Did I Get "Salesman'd" or Are These Decent Base Gear Picks?

[tursiops]

For regs, I've got one Atomic that I got for a steal on eBay -- it's built like a tank and seems quite good quality. But most of my dives have been on HOG/Sea Elite regs that also function just right for about half the MSRP of Atomic. If you are thinking of diving in cold water, you may want to look at sealed regulators. Tech divers tend to prefer DIN regulators. For most recreational dive locations, I think yoke regulators are more convenient. Etc., etc.

Another aspect of regs -- that the OP did no mention -- is their serviceability. How are you going to get it serviced? Most LDSs will not service all brands, just the ones they sell. You can mail them out. You can service them yourself. But they DO need servicing.

 

[pauldw]

Bare seems to be good for wetsuit quality, but I'm not sold on Oceanic. I dodged it for the rest of the equipment, getting Atomic regs and a Zeagle Ranger BCD. Any other brand advice?

Atomic is good if you can afford it. Since you can, you should be good for regs. Zeagle's Stilleto is a less bulky choice for rec divers.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Pinnacle makes pretty good suits for off-the-rack varieties. I have a 7 mil one piece that I use with a hooded vest in 50 degree water. My only complaint is the arms are 5 mil (I think) and they can get s little cold. Other than that, build quality is surprisingly good.
The Atomic regs are a top of the line prestige brand. If you don’t care about spending the money they are very nice regs. Other than that Scubapro would be another brand that Atomic was actually modeled after. Scubapro is probably the most internationally available brand with parts and service available everywhere. Aqualung used to be that way but I hear of drastic supply and parts shortages, etc.

For your BC, look at Dive Gear Express and take a look at their DGX Gears back plate wing package for $399. It’s a pretty killer deal on what is becoming a pretty popular concept, the BP/W.
Fins are like beer, everybody likes something different, but there are some favorites. One favorite which has been around since 1965 is the Scubapro Jet Fin. Either you love them or you hate them, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of in between.
I started with Mares Quatros which were OK. I ended up giving them away. Fins are really tough to try and recommend, there are just too many styles, different leg muscles, different ways leg muscles are used, different fitness levels, different fin fads, different favorite kicks, etc.
Tech divers seem to like the Jet fin style which there are several manufactures making that style of vented fin. I use them but it took me a while to figure them out. They suck for long surface swims. Freediving fins would be about the best option for covering a lot of ground. However you would need to train with them and get into good leg shape in order to use them to full advantage.
But once you get used to them they kick ass!

 

[rob.mwpropane]

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step. You are starting, and hopefully there is a long road ahead. Gear will come and go over that journey. You have a decent start. Now use it. Your experiences will develop your likes. No looking back, only forward.

^^^this.

It's hard to know how far down this rabbit hole you'll go. Dive as much as you can with what you've got and go from there.

I would think most people that dive a lot aren't diving what they started out with.

 

[Belzelbub]

Mask > Oceanic Shadow (Seems to be a good mask, I don't really have anything to critique. I also use an Octomask which somehow fits better...)

I can't really comment much on most of the gear, but I have used the Oceanic Shadow. I liked it and it lasted me for many years. My primary mask is now different, but I do still use the Shadow from time to time. There are different sizes of the Shadow, so you may have gotten the wrong size.

Bare seems to be good for wetsuit quality, but I'm not sold on Oceanic. I dodged it for the rest of the equipment, getting Atomic regs and a Zeagle Ranger BCD. Any other brand advice?

Most of the brands you mentioned are actually all the same company. Bare, Oceanic, Zeagle, Atomic are all part of Huish. I own Zeagle regulators and BC and also regularly use another Zeagle BC and Atomic regulators. I have no complaints with either. Atomic regs are great, so no problems there. Don't spend too much though, they all breathe the same. Difference is the materials.

For the BC, the only comment I would make is to make sure you really need all the lift of the Ranger. The bladder on the ranger is quite large, so if you don't need all that lift you can save a bit with one of the more streamlined versions. I use a Stiletto which works perfect for me.

 

[DiveProKoko]

I have the Bare 3/2 and it's a good suit. If you are experiencing chafing and wear, it is often times due to something on your BC that is rubbing it, etc. Check to make sure you don't have exposed velcro or something that is wearing it excessively in that spot before you chalk it up as poor quality. The other gear is all good stuff. Fins and mask are especially personal types of gear. Any quality mask that fits well and doesn't leak is good to go. If the fins aren't cutting it for your type of diving, sell them and get different ones. Shops will often have fins in the back (returns, demos, wall models) that you can demo in the shop's pool before you buy. A GREAT all around fin is the Mares Avanti Quattro....but again, it's a personal choice and may not be good for you. try to demo.

 

[SubNeo]

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step. You are starting, and hopefully there is a long road ahead. Gear will come and go over that journey. You have a decent start. Now use it. Your experiences will develop your likes. No looking back, only forward.

Yup, I've decided to take another SDI course maybe in Aug/Sept to try to start networking again. I lost one sport (tennis) to a knee injury and I decided I was doing something else instead. I imagine I'm going to see a lot over my years, pretty excited

 

[SubNeo]

if you are swimming 300 yards off shore to dive, you need good fins. Way more important than the brand of wetsuit or bc etc. Going that far offshore before the dive is probably more strenuous than a lot of recreational divers would enjoy. You should expect to get a little fatigue, probably.

I would choose a decent pair of freedive fins for that kind of diving, but you have to have some degree of conditioning if your dive plan is 300 yards out on the top, swim around for a while and then swim on the surface in. Perhaps you can borrow some fins? You want something that is not too stiff and not too weak, something you can kick for an hour or more. I'm not familiar with the fins you have now.

I'm at the gym working on my core, legs and upper chest often. That being said, I'm not 100% sure if the leg work I do actually hits the fin muscles.

 

[SubNeo]

I can't really comment much on most of the gear, but I have used the Oceanic Shadow. I liked it and it lasted me for many years. My primary mask is now different, but I do still use the Shadow from time to time. There are different sizes of the Shadow, so you may have gotten the wrong size.

Most of the brands you mentioned are actually all the same company. Bare, Oceanic, Zeagle, Atomic are all part of Huish. I own Zeagle regulators and BC and also regularly use another Zeagle BC and Atomic regulators. I have no complaints with either. Atomic regs are great, so no problems there. Don't spend too much though, they all breathe the same. Difference is the materials.

For the BC, the only comment I would make is to make sure you really need all the lift of the Ranger. The bladder on the ranger is quite large, so if you don't need all that lift you can save a bit with one of the more streamlined versions. I use a Stiletto which works perfect for me.

The Zeagle octo I certified with was hot garbage

 

[SubNeo]

Another aspect of regs -- that the OP did no mention -- is their serviceability. How are you going to get it serviced? Most LDSs will not service all brands, just the ones they sell. You can mail them out. You can service them yourself. But they DO need servicing.

Luckily, I've got Atomic and the shop down south I plan to "swap bases to" sells Zeagle and Atomic on their website. I know they all do those "brand deals" where they are contracted (however it works) to only sell x, y, and z brand stuff.