S.C.U.B.A. Equipment Brand.

[kelemvor]

I use many brands of gear. Scubapro Regulators. DiveRite wing. Freedom Plate backplate. Deep6 flippers. Ratio dive computer. Worthington tanks. In each case, I solicited recommendations both in person at dive shops and on scubaboard then did a lot of reading and formed an opinion. Personally, I think it is a mistake to stick to all one brand for everything unless you just can't get anything else for some odd reason. No one company makes the best of each kind of scuba equipment.

Sooner or later, I'm going to take a shot at switching from scubapro to Poseidon. I'll probably also be switching back to Shearwater from Ratio.

 

[stretchthepenn]

I'm a walking grab bag of brands. Just on the last dive, I used/carried gear from Hollis, Seaskin, Fourth Element, REI, Patagonia, Costco, HOG, Mares, Ano, Technisub, DUI, Bare, IST, Atomic, Dive Rite, Halcyon, Shearwater, Poseidon, Apeks, Faber, Luxfer, and at least one no-name brand.

 

[Colliam7]

While I have a number of brands on my equipment, I have some brands that I have come to prefer. And, in the majority of cases, my purchase was affected by the shop I was affiliated with, and what they carried.

For example, I have a number of Halcyon wings. I 'grew up' in a shop that carried Halcyon, the owner was a particular Halcyon fan, he and I became good friends and dive buddies, and I got very good pricing. I also heard good things (OK, some cynicism as well) about Halcyon, so buying my first Halcyon wing was easy, and I have subsequently added to my inventory. Over time I realized that I also got VERY GOOD service and support from Halcyon, so I am a fan. Unfortunately, neither of the two shops I am affiliated with now are Halcyon dealers, and I also prefer to NOT pay MSRP. So, I have also added some Apeks wings to my collection, and I very much like them. If I get a chance to get a good price on an(other) Oxycheq Mach V, I would probably buy one, simply because of the very good things I have heard about that particular model. In fact, I bought one on eBay last Fall for a diver that I had persuaded to go BP/W, and she LOVES it.

My first regulator was a Zeagle, a brand that was also carried by my first shop. I subsequently bought a number of additional Zeagle regs on eBay, I became credentialed to service them, and still dive them even though the particular reg (50D) is no longer in their product line. When I started tech training, I got a good deal, from the same shop, on some Apeks regs (ATX200s). I found I really like them, they breath well, the first stages are heavy (so they put some weight right where I want it - high on my torso), I became credentialed to service them as well, and still dive them. The DST is a particular favorite, along with the XTX50 second stage. I am sure that other brands are very good as well - ScubaPro for example - but I feel no need to diversify, as long as my Zeagle and Apeks regs meet my needs. Although one of my current shops carries Aqualung, and therefore Apeks, they really prefer to sell Aqualung because of the margins, and I have been encouraged to consider using Aqualung regs. But, I have no interest in any reg in the Aqualung line, even though the brand has a reasonable reputation and I have access to favorable pricing.

I wear Henderson wetsuits. Every shop I have worked with has carried Henderson, so it was a natural for me to go with that brand when I bought my first suit. I really like them, and feel no need to change, although I hear good things about about brands (Bare, O'Neil, etc.). I also have found that Henderson service and support after purchase is superb.

Backplates are Dive Rites and OMS, not because of my perception of any particular superiority, rather because I picked them up on eBay at a good price, and I am happy with them.

The bottom line, which formed the basis of my poll responses: I have brands that I prefer, because of my familiarity with them as well as their reputation, because of the availability of good pricing through the shops I have been affiliated with, AND because I have been able to meet my needs with products in each of the brand lines.

There are lots of other good brands out there, I can't say that one is clearly superior to all others, or that my preferred brands are somehow uniquely better. But, they are good, and work for me. There are also some brands that I would prefer to stay away from, because of reputation as well as country of origin, and attractive pricing would not make any difference in that preference.

 

[Doc]

Same way I build my AR15 rifles. I select my parts based on the C.D.I. Scale...
Will chicks dig it?

I voted in the poll: color scheme

 

[maj2]

Some of my biggest reasons for selecting the gear I do are not among the choices...

For example...

a) It had to meet my needs for the kind of diving I wanted to be doing. I knew I wanted to dive cold local diving, so cold water capability (including ice) was a major factor for me.

b) "Monetary reasons" is vague, however, I would associate it as "all I can afford." This is not the case at all. I could have bought more expensive gear, but Price and Value were definitely major factors. I was not going to pay extra for a trendy trim level that did not offer better functionality. Just for what I needed. It is not "monetary," just "value for money."

