First Post! First BC purchase, a mistake?

[GW Diver]

If money is an issue with the diving industry, get out of it. too many people complain about the cost. its not a cheap sport. if you love the sport you will have to sacrafice things here or there. my wife and i do it. why cant you.

 

[GW Diver]

You might be surprised to find out that the BC didn't come from Zeagle. If memory serves me right LP got sued for producing BC's and using someone's name. There is another world out their.
If the Ranger is made by Zeagle standards, no problem. Just hope that you don't have to return some of those goodies to LP, you might have trouble. LP...love them or hate them.

totally agree. LP is the devil in the dive industry. i say we petition to get LP to remove dive equipment from its sales. they sell outdated crap anyway. and not to mention , i heard its like the Ross clothing stores. some sort of defect on the item.dont quote me, but thats what i heard

 

[jonnythan]

Way to totally ignore the entirety of this thread and rehash the same tired arguments and spread the same tired rumors.

Sigh..

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

totally agree. LP is the devil in the dive industry. i say we petition to get LP to remove dive equipment from its sales. they sell outdated crap anyway. and not to mention , i heard its like the Ross clothing stores. some sort of defect on the item.dont quote me, but thats what i heard

I'd recommend a bit more research ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Quarrior]

I'd recommend a bit more research ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Nah, that would entail actually learning something.

 

[Marek K]

Not true... I can sherwood at any price - but have to mark it at their MAP pricing - and can ship no problem... still full warranty from Sherwood.

Hi Larry--

OK, that's very interesting. I knew you offered Sherwood, and I'd been wondering whether or how you were allowed to mail it out.

If I had known that, and that you were able to match the price -- or even come close -- I probably would have ordered my new Magnum from you.

Well, I may be in the market within the next few months for a reg for my wife too, and possibly daughter as well. So stand by. Though I don't see Magnums or Bruts listed on your web site...

Off the subject, but maybe as an illustration of how valuable a warranty is or isn't in a particular situation... As you may remember, I'm in Poland right now. Would I be able to send my existing (non-manufacturer-warrantied) Sherwood regs to you for servicing ? (I can use U.S. domestic rate shipping.) How much, parts and service? One is the new Magnum bought from LP, and the other is an old (circa 1986) Brut -- Sherwood claims the parts kits are still available.

Further, do you have -- or can you get -- the conversion to change that old yoke-style Brut to DIN? I can't seem to get an answer from the local Sherwood rep.

--Marek

 

[scubatoys]

Hi Larry--

OK, that's very interesting. I knew you offered Sherwood, and I'd been wondering whether or how you were allowed to mail it out.

If I had known that, and that you were able to match the price -- or even come close -- I probably would have ordered my new Magnum from you.

Well, I may be in the market within the next few months for a reg for my wife too, and possibly daughter as well. So stand by. Though I don't see Magnums or Bruts listed on your web site...

Yea, the Magnums and Bruts are not as popular as the Maximus and the Oasis.. So we haven't been listing those... but I either have them, (have to look) or can get them in in about 3 days.

Off the subject, but maybe as an illustration of how valuable a warranty is or isn't in a particular situation... As you may remember, I'm in Poland right now. Would I be able to send my existing (non-manufacturer-warrantied) Sherwood regs to you for servicing ? (I can use U.S. domestic rate shipping.) How much, parts and service? One is the new Magnum bought from LP, and the other is an old (circa 1986) Brut -- Sherwood claims the parts kits are still available.

Sure, service can be done for $59.95 plus parts... and parts kit should run in the 25 dollar range (not at the shop now so I can't look up those - but close). If purchased from us, the service is $39.95 and parts are free for life... So there's $45 per year....

Further, do you have -- or can you get -- the conversion to change that old yoke-style Brut to DIN? I can't seem to get an answer from the local Sherwood rep.
--Marek

No problem... I've got din converters to fit virtually everything on the market. That's normally about $50 for the part, and we'll put it on N/C ... unless it's the LP reg, in which case it will be $1,454,789.66 in labor. (just kidding)

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

totally agree. LP is the devil in the dive industry. i say we petition to get LP to remove dive equipment from its sales. they sell outdated crap anyway. and not to mention , i heard its like the Ross clothing stores. some sort of defect on the item.dont quote me, but thats what i heard

GW - I suggest you keep your rumors to yourself. BTW, I just quoted you on it, since you posted it to a public forum for the world to see.

