wow, I never thought this thread would open up so many cans of worms... but, I'll continue anyway... I haven't taken any training at any of the shops mentioned and pretty much decided that don't have any intentions do so in the future either. I have already proven that I can organize my own class and can have any one of the best instructors out there come here and teach the class, and I don't need any LDS to guide me on that. (example: GUE classes).. like an old Uzbek prolog says, (well, that's my version of it) " If the Mohamed doesn't go the mountain, the Mountain goes to Mohamed".
The same goes for gear, with great online resources, I can great pretty much any gear I want without any BS. (example: EE, FifthD, Abyss) At this point of my diving "career", I pretty much know what I need, and don't need an opinionated shop owner push some sort of gear that he is accustomed to sell/use.
That leaves one thing - getting fills. Obviously you can't get fills from the Internet. Which also makes buying tanks more difficult since if you get it online, you still have to have a shop stamp it with visual, etc.. Ordering custom suits is also a problem, since it's best to have a person measuring know what he is doing. People who leave near EE store in FL are lucky, we have none of that in NY.
Now, in regards to the shop on E4th. I agree, a good shop, and it has served me OK in the past, however, without going to details and mentioning any names, and getting accused of slandering, I'll just leave it that I had a personal dispute with the owner, and I don't plan on showing my face at the shop ever again.
Now, in regards to the shop in Brooklyn. I never had any problems, and I enjoy great discounts and personalized attention I get from the owner. However, the neighborhood does suck, kids running the shop (other than the owner) doesn't know jack about diving other than filling paintball guns, and it is not convenient for me to get there, and I can never find parking there, which is a number one pain in the ass when you need to load/unload tanks, etc... The street is so busy that you can't even double park there.
Other shops in the vicinity are a joke. Who ever mentioned LP - it's not a shop, it's a warehouse which is being run by people who know nothing about diving, and they don't sell much of any usable gear anyway.
Any kind of PADI-type (no offence to PADI, I am sure you mean well) recreational shops in the city is a joke as well, I mean those people don't know what a Scubapro Stainless Steel weight belt buckle is. And good luck trying to buy long hoses from them - just an example...
So, I guess there are only two shops in NYC, as mentioned above that fit the bill? that's pretty sad. Can anyone think of anything in Westchester area?
Joseph, what shop do you use now for your needs? I mean, fills, tanks, parts, service, etc..
