Best quality gear?

[TSandM]

I think a lot of people, consciously or unconsciously, equate expensive with good.

I ran a wine-tasting group for several years, and we proved, month after month, that it wasn't true

"Best" is a combination of subject and objective qualities that vary from customer to customer. Everybody wants equipment that works properly and reliably -- I don't think there is any doubt that the vast majority of scuba gear will meet those criteria, simply because of liability issues. Some people value how things look; some value the prestige of owning something expensive. Some will value owning a brand they can get serviced locally, and others will value owning equipment they can service themselves. "Best" is a personal decision, but all too often is made by people operating without enough information (about the gear and about themselves) to know what "best" is.

I agree that reviews are limited to the brands that are provided to the magazine, and they are rarely negative. But there are some objective measures that are interesting, anyway. I read mask reviews and look at field of view -- that's something that isn't subjective, and is probably important to most divers. But if you restrict your gear purchases to what you can read in magazines, you're sure going to miss a lot of very good brands and value-for-money opportunities.

 

[scubafanatic]

remember, all too often, it's easy to confuse manufacturers with 'brands' and with actual production/design facilities. I can imagine some hardcore DIR type buying those 'new' Halcyon regulators, not knowing they are really rebadged Scubapros, which in turn are probably actually machined/produced in Asia (Taiwan) by TUSA...and that TUSA eventually gets permission from Scubapro to produce older Scubapro designs and sell them under the TUSA brand name.

also, some brands/manufacturers are world-class producers of some gear while being horrendous at other gear categories, for example, Oxycheq makes the world's best wings (the Extreme series) while at the same time I wouldn't wish an Oxycheq light on my worst enemy.

 

[Zung]

Hey, it's rhetoric time! (def. #4, World English Dictionary: "speech or discourse that pretends to significance but lacks true meaning: all the politician says is mere rhetoric").

The OQ is "Best Quality Gear", so let's try to define "Quality":

- Quality of design
- Quality of execution
- Performance
- Performance vs time
- Integrity vs time

Any additions to or expansions of the points above?

 

[Blue Sparkle]

...For example, Oxycheq makes the world's best wings (the Extreme series)...

This type of statement always puzzles me, as.... is it *really* the world's best? My guess is that you, and probably quite a few other divers consider it so; but then other divers would disagree, for valid reasons, and would choose different "best" wings.

I imagine there are items in some categories (probably not dive gear) that can be considered "world's best," however in most cases that sort of claim actually makes me more likely to be skeptical than anything.

On the other hand, if someone says they really like "X" gear, and here are its plusses and minuses, I'm all ears.

 

[scubafanatic]

This type of statement always puzzles me, as.... is it *really* the world's best? My guess is that you, and probably quite a few other divers consider it so; but then other divers would disagree, for valid reasons, and would choose different "best" wings.

I imagine there are items in some categories (probably not dive gear) that can be considered "world's best," however in most cases that sort of claim actually makes me more likely to be skeptical than anything.

On the other hand, if someone says they really like "X" gear, and here are its plusses and minuses, I'm all ears.

I understand your point, but my main point was to contrast how, even within the same brand of gear, there can be night-and-day differences in quality/function...so so much to start a debate. Honestly, I have found that I've grown very bored rehashing all of the pros/cons of all the diffrent gear types.....a decade of diving (experience) /posting on SB will do that to ya......so I rarely care to get involved in gear debates anymore....I'm WAY past the point where I either haven't already figured everything out or expect to hear/discover much on the new gear front, especially anything fundamentally revolutionary in the dive gear world.
With respect to the Oxy EXTREME wings, if you actually go to the dive shop and see one in person, you will understand.......

 

[Centrals]

The "best" regs are those that I have been using since 1998. I also service them routinely.
There might be better alternative BUT I do not have any spare cash for them.

 

[ams511]

The dive industry runs on BS and keeping divers in the dark. Look at the company's regulator product line and then look at the service diagrams for the regulators. You will find minor differences in parts but a major difference in price. The dive companies do this because its more profitable. They have the old Sears mentality of Good, Better, Best. Is a XTX 200 that much better than a XTX 50 or even an XTX20? or is a MK25 S600 that much better than a MK 17 S555? Products that are expensive are not always better.

 

[Brendon]

Do you really have experience in diving inexpensive regulators?.

Really? I've used many more brands and models then I can or care to recite. I can tell the difference, maybe because I push limits. I have overworked regs at depth. I guess in the 0-130' range yeah your right not much difference. Personnelly I prefer not to dive with tonka toy regs...
I you have a thing for old stuff, good for you. Seriously, golf ball diving? Been there... 3-20ft who cares what your breathing on, you could suck the air out of a ducks butt at that depth and get by just fine... You said "Scuba Pro MK 20", thats your high end needy reg...? Funny, thats why you cant tell the difference. Go breath off a poseidon, atomic or even a legend at say 200' then tell me you dont notice a difference...

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Brendan,

When you make unbelievable claim like you started with that "90% of the time in this industry you get what you pay for plain and simple." then people are going to discount your statements and question your sanity.

If you are going to try to defend the prices of the ultra-expensive regulators by claiming there is a difference when diving deeper than 130' and pushing the limits, then declare this up front. Adding it at the end when you are getting called out is lame...... It may be true, but after calling less expensive regs POS and tonka toys and lobbing insults over the wall its sounds like a desperate last minute defense.

 

[ams511]

Go breath off a poseidon, atomic or even a legend at say 200' then tell me you dont notice a difference...

At 200 feet you should be using trimix which should flow better than air at 130 because of the lower molecular weight of the gas. So actually this is not a good test. If you are using air then you will be too narc'd out to compare the difference. Also if you put the same second stage on either a MK-25 (or even a Mk-5) or an Atomic I highly doubt you can tell the difference at any depth because both will flow more gas than you will ever need. The Poseidon you could tell because they generally run at a higher IP. Personally to me what matters most is how well tuned the regulator is.