Best online store?

[DiveDoc87]

Hi all!
I'm getting back into diving after a 35 year surface interval (school, kids, career, etc.) and need to replace some gear. I'm pretty stale, so I'm re-taking some dive classes. I'm having a hard time picking an online dive store. They all give themselves 5 star reviews, but some review sites like Reseller Ratings and Trustpilot rate them poorly. Then I read that some of the review sites are really just scams to shake down a retailer for money to get a good review. Ugh! I'd really appreciate hearing from the actual dive community about reputable dive shops (good customer service, reasonable return policies, not listing out-of-stock items as available, fair prices). Who are your go-to online shops for dive gear?

Thanks!

 

[TravelGas]

Dive Right in Scuba is a site sponsor
Dive Gear Express is also excellent and a sponsor.

 

[TrimixToo]

+1 for Dive Right In Scuba. I'm several hundred miles away but I think of them as my LDS. DRIS is awesome, entirely because of its owner Mike Pederson. Great customer service if you want an honest recommendation or if you have a problem and generally decent prices. Fantastic dry suit repairs, too (as good as DUI but much less expensive). DGE is good if you know what you want. The latter also applies to Northeast Scuba Supply. DRIS and NESS are a tie for me (I usually know what I want so it depends on who's got what in stock and when I need it) and DGE is a close second. I probably spend the most with DRIS, the second most with NESS, and use DGE once in a while. All solid outfits.

 

[drrich2]

Welcome. I don't know that there's one universally regarded as supreme, but there are some reputable ones, and I can name a few.

1.) Dive Gear Express - good products and prices, from what I've seen, and the site also has some well-written, informative articles. Not just a place for 'big stuff,' but little things, too.

2.) LeisurePro.com (good rep.) got involved with Scuba.com (in my opinion not as good a rep.), and going forward will use the Scuba.com name, but hopefully provide us the quality of service we liked with LeisurePro. There was a thread discussing this not that long ago.

3.) ScubaToys. Used to be mentioned a lot on SB, and positively. I haven't seen it mentioned as much lately, but I also didn't see negativity about it, and I've bought from them and had good experiences.

4.) Amazon - I buy from them at times. And they act as a storefront for other sellers.

5.) Deep Sea Supply - seems to be a good one. I've used them.

6.) Deep6 is a branded gear source I bought my Deep6 Eddy fins direct from. Strong rep. on ScubaBoard.

7.) Dive Right In Scuba - I've bought from them a couple times, don't recall any problems.

8.) Mako Spearguns has other gear (I bought a mask from them; never used a spear gun) and contribute info. on SB.

There are others. Those I listed (conditional that other vendors selling via Amazon were reputable for what I wanted) should serve well.

Be aware you'll want a regulator you can get serviced locally, and your local dive shop(s) may not service all brands.

If you're getting a BCD, maybe read up on BP/W, if you're not familiar with them, so you know your options.

I tend to be foot heavy wetsuit diving, and like light fins - Deep6 Eddys, OMS Slipstreams, and I'm told the ScubaPro Go-Sport.

 

[drrich2]

LeisurePro becomes Scuba.com.

 

[scubadada]

and Deep Sea Supply is long gone.

 

[tursiops]

Piranha

 

[Marie13]

Dive Gear Express and Piranha

 

[broncobowsher]

There are several good online shops. But since you are looking at going through the class again (and after 35 years of being dry I would consider that a very good idea as things have evolved quite a bit since you last dived) I would at least look at what your local dive shop has to offer. Most any dive shop these days has adapted to the online marketplace and knows you have the online option. Supporting your local dive shop helps them stay in business so people still have a place to go for training and air fills.

Not saying online is bad at all. I still do a bunch of online dive gear purchases. But for the same price (or close enough) I will support local business.

Now it does help that one of my local shops also has very good products and happens to be an online retailer as well. Paragon Dive Adventures - Training, Travel, & Equipment and the owner is an active diver and you can find him around here as DiveTucson.

 

[Marie13]

Forgot to add - in these days of supply chain issues, look for an online retailer that shows in stock/inventory status. DGX and Piranha do that.