Best SCUBA Gear - Price not a Factor!

[Pavao]

Can I play too? With scuba gear price and quality don't always go hand in hand. ...

Sure, you can play too, but play the game proposed, remember, "if money wasn't a factor" is the game, it's clear your opinion is heavily based on what you want to pay for items, and nothing to do with it's quality.

As you can see I beg to differ with most of Beavers views. The Beave loves the MK25 but I would bet the MK2+ "or what ever they call it now" would be more than sufficient for most of the divers out there. Simple time tested design that you can source rebuild parts for in the open market and still flows more gas than the valve it's connected to. Ice diving? Pack the ambient chamber with silicone and probably still have a more robust reg than the MK25.

Well, someone who compares a MK2+ with a MK25 clearly has never breathed from a MK25.

Go to McDonald's and buy a milkshake and a coke, the straw they're going to give you is the same, take a sip from one, then the other, coke will be the MK25 and milkshake will represent the MK2+, you will be able to sip the entire contents from both cups, both will be pleasurable to sip, but, which one is easier/faster and more effortless to sip?

That's pretty much how the difference in feel is from the 2 regs.

From the list that beav provided, I'd go with the Halcyon Infinity/Evolve for BCD, Jet fins with spring straps, Petrel for tech dives, for rec dives I'd use the Meridian too.
Every single person I have ever met that owns a Classic BC, will tell me it's the best BC ever, I have never tried it myself, and don't even want too anyways, it looks bulky to me, but they all say it's the most comfortable, including many DMs/instructors who have used a multitude of styles, yes, including BP/W
I'm happy with my Halcyon.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Well, someone who compares a MK2+ with a MK25 clearly has never breathed from a MK25.

That's not entirely true.
It depends on what type second stage you are using - balanced or unbalanced.
Both first stages will give you 140 intermediate pressure so the second stage doesn't know what's supplying it, it just knows it's 140 PSI.
Where the difference comes in is when the pressure of the tank begins to drop, the unbalanced reg will not be able to flow a constant 140 psi, it will drop when flow starts, whereas the balanced MK25 will be able to compensate for flow at low tank pressures. But, if you use a very good balanced second stage it too will be able to compensate for low flow so it will make up for the lack of flow out of the MK2 making breathing as as good as the MK 25 at low tank pressures.
You are better off using a MK2/G250 than a MK25/R190.

Only one of the reg components needs to be balanced, having both components balanced is redundant.

 

[rhwestfall]

I've watched too many Mk-25's go into ff in the cold (<42f) to be on my list...... Like the Mk-2 on my pony with a 156. More than pleased with Mk-17/G250v/156. Like the folks that have to buy new and to upgrade frequently. Bargains galore.....

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Thank you Eric, you hit it right on the money. If you are using a XS or Thermo valve which is about the standard these days, any first stage that delivers more than 50 SCFM is overkill. You cant deliver more gas than the weakest link which for the majority of divers out there in the valve. All said, money no object I would still purchase the kit I posted earlier. Quality gear, bare bones simple. Less to go wrong means the "best" in my book. I see very few instances where SCUBA gear has changed for the better in the past 40 years. Most of the changes are more to do with marketing than actual dive performance. The best to one person will probably not be the best to another. All the OP did was list the most expensive gear SP offers, not much thought behind that.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

For me it would be:

New Conshelf with all metal second stage (military issue - yes they still make them)
Metal SPG
High end depth gauge (whatever that may be)
Best computer made (whatever that may be)
Rolex watch
SP jet fins or high end freediving fins
High end custom wetsuit (best commercial material available) two piece beaver tail cut.
Atomic frameless mask
Straight large bore freedive snorkel
BFK - AL still makes a 7.5" pig sticker.
The best Rob Allen spear gun available.

Then also:
Brand new custom built Radon 30' dive boat w/ twin 6 cyl. Yanmar turbo diesels w/ Volvo Penta outdrives w/ opposing rotation Duo-props.
Compessor on board with as many steel 130's as I can fit.
Full galley, shower, state room, full electronics including side scan sonar.
And a truck big enough to tow it on a trailer - Peterbilt 300 series?

*Edit. I decided I didn't want the computer so I want my money back on that.
And for BC I would use one of my plates with an Oxycheq Mach V extreme series wing.

 

[scubastingray]

All the OP did was list the most expensive gear [-]SP[/-] that he offers (and then link to his own site), not much thought behind that.

FTFY.
Seriously. Since when are vendors allowed to place ads for their equipment in the non marketplace sections?

 

[DaleC]

If money were no object I would buy a working USN Mk 5 standard dress. That would be awesome!
Expensive new scuba gear bores me.

 

[hroark2112]

Let's be honest...

Unless you have access to lots of different makes/models of gear, you're going to love what you use regularly. Shop owners & employees and people with lots of disposable income will have access to really dive the gear they get in their hands. The rest of us usually fall into a few groups: the people who buy lots of used gear until they find what they like, people who buy a set of gear and just get used to it, and people who buy what they're told they should buy at their LDS or from their friends.

In addition to scuba, I'm an ice hockey goalie. As much as people become fans of dive gear, hockey goalies are fanatic about pads, gloves and most of all goalie masks. The same kind of situation applies, you play in what you love because you either got used to it or you tried lots of different gear. Most goalies just learn to love what they get first, just as many divers learn to love their first set of gear.

Threads like this, listing random gear people want, are pretty useless. I don't do any sub 40 degree diving, so my gear choices might be irrelevant to you. I don't do cave diving and I don't do GUE/DIR diving, so your BP/W and DIR setup won't tickle my fancy. As fanatical as hockey goalies are about masks, divers seem to be about fins...as proven by all the split fin vs. paddle fin arguments.

For what it's worth, I like the HOG gear I use, including regs & fins...the Ranger & Stiletto BC's I use, and plan to thoroughly enjoy my Kiss Spirit LTE rebreather. None of that matters to 90% of you, since we all do different diving.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Let's be honest...

Unless you have access to lots of different makes/models of gear, you're going to love what you use regularly. Shop owners & employees and people with lots of disposable income will have access to really dive the gear they get in their hands. The rest of us usually fall into a few groups: the people who buy lots of used gear until they find what they like, people who buy a set of gear and just get used to it, and people who buy what they're told they should buy at their LDS or from their friends.

In addition to scuba, I'm an ice hockey goalie. As much as people become fans of dive gear, hockey goalies are fanatic about pads, gloves and most of all goalie masks. The same kind of situation applies, you play in what you love because you either got used to it or you tried lots of different gear. Most goalies just learn to love what they get first, just as many divers learn to love their first set of gear.

Threads like this, listing random gear people want, are pretty useless. I don't do any sub 40 degree diving, so my gear choices might be irrelevant to you. I don't do cave diving and I don't do GUE/DIR diving, so your BP/W and DIR setup won't tickle my fancy. As fanatical as hockey goalies are about masks, divers seem to be about fins...as proven by all the split fin vs. paddle fin arguments.

For what it's worth, I like the HOG gear I use, including regs & fins...the Ranger & Stiletto BC's I use, and plan to thoroughly enjoy my Kiss Spirit LTE rebreather. None of that matters to 90% of you, since we all do different diving.

If you look at it that way, 100% of the posts on Scubaboard are useless to someone, but might be 100% usefull to someone else.
To me, about 95% of posts on Scubaboard are useless but the 5% I'm after are gems.

 

[hroark2112]

5% might be a little optimistic