I'm going to throw my 2 cents in here just because.
I used to think that the only way to get a new diver set up correctly was to totally bypass the whole jacket, weight integrated, sewn together unit with all the bells and whistles and fast track them right in to a slick back plate and wing set up right off the bat and have them avoid the whole gear/money pit vortex, but now I'm beginning to re-think this whole approach.
I recently ran into a whole ordeal with a new diver who I tried to fast track into all this advanced gear, but now I'm wishing I hadn't and let him figure out his own path of of gear choice. The thing is, this particular guy is not a normal well balanced person with a normal personality so maybe it's a little unfair to create a stigma for all new divers based on my experiences with one individual. I have since come to the realization that ANY new diver looks like a pro next to this person.
However, somehow I do think that it is important that brand new divers learn step by step why and how gear evolves the way it does and why eventually most of us end up minimizing our gear back down from an overload of gadgetry that seems to happen somewhere between dive number 25 and dive 200.
So where is all this going?
OK, New divers are completely overloaded with information from the get go about what reg, what BC, what fiins, what Mask, what suit, and everything else. Dive shops typically will rent or have them use in the pool and for their check out dives the gear that they want them to buy new in the store; they will have on the rack the exact same stuff they used in the class for an instant sale.
What you need to do before you drop a whole lot of money is first take a deep breath and second ask a lot of questions. This board is a good start. Realize though that people who post and recommend a brand are probably partial to that brand because that's what they bought and that's all they've ever owned and used. There isn't much in scuba equipment now days that's really bad, it's just that there's stuff out there that's better. Does it all work, yes it does, but some stuff works better.
With BC's, I'm of the mindset that new divers need to experience for themselves a jacket BC and figure out first hand why more experienced divers have abandoned them in favor of back plates and wings. Without first hand knowledge it's really hard to personally understand the phonomenon. Therefore what I would do is ask a lot of questions on this board as to what a good all around jacket BC is to start with then get one used on ebay or craigslist. After you dive it for a while you will understand why they suck and you can upgrade to the next level. The beauty of craigslist or ebay is that you haven't lost all your savings doing so. Fast tracking the new diver and getting them right into a BP/W set up from the start seems like a good idea, but then the only problem is ND will never understand why the BP/W is a superior system and they will have been cheated out of the experience of owning a jacket BC and fully understandiing why they suck. Ebay and craigslist is just a more economical and less financially painfull way of taking this class.
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The other way to experience all the different gear is to rent for a while (or a long time) and see what works best for you. The only problem is most dive shops are operating in a bubble and most do not have any knowledge of back plates and wings, or have them in their rental fleets or in the store. If you ask them about these products, 9 out of 10 times the guy at the counter will stare at you with bubbles coming out of his nose and he'll reply "I think I know what those are, but we don't have them. We only have recreational stuff not tech gear"
If that's the case then you need to hook up with some local divers using this stuff that can show you what it is, how it works, let you feel and touch some of the stuff then try it out. That's the only way.
I wish it wish it was easier my friend, but unfortunately dues must be paid.
Good luck.
Hope this helps.
