Why not to buy "bootleg" gear......

[ams511]

The Asian manufacturers own the tooling and sell the masks to the major manufacturers, who simply silk-screen or hot stamp their brand name on the mask. Phil Ellis

Phil, I remember reading years ago where one of the big scuba manufacturers was trying to track down some "bootleg" product that they rejected. The goods carried the brand of the manufacturer but were rejected due to poor quality. Someone then bought the goods and was trying to sell them. Do you remember the particulars on that?

 

[oxyhacker]

What would bother me is how you are going to get the thing serviced if you don't know what it is. The first stage is a pretty straightforward Scubapro Mk5 copy from Ocean Divers. Most of these are identical to the Mk5, to the point where parts interchange, as well as those for early Oceanic BPs, and several others makes. But what is the 2nd? It doesn't look at all like a Delta 2. And it doesn't really look like any current Ocean Divers model, but that doesn't mean much because OD has a lot of different trim parts they can mix or match. The description says its a Oceanic/Scubapro copy, but Oceanic and Scubapro 2nds are hardly interchangeable, so that isn't going to be much help finding parts.

I think I'd want to ask the seller who made the damn thing, and where you are going to be able to get parts for it.

 

[limeyx]

I purchased an adjustable regulator the other day on ebay for a pony bottle rig that I want to set-up for solo dives in the springs.

Anyways the reg can be seen here, as you can see it is a very low quality regulator but it was a cheap price and I do not do much solo-ing so I didn't know if I wanted to spend $300 on a good one yet, when I am still diving a jacket BC :shakehead .
...

let me get this straight.

you are going solo diving and you are trying to save a few $ because you "dont do much soloing"

 

[dhampton82]

let me get this straight.

you are going solo diving and you are trying to save a few $ because you "dont do much soloing"

Yes, my thought was to get the stuff I need as a minumum for now then up grade later, once I get the bottle and everyting together.

That way if an situation arises that i end up soloing I at least have a bottle and a reg.

What good will it do me now if I buy a $300 reg and dont have enough for the bottle now?

Or what if it takes me until March to get spare money to get a $300 reg and pony bottle at the same time, then just so happens that next month, me and my g/f go diving and she has a cold or what ever that is preventing her from diving.

I think I'm better off with a cheap reg and bottle then nothing, dont ya think?

I am a broke ***** bartender in college ya know

 

[ams511]

Yes, my thought was to get the stuff I need as a minumum for now then up grade later, once I get the bottle and everyting together.

That way if an situation arises that i end up soloing I at least have a bottle and a reg.

What good will it do me now if I buy a $300 reg and dont have enough for the bottle now?

Or what if it takes me until March to get spare money to get a $300 reg and pony bottle at the same time, then just so happens that next month, me and my g/f go diving and she has a cold or what ever that is preventing her from diving.

I think I'm better off with a cheap reg and bottle then nothing, dont ya think?

I am a broke ***** bartender in college ya know

Dude,

Divers Supply has a refurbished Mares reg for $94.00, it is cheap and at least with that you can find someone to service it.

http://www.divers-supply.com/Close-Out-Items-s/111.htm

 

[JeffG]

Phil, I remember reading years ago where one of the big scuba manufacturers was trying to track down some "bootleg" product that they rejected. The goods carried the brand of the manufacturer but were rejected due to poor quality. Someone then bought the goods and was trying to sell them. Do you remember the particulars on that?

OMS

http://www.omsdive.com/news.html#BCWARN

http://www.omsdive.com/news.html#RUSTY

 

[slingshot]

If it's a matter of waiting until March to dive with equipment that you trust, then do so. If someone makes a product and doesn't have enough faith in their quality to put their name on it, I'm not going to rely on it under water.

 

[Loneranger]

I think it comes down to being able to read thru Ebay rhetoric. The posting says Detla style. When I see the word "Style'' that is your red flag to stay away. At least you went to al pool to test befor putting yourself in a bad spot. Alot of good deals go thru ebay, but it takes a little patience to get the right deal. My last 2 reg's came off ebay and were old stock still ''new'' in the box. It checked them both out in the pool before using in open water. The last purchase was an Aqua Lung Cousteau, and at $82.00 dollars shipped new to the door I can not get the old stuff rebuilt for that.

 

[PhilEllis]

Phil, I remember reading years ago where one of the big scuba manufacturers was trying to track down some "bootleg" product that they rejected. The goods carried the brand of the manufacturer but were rejected due to poor quality. Someone then bought the goods and was trying to sell them. Do you remember the particulars on that?

You may be talking about the Dive Rite case. If I remember, it wasn't that they had rejected the merchandise, but that the OEM manufacturer (with whom Dive Rite had terminated its relationship) sold the good to a well known NY store. I will continue to think on this.

Phil Ellis

 

[oxyhacker]

Might it have been Scubapro? Something like this happened to SP when they switched manufacturers and the old one was left with a batch of leftover SP bladders which somehow got finished off and sold through a NYC dive discounter. As I recall, the giveaway was that they used plastic camlok straps instead of the trademark Scubapro supercinch metal buckle tank straps.

You may be talking about the Dive Rite case. If I remember, it wasn't that they had rejected the merchandise, but that the OEM manufacturer (with whom Dive Rite had terminated its relationship) sold the good to a well known NY store. I will continue to think on this.

Phil Ellis