Gear for newbie

[sinja]

Howdy, great board, awesome insight!

I am mid-OW, and completely obsessed. Already signed up for AOW. Have 5 resort dives under belt, now looking to buy equipment.

I live in PA, so local dives will be quarry, but plan [ie; pray] to hit Caribbean and Hawaii twice a year.

Have Mares X-Stream Mask and Volo fins.

After browsing and reading Rodale's, i am seriously leaning towards SeaQuest Pro Unlimited bcd and Atomic B2 reg.

Also, what about alternate inflators? Seems like a good idea, but I don't have the dives under my belt. I'm leaning towards SS1, but again, don't have the hands-on to really form an opinion.

Finally, I love my LDS, and trust them, BUT, aren't they going to steer me towards what they carry. I'm not looking to piss away my $$$, but I can afford good gear.

Any advise is greatly appreciated!

Sinja :jaws2:

 

[mattengstrom]

Howdy, great board, awesome insight!

I am mid-OW, and completely obsessed. Already signed up for AOW. Have 5 resort dives under belt, now looking to buy equipment.

I live in PA, so local dives will be quarry, but plan [ie; pray] to hit Caribbean and Hawaii twice a year.

Have Mares X-Stream Mask and Volo fins.

After browsing and reading Rodale's, i am seriously leaning towards SeaQuest Pro Unlimited bcd and Atomic B2 reg.

Also, what about alternate inflators? Seems like a good idea, but I don't have the dives under my belt. I'm leaning towards SS1, but again, don't have the hands-on to really form an opinion.

Finally, I love my LDS, and trust them, BUT, aren't they going to steer me towards what they carry. I'm not looking to piss away my $$$, but I can afford good gear.

Any advise is greatly appreciated!

Sinja :jaws2:

I'm actually a little bit farther along than you are, but I've been on the same road for the past year or so.

The one piece of advice that I could give you, especially with regards to BCs, is to rent as many different types/brands as possible before you buy. I did this and I'm glad, because what I wound up buying - a backplate/wings setup from DiveRite - is not something that I even knew existed when I first started looking at equipment.

Your local LDS will definitely try to steer you in the directions of the stuff that they sell. They are in business to make money, after all. If possible, try to find a couple of different dive shops, that carry different brands, and flat-out ask them "what makes this product that you carry better than the product that shop X over on avenue Y sells?"

What have I wound up getting so far, and why? Here's the list:

ScubaPro MK16/S550/R380 regulator setup. Decent price, breathes well, and ScubaPro is a VERY common brand that you can get serviced almost anywhere if something goes wrong with it.

DiveRite backplate and Venture wing. The plate/wings setup is more modular than anything else out there, so there's room to grow with it, and it was quite a bit cheaper than a regular BC.

No computer yet, that's next on the list.

Hope that helps some. PM me or ask here if you've got any questions...

 

[Aardal]

Welcome to the boards!

Matt hit most of the good main points about trying before buying. Do your research, try the gear out and then before buying, ask yourself if this setup going to sustain you for a long period of time. Many different configurations out there so take your time and don't jump into something you might regret down the road.

One recommendation, if your going to buy a computer, dive w/ your dive tables for about 40-50 dives before buying a computer.

 

[PolsVoice]

The one piece of advice that I could give you, especially with regards to BCs, is to rent as many different types/brands as possible before you buy.

This is a VERY good idea. Also if you have the dough, buy quality now rather than upgrading. Without turning this into a what-are-you-diving equipment thread. I'm really fond of Aqualung Regulators (I use the Legend LX), Suunto computers, and back-inflate BCs (the next thing on my list...).

However, if you don't have the dough, I'd go with a scuba package by dacor or sherwood, some others make some nice ones also but I'm not familiar with them.

IMHO, try-before-you-buy is THE advantage of LDS buying (that and finding buddies to dive with).

buy well!!! and happy scuba!

- PV

 

[Boogie711]

ANd avoid alternate inflation 'regulators.' Get a real backup/octo. First time you need it you'll be glad you did.

 

[RiverRat]

Sinja,
I went through this last summer. MANY late nights here on SB doing research on what gear to buy. DON'T rush, take your time and do your homework. You'll spend some big bucks and you don't want to throw $ away even though later on down the road you may make changes. I too dive local cold water and warm water trips. I decided to get an environmentally sealed reg for that reason (Apeks). The LDS wanted me to buy a Scubapro Classic BC, they pushed so hard I bought a BP/W setup. So glad I did, it's so modular I can tweak it for ANY dive environment I want. I got false info from the LDS in that respect. Many people on this board (too many to list!) helped me get my rig tuned up to dive. To me the most critical choices were regs, BC or BP/W and Computer (I use Suunto Vyper) Get a Nitrox computer even though you may not plan on diving it now. A couple of days out on the boat EVERYONE was diving Nitrox. If you get air only you'll have to buy another 'puter later. Some regs breath hard at over 60 feet. Something to think about as well as ease of service at different locations/countries. If you want more details on my setup or any other questions PM me.

Have fun.................be safe

 

[DeputyDan]

Another question to consider is weight integrated BC or weight belts!

 

[5615mike]

Sinja,
I went through this last summer. MANY late nights here on SB doing research on what gear to buy. DON'T rush, take your time and do your homework. You'll spend some big bucks and you don't want to throw $ away even though later on down the road you may make changes. I too dive local cold water and warm water trips. I decided to get an environmentally sealed reg for that reason (Apeks). The LDS wanted me to buy a Scubapro Classic BC, they pushed so hard I bought a BP/W setup. So glad I did, it's so modular I can tweak it for ANY dive environment I want. I got false info from the LDS in that respect. Many people on this board (too many to list!) helped me get my rig tuned up to dive. To me the most critical choices were regs, BC or BP/W and Computer (I use Suunto Vyper) Get a Nitrox computer even though you may not plan on diving it now. A couple of days out on the boat EVERYONE was diving Nitrox. If you get air only you'll have to buy another 'puter later. Some regs breath hard at over 60 feet. Something to think about as well as ease of service at different locations/countries. If you want more details on my setup or any other questions PM me.

Have fun.................be safe

Pretty good advice. Don't waste your money on that SQ rig. If you have to have a SQ, buy the Pro QD+. Basically the same BC and cheaper. Dove one my self for several years before I changed to a balanced rig.

 

[sinja]

thanks a ton for the feedback. i've already talked to LDS about booking pool time to try out everything in the shop [just about!]. gave up on the alternate/inflator idea. waffling nicely on BCD vs. BP&W but will probably get inexpensive BCD until i get some more experience. Thanks again, i'm sure you'll be hearing from me again!

 

[jdf]

I am also a newbie, but am fortunate enough to be married to someone very experienced. The things I've learned is: If you have to see it and feel it, buy from the local dive shop. If you already know exactly what you want, go to leisurepro or divers direct. I just bought a new BC and since our LDS was a dealer, I printed out the leisurepro price and they matched it. I would rather give my money to the local economy, so I figure small profit for them is better than no profit. My husband just bought a B2 and says it is an easy breather and the best regulator on the market if you can afford it. And yes, your LDS will most likely steer you towards what they sell, so get other opinions. Rodale's has great reviews and unbiased. The best advice, is try before you fly.