I'm comparing three single-tank BP&W purchasing options:
You are making two decisions, 1) online vs. LDS, and 2) DSS vs Hollis. The online vs local decision is a personal, business decision, and all that people on SB can really do is share their own experiences and logic, with the choice being very individual. I made a conscious decision to buy my gear early on through a LDS. It happened to be the one I did OW through. My decision had less to do with specific support than it did with my preference to establish a personal relationship with a shop, as an investment in the future. That decision has paid off (very, very, very) handsomely. It is not just support for products, it is information (gleaned from from lots of informal conversation, not just a sales pitch), it is the chance to borrow (not rent) different gear from the owner or manager to try out before buying, it is the opportunities (e.g. they had a piece of close-out gear available at a great price and offered it to me first, rather than just putting it out on the floor on a first-come, first served basis), it is the availability of equipment / space for me to do my own service, etc. In fairness, I might have chosen another local shop and had a different / not so good experience. But, investing in a LDS relationship has been beneficial, for me at least.
mndiver:
However, I would prefer to buy from a LDS for possible future support. The shops here carry Dive Rite, Zeagle, Apex, Hollis and OxyCheq... however, they each essentially have one, maybe two actual wings in stock, so they seem pretty limited.
In reading your post, it does not sound like you have a relationship with a particular LDS, yet. I am not necessarily surprised that the number / selection of wings is limited. It would be more telling to know what kind of diving the staff - owners, managers, employees - do, and what the extent of their experience might be, and what kind of equipment they use. If you are looking at backplates and wings, and diving a drysuit, and what you see are people diving jacket BCDs and wetsuits (and there is nothing wrong with that at all), you might not be looking at a LDS that can give you the kind of support you will need in the long run. I need / want a LDS that is knowledgeable about diving in areas that are relevant to me. If I want to dive salt water shipwrecks, and all the LDS staff want to talk about is fresh water cave diving, the 'fit' probably isn't there.
You raise the issue of the price differential. While $130 sounds like a lot as a percentage of the purchase price, it may not actually be that significant in the context of a bigger, more valuable, longer business relationship. I would certainly discuss that differential with the LDS, and give them a chance to be competitive. But, if what I saw was an opportunity for a broader business relationship, I wouldn't let the $130 influence my decision. For example, I think I benefited in my dealings with my LDS because they realized that I was a customer willing to buy new gear, and willing to support them, and consequently they made considerable efforts over time to provide 'service' - not just support, but opportunity as well - in order to keep me as a customer. My first BCD was a Zeagle Ranger, and my first regulator was a Zeagle 50D. I paid what I thought was a fair price to the LDS. Could I have bought it for less money online? Certainly - I checked that before I bought the gear. But the extra $100 I paid the LDS (I am picking a number out of the air, here) for the BCD is insignificant in the context of what I have gained.
However, having said all that, I am not encouraging you to support a LDS just to 'support your LDS'. Support a LDS IF you think that such support will accrue benefits, beyond simply routine service of gear.
As for DSS vs Hollis, I don't have personal Hollis experience. I have dive buddies who do, and are generally pleased. I have personal experience dealing with DSS and Tobin, and with DSS gear (although not a DSS BP/W in particular). I am confident that you will not be disappointed at all with the a) design, b) production quality, c) performance, and d) before- and after-sale support from DSS. It is a first rate organization with first-rate gear.
Now I own my own drysuit and its time for a BCD appropriate for local fresh, cold-water drysuit diving (Lake Superior). My dive buddy who is much more experienced uses a BP&W and we both dive single AL 80s.
As a drysuit diver in cold water, I see steel cylinders in your future. Come to the light . . .
