When I took Fundies, there was no pressure and no comments about the XDeep Zeos BP/W setup with a Hydros 50 wing. Nor comments about my DUI dry suit, which many of the GUE folks have. While they partner with Santi (as far as I can tell), there also is zero pressure to buy Santi (though I did have to borrow a Santi suit which off the shelf fit me better than my custom fit DUI dry suit).
Gear just has to meet the criteria. GUE Seattle is a fairly sizable community, probably much smaller than Florida, but still, the attitude of the instructors was simple: right gear for the training. That's it. I can't speak for all GUE instructors, but the ones up here: Guy, Alex, Kees, and further north, Liz; all are positive representatives of the organization.
Gear just has to meet the criteria. GUE Seattle is a fairly sizable community, probably much smaller than Florida, but still, the attitude of the instructors was simple: right gear for the training. That's it. I can't speak for all GUE instructors, but the ones up here: Guy, Alex, Kees, and further north, Liz; all are positive representatives of the organization.