Just bought some new gear from Scubatoys

[Kestrell]

Just bought some new gear from Scubatoys. I spoke with Larry for 30-40 minutes. He was cool, low/no pressure, and full of information. I really appreciated the time he took to get to know what I was looking for and more importantly, what I really needed.

Any way, bought the following;

Zeagle Ranger BC.
Atomic M1 Reg.
Dacor Viper Octo.
Cressi mini gauges (SPG & depth)
Aeris Elite Comp.

Good deal, good service, and will be shipped to my door in a few days, ready to go. What more could I ask for?

As soon as my wife gets her C-card I'll be calling Scubatoys again to set her up.

 

[ClassAction]

Is there a shameless advertising forum? There should be... Ha.

 

[Kestrell]

Is there a shameless advertising forum? There should be... Ha.

Might not be a bad idea. Actually I was posting this as a prelude to my review of the service they provided since this is the first time I ordered anything from ST.

Well, three days later (as promised) I got my gear. It all looks great and I couldn't be happier. Thanks.

 

[jkennedy]

Beware of the diversified gear. Service is worth something long after the price is forgotten. Been burned on websites before. CAUTION!!!!!!!

 

[PurduEE]

Beware of the diversified gear. Service is worth something long after the price is forgotten. Been burned on websites before. CAUTION!!!!!!!

Too true.. Let us know how your search is going in finding a local dive shop that's a dealer for Zeagle, Atomic, Dacor, Cressi, and Aeris - just in case you need service and don't want to stick it in the mail or have to deal with multiple shops.

I learned this the hard way when my local Mares/Zeagle dealer went under... Zeagle stuff goes to one shop, Mares to another... It'd be even more fun with 5 different brands..

 

[scubatoys]

Too true.. Let us know how your search is going in finding a local dive shop that's a dealer for Zeagle, Atomic, Dacor, Cressi, and Aeris - just in case you need service and don't want to stick it in the mail or have to deal with multiple shops.

I learned this the hard way when my local Mares/Zeagle dealer went under... Zeagle stuff goes to one shop, Mares to another... It'd be even more fun with 5 different brands..

I don't really see why he would need to find a local shop that is a dealer for all those lines... When someone buys a regulator setup from us - we do annual service for $39.95 and parts are free for life. And as far as covering all those brands, the only thing he really needs to concern himself with is the 1st and 2nd stage - the Atomic. A dive shop does not "service" a computer... I did work for a lds here in Dallas that did... would charge a customer $60 to replace a user changable battery - it's what inspired me to open up my own shop and treat people right. If the battery goes out - you change it yourself - it the computer craps out - it's not like a LDS is going to pull out a soldering gun and swap some chips... it's getting mailed back to Aeris.

As far as the gauge, what service should it get? The only thing is if you want to change out the 2 little o-rings on the HP spool - and they are #3 o-rings whether the gauge is a cressi, atomic, dacor, mares, genesis, etc...

Same is true for a BC. The only thing that could possible need service is the power inflator - and they are all about the same... a few o-rings and a Schrader valve.... And life time warranty handled by the manufacturer.. Again - I don't know of any LDS that re-stitch BCs...

There is no problem mixing gear, in fact, I'd argue that most times you should. It is hard to believe that one manufacturer spins out the best Regulator, and also makes the most comfortable BC for you that has all the features you want, plus makes the dive computer that has the features you want at the price point you want etc.

If that was the case, no one should buy an atomic regulator (tested repeatedly as one of the best on the market) because they don't make a BC or computer. Don't buy a poseidon reg - they don't have a computer either...

And when service is needed - $39.95 and we turn regs in 3 days in house - and for this customer - he is 1 day shipping away. While I know of a LDS here in Dallas that will charge a $50 rush charge if you want it sooner than 10 days! And their rate is $89 for a rebuild plus over inflated parts prices...

So really, mixing brands, either with us, or with one or multiple dive shops is really not a problem - Get the gear you want with the features and price point that fit your needs.

 

[Kestrell]

Too true.. Let us know how your search is going in finding a local dive shop that's a dealer for Zeagle, Atomic, Dacor, Cressi, and Aeris - just in case you need service and don't want to stick it in the mail or have to deal with multiple shops.

I learned this the hard way when my local Mares/Zeagle dealer went under... Zeagle stuff goes to one shop, Mares to another... It'd be even more fun with 5 different brands..

