How do you choose your scuba equipment

[12th Man]

My short time on the board I've noticed there is a plethora of likes and dislikes when it comes to scuba equipment. I'm curious how you came about choosing what equipment you like and use?

Myself, I primarily use Aqua Lung equipment. This was by chance but ended up being a great decision. For the last ten plus years I've rented scuba equipment when I dive. Not many places in the middle of Texas to dive, actually there's none. I travel two to three weeks out of the month for business. When I get to left or right coasts, Hawaii or Micronesian islands I always find time to dive. It's too much for me to lug dive equipment with my work equipment.

This past fall I told my wife I wanted my own equipment. She said get what you want for Christmas and I'll wrap for you. While on a business trip down to Houston last fall right after Thanksgiving I found a dive shop a few miles from my hotel. I decided to go see what they had. They were an Aqua Lung dive shop going out of business. Everything was 45% off. I talked to the staff to see what they recommended and made a list. I went back to my hotel and research everything on the list and read reviews. I made some changes based on the reviews I read. The next afternoon after my meeting I went back and dropped a tad under $1300 on everything AL. I now had my own complete set of dive equipment including dive roller bag to haul everything home.

Wife and I had a two week dive trip to Belize in Jan. Having my own equipment was phenomenal and it all worked flawlessly and I have zero complaints. I love my AL equipment.

 

[Nemrod]

Over the years I have owned and used Nemrod, Healthways (now Scubapro), US Diver (now AL) and my current number one rig is:

VDH Argonaut Kraken regulator
VDH Argonaut 18/24 pounds wings
VDH Argonaut SPG
Aeris Atomos computer
VDH Universal Plate
Atomic Frameless mask
Mares Avanti Fins
Reef 3mm suit/Scubapro 3/2mm suit
Tekna Dagger
XS weight pockets for integration

Number two rig is:

AL Titan LX Supreme
Oxycheq 18 Mach V wing
DGX SPG
Oxycheq fabric travel plate
The rest is the same

Number three is:

US Divers Conshelf XIV Supreme
US Divers horse collar BC
Freedom Plate, stainless steel version
Some kind of weight belt
Scubapro Jetfins (or Turtles)

Number four is:

Scubapro 109/Mk V regulator
Oxycheq 18/30 wings
Scubapro SPG
Freedom Plate
Scubapro Jetfins (or Turtles)
Scubapro Frameless mask
Scubapro Dagger

Number five is:

US Divers Mistral
US Divers SPG with banjo fitting (optional)
US Divers depth watch
US Divers back pack
Do not need no stink'n BC
Nemrod Professional Mask
Nemrod Professional Fins
Nemrod Professional Snorkel
US Divers Grisbi Knife

Then there is my kayak rig, solo rigs, beach diving rigs. I have too much dive gear.

N

 

[Rob9876]

To be honest, I pick largely based on being economical but still lots of good online reviews. We're a family of 4, with 2 divers and 2 non-divers. So, I'm buying 2 of everything, and then I can't really complain if the 2 non-divers spend similar amounts of money on what they are into. So, I try to stay economical -- but study reviews a lot.

So, we've gotten most of our gear through Divers Supply. From our mask-fins-snorkel to our BCD-regs-lights, we've found their combination packages to be pretty unbeatable. We purchased their entry-level jacket BCDs with integrated weight pouches in a package with regulator and SPG and upgraded the reg to a balanced reg -- and so far (about 35 dives) we really couldn't be happier -- like them much better than the big-brand rental BCDs we used before buying.

 

[drrich2]

My short time on the board I've noticed there is a plethora of likes and dislikes when it comes to scuba equipment.

Naturally people want to make the optimal decision, not just one that will work. There are a lot of options that will work, a number of which will work pretty well. People try to nail down the 'best' for themselves, without the benefit of trying the options. Gets pretty maddening sometimes.

Myself, I primarily use Aqua Lung equipment.

For some things brand matters a lot. A strong brand name suggests what you buy will probably at least be good, maybe real good, and it's easier to find a number of good reviews on well-known brands and models.

Aqua Lung, Atomic Aquatics, Scuba Pro, there are options. And even those looking to save may find a less expensive but reputable brand like Deep6.

I pay attention to brand with regulators, dive computers, BCDs or BP/W setups. I started a thread on Scuba Board to get a lot of help figuring out what BP/W to get; those have so many options. S.B input also guided me away from going with a ScubaPro Hydros since they're been durability issues reported.

They were an Aqua Lung dive shop going out of business. Everything was 45% off.

Big sales count for something.

I went back to my hotel and research everything on the list and read reviews. I made some changes based on the reviews I read.