As for your comment about, get out of diving if you don't have money. Well, you may be blessed with wealth, but I am not. And I'm not going to let diving be the domain of rich people. Out here in the wilds of California, a lot of people manage to dive without having a lot of money, so what you say is patently false. You can dive safely with 10 year old gear. You can dive safely with used gear. There are lots of options beyond "Support your LDS to keep the industry alive" Jeesh. When did dive shops become charities? Why should the same rules of capitalism and commerce that apply to everyone else not apply to them? Why should they not have to compete for my hard earned dollar, which I cannot afford to throw around as casually as you apparently can.

Finally - as far as your comments about LP selling old crap, my guess is you have no concrete knowledge of that, and should keep these rumors to yourself. You don't like LP. Fine. But read over this thread. A LOT of people are very happy with their speed, and have received high-quality NEW goods from them. So, you're just mouthing off because you can afford to pay whatever the LDS asks, and think the rest of us should too.

I ain't rich, but don't EVER tell me I can't dive because of that or you get NOWHERE with me.

Gregg

 

[aquaoren]

!

As a lasped diver who is again gearing up, I certainly agree with you, the internet has changed the way one can purchase equipment. However, seems to me a novice diver is better off working with and purchasing from a LDS, until he/she has plenty of dives under their weight belts. In this case, the extra these folks may pay for their equipment, is recovered through the knowledge gleaned from the experienced folks at the LSD. If as an experienced diver you don't require this "value added service", then, it does make sense to shop strictly on price.

I've spent the past 6 mos picking the brains of the folks at the LDS. This is where I was introduced to the bp+wings bc system. However, they only sell Halcyon and are apparently restricted in their selling prices. After stumbling across ScubaBoard the other day and posing a question about Halcyon, and thanks to the great response from you folks, I quickly became aware of the many companies dealing in this product line. It is also pretty obvious that I can easily save several hundred dollars on the purchase of this item by shopping on the internet. However, suspect I'll go back to LDS and see if they can order what I want and if so, I'll pay the extra to reimburse them for their time.

Since it is a new system for me, I can go out with the LDS to get checked out on the bp+wings. However, suspect, I'll go to the local beach and learn on my own. This in part because of the excellent technical info I've picked up on this board concerning the use of bp+wings. Still, there are plenty of people who prefer to have help when using a new piece of equipment. They can't very well buy a piece of equipment online and expect to have the LDS show them how to use the piece of equipment for free? Although... there are fees for these courses? Hmm. Well, perhaps the LDS can be replaced by DC's or Dive Consultants? This person helps you obtain certification, shop for equipment, check out on new equipment...all for set fees. Still, it is nice to head to your LDS and be able to "touch" the stuff you are interested in purchasing.

This reminds me of a beef I have with vets. I pay them for their expertise when my pup is sick. On top of their hourly rate, they then sell me the meds at extremely high marked up prices. Now, is this capitalism at work, or should I be speaking with the consumer advocate on this thread?

Completely off topic but as a Veterinarian I had to respond
After spending more than 6 years at the university and having collected loans to pay for my education, I think that I'm entitled to be paid for my professional services and knowledge. In order for the pet to become better, it has to be medicated. Why do you expect me to pay for the meds of your pet? It's your obligation as the pet owner to ensure it's health. Would you expect your physician to pay for your own meds?
I am always surprised that people expect veterinarians to perform free work. I don't recall too many people complaining about car mechanics charging labour and parts when bringing your vehicle for repair, why shoud someone who spend more than double the time training and carries more responsibility not be entitled for at least the same?

 

[jonnythan]

He wasn't complaining about paying for the meds.. he was complaining about the vet gouging him on the price and making a big profit off the drugs as well as his time and knowledge for the visit.