future diver with some gear questions

[tenacious]

i will start off by saying thanks to this site for providing a ton of info for people like me with no knowledge of the sport. i wave been reading a bunch of the sticky threads that have answered a bunch of questions that i otherwise would have had.

my question is this: what gear, equipment, brands, etc should i stay away from? i plan on getting setup with a good dive school and shop but i have found that almost everything in life is a hustle. I don't want to blindly take someones advice who is trying to sell me something without having at least some knowledge about what i'm getting. i would hate to invest in gear from a brand that's going out of buisness, or is known to have issues with their products. What i might be sold to me as a "deal", could end up being junk and i wouldn't know the difference.

i would also be curious to know any regrets you have, or mistakes you made as far as getting trained and buying gear. i am trying to do everything right the first time, which i know could be impossible, but its worth a shot.

i will be training and diving around the PSL Florida area, I am 31 years old and in good physical shape. I spent some time in the military, so I am no stranger to following directions and paying attention to details, hopefully both should help me become a successful diver.
thanks in advance for any advice/ insights, etc.

 

[flots am]

my question is this: what gear, equipment, brands, etc should i stay away from?

If money is important, I'd stay away from new gear.

As long as you buy a brand that has great performance characteristics and a long history of parts availability, any brand you can get serviced locally is good.

You can buy a new Atomic or SCUBAPro regulator for $500-$1000, while you can get the same reg, a year or two old, used for at least half off.

I'd stay away from anything you can't get serviced locally, at a first-class repair facility, unless you want to get really friendly with the FedEx guy, or plan on doing your own service.

SCUBA equipment only requires scheduled service every year or two, and a lot of regulators can actually go longer, depending on usage, however it's much more common that you would simply like an adjustment. For example, maybe it breathes a little hard and you would like it a little easier, or it's bubbling a little and you want it fixed, or your tank falls over and something gets smashed or you just want it checked. Local service makes this easy. "Pack it up and send it away" makes it annoying.

flots

 

[mtngoat2674]

+1 on being able to have your gear serviced professionally locally. Even if you plan on becoming a technician and servicing gear yourself, experience and background using said gear would be beneficial to have first.

As with anything, explore what your expectations of diving are and where you're planning to go in the sport prior to choosing gear. An example: I'm a cold water diver because that's available locally. I love tropical diving, but it's not often I have an opportunity to travel far for diving. So I needed gear that was appropriately compatible. Many BCs have a limited weight capacity and are therefore impractical for divers who require heavy exposure suits. They can still be used, but expect to sling a weight belt or strap weight to your tank. Additionally, make sure the BC lift capacity can support the weight you require. Regulators are the same way. A "tropical" reg is impractical for cold water. If you want to get into a technical program before too long, you are looking at an entirely different set of gear, but you can still buy your first "recreational" setup with a technical mindset for later compatibility. This is what I did.

As far as brands go, I'm using Dive Rite, Aqualung, Tusa, Hollis, Suunto, Liquivision and DUI primarily. All have a good overall reputation and I've been very happy with their gear. The opinion of "who to stay away from" varies, but be sure to ask WHY a person recommends to avoid a specific manufacturer. One shop owner told me to avoid a brand specifically because he dislikes the area rep and won't deal with him.

Additionally, if you can test dive gear prior to buying (rentals or whatnot), this is the way to go.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I would recommend new equipment, budget permitting, as opposed to used- certainly as to "operating" equipment including gauges, computer, regulators and bcd. I would get enduring national brands- which include SHerwood, aqualung, Oceanic and others. The first two are my preferences for recreational gear. I also have been please for 15 years with Sea Quest BCD;s. Buy gear that you can have services locally, and whenever you can, try it our before purchase. Mask fins and exposure suits too. There are a lot of accessories you will add through time. Some of us two or three of everything- not necessary but nothing wrong with it. Now, soon its time for you to get in the game- and in the water! Keep us posted.DivemasterDennis

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

If I was a new diver this is what I would stay away from:

1. Used equipment (except fins, boots and mask).
2. Equipment that can not be serviced locally.
3. BCDs. My worst mistake was that I was ABOUT to buy a bcd. Then some folks here convinced me to try BP/Wing and I purchased an oxycheq wing.
4. Unsealed regulators: When I purchased my reg, I had no idea that you need a sealed regulator for cold water diving. When I got into cold water diving, I had to sell the regulator at a loss to buy a cold water compatible regulator.
5. Single gas computer: I purchased and air and nitrox computer from day 1. My dive buddy got an air computer and had to sell it at a loss when we got certified for nitrox.
6. Anything but solid rubber fins: Fins like SP jets, Hollis F1s etc are what I would ever dive with. I was introduced to floppy plastic fins and later realized that those did not give me the propulsion I needed.
7. High volume face masks: I dove with one for the first three years of my diving. Then it broke and I got a simple low profile mask that fitted my face so closely it was out of my view and seemed like I was not wearing one in the first place. Very simple and easy to clear.