Research on Scuba Board and elsewhere is a thing. That's how I found Deep6 Eddy Fins, settled on a BP/W setup, chose an old refurb. Canon G16 camera and FantaSea housing for my snap shooting, learned of the Spyderco H1 options in dive knives and got one plus a Trilobyte...

And that's why if I were buying a dive computer today, it'd probably be a Shearwater Teric or Perdix A.I.

In the past, I bought a Sherwood Avid BCD (cam band tore off later due to a design defect it came to be notorious for) and an Atomic B2 reg. (still going) and Sherwood SR1 reg. (using for an octo. now) based on dive shop recommendations.

My preferred mask is a Seaquest Visage (which became an Aqua Lung product, and last I checked the price was way up). A serendipitous discovery on my honeymoon; fits my face as well or better than anything else I tried, and used to be cheap (maybe $30 years ago).

 

[drrich2]

Should've mentioned - I don't service my own regulators, or routinely dive in very cold water where a sealed 1st stage may be desirable. I don't do technical diving, but I do solo diving - so having 2 cutting tools is recommended.

Also, be aware that based on forum threads, some dive professionals are obliged to use gear (at least teaching classes) that an affiliated dive shop carries. Or they may have access to substantial discounts buying gear through that shop.

 

[loosenit2]

There will be a million answers to this question and each individual may have different reasons for buying different pieces.

In much of what I do I have followed the mantra that I buy not to own but to support. I like the deep 6 model (direct to consumers) and philosophy (for divers by divers and support for self service) so I buy a lot of d6 stuff, not only because I like their gear but because I want to support them. I also buy Vintage Double Hose stuff, because I like what they are trying to do and want to support them.

Beyond that I buy some used gear because vendors I want to support don’t make what I want and scuba gear is generally a lot less expensive second hand.

My point is consider not only the “best” gear but what companies have a model or philosophy that you can get behind. Life is more than stuff, it is people, and building a world you want to live in.

 

[MargaritaMike]

Over the years I have owned and used Nemrod, Healthways (now Scubapro), US Diver (now AL) and my current number one rig is:

VDH Argonaut Kraken regulator
VDH Argonaut 18/24 pounds wings
VDH Argonaut SPG
Aeris Atomos computer
VDH Universal Plate
Atomic Frameless mask
Mares Avanti Fins
Reef 3mm suit/Scubapro 3/2mm suit
Tekna Dagger
XS weight pockets for integration

Number two rig is:

AL Titan LX Supreme
Oxycheq 18 Mach V wing
DGX SPG
Oxycheq fabric travel plate
The rest is the same

Number three is:

US Divers Conshelf XIV Supreme
US Divers horse collar BC
Freedom Plate, stainless steel version
Some kind of weight belt
Scubapro Jetfins (or Turtles)

Number four is:

Scubapro 109/Mk V regulator
Oxycheq 18/30 wings
Scubapro SPG
Freedom Plate
Scubapro Jetfins (or Turtles)
Scubapro Frameless mask
Scubapro Dagger

Number five is:

US Divers Mistral
US Divers SPG with banjo fitting (optional)
US Divers depth watch
US Divers back pack
Do not need no stink'n BC
Nemrod Professional Mask
Nemrod Professional Fins
Nemrod Professional Snorkel
US Divers Grisbi Knife

Then there is my kayak rig, solo rigs, beach diving rigs. I have too much dive gear.

N

Showoff

 

[MichaelMc]

Long ago dove jackets and some regs I do not remember.
Got into scientific diving, which recommended BP/W. Got that, liked the idea of modularity.

Read up on regs. I used to hike and a saying was a thick wallet and cheap gear is no use a half day into the woods in the cold rain or snow. So I liked Apeks DST XTX50s, but got SP mk25 S600s as shop preferred them (and did not stock Apeks...). I wanted to understand unbalanced regs so got some old Scuba Pros, restored the second stages, and used the first stage as a spare.

Dove and read more, decided sealed makes cleanup easier, moved to Deep6 regs for a sidemount set. Liked the idea of being able to service my own. Which I've done for my second stages. For sidemount, read a lot, got the rig that fit the dive types I'd like to do.

Learned a bit about the shop stocking constraints driving their goto recommendations.

How do I choose? I read a lot. Does gear B do a better or more versatile job than my gear A, or lack of gear? Enough better? Is B a reasonably optimal choice? Do I really need it? Will it be more fun? Is it better to just dive more?

E.g:
- Shearwater comp + transmitters better that mine? Yes. Need it? Mmmmm no, not for my dives.
- Sidemount: need it? No. More fun? Sounded like it. Add redundancy? Yes. So got gear for it.
- Extra firsts for sidemount, and sealed, better? Yes. Easier? Yes. So got them.
- Poseidon Xstream tidier that my seconds? Yes. Get one now? No. But maybe try one soon.

