Info Aqualung Financial Troubles

[lowwall]

Old news but I do hope this won't end up the same as Aqualung....

Shearwater Research Attracts New Majority Shareholder

Richmond, BC, Canada Bruce and Lynn Partridge and the management of Shearwater Research Inc. (“Shearwater”) are pleased to announce that BRS & Co. (“BRS”), a New York-based private equity firm, has today completed a control investment in Shearwater. The financial terms of the transaction were...

shearwater.com

BRS appears to be the better type of PE fund that makes its money by building acquisitions up instead of stripping them down. Shearwater was acquired by them 3 years ago and it still looks good from our end as consumers. They've logically expanded their offerings, kept manufacturing in Canada, and are still keeping up the customer service they were known for.

There was a thread about it at the time which makes for interesting reading, Shearwater's CEO even jumped in with a comment: Shearwater now majority owned by private equity firm

 

[Captain Bravo]

I have been diving with an Aqualung Titan regulator set and I am looking to upgrade within the next six months or so. I was thinking about purchasing a Legend, good for cold water. With Aqualung financial difficulties, I'm concerned about long term parts availability and support.

The fact that my Titan regulator has safely kept me alive for all the dives I've done with it, never free flowing or causing any issue means I trust the brand. But I don't want to spend that kind of cash on a higher end regulator that I won't be able to get serviced here in Quebec down the road should the Aqualung brand and customer support in North America remain the way it is.

I guess we'll see how things improve (or not) within the next few months. Otherwise, I might have to go to another brand.

 

[Landau]

that I won't be able to get serviced here in Quebec

I’d ask your preferred local dealers how easy it is for them to get Aqualung service kits currently.

Anecdotally I’ve heard they are in very short supply here in BC.

 

[Captain Bravo]

I’d ask your preferred local dealers how easy it is for them to get Aqualung service kits currently.

Anecdotally I’ve heard they are in very short supply here in BC.

I am visiting my local LDS (in Sherbrooke, QC) tomorrow and I will definitely ask.

 

[Thunder Struck]

Scubapro has a pretty good dealer network. SP likes to restrict service kit sales to authorized shops only, however.

Deep6 will sell direct to the end user service kits. They even include a service kit with each reg they sell. Their service manuals are also freely downloadable. So you could self service, but if you choose not to, your tech can handle it for you and have all the information he needs from the service manuals. You can also ship your regs back to them for service as well.

 

[scubadada]

Perhaps unrelated, Aqua Lung and Apek regs on sale with free octos

https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/web-view?a=Tju68d&c=01HRFQ067TYN6J10D7GYZMM52M&k=fd591de2754537e1b0b030c01366a941&m=01J74HZBNBQ6JGQ9TYZKR9TAN7&r=37dTYNMT

 

[runsongas]

free octo used to be a yearly promotion

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Scubapro has a pretty good dealer network. SP likes to restrict service kit sales to authorized shops only, however.

Deep6 will sell direct to the end user service kits. They even include a service kit with each reg they sell. Their service manuals are also freely downloadable. So you could self service, but if you choose not to, your tech can handle it for you and have all the information he needs from the service manuals. You can also ship your regs back to them for service as well.

Not all shops will work on brands that they don’t sell. My LDS for instance will not work on brands that sell direct to the public and sell parts to the end user. Same with a very large shop in LA that sells and services regs for a lot of government agencies and universities, they will not service anything they don’t sell. Those DIY factory direct brands are keyed for people who do their own work and/or don’t trust shops to touch their stuff.

 

[LandonL]

My LDS for instance will not work on brands that sell direct to the public and sell parts to the end user.

So they are basically doing it out of spite? Not a very logical business decision.

What brands do they service?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

So they are basically doing it out of spite? Not a very logical business decision.

What brands do they service?

I don’t know if they do it out of spite or it’s just not worth it to them. The big shop in LA is Aqualung and Scubapro. They have racks of parts ready to go for each brand and model (maybe not AL too much at the moment but that’s improving). If they start servicing other regs then they have to order parts somewhere, get the service sheets, etc. and figure it out. Not very efficient.
And spite? I’m sure there’s that too. Someone shops online and gets what they consider an “off brand” then expects their LDS to work on it for them. Some will I’m sure. I personally wouldn't be jumping on it ahead of my loyal customers, I’d be taking care of my customers first who bought from me and the brands I carry and service regularly, that’s part of why you buy from your LDS.
I’m personally not against non LDS brands at all, in fact I’m testing out the SG 316 stainless piston reg right now and it’s great so far. But I also know that I’ll be the one servicing it.
My LDS tried to keep an open mind and work on a Hog that someone brought in. The new HP seat was all screwed up. It was a slightly different color and the surface was wrinkly looking like it was deformed, I saw it. It wouldn’t lock up, so they had to reassemble it and give it back with the old seat.
They did not have extra kits around because they don’t normally service those. The customer supplied the kit. So the shop lost money on that deal just in the amount of time it took to screw with it, so they said never again to off brands and will only service what they sell based on a calculated business decision.