Ok Honestly?!?!?!

[O2BBubbleFree]

My only suggestion would be to not mix-and-match on the regs (Mares and Tusa) so you can get 'em serviced at the same time, and at the same shop.

You didn't mention where or for how long you are going to be in Africa. Have you checked into whether or not you are going to be able to get these brands serviced in Africa if something breaks? Or are you willing (and able) to rent in that scenario?

Just a couple things to think about...

 

[TheRedHead]

He's on a budget Red.. and at least he got a back inflate...

Harness webbing costs $40. :huh:

There's always a bunch of RecWings on ebay.

 

[John_B]

My only suggestion would be to not mix-and-match on the regs (Mares and Tusa) so you can get 'em serviced at the same time, and at the same shop.

He can obviously get them serviced at Scubatoys.

John

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

He can obviously get them serviced at Scubatoys.

John

Yeah, but it could be a long lead time:

im going to africa in febuary...

 

[MSilvia]

There's always a bunch of RecWings on ebay.

There's always a bunch of RecWings on eBay for a reason. If your point is that he should get gear he won't want to replace later, he should wait until he's able to buy a good wing.

I think the scubatoys package will serve him well for a long time.

when i told him that i was sure that the gear came with a full warranty, he than said "well you would have to find someplace to survice it" and my resposne was "you sell oceanic gear... couldnt you service it? and he responded with "quite frankly if some guy came in here and bought the stuff on the internet, saved a whole bunch of cash and had a warranty, id tell him to go ******* himself".

Frankly, I'd tell him it's too bad he doesn't want your business and go elsewhere. That aside, I'd bet Oceanic wouldn't be too thrilled with one of their authorized dealers refusing to do warranty repair work.

 

[RonFrank]

I got scolded:no (and i mean scolded) by my local dive shop, telling me that nothing good can come of it, and that it was probably all knock off gear, and that there would be no warranty, and than when i told him that i was sure that the gear came with a full warranty, he than said "well you would have to find someplace to survice it" and my resposne was "you sell oceanic gear... couldnt you service it? and he responded with "quite frankly if some guy came in here and bought the stuff on the internet, saved a whole bunch of cash and had a warranty, id tell him to go ******* himself"...the guy was kind of a jerk,

Kinda a Jerk. He is a total Complete Jerk. The KING of Jerks! And a bad business man to boot. The only thing worst than loosing retail business is loosing BOTH retail business, AND service business, and a Customer!

Our LDS retail pricing stinks. But I've learned that they treat customers that spend 5K on equipment the same way they treat customers that just use them for training... They fleece us both! At least that is fair!

Find another LDS. This guy won't stay in business with that type of attitude.

 

[TheRedHead]

There's always a bunch of RecWings on eBay for a reason. If your point is that he should get gear he won't want to replace later, he should wait until he's able to buy a good wing.

I think the scubatoys package will serve him well for a long time.

That Riptide BC has 48 pounds of lift! What's the difference between that and a RecWing?

You can put the RecWing back on ebay and sell it for about the same price you paid for it.

 

[scubapatton]

lol. That is it. The dive shop guy is being a snot. Do what can get you in the sport, and keep you in the sport. Have a blast in Africa!!!!!

 

[MSilvia]

That Riptide BC has 48 pounds of lift! What's the difference between that and a RecWing?

Three pounds of lift for starters. More importantly though, the RecWing is shaped with single or double tank use in mind, which in my experience gives it a tendancy to fold like a taco shell around single tanks when partially inflated. If you maintain horizontal trim, that causes it to trap air, especially on the side without the lower dump valve.

By contrast, the RipTide Zone's bladder is shaped specifically for single tank use, and it has fastex-style retaining clips that keep it from "tacoing".

While I can definately see the value in buying a backplate to start, I think in this case the buyer's budget makes the RipTide Zone a good choice. Since he's a new diver, I think getting the best gear he can afford is a good idea. Getting the gear that gives him the most flexibility going forward is a good idea too, but I think it's easier to maintain enthusiasm and develop skills as a beginner when you aren't fighting with your gear. If he could afford the extra $50 -$75 a good OxyCheq singles wing would cost though, I'd wholeheartedly recommend that, as IMHO it would provide the best of all worlds... ease of use, flexibility going forward, and gear he likely will never want to replace.

Where in Africa? I spent some time diving the Watamu marine reserve in Kenya, and it was a blast!

 

[John_B]

Yeah, but it could be a long lead time:

Well I took that to read "going to Africa" not "moving to Africa" but re-reading the OP's post it doesn't say, so you may be right!

John