Hi there from a newbie - gear questions

[CHSGrl]

Greetings from Charleston, SC. Just got certified and signed up for Advanced Open Water. Nobody told me I was voluntarily stepping into an addiction!

I am figuring out that quilting probably would have been a cheaper hobby, but that is just not me. The cost brings me to my gear questions. At the moment, I would prefer to spend more money on getting wet, but realize that renting gear is not cheap. What do you folks recommend as some good starting gear. My LDS recommends Aqualung and ScubaPro, but I am open to other suggestions as well.

Thanks!

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Aqualung and Scubapro both make fine gear, but due to their insistence on controlling the sales price (full list price less 10% max) they are tend to be pricey. The are many alternative companies that also make good gear and allow discounts / online sales, sometimes saving up to 50% or so.

Best best is to rent gear for a bit, each time trying a different brand/model. Then make an informed decision based on your preferences and experience. It may cost you some up front, but buying the wrong thing and/or paying full retail is expensive.

 

[CHSGrl]

Thanks GrumpyOldGuy. What brands should I be trying out in your opinion?

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I would first narrow the field by looking at the different styles available for gear.

For BCD's, try a jacket on time, a back inflate another time and a BP/W. Once you decide which works best for you it will be much easier to decide on brand.

For regulators, try an workhorse unbalanced piston reg one time and a top shelf balanced one the next. Try out an integrated octo and compare it to a standard octo (actually using it with a buddy).

Monitor you air consumption and compare you air use to your buddies. If it is real good, you might consider a smaller tank if the weight is an issue.

I don't pay to much attention to brands other than being aware of where I can get my regs serviced. There are many OEM's out there putting different name labels on the same gear. I don't think any of them has a lock on the market. It really comes down to personal preference.

 

[tbone1004]

Don't be afraid to buy used. Especially on regs. It can save a TON of money up front. Especially with Aqualung and Scubapro.
Make sure they're serviced regularly and in good condition, but they save a bunch. You can spend $200-$300 for a good Apeks reg set used, but end up spending close to $800 buying it new... Same with a lot of the new models. The ATX's breathe just as well as the XTX's but they're not reversible. For 99% of divers, you don't need to or necessarily want to reverse them.
Regs have a long service life if you take care of them, let someone else eat the markup

 

[scubamarketing]

The first day of my open water class, the instructor told us what he used. My first set of gear, built up over a year, was virtually identical. I think finding out what divers who dive as regularly as you plan to in conditions similar to your typical conditions would be some great research to do before you start investing in your equipment.

 

[themagni]

There are always local people getting out of the hobby. Check for used gear in the paper, on Craigslist, or whatever else you have there. I got a full set of gear including tanks, regs, comp, drysuit, weight, etc. (I already had mask / snorkel / fins) for $1400. (Bear in mind that I can't buy stuff online where I am and everything here costs an additional 15% Paradise Shipping Tax, as we call it here.)

Some people will say OMG it's life support gear and YOU'LL DIE if you buy anything but new gear from your LDS. Technically, your gear is used the second time it hits the water. There's a "bathtub curve" that you can look up on wikipedia. Gear does wear out eventually ad you can't know the history on used gear, but new gear can come defective from the factory. Basically, gear in its midlife has the lowest rate of failure.

 

[Selchie in LB]

Welcome to the black hole that will swallow all of you hard earned dollars! No matter what you buy today, you will always want something else tomorrow.

There are many ways to purchase scuba gear. One of the first things I bought was a full wetsuit being in CA with water temps in the 50 degree range it is a must. Now I am sure I will graduate to a dry suit (you will always want something else tomorrow.) If I had to do it again I would probably have gone with a package set up. My LDS has a couple of awesome deals with Scubapro BCD and regulator and other brand consoles. Now having said that, I have become really interested in DIR which uses the BP/W set up.

For a noobie, I decided to get the BCD and computer new. Of course the fins. mask, and snorkel were required. I did get my reg from a friend-of-a-friend so I felt a little more confident that it wouldn't be a bum deal. I have since purchased stuff (the black hole) from LDS, craigs list, and on-line stores. I am already collecting duplicate items.

Have fun, talk with divers about their gear and read the posts on the board.

 

[judereguera]

I have used a number of gears and paid dearly for wanting the next thing that comes out in terms of money and adjustment. With my experience, for regulators, I was happy with apeks xtx 100. I am trying out the MK25/s600 combo now from scubapro becasue of the feedback I get from instructors and dive buddies. For BC, I changed from a jacket to a bp/w setup by OMS and it was great as well. I am trying out the besea w50 now and it's ok except that i am unable to purchase the integrated weight pocket from poseidon. hope this helps.

 

[DeputyDan]

Don't be afraid to buy used. Especially on regs. It can save a TON of money up front. Especially with Aqualung and Scubapro.
Make sure they're serviced regularly and in good condition, but they save a bunch. You can spend $200-$300 for a good Apeks reg set used, but end up spending close to $800 buying it new... Same with a lot of the new models. The ATX's breathe just as well as the XTX's but they're not reversible. For 99% of divers, you don't need to or necessarily want to reverse them.
Regs have a long service life if you take care of them, let someone else eat the markup

To build on this thought - all gear is used gear after the first dive!