Best online store?

[Flgrizzy]

It looks like MY 20+ year surface break wasn’t too bad ??
Now that my Son got the scuba bug, he’s getting certified so, I’ll have a dive buddy AND we both get new gear !…… Welcome to the forum !!

 

[divad]

It looks like MY 20+ year surface break wasn’t too bad ??
Now that my Son got the scuba bug, he’s getting certified so, I’ll have a dive buddy AND we both get new gear !…… Welcome to the forum !!

Nice.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I also support using Piranha. Randy is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable.

 

[Regulated]

Hello @DiveDoc87, your path sounds similar to mine—26 years at the surface in my case. Looking to do tropical diving. No more hoods and 7mm suits.

Agree it’s important to get to know your LDS, as that’s where you will most likely reactivate your certification and will seek ongoing advice and gear service. I bought my reg there (Scubapro Mk21/S560 with R095 octo, standard inflator hose, and u-line SPG/depth). Did the pool session and Nitrox exam.

Dive Right In Scuba: ordered a DC after talking over the phone. Very helpful. Shipped in a heartbeat, and very recent date of manufacture. (Shearwater Peregrine—a price-performer if you prefer an old school analog SPG rather than air integration.)

DGX: I ordered their standard reg bag, about 4-5 days to ship coast to coast. Great for the price.

Online Scuba: Ordered SP “Level” BCD, a travel-friendly, mid-priced front-adjust type that sells out fast. They had to get it from the source, communicated well by phone, and will have it to me just in time for an upcoming trip to Maui. (For the record—BP/W sounds interesting, yet is different from what I trained on and know instinctively—maybe in the future. YMMV.)

Scuba.com: Adorama in another guise. Slick website and a nearby local store in Costa Mesa that will handle returns if need be. Ordered fins and a mask. Excellent return policy. Exchanged the fins locally for a better fit. Closed Saturdays.

Amazon: OK for odds and ends IMHO, but rigid 30 day return policy, and typically won’t get between you and Marketplace sellers. Caveat emptor.

Appreciate the info here.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Piranha Dive Mfg is the first place I would go for accessories and other gear. If you know what you are looking for, regs and bc's as well. Just realize that they don't offer service for the regs. You'd have to get that done through someone like me who services HOG and Edge gear. Or learn to service it yourself.

 

[Akimbo]

Welcome aboard from another Navy diver. For those that don't recognize the Avatar, this is worn by US Navy Diving Medical Officers.

 

[Rob9876]

I've had really good experiences with Divers Supply. They also have stores in Georgia and Flordia, and their pricing and customer service -- both online and in-person -- are great! "Sea Elite" is their store branded version of HOG/Edge gear, and is good quality and usually at really good prices, and includes free parts when you return to them for maintenance (which they make easy, and quicker turn-around than many local shops).

 

[Lorenzoid]

Sea Elite" is their store branded version of HOG/Edge gear

I don't think that's correct. Sea Elite is Divers Supply's house brand for all kinds of gear and has been since before Edge Gear (the company) existed. (It's not clear to me what the company's name is, but I believe it's Edge Gear or Edge-HOG or something like that.) In addition to selling gear under their Sea Elite brand, Divers Supply is also some kind of premier dealer for Edge Gear and sells Edge Gear's Edge brand and HOG brand gear. If someone knows otherwise, please correct me.

 

[Rob9876]

I don't think that's correct. Sea Elite is Divers Supply's house brand for all kinds of gear and has been since before Edge Gear (the company) existed. (It's not clear to me what the company's name is, but I believe it's Edge Gear or Edge-HOG or something like that.) In addition to selling gear under their Sea Elite brand, Divers Supply is also some kind of premier dealer for Edge Gear and sells Edge Gear's Edge brand and HOG brand gear. If someone knows otherwise, please correct me.

While I have not looked through all 108 Sea Elite items on the Divers Supply website, I do believe that most of the major items (BCDs, Regs, Dive Lights) that they sell under the Sea Elite name are sourced from Edge-HOG Dive Gear. Perhaps some of the other accessories are sourced elsewhere, I'm not sure.

Divers Supply does also sell Edge and HOG branded gear. So, for instance, the Sea Elite Scout economical BCD is the same basic BCD as the Edge Element, though with a few less enhancements (i.e., the Scout has a couple less metal D-rings, only has velcro and not clips for trim pockets, etc.). Also compare the Sea Elite Scout regulator and the Edge Nano regulator, and the Sea Elite Covert regulator to the HOG D2 Classic regulator. And the Sea Elite 315 mini dive light with the Edge 315 mini dive light. Etc., etc.

 

[softgrapes]

Divers Supply and Dive Gear Express