$400 for personal equipment?

[Lead_carrier]

and people wonder why I think dive shops are all criminal..

I avoid them all like the plague..

Bet you did your training and certification dives online too.

 

[Lead_carrier]

ok,,some good conversation here,so I'm curious.Here is my pricing breakdown.Good or bad? all local(and only LDS) and I wanted to take up the sport:

2 piece Deep Sea farmer john 6 mil total
5 mil Deep Sea booties,hard sole
Aqualung flex blades2 open foot fins
Aqualung Impulse 3 snorkel
Seadive mask ,no purge,plastic mask case
bottle of de fog,bottle of slosh
all OW books,CDs,Log book,ect
OW class,training,,3 weeks worth
motel at cert cite
entry to cert site
air for cert
weights ,air cylinder supplied for cert
and a mesh bag
OW certified with C card
all the use of LDS equipment,pool,air for practice,til certified

< $950

Just curious if this was high or reasonable for OW cert..I like the wet suit,58 degree water at cert,i was comfy

Personally, I think you got a very good deal, especially when you are talking about the classes and certification dives being included.

 

[psychocabbage]

Bet you did your training and certification dives online too.

If I could.. I would.

 

[Miller64]

Thanks,,I feel somewhat better now,,,I thought all included was good price,,,But I will say,,,nowdays,and money a bit tight.I did get a a lots better deal for BC/gauge console online,I like joediver....Lets be fair,its hard for some people,myself included,to pay $200 or more over what can be had online shopping.Altho,and I;m sure most will think this funny,I am taking all the specialty courses I can from local LDS,,some may not mean much,some are a joke,but I;m paying and taking from local,not online.I;m new and excited and be glad when I get experience and know the difference between what i need and what I'm trying to be sold,LOL,yeah,,at first I wanted to get all the c-cards,,,impressive,,to who? I guess me...

 

[fnfalman]

I have 0 issue with going into any dive shop and trying things on for size then going out and ordering online.. I dont need any store employee to help me try a mask on. I dont need them to help me try on boots. If they choose to pester me, they are wasting their own time.

I see...you don't need store employees to help you try out the gears, but apparently you do need them to stock the gears for you to try on so that you can buy it cheaper on the internet.

 

[offthewall1]

I see...you don't need store employees to help you try out the gears, but apparently you do need them to stock the gears for you to try on so that you can buy it cheaper on the internet.

Good shops have a way around that...

We have computers on-line in our store... so when a customer comes in and tries something on... we let them use the showroom computer to go online and shop for the best price they can find... we even provide a list of about 10 different online websites... including Leisurepro, Joe Diver, Scubatoys etc... Once the customer finds the best price they can find... we Match or in many cases beat it.

This allows the customer to get the best price - and instant gratification... and it is the future model for LDS's everywhere. I encourage all of my fellow shop owners to adopt this practice... you'll end up with more customers, happier customers and customers who keep coming back time and again.

Happy Diving... Merry Christmas... and Happy New Year!

 

[imasinker]

IMHO...Get the cheaper items you can. All likely hood is that your going to want to upgrade into something better as you progress with diving and right now your probably not to sure what that is. Don't waste money on items your going to replace. Get a good mask for sure, snorkle your likely never going to use it after you get certified get a cheaper one. Fins if your planning on staying in a wetsuit for awhile get a good set, but remember they are not likely going to fit you if you go dry.

My 2 cents!

 

[String]

Having said that, when the day comes I will go back to the shop and see exactly what brands/models are included to know exactly where they are coming up with their pricing.

That's also something else to be wary of - a mask HAS to fit. Not all masks will fit all people. If they're selling specific masks as part of a bundle there's a fair chance you'll get one that doesn't fit properly.