captain
Contributor
I went to the largest local LDS for some drysuit zipper lubricant. Got a kind of blank stare. They said they only had what came with a new dry suit. Duh, do people not ever need more than what came with a new suit.
Do you support your LDS (and does your LDS support you?)
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I've been very happy with my lds, Pacific Wilderness in San Pedro, CA. The owner and all of the employers are local divers and several are instructors. They carry everything from basic gear through tech and know what they are talking about. They are open seven days a week until 7
o pm. I've bought a couple of cheap drysuits on Ebay which worked great for a few dozen dives before leaking a lot. Last year my fiancee and I got new drysuits and four new stel tanks that I am very happy with. I tell evreyone I dive with to go to PacWild.
o pm. I've bought a couple of cheap drysuits on Ebay which worked great for a few dozen dives before leaking a lot. Last year my fiancee and I got new drysuits and four new stel tanks that I am very happy with. I tell evreyone I dive with to go to PacWild.
matt_unique
Guest
I find the best price (online), and if the LDS matches it, I will buy it through them. So far that has been the case.
--Matt
--Matt
SparticleBrane
Contributor
Occasionally I'll buy something small from my LDS. They're decent with price-matching too on some things, which is nice. I don't agree with how much they charge for fills, though...
OP
I have experienced the same thing as the posters whose LDS tried to sell them the $400+ basic package (snorkel, mask, fins). That LDS has not seen my business since then.
When I read the postings here I just wish that I could find a LDS like so many of you have. The ones that I have been to are either crazy on prices (full MSRP with <10% discount when buying a full rig) or had such limited selection pricing would make no difference.
Those of you who have LDS that is realistic on pricing - at what point in the conversation have they offered a deal? Maybe I'm doing something wrong, because the LDS that I have been to basically wanted full MSRP on everything (computer, reg, octo, BC - two complete sets). I didn't see much benefit in paying over TWICE what the hybrid online/B&M shops charge.
We also encountered sales people that were talking rubbish. Comments that "only commercial divers use BP/W" and "you have to go air integrated as the computer then knows the exact amount of nitrogen in your system by measuring your tank and the O2 / nitrogen content"..... yeah..... OK
When I read the postings here I just wish that I could find a LDS like so many of you have. The ones that I have been to are either crazy on prices (full MSRP with <10% discount when buying a full rig) or had such limited selection pricing would make no difference.
Those of you who have LDS that is realistic on pricing - at what point in the conversation have they offered a deal? Maybe I'm doing something wrong, because the LDS that I have been to basically wanted full MSRP on everything (computer, reg, octo, BC - two complete sets). I didn't see much benefit in paying over TWICE what the hybrid online/B&M shops charge.
We also encountered sales people that were talking rubbish. Comments that "only commercial divers use BP/W" and "you have to go air integrated as the computer then knows the exact amount of nitrogen in your system by measuring your tank and the O2 / nitrogen content"..... yeah..... OK
TomP
Contributor
Stu S.:
Not sure why anyone would ever have to buy anything more than mask, fins, and snorkel for an OW class.
I have experienced all the phases offered in the vote panel and none reall fits me. Shops change, my experiences grow as I expand my diving skills and oppurtunities. I buy when I get a fair price from a LDS that knows about diving and knows about gear and gear repair.
--DP
--DP
TomP:
Me neither. Back then we had to buy 1/4 inch thick gloves and booties, too. We had to wear the gloves in the pool. That $130 surprize was gloves, boots, mask, fins and a snorkel. That was when a person making $5 an hour was doing pretty good.
We have an instructor in Orlando who provides every piece of gear for students to use. Not rent, just use free of charge. That initial good will keeps his customers coming back for more trips and instruction.
bentex
Registered
I support my LDS almost exclusively. In fact, I have done all my training, and bought all of my equipment from them aside from some $30.00 fin straps that they didnt carry.
These type of threads never cease to amaze me. Is it really that difficult to find a respectable LDS?
In my little part of the world, there are 2 LDS's within 10 miles of one another, and while I perfer one over the other, I would still shop in the other. All the professionals in this area know what they are talking about, and if they can't answer your question, they will find somebody who can.
I just hope I never have to deal with any of these "nightmare" dive shops that I keep reading so much about in these threads.
In my little part of the world, there are 2 LDS's within 10 miles of one another, and while I perfer one over the other, I would still shop in the other. All the professionals in this area know what they are talking about, and if they can't answer your question, they will find somebody who can.
I just hope I never have to deal with any of these "nightmare" dive shops that I keep reading so much about in these threads.
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