First time gear buyer

[Anna C]

Im thinking about buying my own bcd, reg, etc. and want some general feedback from people. I'm looking at Cressi bcd, the S116, any opinions??? I've been diving a rental sherwood, and im comfortable with that too, but it'd be nice to have my own gear. If anyone has any recommendations let me know!!! Reg wise I've heard good stuff about the Sherwood grunt reg, but I know that scubapro is also good quality. Its also alot more expensive... is the scubapro worth the extra money? I used an MK2 for my open water and it worked well in the cold water, but I havent used it since. That was a while back. I guess I'm looking for any general gear recommendations. (I have all the general stuff, m, sn, f, booties). Thanks a bunch!!

Anna

 

[dlndavid]

I use the MK25 S600 SP regs, they work very well for me, can't comment on the BC, I've only dived with my SP Knighthawk, which I like very much.

 

[Anna C]

hi again!! Thanks for the reg input. For the bcd, I've dived the nighthawk and the ladyhawk recently. i had issues with the emergency second stage being attached to teh power inflator hose. I found it hard to tell without looking at it which button was inflate and which was deflate. I guess im used to the L shape of other bcds. Do you get used to it being in those positions?? Also alot more expensive than all the other bcd's that I've been looking at. Was pretty comfortable though.

 

[halocline]

Can't comment on your BC choice, but I have a MK2 and i really like it. If you were to compare it directly to one of Scubapro's high end regs, it would not breathe quite as smoothly, but I've had mine to 130 ft with no complaints whatsoever. It has a couple of advantages; one, it's super reliable, almost bulletproof; it's not expensive; parts and service are available almost anywhere; and if you ever get into tech diving it makes an ideal stage reg. The unbalanced 1st stage will start to breathe more stiffly as you get low on air; you won't even notice it until you're well below 500PSI (on mine, I notice it at less than 300) at which point you're probably back on the surface.

I would suggest you try to dive a back inflate BC and a backplate/wing set up before you buy anything; you've already tried the jacket style BC. Then you'll have some experience with the 3 main styles, and they each dive pretty differently. There are foaming at the mouth defenders of each style on this forum. I'm kind of one of those myself, but really the best thing for you is to try each style in a pool. You'll get the idea pretty quick what will suit you the best.

 

[60feet]

Anna,

Check out also the "Regulators" subforum for lots more info on regulators (recommendations, etc.): http://www.scubaboard.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16

This particular thread has lots of feedback on divers' favorite reg: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=86549

If you don't get sufficient responses in this BCD subforum, start a new thread (copy and paste your original post) in one of the 2 subforums below. You'll get lots of responses:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6
http://www.scubaboard.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2

Good luck, and welcome to SB.

 

[hotshots]

Hi Anne,

You can get both the nighthawk and ladyhawk with a normal inflator setup instead of the air2 reg/inflator that you used on them. if you decide go with the scubapro bcd the ladyhawk is made and cut for women while the nighthawk is more for the men. as for the regs i have scubpro now but have over the years dove and used other brands of regs and have not had any problems with any of them. some worked better then others , but there really is not any bad regs out there, or they would not be around some perform better then others and some are easly serviced anywhere and have lifetime warranties. bottom line is get the best you can afford Anne. hope is helps you some.

 

[WesTexDiver]

If by Ladyhawk you mean the ScubaPro Lady hawk....the same button inflates and deflates orally. The little round button is a "power" inflator, but the other odd shaped button is the "oral" inflate/deflate button. My mother uses the Ladyhawk and loves it. She was never trained to use the inflator side of the BC to deflate, she uses the vent on the right shoulder for that, or the one on the lower back if she is inverted. A little practice and training on any gear you buy can make you comfortable in that specific gear. Good Luck with whatever you decide to purchase!

 

[travelmadness]

I bought my own gear just 2 years ago and all the options were overwhelming. I think one of the best things you can do is turn off your computer and visit a few local dive shops. Don't obsess about getting "the best" - just get some good quality gear and start diving!

 

[moxie]

a general comment that it makes sense to buy major brands so that you've got a better chance of service, repair, and parts availability wherever you go. Brands that come to mind are Scubapro, Aqualung, Sherwood, Oceanic, Zeagle, and Mares. Seaquest makes some nice women's BCs. Oceanic and Suunto make great computers. Scubapro regs carry a lifetime free parts deal which means that you get free parts when you bring your reg in for annual service. Adds up after a while. Don't get hung up on any given brand. As has been mentioned, you can get any BC equipped with an AIR-2 style emergency second stage or "octopus" co-located with the BC power inflator. But if you don't like that (and I don't) you can get a standard "octopus." Your choice. Take your time, shop around, ask lots of questions. Then decide.

 

[SangP]

Hi Anna C,

I would be helpful if you could share with us your diving experience, diving condition... cold or warm and lastly what level of diving do you intend to do... tech, rec?

As for me I dive warm and can only give you my 2 cents of info on what I should have gotten from the start that would have saved me a heck of a lot of time and effort.

1. Get a bcd that you are comfortable with, has sufficient lift for all your types of diving, is light enough to travel with and is supported by your local lds. Otherwise get a bc that is modular and allows you to change and replace components when they get damaged like the Zeagle or a BP/W.

2. I would get the best regulator that i could afford and if it's supported by my lds good if not that's ok since getting you got guys like larry from scubatoys to help.
Personally I will recommend only 2 regs which are resonable yet are totally reliable.
Apeks DS4/XTX50/ATX50 or TX50, Scubapro MK17/G250/S555.

Happy hunting,

SangP