Actually I checked that out before my purchase. I have two dive shops very close to me. One is a Zeagle dealer, so I'm covered there. The other one, which is a very good shop, that I am very comfortable with, will service, in house, every piece of gear I bought. I specifically asked them before I put in my order. Besides, I would also feel comfortable sending my stuff back to Scuba Toys, since I feel comfortable with their service as well.

 

[lairdb]

Actually I checked that out before my purchase. I have two dive shops very close to me. One is a Zeagle dealer, so I'm covered there. The other one, which is a very good shop, that I am very comfortable with, will service, in house, every piece of gear I bought. I specifically asked them before I put in my order. Besides, I would also feel comfortable sending my stuff back to Scuba Toys, since I feel comfortable with their service as well.

Congratulations -- you are the mythical beast that the LDSs assure us doesn't exist: a consumer able to educate themself, perform diligent research, and make a purchase from your choice of vendors based on the criteria important to you.

(Well, with Genesis gone, *somebody* had to say it....)

 

[PurduEE]

I don't really see why he would need to find a local shop that is a dealer for all those lines... When someone buys a regulator setup from us - we do annual service for $39.95 and parts are free for life.

I can get local service for $35-$45, parts covered and I don't have to hope that they make it through shipping there and back unscathed.

A dive shop does not "service" a computer... I did work for a lds here in Dallas that did... would charge a customer $60 to replace a user changable battery - it's what inspired me to open up my own shop and treat people right.

They do if it's broken. Again, it's easier to take it to an LDS than it is to ship it to you. My comments weren't regarding annual service for anything beyond regs. I haven't paid for a computer or BC 'servicing' once I determined what that entailed..

I've ordered from you quite a bit in the past. It was not my intent to indicate that you had swindled anyone, or that your services weren't great. Personally, I had never considered the problems of buying from lots of different manufacturers prior to some problems I had, so I assume that others may not have considered the problem as well.

I reserve the right to be wrong...

If the battery goes out - you change it yourself - it the computer craps out - it's not like a LDS is going to pull out a soldering gun and swap some chips... it's getting mailed back to Aeris.

True, but they can hand me (at their discretion - true for some LDSes, not for others) something to use in the meantime. Do you cross-ship replacement computers, or always wait for the replacement from Aeris? What's the normal turn-around on that?

As far as the gauge, what service should it get? The only thing is if you want to change out the 2 little o-rings on the HP spool - and they are #3 o-rings whether the gauge is a cressi, atomic, dacor, mares, genesis, etc...

True. Again, this is more of a 'if it's broke' comment. Although I've almost never seen a gauge that was broke that wasn't due to abuse.

Same is true for a BC. The only thing that could possible need service is the power inflator - and they are all about the same... a few o-rings and a Schrader valve.... And life time warranty handled by the manufacturer.. Again - I don't know of any LDS that re-stitch BCs...

see previous comment.

There is no problem mixing gear, in fact, I'd argue that most times you should. It is hard to believe that one manufacturer spins out the best Regulator, and also makes the most comfortable BC for you that has all the features you want, plus makes the dive computer that has the features you want at the price point you want etc.

If that was the case, no one should buy an atomic regulator (tested repeatedly as one of the best on the market) because they don't make a BC or computer. Don't buy a poseidon reg - they don't have a computer either...

And when service is needed - $39.95 and we turn regs in 3 days in house - and for this customer - he is 1 day shipping away. While I know of a LDS here in Dallas that will charge a $50 rush charge if you want it sooner than 10 days! And their rate is $89 for a rebuild plus over inflated parts prices...

So really, mixing brands, either with us, or with one or multiple dive shops is really not a problem - Get the gear you want with the features and price point that fit your needs.

There is a problem mixing gear, assuming that people are using their LDS for service (annual or warranty). My problem didn't exist until the place I purchased from went under. Your contention that there is no problem rests heavily on the assumption that ScubaToys is in business. If you were to go under, that would eliminate the simplest avenue for service for most of your customers with mixed gear configurations, and they would be left trying to find shops to deal with on service issues(you're doing very well, so this would be highly unlikely, but...). Most manufacturers will not deal with end users directly, so every issue needs to be worked through a dive shop, online or otherwise. 5 different types of gear could leave you with having to deal with several dive shops in the worst case. It's a pain to drive all over town when you just want to go diving...

 

[PurduEE]

Congratulations -- you are the mythical beast that the LDSs assure us doesn't exist: a consumer able to educate themself, perform diligent research, and make a purchase from your choice of vendors based on the criteria important to you.

(Well, with Genesis gone, *somebody* had to say it....)

Genesis would have been dissappointed that he's not doing the reg service himself though...