ever you end up buying please be sure you get it wet! If you can't try it on/use it I would be VERY VERY suspect of that vendor. Some of the better internet vendors will do this. Good shop owners and retailers want you to be happy with the gear you dive. In the end they know that quality gear that fits benefits you both. I own a SP wet suit and a set of gloves that rock, but I wore a few different brands before buying what I have now. It is tempting to buy stuff from friends, or internet sites, but be sure that you can first, get it serviced, second has some type of warranty, and third somebody you know has used it.
Your BCD should really be your first purchase as that piece of gear influences your dive the most after your mask. It will always affect how you position in the water, and how you manage your water presence. Its the one piece of gear that really does make a difference. I would strongly recommend you try both a jacket and a back inflate model. Both have benefits and drawbacks. Talk to your instructor staff about those. Also please don't be tempted initially by the reg portion of your gear. Take your time and try multiple brands and types. There are very minor differences in the performance of better quality regulators with SP being a good one. The one difference I found to be the most significant is how the reg fits and carries in your mouth. By that I mean how heavy is it, how well do the hoses swivel, etc. A good quality BCD will cost you about $500 and a full reg set up with a computer around $1200. Remember cheaper initially will probably cost you in the long run. You may run into some peer pressure along the way. That's probably ok if you trust the people you dive with. Just be sure that the 3 things I said earlier apply.
Best of luck, buying gear is a heck a lot of fun. The cool thing about the gear we use is if you take care of it you generally don't have to replace it like balls, and shoes. You will probably end up with a couple of different "sets" of gear depending on what you eventually find rocks your world. Just remember gear is part of the fun stuff and enjoy the process of finding your dive armor!!
The single most important thing about buying any piece of gear is how it fits YOU. What ever you end up buying please be sure you get it wet! If you can't try it on/use it I would be VERY VERY suspect of that vendor. Some of the better internet vendors will do this. Good shop owners and retailers want you to be happy with the gear you dive. In the end they know that quality gear that fits benefits you both. I own a SP wet suit and a set of gloves that rock, but I wore a few different brands before buying what I have now. It is tempting to buy stuff from friends, or internet sites, but be sure that you can first, get it serviced, second has some type of warranty, and third somebody you know has used it.
Your BCD should really be your first purchase as that piece of gear influences your dive the most after your mask. It will always affect how you position in the water, and how you manage your water presence. Its the one piece of gear that really does make a difference. I would strongly recommend you try both a jacket and a back inflate model. Both have benefits and drawbacks. Talk to your instructor staff about those. Also please don't be tempted initially by the reg portion of your gear. Take your time and try multiple brands and types. There are very minor differences in the performance of better quality regulators with SP being a good one. The one difference I found to be the most significant is how the reg fits and carries in your mouth. By that I mean how heavy is it, how well do the hoses swivel, etc. A good quality BCD will cost you about $500 and a full reg set up with a computer around $1200. Remember cheaper initially will probably cost you in the long run. You may run into some peer pressure along the way. That's probably ok if you trust the people you dive with. Just be sure that the 3 things I said earlier apply.
Best of luck, buying gear is a heck a lot of fun. The cool thing about the gear we use is if you take care of it you generally don't have to replace it like balls, and shoes. You will probably end up with a couple of different "sets" of gear depending on what you eventually find rocks your world. Just remember gear is part of the fun stuff and enjoy the process of finding your dive armor!!
ScubaInChicago
Contributor
Please don't fall into the trap that most of us have and rush into buying what your LDS recommends you buy. There is going to be a bias there and it will almost always side with what they have in stock to sell you at the time.
IMHO a BP/W (back plate & wing) setup is the most versatile and will the last BCD purchase you make. There are a few manufactures that make them, unfortunately ScubaPro does not.
Pros:
-No plastic snap buckles that could become failure points.
-Its a custom fit to your liking.
-You can change the wing portion out separately if you need extra lift capacity, (i.e. doubles).
-The Stainless Steel backplate weights about 6lbs negative which is more weight off the belt.
-You can pick up an aluminum plate if your diving heavy steel doubles but use the same wing.
-You can pack the aluminum plate which is 2lbs negative as a travel bc.
-It is DIR compliant if that's the direction you intend to go in.
Cons
-Haven't found one yet.
Manufacturers; Halcyon, DiveRite, Hogg, Hollis to name a few.
Try to stay away from some of the brands that have sternum straps and quick releases as these could become a failure point.
IMHO a BP/W (back plate & wing) setup is the most versatile and will the last BCD purchase you make. There are a few manufactures that make them, unfortunately ScubaPro does not.
Pros:
-No plastic snap buckles that could become failure points.
-Its a custom fit to your liking.
-You can change the wing portion out separately if you need extra lift capacity, (i.e. doubles).
-The Stainless Steel backplate weights about 6lbs negative which is more weight off the belt.
-You can pick up an aluminum plate if your diving heavy steel doubles but use the same wing.
-You can pack the aluminum plate which is 2lbs negative as a travel bc.
-It is DIR compliant if that's the direction you intend to go in.
Cons
-Haven't found one yet.
Manufacturers; Halcyon, DiveRite, Hogg, Hollis to name a few.
Try to stay away from some of the brands that have sternum straps and quick releases as these could become a failure point.
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