 

[Rose Robinson]

Hello. I looked pretty hard at O.M.S. and Poseidon when first certified. Zeagle was also in the running.
Thinking back, I actually chose Undersea Divers in Beverly, Mass to get certified, because they carried U.S. Divers gear.
So, I guess my decision was already made.
Cheers.

BB,

My primaries are Poseidon, OMS, DUI, Faber/Metal Impact and some secondary items from DGX, brands for my own reasons I trust and prefer.

I don't collect, I don't have what I don't use.

To me dive gear components are specific use tools, not collectable, not treasure, not prized possessions, simply tools.

To me, value comes from performance, endurance and reliability on the job.

I do not feel that a garage full of tanks or cabinets full of regulators have any value at all.

To me, memories have value, everything thing else is just ''stuff''.

Believe me, the day after a lot of you ''pop your clogs'', your spouses will have most of your ''treasures'' at the end of the driveway in garbage cans as the job is done, and there's no further use for the tools, I am an expert on this subject and I know from where I speak.

I hear it on a weekly basis, ''now that my husband is gone, my first priority is to get rid of all his ''junk''.

Just me,

Rose.

 

[Boston Breakwater]

BB,

My primaries are Poseidon, OMS, DUI, Faber/Metal Impact and some secondary items from DGX, brands for my own reasons I trust and prefer.

I don't collect, I don't have what I don't use.

To me dive gear components are specific use tools, not collectable, not treasure, not prized possessions, simply tools.

To me, value comes from performance, endurance and reliability on the job.

I do not feel that a garage full of tanks or cabinets full of regulators have any value at all.

To me, memories have value, everything thing else is just ''stuff''.

Believe me, the day after a lot of you ''pop your clogs'', your spouses will have most of your ''treasures'' at the end of the driveway in garbage cans as the job is done, and there's no further use for the tools, I am an expert on this subject and I know from where I speak.

I hear it on a weekly basis, ''now that my husband has gone, my first priority is to get rid of all his ''junk''.

Just me,

Rose.

Hi, Rose. This was already titled.
View media item 209691Cheers

 

[Cdncoldwater]

Initially it was what was recommended to me as I was a new diver; luckily the people I bought from were friends so I got good advice not a pitch. As I became more experienced I started to research more, borrowed or rented gear to try and talked to other divers. I now buy based on manufacture reputation, service options and preferably to support local. So far I've owned Apeks, AquaLung, Dive Rite regs and BCDS plus other gear from Hollis, Abyss, BARE, XS Scuba, Cressi, ScubaPro, Sunnto, Mares, Luxar, Catalina and Faber. In the future I would definitely look at DGX and Deep6 but my preferred at this point is Dive Rite for BCD and regs.

 

[boulderjohn]

Like many people, I own a variety of brands, and a lot of those choices came because of my professional status and working for a shop. I was expected to wear gear the shop sold, and since I got a good discount at the shop, I had no problem with it. When I switched shops, I had to sell a lot of gear and buy a lot more. Even though I am now independent, much of the gear I use is a residue of my last shop association.

Here is a warning for potential buyers.

One of the reasons I switched shops is because the shop decided to switch agencies, and when they did, the new agency owner presented a marketing workshop in which he explained a strategy for increased profitability. The shop was advised to identify specific models of equipment, everything except the mask, on which all sales were to be focused, and the shop did take that advice. Those items would be selected because they had the best markups to begin with, and by increasing the numbers on those models, the company would lower the dealer prices on them and increase the markup even more. It was the job of the sales staff to give customers advice that would steer them to those models. More importantly, it was the job of the instructors to steer them to those models. All instructors were to purchase and use precisely those models and tell students that they had personally selected them because they thought they were the very best. If I had stayed, I would have had to lie to students and tell them that I used that equipment in my personal diving, even though I did not. The shop sold everything I did use in my personal diving, but I could not tell students that, because that would not steer them to the highest possible markup.

 

[boulderjohn]

Here is a warning about merchandise selection in general.

A couple year ago I purchased new golf clubs, and someone I knew showed surprising interest in my purchase. I didn't think she knew anything about golf--I knew she did not play at all--but she knew something about the brand names at least. When I asked her about it, she explained that a number of years before she had worked for a major sporting goods company that included online sales. That company's online program had a feature where customers could ask for advice from an expert. If you asked for that advice, she was one of the experts to which you would be connected. She did not know anything at all about golf, not even how the game is scored, but she gave untold hundreds of people "expert" advice on golf club selection. She did that using a cheat sheet aimed at getting customers away from whatever it was they were thinking about and getting them to select a more expensive item instead. That was quite literally her job--get the customer to pay more than they wanted to, regardless of need.