Cold Water Gear Advice

[runsongas]

tbone, he's looking to get a bc also for that 600 to 700 budget.

typingm, there is a guy selling some apeks regs and a bpw on craigslist out on long island if you can get out there.

Scuba Gear - $$ SALE $$

the 34 pound wing and a set of the apeks regs would be a good buy with a little haggling even if you need to get the regs serviced. you can pick up a steel plate and webbing/hardware for a harness from any numbers of places like CA/DGX/NESS.

 

[tbone1004]

oh bollocks, I missed that.

Yeah, grab that set he listed. The regs are good, the plate is good, the 35lb wing is good. The pricing is confusing because the regs don't match the pictures, but they're full sets.

 

[lerpy]

tbone has given you great advice, and if I may add my 2 cents I would tend to agree with looking at something like the Dive Rite from DGX or Cave Adventures, or something along those lines. DGX has great prices on reg sets, they all have some of the "last year" models for great prices. The regs you are looking at, I think tbone put it well, not my first choice not my last. If you can swing it I would put a little more money into your regs, it stings at first but it will pay off in the long run, especially having the confidence of a solid cold water reg that will operate well at depth. As was said to me when I started diving, regs are the key component of your life support system.

 

[CptTightPants21]

1. Being in NYC, there are always people looking to carpool to Dutch
2. If you end up getting anything from him I can pick up on Long Island and deliver to Dutch

 

[CptTightPants21]

1. Being in NYC, there are always people looking to carpool to Dutch
2. If you end up getting anything from him I can pick up on Long Island and deliver to Dutch

Typingm--I'm in communication with the Craigslist seller and have an unofficial dibs on most/all the gear--kind of did it to find out more info, kind of did it for you. Is there anything you were looking to get from this guy? My main focus is really just to O2 reg, maybe a reel.

 

[cannon fodder]

I have been out to DS quite a few times with a CDX-5 and never had a problem, water down to 42 degrees. Also, the best way out to there from Manhattan with no car is panaqua.com $120.00 includes two tanks, weights, round trip bus ride, guided dive with a DM and admission.

edit, also since you are there with a bus load of regulars, instructors, DMs etc. The trick won't be getting advice about NYC diving, it will be getting people to stop giving it to you!

 

[typingm]

Sorry, I was posting on my lunch break earlier and I'm only now free to respond.

Thank you, everyone. This is a lot of really good advice and it's given me plenty to think about. I'm going to evaluate my options and I'll come back if I have any questions. Not sure I want to go the BP/W route. I have to think about that, too. I'm a new diver, but I've seen enough already to know that it's not at all a contentious issue and nobody has an opinion about it.

@CptTightPants21, thanks for the offer, I think I'm set. Again, because of warranty and unfamiliarity with servicing the gear, I'm not quite comfortable buying used. Enjoy it, sounds like you've earned it!

I'm hoping to get down to DS July 4th weekend, which I'm sure will be mobbed, but it's when I can get away. I have a bit of an ace in the hole in that my parents live up in Westchester and, with enough planning, I can borrow their car to get down there.

This time, my wife and I are planning on taking a circuitous route to do a few other things in PA and make a weekend of it, but next time, if anyone is looking for a lift, I could probably make that happen.

The Pan Aqua deal sounds pretty great too, thanks for the heads-up @cannon fodder, I'll definitely keep that in mind for the future.

 

[KevinNM]

The Mares Abyss 22 Navy II and the Poseidon XSTREAM DEEP MK3 are the only ones that passed the Navy cold water reg test the last time they ran it. But they don't run it very often, essentially when they wear out their current regs.

A useful article on this is Cold Water Scuba Regulator Testing — U.S. Navy vs. EN 250

 

[Patoux01]

The Mares Abyss 22 Navy II and the Poseidon XSTREAM DEEP MK3 are the only ones that passed the Navy cold water reg test the last time they ran it.

It should be noted that the USN decided to blame the XTX50 for not being "cold water regs" a few years back. Some here will remember the story about it. So I'd take those tests and the views of the USN about what regs are good and bad with a spoon of salt.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Sorry, I was posting on my lunch break earlier and I'm only now free to respond.

Thank you, everyone. This is a lot of really good advice and it's given me plenty to think about. I'm going to evaluate my options and I'll come back if I have any questions. Not sure I want to go the BP/W route. I have to think about that, too. I'm a new diver, but I've seen enough already to know that it's not at all a contentious issue and nobody has an opinion about it.

@CptTightPants21, thanks for the offer, I think I'm set. Again, because of warranty and unfamiliarity with servicing the gear, I'm not quite comfortable buying used. Enjoy it, sounds like you've earned it!

I'm hoping to get down to DS July 4th weekend, which I'm sure will be mobbed, but it's when I can get away. I have a bit of an ace in the hole in that my parents live up in Westchester and, with enough planning, I can borrow their car to get down there.

This time, my wife and I are planning on taking a circuitous route to do a few other things in PA and make a weekend of it, but next time, if anyone is looking for a lift, I could probably make that happen.

The Pan Aqua deal sounds pretty great too, thanks for the heads-up @cannon fodder, I'll definitely keep that in mind for the future.

Warranty is a joke...a scam to get you to consistently spend huge amounts of money on labor to get the regs serviced just as long as you get "free parts". Its a pennywise, pound foolish proposition". Some companies allow 2 year service intervals (Atomic, few others), but even then there is a good chance the reg won't need it.

That said, I understand buying new when you first start out.

There is some information on another thread you might find useful. Best bang for the buck?