Moving to Thailand - buy gear in USA or after arrival

[chuckfee]

Hi there. I'm a relatively new diver without much gear. I will be living in Bangkok for three years and am thinking about investing in a regulator, BCD, and maybe a couple tanks for myself and my wife. I'm hoping to be able to do 20-30 dives per year while I'm in SE Asia - in Thailand and beyond.

Is there any advantage to buying this stuff in the USA at my local dive shop? Shipping it overseas isn't a real cost issue as I can just add it to the pile of stuff that will be sent in a container.

Is this sort of gear more or less expensive in Thailand than in the USA? I know that imported stuff can be expensive because of high import duties. Can someone comment on the price, quality, and availability of gear in Thailand? I can find rental prices all over the web but actual gear pricing has proven to be a challenge.

Also, I know Bangkok has a lot of custom tailors. Can anyone comment on any custom wetsuit manufacturers in Thailand?

Thanks for any ideas.

--chuck

 

[mike_s]

one thing to consider is that if you buy in the US, then get something you can get spare parts for in Asia, and vise-versa. Some regulators I've been told use different parts in the US than other countries.

However, if you buy there, you might have trouble finding parts when you come back to the US in three years....

 

[jiveturkey]

I know the gear is reasonable in Thailand but I've never seen anything as cheap as Singapore. I'd buy it overseas if I were you. I don't think you'll have to much of a problem with parts as long as you stick with a major manufacturer.

 

[escapedia]

Just don't forget that you are used to the imperial system, while most of the world works with the metric system (meter/feet, bar/psi, Celsius/Fahrenheit).

 

[MoonWrasse]

I wouldn't buy it at your lds, there's no reason.
BAR will be important there, don't get anything with PSI.
Some stuff is made over there, but that doesn't make it cheaper to buy there.

Give Larry a call, I'm sure he can sell you a package you'll be happy with and has BAR at a good price.

 

[chuckfee]

Thanks for the info. I am used to the metric measurements as our
previous dives have been outside the USA. Good point about the
PSI measurements. There really is no sense in confusing myself
further with usa-standard gear with PSI when I really don't need
them at all.

As for larry, is he a forum member or are you talking about Larry's
beach bar/dive shop in BKK?

--chuck

 

[jcclink]

Since you're not diving very much (only 20 dives/yr ?) it might be easier to rent tanks vs buying them. Don't have to pack them around as much or worry about fills.

 

[MoonWrasse]

Thanks for the info. I am used to the metric measurements as our
previous dives have been outside the USA. Good point about the
PSI measurements. There really is no sense in confusing myself
further with usa-standard gear with PSI when I really don't need
them at all.

As for larry, is he a forum member or are you talking about Larry's
beach bar/dive shop in BKK?

--chuck

LOL, neither.

Casa de Larry: http://www.scubatoys.com/

 

[Quero]

Since you're not diving very much (only 20 dives/yr ?) it might be easier to rent tanks vs buying them. Don't have to pack them around as much or worry about fills.

Absolutely right. I have not seen a dive op here that does not include tanks/fills in the price of the dive, either from shore or a boat. If I ever need a tank/fill, such as Nitrox to take on a day boat or simply air for a shore dive, I can easily rent one.

 

[Bowmouth]

In Thailand you can get all major brands of dive gear for very reasonable prices. There are big retail outlets in Phuket, Bangkok, Ko Samui and Pattaya. If you buy your gear in Thailand and you have some problems with it you can count on ok aftersales service. If you buy your gear in the US and you have problems with it you may have to pay extra for services and/or replacement of parts. Gauges can be bought either in BAR or PSI; they're both available. Buying tanks is something you don't have to do because they are included in any daytrip diving you may do with a dive shop. If you plan to hire your own boat for a day (and not join an organized day trip) you can easily rent a few tanks from a local dive shop for the day.