Any equipment buying regrets ?

[Zef]

Theres a whole LOT of tec talk in your reply. I shouldnt have mentioned that word at all as it had nothing to do with my point. My point was just that the zoop is a pita to even just switch between air and nitrox. I hate trying to navigate it. It also doesnt support Air Integration which I think nowadays is a great feature to have on dive computers for rec divers. As for tec I may never get into any tech diving. Wreck diving possibly....maybe that is also tec diving im not sure.

But I feel if a diver is looking at dive computers that the sales employees should all be experienced divers and knowledgeable about all the products. I worked in the auto industry for years in sales and even a basic job like car sales I was required to know all the tech features of the trucks, sports cars, heavy duty trucks, suvs, electric cars, basically anything a customer came in and hit me with I needed the answer. And thats just for car sales where a salesman just needs a pulse to get hired, literally.

With scuba where the gear keeps you alive I would think most salespeople should be studying all the time. Funny thing though the person that sold me my first dive computer was diving for over 30 years I found out and didnt try to sell me anything or talk about any features on any computer. And she had been working there many years as she had shown me snorkeling gear years before.

I tried another LDS and had the opposite scenario and bought a ton of great gear there much later.

You can argue against reality...but it won't change it, and reality doesn't care what you think.

Also, the Zoop Novo is Suunto's entry level computer. You are perceived to be, at least by me, to be complaining that an entry level computer does not have all the bells and whistles you wanted it to have. The Zoop Novo has more features than its predecessor prior to the Novo designation. The Vyper Novo is the next model up and it has a few more features including wireless air integration. If you wanted more features you should paid for more features.

-Z

 

[RwP42]

While I am a total newbie and just starting out in scuba, I have benefitted from having a couple friends who have decades of diving experience. I also am a voracious reader — subscribe to all the dive mags, read tons of scuba books, etc... And I *love* gear. So all of that being said, I don’t regret any of my well-considered core gear purchases so far: Poseidon Cyklon reg, Halcyon Infinity BC, DUI Weight & Trim System 3, Apex RK3 fins, Shearwater Teric computer w/AI pod, Big Blue AL1200NP lights, and a custom-fit 7mm wetsuit. The things I regret purchasing include:

1. Tusa Freedom mask - bought sight-unseen from Amazon based on Scuba Lab recommendation. Mask was fantastic, but just didn’t fit my face. Fortunately, it fit a friend perfectly!
2. Atomic Aquatics Smoke On The Water Split Fins - I actually like these fins, as long as there isn’t much of a current, and they are also not suited to frog kicking.
3. Various neoprene items: my first set of neoprene boots and gloves — they didn’t fit very well in the store, but were all the store had and my OW class was that weekend. My first neoprene hood — fit better in the store than in the ocean.

RwP

 

[Whipsnake]

My biggest regret was the Orca Delphi computer. When new, it worked beautifully, but its Achilles heel was the battery. It used a regular 9 volt with the usual double-snap connector, and before long the wires from the coonnector to the computer started breaking. I tried repairing it, but it never lasted long. The thing finally flooded at 60 ft. and wound up in the trash. Luckily for me, I was a new instructor at the time and got a hefty discount from the company when I bought it.

 

[Colliam7]

There is little that I truly regret buying. Three things I wish I hadn't wasted money on, simply because they were not useful:

1. A Trident reel: it was true POS - it was not just inexpensive, it was very cheap - the 'e' clip wouldn't stay in place, etc. Fortunately, it was stolen and I had a valid reason to buy a good (used) DR reel (or three).

2. A dual bladder Dive Rite Superwing. At 77 lbs of lift, it was simply ridiculously big, even with double steels.

3. A pistol grip dive light (Princeton Tec Shockwave). It was powered with 8 'C' batteries, was heavy, awkward to use. It was stolen, along with the reel. There was an upside, I guess - I was actually thinking about buying a UK Light Cannon, also a pistol grip unit but MUCH more expensive than the light I finally decided to get. The light I bought convinced me I didn't want a Light Cannon, and cost me a lot less to find that out.

Over the years I have bought gear that I subsequently sold or put into 'inventory' - aka deep storage. As one example:

1. Zeagle Ranger BCD. It was my first BCD, I loved it while I used it, the wing was way too big for single cylinder diving, plus the unit was positively buoyant and I had to add lead just to compensate for that. When I moved to a BP/W, I retired it to a closet where it still sits 14 years later

This is an interesting thread, with some enlightening responses that are useful to me for instructional purposes. A number of years ago, a well-known SB member started a similar thread (What did you buy that you regret?) that was active for 10+ years, and A LOT of posts. I did a summary of the kinds of items mentioned in that thread and use it in my equipment class, when I discuss buying gear. I anticipate I will now update the slide for that course with an abstract of this thread as well.

