A Newbie Buying Gear!

[2airishuman]

Hey guys! Im entirely new to scuba! Just like the 700 skydives under my belt, I jist know when Im gonna get hooked with something so I'm gonna take the plumge and buy gear.
Heres what one of my local shops is offering me:

$2500 with tax included
-Knighthawk BCD with secondary
-Suunto Cobra 3
-Atomic B2 sealed second stage with case
-Atomic fins, mask, snorkel
-kevlar gloves
-fourth element boots
-knife
-26 lbs of soft weights
-henderson hood

Thoughts!?!?

Unlike some of the posters upthread, I do not believe in rental gear. I started diving in my own gear, and don't regret that decision. There is great value in training in the gear you will use.

The gear you're getting is good gear, but it is expensive gear. You can get gear that's just as good for less money. There are also used gear choices in some cases that are worth considering. You are also making a high-dollar commitment to some gear choices that you should be aware of. Let's go through some of the higher cost items:

1. BC. The Knighthawk is a back-inflate, weight-integrated BC. It is a premium product. Some other choices to consider:
1a. You may find that you prefer a backplate and wing (bp/w) BC, particularly if you anticipate diving with more than one cylinder at some point. Costs (new) are similar.
1b. You might want a travel BC that is lighter and that packs down better. There are several innovative designs.
1c. Good deals on used BCs are common. Look for newer BCs (less than 10 years old) as they do deteriorate with age.

2. Regulators. You are choosing a BC integrated secondary. While that's a valid configuration, be sure it's what you want. I would suggest considering a bungeed secondary under your chin.
2a. Atomic is a premium brand. You can get a HOG D1 with a classic secondary for half the money, and it will work just as well. There are other good brands too.

3. Computer. You are choosing an air integrated, hose-end computer. While that's a valid configuration, again, be sure it's what you want:
3a. A wrist mount computer and analog SPG would be far cheaper and more flexible. If you have to change reg sets or computers for whatever reason, you don't have to change both.
3b. Some people prefer a wireless air-integrated computer as they can be wrist mounted.

Usually tanks and weights go hand in hand -- if you're renting tanks, weights are usually included at no additional cost. If you're traveling to dive, you may not want weights. If you're diving locally, consider getting a couple of tanks.

 

[Colliam7]

So I tried all the gear out. I sunk like a meteor rock with 20 lbs. I had to put on only 6bs (3 on each side) to not use my BCD to float at the surface. I had a HP100 steel tank on me... Am I missing something here? LoL

Well, maybe not.

First, in what environment did you try out the gear? Pool (fresh water)? Open (salt) water? What exposure suit were you wearing? That will make quite a bit of difference.

If you sank like a meteor with 20lbs, was that with a full HP100, or a cylinder drained to 500psi? Generally, if you are wearing a thick exposure suit, steel cylinders are the preferred way to go, for much the same reason that a SS BP is worth considering - it places weight closer to your center of lift, rather than your waist.

The atomic mask was one of the few ones that fit me. I tried everything in the shop, it was actually the best fit for my giant face!

Excellent! You have made a concerted effort to find what fits best. The Atomic masks really are nice. I love that aspect. Just wish they were a little less pricey..

 

[eelnoraa]

So I tried all the gear out. I sunk like a meteor rock with 20 lbs. I had to put on only 6bs (3 on each side) to not use my BCD to float at the surface. I had a HP100 steel tank on me... Am I missing something here? LoL

Not impossible. How much weight use largely depends on the suit you use. What suit did you use for this? What suit do you plan to use in where you plan to dive?

Also, did you try it in pool (fresh water)? In salt water, you need to add 3-4% of the total weight (you, rig, tank, everything). Your total weight is easily 200-250lb if not more. If 6lb in fresh water, you probably need 15lb in salt water.

 

[Devarona]

Salt water pool (I dont think its highly salted anyway, more like lightly salted pool lol) with no shirt. Id have to factor the buoyancy of the suit I got (used Pinnacle Merino 7mm from these forums) I guess to then add weight.

