Abyss 2000 vs Metal Viper

[abulukas]

Greetings.

I live in Cairo, Egypt and will do ALL of my dives in the warm comfort of the Rea Sea. I do not have a chance to try out gear so I need some help.

I have just gotten Open Water Certified :babycrawl and want to, sparingly, invest in this great pasttime. I will be making trips to the Red Sea once or possible twice a month and doing about six dives/trip.

First off, am I shooting too high with these Regs? I would rather be conservative and upgrade in three years to ensure that I'm really into this and I don't want to waste money needlessly. I like the style of the Viper, and the side exhaust, and I can get it as a package with the 3 gauge supreme and Viper Octo for $450 (which is kind of steep for me, but possible). My instructor has an unused Abyss 2000 with a cheap console and octo for $484. Again, I would rather not spend this much, but if I have to I can probably make it work.

A buddy is giving me his Zeagle Ranger so I am super set for a BCD, but I need to literally buy everything else and want to invest properly. Also, any suggestions for mask, snorkel, 3mm wetsuit, etc? I've looked everywhere online, but don't seem to find a package that perfectly fits my 'tropical' needs.

Thanks in advance,

Abulukas :42:

 

[scubatoys]

You're about $100 high on the first package: http://scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=ViperPack which would end up being under $350 with your SB discount. The Abyss is a nice reg - if it is still in good shape - that might be the better deal. Today an Abyss 05 would cost a but under $400, and by the time you put on a gauge and octo you'd be at $525 or so...

So depending on what gauge he's giving you, the second package might be a better value than the first.

 

[abulukas]

You're about $100 high on the first package: http://scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=ViperPack which would end up being under $350 with your SB discount. The Abyss is a nice reg - if it is still in good shape - that might be the better deal. Today an Abyss 05 would cost a but under $400, and by the time you put on a gauge and octo you'd be at $525 or so...

So depending on what gauge he's giving you, the second package might be a better value than the first.

Thanks the 2000 Abyss is new, in the box, and the Viper Package for $450 is the Viper Metal, not the Viper America version. Do you believe the Abyss is a better long-term performer than the Viper Metal?

 

[ScubaNorth]

I was diving an Oceanic Omega II but had to put it in the shop. I picked up a Viper Metal and it is one sweet regulator for a side exhaust. I don't like a lot of adjustments so this works excellent for me.

Peace

 

[aquaoren]

The Abyss is the better reg.

 

[abulukas]

Thanks for the feedback, looks like I am leaning more toward the Abyss. I did also notice that I can get an Apeks ATX200/ATX40 with a Scubapro console for $600 from diveinn.com - which seems like a pretty substantial upgrade from the Abyss for only $120 more. Does anyone else feel like this would be an upgrade or is it even worth it, considering my diving will be limited to the warm waters of the Red Sea?