Who is the Apple of the scuba world?

[EastTNDiver]

You may want to check your source on that one...

Either that's a very recent development, or the "parent company" is keeping that tidbit to themselves.

Johnson Outdoors

My source is a Scubapro Platinum dealer, and he is also a Halcyon dealer. The star of Halcyon's new reg line is the Scubapro G250V with a blue H on it. And, they ARE owned by the same parent company...although, I couldn't tell you exactly how long ago that transpired.

 

[DevonDiver]

As a marketer I would agree. Apple's brand essence is "design that will change the world" spawning game changers like the i-Pod. Show me the analog to the i-pod in the scuba world? There hasn't been an innovative product since JYC first jumped in the water with a tank on his back. Sure there have been cool products and some interesting/innovative features on standard issue "tried and true" product types. Lots of incremental feature bloat, but no game changers that I can think of...

I disagree...and mentioned Halcyon for this reason. They popularised the BP&W, hogarthian/DIR configuration into mainstream recreational scuba with the design /release of the single tank wing. This was followed by the donut wing.

What's Halcyon's "i-Pod"?

The Halcyon Eclipse 30lb.

Their complete range of products attracts a very loyal consumer following. Of all the brand logos... the blue 'H' is definitely the one that many people would pay extra for....

 

[belairbrian]

And as an aside, the Apple of the scuba world will be the first to create proprietary connectors for their tank valves, LP and HP hoses and inflation connections, that can't be used easily with any other brand's gear, and won't work if you hold it wrong

(as for my gear, Apeks regs all the way!)

Sounds abit like Aqua Lung, I have 4 of their BCDs, But there Air 2 needs an adpater ring to fit other brands, and they tightly control the distribution network.

 

[reo]

I'm newly certified and am looking to start buying my own gear. The are so many manufacturers I don't know where to begin. Is there a manufacturer or two that would be considered the Apple of the scuba world? I.e makes amazing products, easy to use, solid, reliable, they really think through how the user will interact with the product, stands by their products and continually innovates?

My limited experience with five or six companies so far makes me think the people who work at the companies never use their own products, and just crank out stuff with no thought about the design or purpose.

Top of the line (high quality gear, innovative ideas, superb customer support):
Atomic for regs and masks.
Uemis for dive computers.
Zeagle for BCs and regs.

Also very good companies:
Halcyon
Scubapro
Aqualung
Oceanic
Underwater Kinetics

Ron

 

[Saudi-Diver]

How about AP valves with various innovations like the Inspiration Re-breather (YBOD) and there BCs have a fanatical following in the UK.

 

[Roko]

Actually, regarding recent innovation, how about:

Whites - Fusion Drysuit
Liquidvision - X1 computer

 

[Amphiprion]

Two things that come to mind for me (but would not be something the new diver would likely purchase) would be the contrast between the megalodon and the sentinel rebreather.

The meg could be the pc - can use a variety of scrubbers, different tank sizes, golem gear parts, apecs, shearwater, hammerhead, vr3.

The sentinel has really good electronics and a cool design but can only use its own scrubber and its own electronics from my understanding.

For general diving, I just don't know of a single company who has a game changer or radical departure from the norm. Maybe the shearwater or atomic computers? Maybe Force Fins? the VR3 five years ago?

I think atomic regs are pretty much a nicer design of the MK25.
Halcyon, Oxycheq, Dive Rite, Oms, Hollis - a backplate is a backplate and wings have been around for a while. Sure some companies may tweak here or there or make a wing out of bulletproof material, but not game changers.

Zeagle has some interesting BC designs, but not sure if they are game changers or the apple of the dive world.

 

[OldNSalty]

In my mind Apple is taking complex things and making them work without effort. I agree that something in the rebreather world is where an Apple-like company could come from as long as they did not go with the ‘Apple’ price. In other words, if there was a company that brought rebreathers into the main stream by making them for a low entry price but zero complicated. I’m not sure that one can do this.
The other thing I think of when I think Apple is the smug guy at Starbucks with his ibook open while surfing on his iphone and just waiting for someone to come up and ask him about his new toys. I don’t see that in the dive world that much as most people don’t know anything about their own gear-they really could care less about yours (until they need help)
As a tech guy I am interested in the gear of diving but I am always shocked to find out most people aren’t. Sometimes I try to talk to people on the boat about their stuff if it looks interesting. I usually hear something like ‘Oh, I don’t much about it. It’s what the dive shop had and it must be good. I paid a lot for it.’

 

[Straegen]

Aqualung has really stepped up and created some great travel products, but for my money it is Atomic. When they make something it is quality first, simple product line with commonality and innovative. Computer, fins, regulators and even snorkels are all top of the line personal use gear by most standards.

 

[diversteve]

Also, there's a relatively "new" player on the market...Sub Gear. They are basically Scubapro at a lower price point, and without the extensive warranties.

Not exactly...

Johnson Outdoors, Inc. is proud to officially introduce SUBGEAR brand dive equipment to the United States diving community. SUBGEAR is a completely new brand to the American marketplace, but has enjoyed great success in Europe for many years as SEEMANN SUB. SEEMANN was founded in Germany in 1979 and is well known for quality, feature-rich dive equipment at reasonable prices. Johnson Outdoors acquired SEEMANN SUB in 2007, expanded sales throughout Europe in 2008, and re-branded as SUBGEAR in late 2009 for Global expansion.