Gear order of purchase???

[Dstang65]

Hmm, tough...

I've finally saved enough for some new gear, and here I wonder what to get. Have the BC, the tank, the knife, the light, but what next? A computer? I have been interested in getting one; a Uwatec Aladin Air X, air integrated perhaps or something Oceanic. I heard that they make a good computer also. Any comments on either brand or suggestions as to which to get is appreciated. Or should I get my regs. I'm thinking Scubapro's G250HP/Mk20? Any ideas? comments? So which? The computer or the regs? cant get both. I figure I can put the computer on any reg set up, but if i opt for the reg, I still need the spg, and octopus so I will no doubt end up waiting to get the rest of that stuff to even use it or am I just making a newbie diver assumption. any help is appreciated.

 

[Iguana Don]

Dstang,
I would have bought the reg the very 1st thing, I'm not a big fan of rental gear, never know when it was serviced last or who's lips have been on it. Spend some time with it and a SPG & get to know your tables. They will always come in handy.
Go with the reg, your choice of the MK20/G250 is a great choice and will last you for many years with only minimal yearly service as well as almost any type of diving.

Don

 

[MrMrEZG]

i think that you should get your reg first. i feel that it is better to dive tables than to dive with a rental reg.

on a side note. you should check out the atomic line of regs. their Z-1 is a great reg that sells for about $450. the B-1 and T-1 are even better depending on what you want to spend.

 

[herman]

Hi Dstang65

By regulator, I assume you mean first and second stages and octo. You will still need a depth gauge and pressure gauge of some sort and I think which kind is your question. If cost is the issue here then a standard mechanical console is the way to go. Just looking in a catalog I have at hand, they are in the $125 for a basic console (hose,spg and air press). You can always upgrade later it include a computer in the console or replace it all together with an air integrated system. You then have a backup if your integrated computer dies. IMHO diving with the tables for a while in the beginning is a good thing and a skill that is perfected is always useful. Another way to look at this is that we rarely understand what kind of equipment we really need and/or want until we have been diving for a while. While some will tell you to buy the most expensive equipment you can at first, I feel that you should buy GOOD quality equipment but not necessarily the most expensive until you have been diving for a while and understand the type of diving you will be doing.

 

[turnerjd]

Hiya all,

First thing I bought was a second hand dry suit (with considerable assistance from diving friends). Most people on my o/w course bought things like mask fins snorkel first, but for only just a bit more I managed to do my (cold UK) o/w dives (after discussion with the instructor) in a dry suit.

I think that I was about the only comfortable person on that course (for those of you in the UK, we dived stoney cove in late february/early march - the rest of the o/w class in semi -drys) as 6 deg C water is COLD for your first dive.

Order depends on where you are. My better half, did her o/w in october (same place),when the water was about 11 deg C which is acceptable in a semi-dry, so she bought mask fins snorkel first.

personal opinion is that for the vast majority of people you will get far more out of having your own regulator first, than a computer. a few reasons for this,

1. Learn to dive the tables. - good for dive discipline, and also gives you a feel for what is right. If you never get the feel of the tables, what do you do on the charter boat when the nice wreck at 18 - 20 metres hasn't appeared at 25, and doesn't appear untill 29? - do you just do an unplanned dive to that depth? - this happens far more often than people admit. (Most people continue the dive unplanned if they have a computer. This is the wrong thing to do, at a depth different from what you planned you have no idea of your new max bottom time is, unless you have the correct alternative dive plans worked out.) (i'm trying to say that providing you are not too deep you can alter your plan underwater if necessary providing you have your tables there. you can't access planning functions underwater, so in effect you are diving blind)

2. learn to dive before you start to push the limmits.
Inherantly, due to the way computers work, you are always closer to the limmit diving on a computer. get comfortable in the water first, and preferably get some more advanced training e.g. PADI rescue before going closer to the edge.

3. For the vast majority of diving I do the dive time is limmited by the ammount of air in my buddies tank not the tables. Reg is more usefull here, as all a computer does is tell me I am within the tables when I surface. which from my table dive plan I knew already.

4. for an extra £25 on the cost of a regulator you can get the PADI wheel, this (together with a dive watch) will allow multilevel diving, and you gain a lot of the time in water advantages of a computer for very little cash.

Reg seems to me to be much more use than a computer, unless you have enough experience (i.e. fulfilled above criteria), then its pretty much 50:50. I would still go for the reg first, simply because my continued breathing relies on the reg, but if a computer dies, then my buddy and I just have to abort.

Just my long winded .02
Oh, hand on this place is full of americains, what's the exchange rate at the moment? about 1.6?
I think I need to put in .0125 (£)

Jon T

 

[Aegir]

Dstang55, I got my reg first too. Did you know if you got the Suunto Cobra air intergrated computer you dont need an SPG. The cobra is a computer and SPG in one. I use the cobra and it is the "dogs ahem". I am sure that someone on these boards must also use the cobra, such is its popularity in the UK.

 

[parrothead]

Think about it. What is keeping you alive down there? A computer or the regs?!? No contest. Buy the regs first!!!

 

[DameDykker]

I agree with buying the rig first as a principle. However, I was lucky to get a deal on a used reg set including DC11 computer. After five years I've changed to a Cobra computer but the reg is still fine. Just once I didn't bring my own on a trip. That won't happen again.

On the tables I'll recommend the DCIIM Canadian tables. They are much cheaper that the wheel(apprx. 1/5 of the wheel). Easy to use and gives you more botton time. Furthermore they are made for cold water.

And even with my new airintegraded computer I still do my planning on tables.

DSAO

 

[RC]

Hi Dstang
I just got my gear last month, I went with ScubaPro, love it and they currently have a rebate offer on regs/2ndstage.
Also got a computer, there's alot to choose from in both areas I went with an Aeris, I liked its features and simplicity.
RC

 

[DivingGal]

Hey turnerjd (Jon T) your recommendations of what you think should be aquired first - and the whys behind your thoughts are quite sound.

I agree with you and Don (and perhaps others) that a reg should be first. As Don said I know who's mouth it's been in, and I know how it's been taken care of.

The next things I got were an adequate exposure suit and BCD. Like the UK, a good deal of the the diving here is not exactly warm, and a good fitting suit goes a long way in keeping me warm.

Heys my 0.02 worth for a recommendation:
1 anything that goes in your mouth (e.g. reg, snorkel)
2 anything that touches your skin (e.g. suit, booties)
3 anything necessary for diving (e.g. BCD, weights)
4 bells and whistles (e.g. computer, lines)