Brand Advice for BCD/Regulators/Tanks?

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"What you see is what you get", fairly accurate description on jacket bc.
Completely opposite for BP/W: plate material, wing size, simple or quick release harness, single tank adapter(for some wings), accessory to carry extra weight etc etc. If the customer has no knowledge on the topic probably will take the dive shop at least 15 mins just to explain everything before the customer has the chance to put it on.
 
I was looking at the Zeagle Stiletto and Ranger in the shop, they seem similar overall.
They are similar. The Stiletto is a bit smaller (bladder) and set up only for single tank. The Ranger has higher lift capacity, but it’s unlikely you’d need the higher lift for Florida waters.



They sell Atomic (for double the pricetag of Zeagle so nty) and Oceanic, but he told me the Oceanic models they sell are more on the "cheaper side" and don't provide much and are a pain to clean.
Regulator: Had a very long chat with the guy, he said he would go Atomic Z2 for the reasons I described during the dive. He said Mares feel cheapo and the Scubapro I used was not balanced. Said the Z2 is balanced and should breathe much like normal. He showed a bundle combining this with a Zeagle octo and a SPG (pressure and depth) for about $700. The Zeagle octo had a shutoff "lever" on the side to prevent freeflows.
Seems like a good deal. That “shutoff lever” on the Zeagle is the Venturi switch. At the surface the Venturi vane is positioned (- on the switch) to prevent free flow. During the dive, the switch is moved to +, and the air flowing past the vane creates negative pressure to help keep the valve open, thereby lowering work of breathing.

The Atomic 2nd stage has the Venturi vane as well, however it’s automatic.

The regulator you are looking at probably has the Zeagle Envoy II octo. If it also has the adjustment knob, it is probably the Onyx II octo. Both are good. The Onyx should add $15 to the set if you wanted to go that route.

I saw others mention keeping the primary and secondary identical. That’s certainly an option, but not necessarily a requirement. Mixing Zeagle and Atomic is just about as close to the same as you can find. They are both assembled in the same location, and share some internal components.

Computer: He said he tells everyone to just buy a computer and just have the gauge/console for depth/pressure. I mentioned the Shearwater Peregrine and he pulled up one from the case and went through it thoroughly. Seems like a safe selection.
Yep. Pretty much can’t go wrong with the Peregrine, but you can ditch the depth gauge from the console if you want. Adds a little bulk, and is not needed since you will have a computer.
 
I agree with pretty much everything Belzebub said above.

My general advice on gear is that the middle of the lineup of any reputable brand is a decent place to start looking unless you know you have particular requirements or ambitions for more advanced diving.

I believe your BCD is your best opportunity to spend hundreds of extra dollars without improving your safety or comfort. That's why I recommend you consider some low cost options:
  • If you know you're going to be exclusively a warm water recreational diver, you can look at lightweight travel BC's: two I like are the Hollis LTS and the DiveRite Hydro Lite. Neither has pockets or trim weight pockets, and the Hollis can't handle a 120 cubic foot tank, but other than that, both are a nice, light systems that are quite sufficient if you're going to be diving 80Al's most of the time.
  • I'm fond of the Zeagle Scout. For about $375, it's a solid choice. It's a back inflate. It's sturdy. It has trim weight pockets. It has two legit tank straps. And it doesn't have an expensive quick release or ripcord weight system, which I think is a good thing because ditching your weights is almost never the right answer to a problem you'll encounter, and I think big bright dump handles encourage rash decisions. One downside is that only two of the four D rings on the front are stainless steel. Still, it's an excellent value.

If you go with a sub-$500 bcd, you can spend a little more on your regulator.

The gear I bought for my students to use in OW classes is the Zeagle Scout bcd and the Atomic Z2 plus Zeagle Envoy II Octo. You can get such a rig for about $1200 and not outgrow it for a long time.

Best wishes,
 
Ive always believed in bottom of the line gear from the lds...

For rec diving you dont need any better and it leaves more money for dive trips. If it was unsafe they wouldn't sell it. My unbalanced piston regs breathe fine at 130ft or 300 psi (i don't know about 130ft and 300psi thankfully!)

I still want a bp/w but am too busy pouring money into the boat/family.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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