Gear Brands

[ttriton]

I know this can be a matter of opinion, but what are the top brands of gear. I hear alot about Scubapro, but what about Oceanic and others? I'm not certified yet, thinking about and looking at gear expenses.

Thanks

 

[Jupiter31]

There are as many opinions as there are divers - some are really pasionate about a particular brand, others, not so much.

As a gross generalization, the major brands are all very servicable - however, some are better than others FOR A PARTICULAR TASK.

If most of your diving is going to be warm water, resort type diving, at depths not much below 80'ft, you can get away with much more basic eq - OTOH, if you are doing ice diving (unlikely based upon your profile), or deep diving, a more high performance, "sealed" regulator is the way to go.

The best advice I can give a new diver is to try - via renting - different brands of equipment, and to talk with divers about thir gear - what did they like, why did they make that choice, what did they own before, etc.

Again, my opinion - and some will disagree and say its better to have your own gear to learn on/with - take your time, rent a bunch of times, ask a lot of questions (divers are very willing to talk abouth their equipment) and do research, both on this board and others on eq you are interested in.

It also greatly reduces the cost of diving as you will not have 1 - 2k invested in equipment - especially since at this time you don't know if diving is for you.

I dive more than most, but use the least expensive Atomic regulator - because they are all very similar in that particular product line, and I saw little need to spend $1500 on their top of the line titanium reg. Other brands there is more of a difference.

While you should be aware of what things cost, all you need to get started is a mask, fins, snorkle, dive boots, and perhaps weights - all other eq is normally provided by your instructor.

Today, there are many resources vs your local dive shop to purchase eq - but don't do it - even though its tempting right after you get certified - until you have tried different manufacturers, and done a lot of research.

Good Luck!

 

[ivobj]

Indeed there are many brands and you will hear many diferent opinions, so please keep in mind this is my preference:

- Regs: Scubapro and Apeks
- Backplate: Not really a preference, as they are very simple, important is to have good quality stailess steel and standard holes location, I use an Halcyon backplate and Harness
- Wings: Halcyon (I use 30 Lbs for singles and 40 or 60 for doubles)
- Single Tank Adapter (STA) to use a single cylinder with backplate: Halcyon

Obs.: A tradicional BCD should be cheaper than BP/W configuration, but independently if for tech or recreational I think backplate lets you adjust your trim more easily and remove some weight from your belt (or even remove the belt), for BCD I would not feel confortable to recommend a brand as I don't use it though.

Thermal Protection: DUI TLS350 and CF200x Drysuits, with DUI thinsulate 200 or 400, combinations depend on water temperature and dive time.

Obs.: Unless you are going to dive in very cold water I recommend you to start with a wetsuit, easier to start and way cheaper, I think any reliable brand would be good.

Fin: Scubapro (Jetfins model to be more specific)
Mask: No specific brand, must try to see which one fits confortably to your face, I use an Halcyon and a Beuchat as reserve, important is to have low internal volume.

This are the basics, as you progress you will learn more about other stuff like SMB (Surface Markers), Reels, Spools, Cylinders (those you are going to rent unless you decide later to go tech), lights, etc

 

[Rupert Vidion]

Hi and welcome to the board.

Let me start by saying that you will have to look very hard to find a bad piece of diving kit and even harder to find a (first hand) piece that is dangerous.

There are lots of reasons to buy one piece of kit over another: price, colour, fit, what your buddy uses, what you trained on, etc., etc. ad infinitum. Some brands are associated with certain groups or styles of diving, but all in all most kit in the same price bracket will be pretty similar.

Have a go on as many different bits of kit as possible and pick the one that feels right to you. You can have the greatest set of regs on Earth but if they just feel wrong or that particular combination of lime green, beige and turquoise make you want to vomit you'll never take them out of the cupboard to go diving.


Rupert

P.S. Make sure you get some time underwater to make sure you really want to get into diving before you start investing money.

 

[Rupert Vidion]

Not quick enough there eh.

 

[mselenaous]

Welcome TTriton. As stated already, there are many good serviceable brands, models and features. Get a bit of experience to learn what your diving goals might be then go for gear appropriate for that environment/type of diving. All I can add is that there are many brands out there, so do strongly recommend purchasing gear brands that you can have serviced locally so you won't have much down time. Whenever possible support your local dive shops. Give them a chance to work with you to meet your needs.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

Brands of gear I would be comfortable using:

Scubapro
Salvo
Halcyon
Dive Rite
Deep Sea Supply
Ocean Management Systems
Salvo
Oxycheq
Whites
DUI
Omniswivel
Interspiro
Pelican
Highland Millworks
Edge/hog
Hollis
Akona
Zeagle
Apollo
Atomic
Bare
Amron
Henderson
XS scuba
Poseidon


Brands I wouldn't be caught dead using:

Mares
Tusa
Dacor
Genesis
Tilos
Cressisub
Oceanic
etc

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I would avoid Oceanic. We saw an example of very poor customer service from this company with regard to a simple problem with a swim fin. I have some Oceanic gear but I am done with the company, there are too many other good companies to choose from.

 

[fnfalman]

Scubapro and Aqualung are very well known brands and make good gears.

I don't care for them personally, but it's an objective thing for me. Nothing wrong with the gears.

Think of them as Ferrari cars. Expensive, good, well known by everybody. But then there are other cars that are just as good or better, just as expensive but lesser known but only to a few enthusiasts: Aston Martin, McLaren, Lamborghini, Saleen, etc.

So, in the diving gears parlance, Deep Sea Supply, Atomic Aquatics, Dive Rite, Oxycheq, Shearwater, etc., are like the latter supercars. Excellent gears that are usually known only to the enthusiasts but everybody and their brothers know about Aqualung and Scubapro.

 

[RAWalker]

I would avoid Oceanic. We saw an example of very poor customer service from this company with regard to a simple problem with a swim fin. I have some Oceanic gear but I am done with the company, there are too many other good companies to choose from.

The above diver's experience is not typically how people regard Oceanic.
Oceanic is actually well known for industry leading customer service.
My experience with Oceanic during 2 separate issues was excellent.
First issue was a service on an out of warranty computer that was handled promptly and for a very reasonable price. This took less than a week turn around to me. The second was a broken band on a in warranty computer I had a new band delivered in 3 days without even a postage charge.
I don't hesitate to recommend Oceanic gear. Besides their computers I also use Delta 4 FDX10 regulators. You'll have a had time finding regs that breath better at depth and are as capable in cold water.