Which set of budget gear (Aqualung, Mares, or Scubapro)?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Out of those three, looking for entry level stuff, I'd have to go with Mares. I'v used some of their stuff in courses I've taught and it stood up great to the abuse.

If your LDS won't work on Mares gear, find a new LDS.
 
JP - Why not ScubaPro? Personal experience?? They seem to have a good, long standing reputationa nd fair pricing. (No, I don;t work for them!)


MAX

I don't want to hijack this thread but they have far from fair pricing. They demand their dealers sell at no less than 10% off retail and threaten to take their dealership from them if they dare sell for less. Aqualung has similar polices. There have been tons of threads here about it. I personally only support brands that allow fair competition in the marketplace.
 
I bought Mares as my first set of gear and am very pleased with it. Went a little higher up their line to the Proton Metal regulators and Morphos BC, but have had no problems with the gear or getting it serviced.
 
have been using aqualung regs for years never had a problem...good gear IMO...but as others have said all are good manafacturers, just hunt for the best price and youll be fine...good luck...
 
I say ScubaPro. It must be great b/c any gear I have rented has been ScubaPro. I assume that many dive ops have it because it is both durable enough for renting and cheaper.
 
I say ScubaPro. It must be great b/c any gear I have rented has been ScubaPro. I assume that many dive ops have it because it is both durable enough for renting and cheaper.

Yep now that you mention it most of the rental stuff (Thailand) I have seen has been ScubaPro so must be something in it:wink:
 
Rental gear choice sometimes has more to do with the deal the manufacturer offers to the LDS/ dive operation for a rental fleet or how present/aggressive the rep is in the area, than with the quality/ durability of the gear in itself. Often, economic reasons take priority.

This said, this is not always the case and I'm sure some LDS chose what they feel is the best gear for their operations...

Just food for thought!:coffee:


Yep now that you mention it most of the rental stuff (Thailand) I have seen has been ScubaPro so must be something in it:wink:
 
When I was looking for a budget set up for my daughter we ended up with an Aqualung Titan reg. It is a long proven design with a balanced first stage. We got it for a great price at a local dealer when Aqualung ran a free octo sale. I would advise when on a budget to watch for sales like these and just rent until one comes along. It can save a lot of money and still allow buying a good reg at a good LDS (if you have one). I realize this isn't the Calypso that is being considered but the same idea applies.
 
When I was looking for a budget set up for my daughter we ended up with an Aqualung Titan reg. It is a long proven design with a balanced first stage. We got it for a great price at a local dealer when Aqualung ran a free octo sale. I would advise when on a budget to watch for sales like these and just rent until one comes along. It can save a lot of money and still allow buying a good reg at a good LDS (if you have one). I realize this isn't the Calypso that is being considered but the same idea applies.

When I was buying regs for my wife and I last year, one of the determining factors was avalibility of serivce parts worldwide. I wanted something that we could get repaired at the most places anywhere in the world. We settled on the Aqualung Titan based on performance, durability and accessibility of parts. May of the parts to re-build or repair a Titan have been around in other regs for a long time.

I'm not a reg tech, but I believe the Calypso will also use many "older parts".
 
In my closet I still have and use...Scubapro Mk25, Scubapro 550, and a Scubapro Rec Tek bcd wing set up. Far from entry level....and top quality.

I can't vouch for the others....but when it comes to production gear, I find the following to be top quality providers: Scubapro, Atomic Aquatics, Zeagle, Dive Rite, OMS.

Good Luck.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

Back
Top Bottom