 

[stretchthepenn]

I put my "ehhh..." scuba purchases into three categories:

• Just plain duds -- Things that I bought but never used/abandoned quickly.
  • convertible standard/magnetic slate -- Bulky. Never used it once.
  • various snorkels -- They're all terrible for one reason or another.
  • coiled-leash light retainer -- Nice idea, but essentially unnecessary.
  • SEAC tinted mask -- Annoying.

• Didn't work out -- Things that I used for a while but ended up not liking a lot.
  • Mares weight-integrated BCD -- Velcro was not enough to hold the weight pockets in.
  • Force Fins -- The foot pocket is unforgiving, and they don't work well with frog kicks.
  • Aeris Atmos computer -- Hard to figure out, awful documentation.
  • NiteRider backup light -- Tiny, dim.

• OMG this is great -- Things that I wasn't hot on at first but now love.
  • Atlan fleece-lined "boat coat" -- Sooooooo warm on surface intervals in the winter.
  • Hollis SMS 100D -- The Edd mods made all the difference.

 

[Kha]

There is little that I truly regret buying. Three things I wish I hadn't wasted money on, simply because they were not useful:

1. A Trident reel: it was true POS - it was not just inexpensive, it was very cheap - the 'e' clip wouldn't stay in place, etc. Fortunately, it was stolen and I had a valid reason to buy a good (used) DR reel (or three).

2. A dual bladder Dive Rite Superwing. At 77 lbs of lift, it was simply ridiculously big, even with double steels.

3. A pistol grip dive light (Princeton Tec Shockwave). It was powered with 8 'C' batteries, was heavy, awkward to use. It was stolen, along with the reel. There was an upside, I guess - I was actually thinking about buying a UK Light Cannon, also a pistol grip unit but MUCH more expensive than the light I finally decided to get. The light I bought convinced me I didn't want a Light Cannon, and cost me a lot less to find that out.

Over the years I have bought gear that I subsequently sold or put into 'inventory' - aka deep storage. As one example:

1. Zeagle Ranger BCD. It was my first BCD, I loved it while I used it, the wing was way too big for single cylinder diving, plus the unit was positively buoyant and I had to add lead just to compensate for that. When I moved to a BP/W, I retired it to a closet where it still sits 14 years later

This is an interesting thread, with some enlightening responses that are useful to me for instructional purposes. A number of years ago, a well-known SB member started a similar thread (What did you buy that you regret?) that was active for 10+ years, and A LOT of posts. I did a summary of the kinds of items mentioned in that thread and use it in my equipment class, when I discuss buying gear. I anticipate I will now update the slide for that course with an abstract of this thread as well.

Did your Super wing get stolen too? Seems like there is a trend in what happens to gear you don't like

 

[superheavydeathmetal]

Probably my steel wishbone backplate because traveling with a full-size steel plate really isn't an issue. Plus, I am on the list for a Freedom Plate.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Full foot fins. They chew up my feet.

Wear women's hose (nylon stockings) underneath.

SeaRat

 

[Bob DBF]

Full size bowie size titanium knife about 120 bucks. Doesnt fit in pockets, large and bulky, hotels in philippines always grab it going through the scanner and keep it till i leave the hotel.

From my understanding, carrying a blade in your possession when not actually being used for work or an activity where it is nessary, is a crime. The hotel was keeping you out of trouble, and possibly themselves being looked at as an accomplice.

It’s a fact, the explorers of the diving don’t use plastic consoles that drag through the dirt. They use brass and glass.

It isn't the equipment that drags itself through the dirt, it's the diver. When I did have one, my console did not drag in the dirt, and neither did anything else. I have both brass and glass as well as plastic SPG's, I'm more interested in their accuracy than their construction.

I guess if using brass and glass makes one an explorer, and a better diver, have a ball.


Bob

 

[NAUI Wowie]

From my understanding, carrying a blade in your possession when not actually being used for work or an activity where it is nessary, is a crime. The hotel was keeping you out of trouble, and possibly themselves being looked at as an accomplice.



It isn't the equipment that drags itself through the dirt, it's the diver. When I did have one, my console did not drag in the dirt, and neither did anything else. I have both brass and glass as well as plastic SPG's, I'm more interested in their accuracy than their construction.

I guess if using brass and glass makes one an explorer, and a better diver, have a ball.


Bob

So where should we keep the knife if not in our luggage? Should I have it on my person going through customs?