Equipment online

[Innsmouth]

I think you may have missed my point. I just wanted a catalog to look through at 3AM when I have nothing to do and can't sleep. I almost always support local Mom and Pop buisnesses whenever possible. I'm just a newly certified diver that is curious about what things cost and what's available. I have every intention of buying my gear from the shop I was certified through. I like the staff and my training was top notch. So yeah, I'm gonna definitley buy all my gear from them.....unless I find it cheaper online. OOOOHHHHH!! hahaha Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[yknot]

I think you may have missed my point. I just wanted a catalog to look through at 3AM when I have nothing to do and can't sleep. I almost always support local Mom and Pop buisnesses whenever possible. I'm just a newly certified diver that is curious about what things cost and what's available. I have every intention of buying my gear from the shop I was certified through. I like the staff and my training was top notch. So yeah, I'm gonna definitley buy all my gear from them.....unless I find it cheaper online. OOOOHHHHH!! hahaha Thanks for the advice everyone.

For ease of use (at least for me) and consistantly lowest advertised prices I would start with LeisurePro. It's hard to get a physical catalog out of them but they do have an online version of the paper one on their web site. ScubaToys is an actual dive shop that also sells online. As such, brands that prohibit discounting and online sales can't be purchased from ScubaToys. Some feel that using a dive shop for advice and then buying elsewhere is unethical. If you feel this way, avoid ScubaToys because you can't get prices on some things from the site and can't get a price match unless you contact them. There are some other online sources that are in Europe that may be cheaper than LP on a specific item. Just be sure to find out if there will be any customs duty costs or extra shipping.

 

[hardhat]

You can't compare online prices to shop prices. I work in a shop that carries eight brand names of suba gear. It takes a bit of cash to stock all this gear and time to develope relationships with the manufactures. So the prices might be a little higher then what you see online. But the after buying service we provide, the product information we provide, and the years of experience we provide isn't comparable to online either. So keep it in mind that it costs something to open the doors and turn on the lights each day. So support us at the shops and we'll support you too.

 

[seabat]

Innsmouth,

When looking for new drysuits I typed in the brand names of the suits I was considering and got a big list of companies that provided prices online. I put it all on a spread sheet and found the online prices were within a reasonable range of each other. Then I went back and looked at the "packages". Inflator hose included, hose not included, suit bags, suspenders, hangers, talc bags, rock boots, shipping, etc. Price ranges got farther apart. Then warranties. Even farther apart.

All that being said, I personally did not find one or two that are "reflective of the market". What I did find was enough information as to what I needed to consider purchasing the drysuit. It went a long way in making me feel comfortable when I made my purchase at the LDS. As I made my purchase during a "scuba fair" I actually got a better package with warranty and additions than what was priced online.