Putting together newb starter gear - a couple questions

[Crewfish13]

Hey everyone. I certified late last year, and am hoping to start ratcheting up my dive count with the weather warming up. Money is an issue, so over the winter I've been trolling for deals on used equipment to fill out a full set of starter gear, and here's what I've come up with so far:

- Personal gear package (bought for OW class/cert), lost mask after cert dives (still need to replace ).
- 2x wetsuits (found locally on craigslist): 3mm full and 5mm farmer john/jacket combo. Didn't really need them immediately, but the price was right ($50 for both), they fit and they'll serve the 2 areas I plan on diving (vacation/pool and midwestern quarries).
- Oceanic VEO 1.0 computer console w/ SPG.

So, here's where my question begin:
- As seems to be commonly recommended, my first big purchase was a dependable computer. However, will shops allow me to use it with their rental regs? Or should I just go buy a wrist boot for the puck and put the console away until I buy my own regs?
- With 5 total dives under my belt, I don't think I'm experienced enough to decide what's right for me in terms of regs and BC, so I don't want to spend too much on anything I buy right now. But, I'd like to use my in-laws' pool for practice/buoyancy work this summer. Seems like rentals could get pricey in a hurry for a couple hours practice every other week or so. Is there wisdom in going cheap (<$50, e.g. ex-rental BCs, old bulletproof regs) this early in my diving career? If so, any recommendations on brands/models?
- As I'd plan to use any equipment I buy for local quarry diving as well as vacation diving, what should I be looking for in a BC? I like the simplicity of the Zeagle Express Tech, but would the base 24# give me enough lift to handle both situations? It's not in the cards right now, but my be an option in the next year or so. FWIW, I'm 5'7", 180lbs and wore 14# for my OW checkouts in a 5mm john/jacket, and was probably a couple pounds overweighted. I wore 8# for my pool work in a 3mm full, and was darn near perfect.

 

[herman]

I would get a wrist console for the computer. I prefer it wrist mounted but that is just a personal preference, the major reason is to make life easier when you rent. Odds are they will allow your console but it's a hassle to do and it's also easy to forget it, save it for your reg. You may find you prefer wrist mount anyway.

Nothing wrong with older work horse regs if you can get them at a good deal. Just figure on spending another $100-130 on them to have them serviced, more if the hoses are bad. Look for Sherwoods - Brute or Magnum, Scubapro MK-2s or 5's or US Diver (AL) Conshelfs. All are rock solid, easy to service and will serve you well....honestly, any of those first stages connected to a new HOG second stage will be as much reg as you will likely ever need. As long as a BC will function- holds air, inflate/deflate and is in reasonably good shape, you are good to go. Don't be too quick to reject one that leaks down, often times it's nothing more than a bit of sand in one of the dump valves or just a lose connection....bottom line, find the leak before rejecting it. There are plenty of $25-50 BCs that are fine.

As for the ET, you can get a 35# bladder but it's rarely needed for rec divers. I use a 24# bladder for everything from no wet suit to a dry suit with an al 80. The bladder must do 2 things, float your gear fully kitted up - which does not include any weight you have on your belt, just what is attached to the BC and it must be able to compensate for exposure suit compression. Odds are a 24 is more than enough to do either unless you are diving steel doubles and if you are, you need to move to a heavier duty BC anyway.

---------- Post added April 4th, 2012 at 03:09 PM ----------

Just saw this, here are 2- Scubapro MK-5s with 109s that are freshly serviced they would do nicely as your first reg. Look at the end of page 2 in this thread http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/vintage-equipment-diving/415962-happy-new-mk5-109-owner-2.html

For what it's worth, I know and trust the seller...

