Personally, I use gear from a variety of manufacturers. Whether such a comparison that you are asking for exists,..... I don't know. The most important 2 things that matter with equipment is #1- fit & #2- comfort. Beyond that, the rest is optional. The equipment must fit correctly to be functional & generally comfortable. I do not usually say this brand is better than that brand. Everyone fits different pieces of equipment differently. If a mask does not fit properly, it tends to leak. There are some folk out there who can be hard to fit due to one physical trait or another. To have to deal with a leaking mask the entire duration of a dive is not only irritating, but it can ruin the fun of a dive very quickly. From there you can decide if you want one, or multiple panes of glass, a purge valve (though I don't personally care for these), color & other such features you may want. Find a snorkel that has a flexible bore which help with comfort when using & allows the snorkel to hang out of the way when not in use. From there you can go into whether you want a dry or a regular snorkel & colors. Fins,... you must decide on whether you want to go with full foot fins ("shoe" built in) or adjustable heel strap fins. What type of fins depends on the type of diving you'll be doing. Full foot fins are generally better suited for warm water diving from smooth surfaces, as they generally don't require booties with them. Adjustable heel fins tend to be better for cooler & temperate waters or diving from an area with rough surfaces. With adjustable heel fins, booties are usually needed to protect the feet from the cold, the rough land surfaces & from chafing from the fin straps. when the fin is tried on it should be snug, so as not to slide around, but without binding &/or pinching of the feet in any way. From there you can decide whether you want a stiff board type fin, split fins or any of the myriad of other features that can be found. Try to find a fin that is suited to the type of diving you plan to do & your physical leg strength. Booties, if you decide you need them, should fit like a snug sock, but once again not bind or pinch in any way. Also remember, once you get them in the water, they will stretch a tiny bit. If you can you might try to stop in at your local dive shop to be fitted. If the staff there knows their stuff, they should be able to correctly fit you. I would think that you should be able to find decently constructed gear without breaking the bank. Even though there may be less expensive brands, you should be able to get into some pretty good stuff for a ballpark figure of $150 on up depending on what you go with & it should give you many years of dependable service. Hope that helps you out some.
Fins, there are tons to choose from, but if I were you I'd get a good solid, inexpensive set and save the bells and whistles for when you know more about what you want. It's just me, but I wouldn't (and still haven't) spend $150 on a set of miracle fins when you're new.