Good luck.

 

[TSandM]

I really don't think there are bad brands out there, but prices will vary wildly. There is too much liability in dive gear for real junk to make it, especially in the US. That is not to say that all gear is well-designed or works as promised -- but that's not gear-based, it's model-based. Beware of the "top of the line" extra-scrumptious-expensive stuff. Most of the bells and whistles you pay for add very little to the actual functionality of the gear, and I think the worst offenders are fins. Simple fins work very, very well, and cost far less than the science-fictiony looking ones.

I don't regret buying the gear I bought out of OW, although I replaced almost all of it within six months. But if I had one piece of advice for you, it's to look around at the people with hundreds of dives, and see what they're using. There becomes a commonality to it, or as my friend Mo2vation says, "If you dive long enough and hard enough, you'll begin to look like us."

 

[vincent54]

Save the money and buy good quality new equipment. Used gear is someones discarded crap. That's why they are getting rid of it. Even if they are upgrading it will be nothing more than used flotsam. Buyer beware. I won't buy used brakes or anything else my life depends on. Same goes for rental gear. It will have someone else's bacteria and fungus growing in it and the thought of it makes me want to free dive.

Even though there are great discounts on the web, I would stick with the LDS so if there is a problem or question you can go in person. Brands are probably about the same safety wise, but i've found SCUBAPRO has good support around the world. Most of all have fun and stay safe.

 

[NAM001]

Watch out for those good deals on things like dacor regulators ect. read through the tech areas and get a feel for the equipment they use. If they trust a regulatlor to 250 ft shurely you can trust it to 100. Dont be afraid to rent for a while. It gives you a chance to try different things, till you find what works for you. bcd vs bp/w for instance. Read a lot and couple your aquired understnding of theory with the type of diving you intend to do. Bouyancy and trim is no simple thing. It can be a cake walk with the right equipment. Gear that works for others may not work for you. Size and positioning matters. I personally use scubapro mk25's for regs. I use a bp/w. I dive with minumum wet suit, and i dive steel tanks. That works for me, it may not for you. Try to buy gear once and not something new or upgrade each year. For the most part gear is gear is gear. Its the high proced added gimmiks that usually do not live up to thier promise and fails when you need them most. Ther is no such thing as good cheap stuff. Its either one or the other. There are a lot of factors , technology, ect involved with everything you buy. SBers will help you sort the good from the bad.

 

[tracydr]

I made do with a lot of used gear when I started out, since I was a lowly medical intern in the Army. I think used equipment is reasonable,especially good used equipment. You can watch the local Craig's List, especially since you live in a big diving area.
I agree with paying attention to what the tech divers use. They have streamlined and done troubleshooting to establish a set of equipment that works in a multitude of extremely difficult environments and has the least amount of failure points possible. I learned a lot just reading some books published by GUE because they have really thought out their equipment choices. Low volume masks, paddle type fins, d-rings on simple harnesses with bolt snaps, plain gauge instead of a heavy console dragging on the reef. All these things make so much more sense than retractors, high volume masks, split fins or other fins that don't allow powerful/silt avoiding and reef saving kicks. Many times the plainer, more technical choice is also less expensive.
Find a good instructor and pick their brain before starting a class.

 

[TMHeimer]

I bought mostly used gear (reg & BC included), but bought from the shop, not online. No real problems with it in 8 years. I bought a new steel 120 tank which was very heavy if having to walk any distance, but lots of air. Sold it. Bought 2 1993 used AL80 tanks I found on the internet. No problems. Was gifted a used steel 72 tank (at least 38 years old, air was still in it from 1976). A little tumbling needed, but no problems with that. Highly recommend spring straps for fins-- assuming you wear booties. Eliminates farting around with buckles in that cold FL water.