Certification is costly

[boulderjohn]

I saw there was a job opening at one of these dive shops. 3+ years of sales experience required. Scuba and snorkeling experience a plus, but not required. The priorities are all wrong in my opinion.

The dive shops I know generally have people working retail for close to minimum wage. You aren't going to get a really knowledgeable diver to work for you that way.

 

[Celt]

...because from the peak of Mount Stupid you know enough to select the right used gear?

The mistake isn’t as costly, with used gear.

 

[Aura]

The mistake isn’t as costly, with used gear.

Speaking as a relatively new diver who recently purchased a fair amount of new gear, I put enough research into it that I usually know when a dive shop is trying to sell me something useless. But it's still a risk that I'll buy something that isn't as good for the kind of diving I want to do as something else would've been, or that it's slightly more expensive than an equally good alternative. I know that new gear works though, and that it's in new condition.
With used gear I run the same risks, except I also have no way to determine the quality of the gear I'd be using. I've never seen the various states of deterioration that different types of gear go through. I wouldn't have a clue if a used BCD has 100 or 1000 dives left in it. No amount of research would change that, only experience. Experience that new divers don't have. You may call me stupid for being unable to determine whether a piece of used gear is good value for its price, I just think I'm aware of my own limitations.

 

[Celt]

You may call me stupid for being unable to determine whether a piece of used gear is good value for its price, I just think I'm aware of my own limitations.

I haven’t called anyone stupid, have the decency to go back and read the posts before commenting.

 

[Still Kicking]

My last thoughts on this:

Here's how to be a more savvy scuba shopper.

If a salesperson doesn't ask about your kind of diving and your experience level, be suspicious.

If they don't tell you why something might be better for you, be suspicious.

If they don't tell you potential downsides to a product, be suspicious.

If they can't answer a question and don't try to get someone with more knowledge to help you, be suspicious.

If they say the words "my favorite ....," be suspicious.

If they answer all your questions and the rationale seems solid based on what you told them you need, don't be a jerk and buy it used or online.

 

[scrane]

I suggest a person rent equipment until:
a) They're sure they like diving and not just buying equipment.
b) They have a pretty good idea of what they don't want or need.
c) They've had a good opportunity to talk to other divers about the equipment they like and why.
Craigslist would be a lot lonelier place without all the almost new dive setups for sale.

 

[boulderjohn]

A number of years ago I ordered some LP steel tanks through my LDS. I got a phone call telling me they had come in, and I came in to get them out of the box, set them up, etc. The salesperson on duty was not the person who had ordered them. He helped me do all of this. What kind of tanks are these, he asked? He had never seen tanks with round bottoms before, and they sure were heavy.

I am sure he did his very best to give every customer the best possible advice he could--within his personal limitations.

 

[TMHeimer]

Don’t know why people buy new gear when it can be bought so cheap used. A lot of times when makers update the gear it’s done to save money and the previous model is better quality. When I hear the sales pitch “ it’s safer” I get suspicious.

Yes. Other than one tank when I was getting certified, all my major stuff was bought used, most of it through our LDS. Still use my original reg (used in 2005). I did buy the Apollo Tank Lock new-- that was about 15 years ago and it finally broke (metal fatigue).

 

[broncobowsher]

The mistake isn’t as costly, with used gear.

It can be even more costly with used gear. I've seen a few times where buying something used and having it serviced cost more than what the shop would have sold a new one for.

Yes, sometimes it is good, but not always. Buy used when you can afford to be burned by it. I just bought a used boat motor. Knew a fair bit about what I was after. In the end it turned out to not be what I thought it was. But I got enough good stuff it wasn't a total burn job. Displacment was not what I thought it was going to be and it happen to be a reverse rotation engine. But I got all the marine specific parts.

 

[Celt]

Yes. Other than one tank when I was getting certified, all my major stuff was bought used, most of it through our LDS. Still use my original reg (used in 2005). I did buy the Apollo Tank Lock new-- that was about 15 years ago and it finally broke (metal fatigue).

Lots of options out there for new divers without having to pay large amounts of money. I bought quality scubapro gear for a fraction of the cost new.