Best Name in Scuba Gear?

[giles45shop]

Pick of the pick:
Halcyon is the "Patagonia" brand of scuba gear. Expensive but worth every penny.

Bottom of the Barrell:
Friends don't let friends buy anything from OMS.

Halcyon is pretty good stuff, but not sure everything they make is the "best".

Likewise, there are some things that OMS makes that are highly rated. OMS Slipstreams are a very highly regarded paddle type fin (I own 2 pairs) and the best fitting, non-leaking mask, I own is a low volume OMS mask that I won at the NACD conference. I have Scubapro, Cressi, and Atomics masks for comparison.

Unfortunately, you'll find that most active divers don't have all of their equipment from just one manufacturer. Everyone finds their personal favorites for each piece of gear. If you happen to see someone all decked out in a complete set of gear from just one manufacturer, you can almost guarantee it's a newby diver who just got taken to the cleaners by his LDS because they wanted a package set of matching gear.

For example, my current gear selection is like this:

Mask: OMS
Wetsuit: Bare Velocity 5/4 or Bare Artic 7mm
Drysuit: Santi Enduro
Hooded vest: Tilos
BC: Oxycheq Mark V or Dive Rite Classic Dual Bladder
Plate: Oxycheq stainless or Dive Rite Aluminum
Harness: Oxycheq and Northeast Scuba
Computer: Liquidvision X1, Cressi Archimedes II
Compass: Suunto SK7 in Deep Sea Supply Boot
Regulators: Apeks DS4/TX50 x 5 + Scubapro Mark2+/R190 (O2 reg)
Primary Light: Salvo 10W HID
Back-ups: Intova, UKSL3
Reels: Dive Rite

As you can see, I'm not stuck on one brand


John

 

[Scott L]

Halcyon, Atomic and Scubapro...

 

[LakeCountyDiver]

Well Tom you have some really good advice here. I would have to agree with almost all of them. The advice I gave you on opinions of "best" were my opinion of the best but I own gear form MANY manufactures.

Test some gear and don't let your LDS (Local Dive Shop) take you for everything you got. Try to shop around a little cause Diving is going to cost you a little more then you thought unless your rich.

Good Luck and Happy Diving

 

[kanonfodr]

It helped me to rent for a long time before I finally purchased all my gear, you may want to do the same and talk to anyone who has a "different" or "technical" configuration: ask them why they use such devices. Brand names mean little: usefulness is most important IMO.

Peace,
Greg

 

[NorCalDM]

Most major brands have their top of line stuff and their bargain basement stuff but it maybe under another name. Rent some gear first and see what works best for the type of diving you will be doing. Most people use the brands they do because that is what is available in the area they dive in. Your LDS is going to cater to the type of diving that is available in your area. If you do buy on-line make sure it can be supported or serviced locally. I use Aqua Lung products for my regs and BC it works for me and several dive shops in my area support them. Aqua Lung is also Apeks, Seaquest etc. People can be very loyal to their brand of choice but take it with a grain of salt they will talk bad about other brands and don't realize they are made by the same company but released under a different name.

 

[Doc Harry]

I have no problem with most of the OMS gear.

However, their "warranty" service is worthless. Ask around - try some tech scuba boards - you're out of luck if you need any warranty service from OMS. If you buy an OMS steel backplate, there's not much that can go wrong. But if you have an OMS wing that needs warranty work - forget it.

 

[Ste Wart]

Why would anybody want to buy their own gears before even taking the course?

So we can buy it a month down the line for half price on Ebay!!

 

[Bratface]

SCUBAPRO....it never lets me down.

As mentioned before, use the rental gear until you are comfortable diving and want to dedicate a couple thousand and change in your own gear. And as far as buying on-line, i would be hesitant for reasons already stated.

I have been diving nearly 8 years and have gone through 3 sets of fins until I found a pair that didn't rub my feet, 2 BC's because I liked a back-inflated model better, and have purchased lots more as I became more experienced. Now about snorkels, I have 3, the one I like the best I found wreck diving, the other I found in the sand and the third was my original. Do I use them? Not often.

 

[BDSC]

I'd rank Atomic #1 and ScubaPro #2. To me, after that it doesn't matter. I can't give you a #3 because the first two is all I'd buy. Of course Atomic doesn't sell BC's.........yet!

 

[TomToro]

Great advice Folks. I'll rent until I find something I really like. I do have to buy a mask. I have some basic fins and a snorkel with a check valve. I will look at the top three advised first, though when I'm ready. Thanks for that.

We're really only interested in shallow reef diving in warm waters. Sounds like we'll be lightweights in the world of scuba and I know we have lots to learn.

Thanks for all the replies. Really a friendly site and most seem like they genuinely want to help and not judge.