Cheap Bastard Divers

[sambolino44]

I asked around on this board for a less-expensive brass SPG. Somebody recommended one, and I bought it. I'd like somebody to prove to me that it wasn't made in the same Italian factory that makes every other brass 'n glass SPG I've ever seen; except for the faceplate, they are all identical. It was about half the price of Halcyon. That's another reason diving is so expensive: idiots with more money than sense.

 

[imasinker]

Don't shoot me BUT!

I think when It comes to anything we all look for a better deal. I don't know anyone who walks in to buy a car looks at the tag and says ok I will pay that right here, without asking for a few bucks lower or ( the best deal) or some sort of perks. I agree sometime you see thing in an LDS and say 50 bucks for a piece of plastic. Ok so you have a right to say no i won't pay it or yes I will, but to stand there and say I am being ripped off is kinda silly. Some things are cheaper than other and remember the old saying....You get what you paid for. I am a drummer and to say i have spent 7000.00 on drums well i have. Wood and metal to smash and bang up. Sometimes people just complain to here themselves. You just can't get away from it all the time no matter what sport or recreational vice you choose.

 

[vladimir]

And "move someplace warm" isn't option - certainly not a viable way of reducing cost.

Perhaps not for you, but moving certainly is a viable option for reducing cost--especially from NJ. A lot of people aren't tethered to a particular location by jobs, family, etc. and choose to live near warm water. I understand real estate is cheap in Florida these days--check it out!

 

[seaducer]

Ok. So some of us are real cheap. How about telling us how? I am thinking some real DIY guys, making their own cannister lights, or rigging stuff instead of buying it?

I have a tank rack for my car I made from those foam pool noodles and clothesline. It is very similar to those I have seen in dive shops for 30$, I got mine at a dollar store for 7$ total.

So just how cheap/innovative are you?

 

[RJP]

Perhaps not for you, but moving certainly is a viable option for reducing cost--especially from NJ. A lot of people aren't tethered to a particular location by jobs, family, etc. and choose to live near warm water. I understand real estate is cheap in Florida these days--check it out!

But if I lived someplace else I would have to travel from there to dive HERE!

 

[sambolino44]

But if I lived someplace else I would have to travel from there to dive HERE!

Hey! This is the Cheap Bastard Diver thread, not the Crazy Bastard Divers!

 

[Tigerman]

What is it about scuba diving that brings the cheap bastards out of the woodwork?:365:

Compare diving to a few other recreational sports:

Biking. Either road or mountain biking.
Golf
Skiing/snowboarding
Motorcycling/Road/dirt/ATV
Snowmobiling
Waterskiing/wakeboarding
Horseback riding
Kayaking
Hunting

It is far less expensive to be outfitted with high end scuba diving equipment than it is to be similarily outfitted with equipment for any of the above sports. I seldom hear people griping about the cost of those other sports.

Why do people get so uptight about the inherent costs associated with diving? :cussing:
People are almost violent when it comes to how much they HAD to pay for Nitrox or a new wetsuit, or for a logbook! Everyone is trying to rip them off. The equipment and education associated with diving are designed to keep you alive and help with a comfortable and enjoyable experience.
Most of the equipment, with the exception of helmets, associated with the other sports is purely for performance and status, and rarely do people gripe about it.

Have I accurately observed this, or have I been sniffing too much glue?

I both ski and snowboard and they are combined a lower expence than my diving...
I can (but dont) hunt for what the ammo and a gun cost me, which is far less than diving does.
Waterskiing/wakeboarding I can also do locally for the price of a board/pair of skis plus the gas for the boat. The wakeboard/waterskies being so cheap Id need to do an AWFUL lot of it before Id even get close to the expences i have with diving.

Golfing would actually be the only thing on the list that would be significantly more expencive than my diving.. For now. Once the new golf course here is ready it might change although I doubt that

Then again I already have access to the boat, I can hunt on my dads property and I live right beside the lake of which said property is on the opposite side of so I would get off cheap with all mentioned activities but the golfing..

 

[ACR]

I think it's pretty basic, the shops and the customers have two conflicting roles... this is not unique to dive shops

Shop: to make as much money as possible (no one goes into business to break even)
Customer: to spend as little money as possible

It's not surprising that anyone would complain about how much things cost. When it comes to the big-ticket items, generally when you spend a little more you get a better product but it's the mark-up on the small stuff that really gets to me... $13 for a bolt-snap? c'mon...

 

[MeiLing]

I think one of the things folks revolt over is the huge disparity in what dive shops charge. That is what I think causes the "cheap basturd" phenomena. It comes about from the buyer's remorse folks feel when they've been massively overcharged.

I see the same kind of thing in the Needlecraft industry. Some shops charge an arm and a leg for the same thing that you could buy at Walmart or Ben Franklin. I expect the small, independent places to charge more but there's a limit to what I can afford to pay. Furthermore, some treat you like an outcast if you can't afford to drop a couple of hundred dollars every time you walk into to store. The industry is rather known for this kind of treatment.

On the other hand, I've seen some who recognize that you shop elsewhere (realistically, who doesn't) and appreciate what I can afford to buy from them and treat you as you deserve. I recognize that they have a greater markup to meet their costs and they recognize that I need to find a bargain so that I can pursue my interests in the industry, some of which are paid for thru their business.

My dollars are votes in a free market economy. I'm going to spend them on the companies that treat me the best, not just the ones who are the cheapest.

 

[Stu S.]

Is all that "high-end-top-of the-line" gear really needed? Not always. Last weekend in Jupiter, a guy was drift diving using the mask and fin set that is pre-packaged for Wal Mart. He handled himself like an experienced diver. He may have come into Floida less gear, and just picked the stuff up.

This diver went the same places and had the same dive as the rest of us. We all had a good time.