Getting started "on the cheap"

[tenacious]

I will chime in here since I purchased all my gear in the last few months.
I bought 90% of my gear new.

atomic z2x DIN regulator: normal price: $509, I paid $280 (scuba.com display)
atomic titanium ss1: normal price: $379, I paid $200 (used)
scubapro pure tek BP&W: normal price: $775, I paid $385 (scuba.com display)
TUSA 360u 3 gauge console: normal price: $280, I paid $130 (scuba.com display)
oceanic geo 2 wrist computer: normal price: $450, I paid $299 (amazon.com mistake)
Henderson 5mm aqualock (wetsuit, boots, & gloves) normal price: $575, I paid $297 (scuba.com display)
Atomic titanium knife ( $50 used from e-bay)
scubapro x-tek quick release weight pouches ($80 scuba.com)
mares Avanti Quattro fins ($80 new e-bay)
1 used steep 100 ($200 lds)
1 new steel hp 100 ($300 lds)
watershed dive bag ($115 lds)
atomic frameless mask and snorkel ($100 e-bay new but opened packages)

at the end of the day I have what I think very high quality gear and a complete set of dive gear for $2500.
If you want to add hunting gear, I have a Koah speargun, tickler, catch bag, lobster gauge, lead, etc... throw in another $550-$600.

That is definitely more expensive than the cheapest gear available, but my last hobbies were racing cars, sport bikes and owning a boat, so diving is cheap compared to those, lol.

 

[Indydiver2]

My girlfriend hasn't even snorkeled before so what you have working is legit for me...God Bless

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I got lucky. My first wife and I certified together. I found two complete sets of used gear for 700USD total. A couple of years later we got part time jobs at our local dive shop. We gradually replaced our old gear at keyman pricing. Years later I bought gear from friends who were authorized dealers. My only really expensive gear came after I had been diving for more than twenty years. Hopefully the gear I'm using now will last a long time.

 

[bradells]

I've bought all new gear (well most pieces) in the last half year.

HOG regs, BP/w, can light, backup light, 2 smb and reels for $1500
Whites Dry suit with undergarment $800 (used)
KUBi dry gloves $250
Whites fusion undergarment $250
Rock boots $150
Pocket shorts $100
Hollis Fins $160
Mask/snorkel $80
Various bolt snaps, weights, wet notes. Etc $150
Rubbermaid tubs/X folding table $100

Aside from tanks (and a new wing/regs/manifold for doubles), this takes care of me for all of my diving in 40deg water.

Next big purchases will be some more regs and tanks/valves for a doubles setup and a single tank or two.


BRad

 

[fjpatrum]

We seem to have lost the "cheap" part of this thread. Where are the good deals? Doesn't anyone know of anything other than what I posted in the first post?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

We seem to have lost the "cheap" part of this thread. Where are the good deals? Doesn't anyone know of anything other than what I posted in the first post?

Yeah, no kidding!
What started as a bare bones minimalist configuration under $1000 just to jump in and get wet and have some fun, ended up with doubles, drysuit, drygloves, can light, $160 fins and the rest....sheesh!

 

[hsinhai]

I just recently purchased the special of the month off divers-supply Scuba Package Special of the Month

For $499.95 I got:

Edge T2 BCD (good for travel)
Edge Epic 2012 regs (2013 scubalab best buy)
SX30 octo (though as a bonus it arrived with Edge escape octo )
2 guage metric spg

Very happy with the purchase, about 1/3rd of the price it would have cost me in Asia.. The rest (wetsuit/boots/fins/snorkle/mask) I picked up locally..

Hsinhai

 

[bradells]

Yeah, no kidding!
What started as a bare bones minimalist configuration under $1000 just to jump in and get wet and have some fun, ended up with doubles, drysuit, drygloves, can light, $160 fins and the rest....sheesh!

Depends on where you want to get wet. It's what's required diving up here in 40 deg water with low viz. Unless you want to freeze, not see or be seen, and enjoy a few minutes under water. It's very easy to tripple that number for the same kind of equipment.

If you want cheap, buy a $50 snorkel package and vacation in the Caribbean ..... You can easily get a great week or two of boat diving for the remaining $950.

BRad

 

[Finneli Felwitch]

• Dive Rite Brand RG3ICE 1st & 2nd stage regulator with 30in Flex $199.00

DGX Regulators by Dive Rite - Dive Gear Express

 

[fjpatrum]

Depends on where you want to get wet. It's what's required diving up here in 40 deg water with low viz. Unless you want to freeze, not see or be seen, and enjoy a few minutes under water. It's very easy to tripple that number for the same kind of equipment.

If you want cheap, buy a $50 snorkel package and vacation in the Caribbean ..... You can easily get a great week or two of boat diving for the remaining $950.

BRad

I'll give you the dry suit but dry gloves for $250 and undergarments for another $250 don't qualify as necessary for comfort. Nice, sure, but far from necessary. I dive 5mm gloves down to 40*F and wear standard fleece and/or wool clothing as undergarments that cost me less than $100.

Rockboots and pocket shorts also not required. Again, I wear neoprene booties with my dry suit quite comfortably. Pockets are nice to have but they can be had for far less than $100.

I won't even get to the amount of d-rings and bolt snaps you must have or the non-diving stuff on your list...

As I said in my original post, with the gear I listed I can comfortably dive down into the low 60s fahrenheit. Bump the price of the wetsuit by $30 and get a 7mm instead of a 5mm and that gets you down to the low-mid 50s comfortably for most folks for at least a couple short dives.

It's all relative but most people don't consider ~$3500 a cheap starting cost. With a few of the mods I made to your list, you drop down close to $2000 which is a more than reasonable "cheap price" to be comfortably diving in cold water.