I'm only outfitting me and have enough for it as long as I do not go crazy with the latest awesome but $1,000+ dive comps. Or cool new $200 ones that do mostly what mine does.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Specifics where I wound up is in my profile.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I started out with a Scubapro Knighthawk back inflate BCD (the shop I went to knew I wanted a BP/W but also knew I planned on becoming an instructor). I went with split fins (I can hear the moans now) due to the long surface swims in California shore dives. My regs were Atomics. I still use my Atomic second stage on my Sidemount setup along with a Deep 6 second stage and two Deep 6 firsts.

I then was introduced to bp/w and that was when the love affair truly began. Before that I struggled a bit in the water. This was also due to lack of skills as now I could dive with an inner tube for a bcd and be ok.

I went with what I had available to me at the time which was a UTD Alpha/Delta wing on a backplate I am not sure who made.

That then became a UTD stainless backplate which was given to me. I dove some other brands when it came to wings but I really love the UTD wing and how low profile it is on me. I also get a lot of compliments on the wing and how you can barely see it on me in the water. While not a UTD fan, I am a fan of that wing!!

Once I got into tech I knew I needed a doubles wing so I dove a few options available to me at the time. The shop I was working for did not require us to dive the gear they sell but did let us try the stuff out. So I tried out the DTD doubles wing and it did the job well. I have no complaints with it all even though I do not really dive a twinset anymore.

I got into Sidemount and tried about 6 different rigs while having my eye on one I liked based on the fact that divers I respected were diving that rig. None of the 6 really made me say wow. After finally getting to test dive out a friend's XDeep Stealth 2.0 Tec, I knew that was the rig for me. Did some research (more research that it is) and finally pulled the trigger.

My current single tank setup:

UTD Alpha/Delta with SS backplate
Deep 6 first and two seconds
Deep 6 or my Fourth Element 3 mil wetsuit
Deep 6 Eddy Fins or my UTD fins

Both the fins and wetsuits depend on my mood

My masks are a mix of Scubapro and Cressi with the Cressi Nano being my all-time favorite due to fit.

My SM setup:

XDeep wing
2 x Deep 6 first stages
1 Atomic second
1 Deep 6 second

I have a Shearwater Perdix AI and I run transmitters on my SM config (and LOVE it)


So a long post but it boils to down to this, I use gear I have tried and liked. I did my research on here and the rest of the interwebs as well as having long discussions with other divers. All of this was done with "the end in mind"

I always knew I wanted to tech dive as it called to me long before I was certified. Never did I want to dive CCR as it just seemed to dangerous and I did not see the benefit. Then I realized that doing long dives on wrecks (my passion) could lead to high helium bills and I am a broke scuba instructor. So that led me to CCR and I now also own a Poseidon MKVI and am mod 2 on it.

Again, research, discussions, testing and more than anything, always looking towards the future as far as what I want to do, will do and how much of kit will work for that.

Next up, I want to learn to cave dive which is also something I never wanted to do before but it has bit me and I need to learn and push some caves. At this point, I would only need some stage regs for longer cave dives, a drysuit (coming soon) and I would be good due to the planning and thought put into my gear selection.

Now if only I afford a Kiss Sidewinder I would never NEED another piece of gear but I know I will still end up getting more because I have G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)

 

[MargaritaMike]

I call getting most of my gear just being lucky. I still have and use my first mask and spare. I also still have but don't use much my Dacor Speed fins. I think that's what they are called. They look like the ScubaPro Jet Fins. They are good rubber fins, but they are HEAVY! It was all I could get at the time. It was the same with my ScubaPro Mk V with 2 - R109s -- not all I could get but close. I still have them and still use one R109 as my octopus. Again, just lucky! My original BCD got punctured after 10+ years, and got replaced with another but current version of the ScubaPro Glide Plus. Did my last dive (so far) with it on July 27, 2019 when I switched to a Freedom Plate, Harness, and VDH Argonaut 23 Wing. I picked those from high praise here on SB.
In 2016 my wrist AI computer died. I knew I had to get a new one. I went to the closest LDS only 50 miles away. I new nothing about what was on the market at the time. I had made a couple of calls but really didn't know much more than I was going to spend $200 or $300 minimum. So I'm in this shop and I tell them I had a wrist AI computer. The shop had recently become an AquaLung shop. They newbie clerk had been trained well and said the AL 450i. I looked and was not impressed. In the cabinet he had another wrist computer. He said it was a Shearwater Perdix AI. I asked if it was any good. He said, "It's okay". I knew nothing about Shearwater. It was their last one and on sale. I decided to buy it. So I'll say it again. I just been lucky.

Cheers - M²