 

[Bigd2722]

The express tech is an excellent option for a BC. Hard to find them used because no one gives them up after they have them except me. I went to a BP/W. I second the suggestion for the HOG second and would bet you can get a 1st for a pretty good price (probably not used). I definitely think the sooner you get your own gear the more you will like it

 

[Crewfish13]

Great info. Thanks! Herman, your advice is just what I've been looking for. Looks like I missed out on the MK-5's, but at least I've got an idea of what to look for now, especially with garage sale season coming up. I hadn't thought about swapping out just 2nd stage down the line when/if I upgrade, but buying a 1st that will serve my diving needs well into the future makes a lot of sense. And a HOG 2nd looks like something right up my alley - cheap, simple, dependable. On the downside, you may have just cost Oceanic a couple hundred bucks, but I'm sure they'll forgive you. I'd rather spend my money on actual diving anyway.

As for the Express Tech, I don't have the money to spend on it right now, but I absolutely love what I see. I've always been a "less is more" guy. At 5'7", it kinda comes with the territory. Not a big deal that I can't find 'em used, as I'd probably be able to afford one by diving season 2013. Cash is tight right now, though, and I really don't want to simply not go diving this year.

 

[herman]

I think I know where those MK-5s went so I suspect they will be for sale on a web site shortly. You might want to keep an eye here. Shop Online

Concerning older regs, while they were/are solid regs many of the ones you run across are hard or impossible to get parts for and most dive shops will not touch them which is the reason for the make/models above, all of them are easy to have serviced. Avoid Dacors, Healthways, Sportways and pretty much any other brand you can not find new models of.

 

[Crewfish13]

Thanks for the tip - I'll be sure to do so.

I did some more reading last night, and it sounds like some shops will still hassle you about wanting to get something that old serviced (just like I can only find a few guys in town to service my 40-year old HVAC). That being said, I'll probably move on to servicing my own regs down the road, which is another reason I like the older stuff. By trade, I'm a mechanical engineer who develops repair procedures for gas turbine aircraft engines, so taking something apart, replacing a few bits, reassembling and adjusting is a piece of cake in my book.

Besides, at an auto dealership a couple years back when there was a loud bang from the back of the service area. As I left, I happened to drive by a bay full of worried looking technicians with a car 6' up on a lift, and an engine bleeding oil lying on the ground below it. It kinda ruined me on the importance of "factory certified" technicians.

 

[MMM]

I am from the "do as I say and not as I did" school. Although who knows how long someone's interests may hold. I started off buying 2nd hand, very basic gear. I have now replaced each and every piece. If I were starting over, I would start off with my wetsuit (a full suit, not a shortie, like I did), fins, mask (I now wear a prescription mask due to aging eyes). Then I would buy the very best computer I could possibly afford or at the very least one that was nitrox compatible and middle of the road conservative. If I was buying an air-integrated computer, which is what my 2nd and 3rd computers have been, I would buy a reg at the same time and otherwise I would leave that to the next purchase. Think about how many ports you might need in the future! I might still have my 2nd hand Seaquest regs had someone not knocked my gear off a 3 foot wall while it was attached to a tank actually bending the first stage and had someone not stolen its replacement with 2nd stage/octo attached. A BCD is the last thing I would buy. My first one (2nd hand) started to fall apart a couple of years after purchase due to too much lesson time in a chlorine pool and likely inadequate rinsing. My second one (no longer made) has lasted me about 15 years and I have have maintained it very carefully. But this year I bought my first BP/W and boy do I love it! Today I bought another set of regs (just to have, just in case). And I own more wetsuits in various thicknesses and styles than you can shake a stick at. I have 3 pairs of fins. I bought a backup computer a couple of years ago, but it is too conservative and needs to be replaced with something less so. And so it goes....

 

[Wolfie]

Those 109s were sweet. I wouldve picked those up as well. Keep an eye out and you will find something.

 

[Thalassamania]

Wrist mount for the computer.

Old work horse regs are great, but you can get a Hog setup brand new for about the same price.

I'd get a new BC, they really do wear out, especially in the pool and on the rental rack.

 

[UnderwaterMedic]

my advice is to take a lot of the advice from the more experienced; then try it all out. Try different set ups when you rent gear or ask a dive buddy about his or if you can test it out. You'll find that doing this allows your kit to be more personal to you. I struggled with all the advice from so many people the I looked up to for their wisdom until I decided that most all of the advice was good, I just had to figure out what worked with my preferences. Don't blindly heed the advice of others, but don't ignore it either.