Some broad questions about gear and the LDS

[movieflick]

I went to 1 day of class left there went to my LDS and purchased all my gear. I was instantly in Love with SCUBA. I would rather have my own gear that I know everything about then renting gear even if I dove 3 times a year but that is just me.

As far as gear that wears out, for me it is lights. I have bought several mid - low range lights and every one of them have leaked and are of no use at the end of my dive trip. I am sure I am doing something wrong or am very very unlucky.

 

[jmasin]

I'm just the opposite. I'm really glad that I bought my own stuff early on (less than 10 logged dives). Every shop I checked with only offers the basic full jacket style BCD's with their rentals. Without knowing for sure what I would like best, the one thing I did learn from my OW class and the few times I did rent was that I absolutely did not feel comfortable in that full jacket style BC.

Kenny,

That's funny because I learned the same thing through class/rentals. I can't stand full jackets with the weights in front. The shop I certified through and my LDS only really offer those.

You bought early, but you did at least buy after class and some logged dives. If you had bought first before class you'd probably have gotten a full jacket.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Zeagle Scout, for fit, form and function (and price at $200 something).

 

[jmasin]

As far as gear that wears out, for me it is lights. I have bought several mid - low range lights and every one of them have leaked and are of no use at the end of my dive trip. I am sure I am doing something wrong or am very very unlucky.

Could be poor quality gear, but do make sure you check and lubricate the o-rings. Just as important for lights as it is for camera's etc. Any hair/dirt etc can render an o-ring useless.

 

[scubafied]

Thanks for all the replies. Some really good points I had not thought of regarding renting/buying. I want to point out that I did not mean to imply that all shops are bad and I would like to thank all of you that do own shops and are on point with your customer service. I'd also like to mention that I'm going to give the other 2 shops near me another chance as I understand what it's like to work retail and I know how intensely boring it can get when slow, even if everything in the shop deals with something you love to do.

Looks like I'll be replacing lots of neoprene as most of you have said that's usually the first to go from wear/tear. Everything else will be upgraded as time and new skills warrant, or as diving direction changes. I may be in the minority here but even if/when the time comes to replace something I've already bought, I will enjoy doing so. As I mentioned, I am a complete gear w**re and love buying new pieces. I also feel confident that I got some pretty good deals on gear and if it comes down to it just being the wrong piece for me, it shouldn't be too hard to sell off the old in order to finance something shiny (or black) and new!

Thanks again!

 

[Kenny13]

Kenny,

That's funny because I learned the same thing through class/rentals. I can't stand full jackets with the weights in front. The shop I certified through and my LDS only really offer those.

You bought early, but you did at least buy after class and some logged dives. If you had bought first before class you'd probably have gotten a full jacket.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Zeagle Scout, for fit, form and function (and price at $200 something).

Yeah, I would definitely advise at least taking the class before buying other than the basics - mask, fins, snorkel, & boots. However, I'm sure there are some who have done just fine with getting other gear before training.

 

[davetowz]

Kenny,

That's funny because I learned the same thing through class/rentals. I can't stand full jackets with the weights in front. The shop I certified through and my LDS only really offer those.

You bought early, but you did at least buy after class and some logged dives. If you had bought first before class you'd probably have gotten a full jacket.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Zeagle Scout, for fit, form and function (and price at $200 something).

The shop I did my OW with uses scouts in the rental fleet, well me and #1 dive bud bought our scouts online( about 150 less than "Our" shop would sell to us for) and the shop owner was furious...we would kill ourselves as he had added the higher lift bladders to his fleet, so I asked him...just how much lift do I need diving 1 AL80 in a wetsuit when I was using 12lbs of lead? we did finally repair our relationship, and that 150 I saved helped me buy my first reg, but I did buy more gear out of his shop than in and he never again asked about my kit.
As for frequent purchases..I am a sucker for Defog products! I like to try them all and keep going back to the first one I used..500 PSI. I will try more I am sure...shall see where that one leads to.

 

[jmasin]

The shop I did my OW with uses scouts in the rental fleet, well me and #1 dive bud bought our scouts online( about 150 less than "Our" shop would sell to us for) and the shop owner was furious...we would kill ourselves as he had added the higher lift bladders to his fleet, so I asked him...just how much lift do I need diving 1 AL80 in a wetsuit when I was using 12lbs of lead? we did finally repair our relationship, and that 150 I saved helped me buy my first reg, but I did buy more gear out of his shop than in and he never again asked about my kit.

It sounds silly but I love that Scout so much I almost just said "screw it" and bought two with intention of putting one "on-ice" in case they ever discontinued it

I could have bought two for the price of my wife's BC.

I do mainly tropic diving, some local stuff with a 5mm and the Scout's got plenty of lift.

With the exception of wanting to sit in a recliner on the surface, I don't understand the need for mega-lift. If you are weighted well it is all about going between slightly + to slightly -. But I may be missing something.

 

[BabyDuck]

the problem with buying first is you don't know what kind of diving you'll do most.

think of riding horses. if you get into it a little and think you'll just rent a horse once in a while for a local trail, that's great. but if you buy a race horse then decide you love draft weight pulls or rodeo or dressage, you've made an expensive mistake.

same thing. if you buy an expensive warm open water set of gear then decide you love great lakes diving or cave diving or monkey diving, you have some decent money sitting in the garage while you re-buy all your stuff. only the person can decide if that's a big deal or not - it doesn't sound like you'd think it is, just the cost of doing business, but some people really get worked up about it. they are the folks who'd really benefit from renting.

i didn't do this. i rebought every bit except booties and hood and mask within about 6 months. shrug. i agree - cost of doing business!

 

[Lee Taylor]

Mask. The mask is what I replace the most because mine, for whatever reasons, wears out, start leaking, or get broken.

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

I don't think I've ever replaced gear because I need the newest toys. Rather, it's because my needs have changed, and my previous purchases are unable to 'change' with me. I've pretty much replaced every single piece of equipment I first bought. There was nothing wrong with it - it worked perfectly well, and I've kept some of the key pieces, like the regulator and so on - but there was no way for me to predict when I first bought it that it was unsuitable for the diving I've ended up doing, and hope to get better at. Short of a crystal ball, I doubt anyone who is brand new to the sport can predict that.