So why would a passport diver spend more than s/he needs to?
A new diver lacks the necessary experience to judge. Economy brands may be as good, but they might not be. A brand name offers the promise of quality. This might not be the reality, but as a new diver, I had a lot of anxiety about my life-sustaining equipment for me and my 11 yo son.
For our regs I chose to buy what I perceived to be a reputable brand name, knowing that I was very likely paying more than I had to, paying in part for the name. But I viewed it as an investment in my new sport. So I bought Oceanic EOS for us. These regs should last us a very long time. And compared to the rental regs- a huge difference even in our < 70 ft diving. I have no complaints, and the price difference doesn't mean much compared to cost of boat diving in general.
For my BCD I could have just rented on vacation, but I found all rentals I tried to be ill-fitting and uncomfortable. So I shelled out too much money for my own BCD with enough capacity for cold-water diving as well. (I live in Alberta, Canada) It's bulky to travel with, but super comfy. That comfort comes with a ridiculous +10# buoyancy. I feel the LDS did me a disservice not clearly explaining that to me. However, now that I know, I still haven't found an equally comfy BCD that I'd be willing to switch to. For the boy, we rent; he's growing too fast. Now that boy #2 is diving age, I may buy older kid a BCD that little one can grow into. I don't intend to spend a fortune here.
So it's VERY interesting to me that an experienced diver says on this thread that nearly any reg will do, but not the same of BCDs. I had made the opposite assumption.
The only thing I regret buying is a wireless wristwatch computer. Main reason: I wanted to be able to monitor boy's air remotely. But the thing has to be so close to his transmitter it's easier to just grab his SPG to check. Plus, if it ever goes on the blink, I'm in trouble without an independent SPG. It's not a decision I'd repeat. Plus the damn thing is black and I keep misplacing it. It cost far too much for the supposed convenience factor.
I'm sure that some LDS prey on nervousness of new divers and sell upscale equipment as a promise of peace of mind to new divers.
I'm sure that many on the board don't care what my opinion is, since I'm barely wet, a lowly and non-experienced passport diver, but it's precisely my demographic that is at the greatest disadvantage at judging gear quality. From my previous experience as a powder hound, I used to find it hilarious when I saw tourists on the bunny hill in the latest equipment, that they couldn't possibly take advantage of. I resented it because I couldn't afford it, and that made me scornful of them. But the fact was that better equipment DID make the sport easier for them, the skills easier to acquire, and the whole experience more enjoyable. Sure, I could handle more extreme challenges with more basic equipment, I didn't NEED the newest and best, but that didn't mean that they were wrong to get it. If they rented crap equipment and had a bad experience they might not stick with the sport.
So, that was my outlook when I bought equipment that exceeded my requirements. I could afford it, and I didn't want anything to interfere with my enjoyment. I'm sure that some of the more experienced divers with their 12 year old equipment, or the DMs with their funky modified gear are looking at me the same way as I looked at the bunny hill tourists, but you know what? I don't care. It's good stuff, my son likes having cool-looking gear, and that means we both enjoy diving that much more. I hope that some day our experience level matches our equipment's capabilities.
