payment query

[andaman boy]

I am planning to open a small dive shop in the andaman islands with bout 6 sets of scuba.....the reason Im buying IST products is that the regs im orderin have got good reviews by rodales scuba lab and they are comparatively cheap(R-10).....as the duty to import into my country is 40%...so it works out to quite a bit....What I really want to know is that are they a company that can be trusted...How else can I make the payment..I asked them if it was ok to pay 50% on delivery but they said no.

 

[andaman boy]

Of course after reading this in Scuba Diving I don't think I would trust their life support equipment.

IST R600 Saturn & R700 Imperial

IST R600 Saturn IST R600 Saturn ($290)
First-stage type: Balanced piston.
Low-pressure ports: 4.
High-pressure ports: 2.
First-stage swivel? Yes.
Second-stage adjustments: Dial.

THUMBS DOWN:
Failed all breathing simulator tests.
Poor wet breathing.
Significant changes in breathing and wetness in differing positions.

IST R700 Imperial ($250)
First-stage type: Balanced piston.
Low-pressure ports: 4.
High-pressure ports: 2.
First-stage swivel? Yes.
Second-stage adjustments: None.

THUMBS DOWN:
Failed all breathing simulator tests.
Poor breathing, regardless of position.
Bubble interference.

Consumer Alert
These two IST regulators should not be used for scuba diving. Not only did they both fail every breathing simulator test, neither of them even made it to 66 feet on the objective machine tests. They performed worse than the private-label mail-order regulators we evaluated several years ago.

During the ocean ergonomic tests, the less expensive R700 did better than the adjustable R600. No owner's manuals are provided by IST. The poorly translated IST catalog tells us "Balance piston ... adjustable second stage will provide smooth effortless breathing." "Made with superb precision engineering ... designed to breathe effortlessly ... extremely safe ..."

These two regulators not only failed to meet U.S. Navy and European CE criteria, they could not function at 66 feet and were overbreathed by test divers in 30 to 40 feet of water.

This is the review from scuba labs for the r-10 regulator I plan to buy:
IST SPORTS PROLINE R10 & R20
IST Sports' brand-new R10 adjustable and R20 nonadjustable regulators dominated breathing simulator tests in this price group. The R20 not only earned a perfect score, it was able to exceed 300 feet at the maximum breathing rate while maintaining a work of breathing of only 1.0 joule per liter--an outstanding achievement for a budget regulator. In-water tests show the R20 to breathe dry in all positions. The R10, while delivering fair breathing performance in the swimming position, has a tendency to breathe wet in a heads-down or face-up position.

 

[bigmak]

I like the credit card idea, even if you have to go get a prepaid credit card.

 

[Garrobo]

If I was going to do what you are going to do I'd probably buy a half dozen Sherwood Brut regs on Ebay, rebuild them and go with that. Seems to me that that would be a lot safer and cheaper than buying a bunch of off-brand junk which might kill some of you countrymen. Just my opinion though.

 

[andaman boy]

Guys let me assure everyone that I have a buisnes plan and do not need buisness classes for 200$ in the evenings.....I also have enough money to keep the company a float for 1 yr.But thank you all for your concern.....I plan on opening a small dive shop in the andaman islands(only dive shop on neil island) with only six sets initially...the thing is to import equip into India customs duty is 40%...thats why I have chosen IST..also they have got good reviews and have been around for a long time....what I wanted to know was this....is paying the entire amount upfront a normal practice and is it likely that they would not keep their end of the agreement.....thank you all for your advice

 

[creggur]

This is the review from scuba labs for the r-10 regulator I plan to buy:
IST SPORTS PROLINE R10 & R20
IST Sports' brand-new R10 adjustable and R20 nonadjustable regulators dominated breathing simulator tests in this price group. The R20 not only earned a perfect score, it was able to exceed 300 feet at the maximum breathing rate while maintaining a work of breathing of only 1.0 joule per liter--an outstanding achievement for a budget regulator. In-water tests show the R20 to breathe dry in all positions. The R10, while delivering fair breathing performance in the swimming position, has a tendency to breathe wet in a heads-down or face-up position.

That sounds much better than the ones I found.... I'm glad they have some better regs, my only concern would be that they would release regs like the ones in the test that I posted...Maybe it was an old test and improvements have been made. Like I said My wife likes her hooded vest, and we'll see how it holds up...

 

[cerich]

If I was going to do what you are going to do I'd probably buy a half dozen Sherwood Brut regs on Ebay, rebuild them and go with that. Seems to me that that would be a lot safer and cheaper than buying a bunch of off-brand junk which might kill some of you countrymen. Just my opinion though.

IST isn't off brand junk.

I know a fair bit about dive equipment and would rather have the R20's in rental than the Brut anyday.