 

[Devarona]

Unlike some of the posters upthread, I do not believe in rental gear. I started diving in my own gear, and don't regret that decision. There is great value in training in the gear you will use.

The gear you're getting is good gear, but it is expensive gear. You can get gear that's just as good for less money. There are also used gear choices in some cases that are worth considering. You are also making a high-dollar commitment to some gear choices that you should be aware of. Let's go through some of the higher cost items:

1. BC. The Knighthawk is a back-inflate, weight-integrated BC. It is a premium product. Some other choices to consider:
1a. You may find that you prefer a backplate and wing (bp/w) BC, particularly if you anticipate diving with more than one cylinder at some point. Costs (new) are similar.
1b. You might want a travel BC that is lighter and that packs down better. There are several innovative designs.
1c. Good deals on used BCs are common. Look for newer BCs (less than 10 years old) as they do deteriorate with age.

2. Regulators. You are choosing a BC integrated secondary. While that's a valid configuration, be sure it's what you want. I would suggest considering a bungeed secondary under your chin.
2a. Atomic is a premium brand. You can get a HOG D1 with a classic secondary for half the money, and it will work just as well. There are other good brands too.

3. Computer. You are choosing an air integrated, hose-end computer. While that's a valid configuration, again, be sure it's what you want:
3a. A wrist mount computer and analog SPG would be far cheaper and more flexible. If you have to change reg sets or computers for whatever reason, you don't have to change both.
3b. Some people prefer a wireless air-integrated computer as they can be wrist mounted.

Usually tanks and weights go hand in hand -- if you're renting tanks, weights are usually included at no additional cost. If you're traveling to dive, you may not want weights. If you're diving locally, consider getting a couple of tanks.

The knighthawk poshed me faced down too much, comparing it to another BCD I tried during discovery scuba.
I looked into diverite's BCD and they seem pretty cool. Like mentioned on the first page, they look pretty much like my parachute harness.

 

[tlj3071]

Salt water pool (I dont think its highly salted anyway, more like lightly salted pool lol) with no shirt. Id have to factor the buoyancy of the suit I got (used Pinnacle Merino 7mm from these forums) I guess to then add weight.

Salt water pools have VERY little salt - just enough to allow the salt to be electrolyzed into sodium and chlorine - the chlorine does the same job it would in a "regular" pool, then gets re-combined with the free sodium ions. Sea water is about 30-50 times more salty than a salt water pool.

 

[Devarona]

Salt water pools have VERY little salt - just enough to allow the salt to be electrolyzed into sodium and chlorine - the chlorine does the same job it would in a "regular" pool, then gets re-combined with the free sodium ions. Sea water is about 30-50 times more salty than a salt water pool.

I should know all this, Im an engineer. I guess Im too damn excited about a new hobby and haven't stopped to think about the science behind everything scuba. Can I please ditch work and play underwater right now!????

 

[2airishuman]

The knighthawk poshed me faced down too much, comparing it to another BCD I tried during discovery scuba.

The knighthawk is a back-inflate BC. Most rental/student BCs are jacket style. Yours probably was. The benefit of a jacket-style BC is that, when inflated at the surface, it provides vertical lift. Back-inflate BCs, if fully inflated at the surface, will push your head forward. With practice you can learn to float in your back on top of a back-inflate BC, which will lift your head well clear of the water. They also tend to be better behaved at the surface when not fully inflated.

On the other hand, back-inflate BCs have better trim properties under water, and free up valuable space at the sides of your waist. They also can, depending on the design of the particular back-inflate BC in question, be adjusted to fit people of a wider range of sizes.

I looked into diverite's BCD and they seem pretty cool. Like mentioned on the first page, they look pretty much like my parachute harness.

A fact to consider is that any BP/W or hybrid BC (like the TransPac) will be a back-inflate BC.

 

[PfcAJ]

Back-inflate BCs, if fully inflated at the surface, will push your head forward.

False.

 

[JohnnyC]

False.

What AJ said.