Gear Review, Please

[Cod]

Thinking about purchasing the following for me and my daughter:

SR1 Regulator

X2 for both of us

For Her

Genesis Tropic BC for me

And a sherwood console.

We're as noob / green as one can get but are exctied

We've already picked up masks, fins etc... but since to me these are the most important (or appear to be) and I in now way know what we need. This is what the local dive shop suggested.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

 

[Splash-X]

A word to the wise, don't rush in to a gear purchase. You may look back in a month or two and wish you had known a thing or two about different BCs on the market.

Instead of asking us what we think about the BC how about we try a different approach. Please tell us why you selected these BCs, what caught your eye about them, why you selected this style. All of our personal diving preferences fuel our gear choices so helping us to understand your mindset will assist us.

 

[dmoore19]

Thinking about purchasing the following for me and my daughter:

SR1 Regulator

X2 for both of us

For Her

Genesis Tropic BC for me

And a sherwood console.

We're as noob / green as one can get but are exctied

We've already picked up masks, fins etc... but since to me these are the most important (or appear to be) and I in now way know what we need. This is what the local dive shop suggested.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

I have the SR 1 and think it's great. No problems with it. It was a best pick in Scuba Diving magazine last year.

 

[Cod]

A word to the wise, don't rush in to a gear purchase. You may look back in a month or two and wish you had known a thing or two about different BCs on the market.

Instead of asking us what we think about the BC how about we try a different approach. Please tell us why you selected these BCs, what caught your eye about them, why you selected this style. All of our personal diving preferences fuel our gear choices so helping us to understand your mindset will assist us.

The BC's, my daughter tried it on at the shop and it fit her very well, my BC its' similar to what we've been given during our training.

The regulator, i have no idea i simply leaned on my local dive shop to help me out in that area, same goes for the console, plus i assume since he sells it he'll service it....hopefully ?

I'm not rushing in on the equipment, just trying to get a feel for what's out there and what's good equipment vs bad equipment, i guess is the best way to say it..

Thanks for your input!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Sherwood regs are something I'd not hesitate to buy. I have two of em myself. As for the bc's what else have you looked at. What kind of diving will you be doing? Is the Luna something your daughter will outgrow quickly? The tropic is fine if you only plan on diving warm water on vacation. Same with the Luna- it's a good travel bc but with no drings to clip off a light or other accessory it may be somewhat limited in function. If you could give us an idea of your interests and budget we may be in a better position to help. What kind of advice did your instructor give you? Did he discuss the various options for gear? ie jacket bc, back inflate, backplate/wing. Has the shop allowed you to try the bc's in the pool? Is the SR1 your choice or the shop's. The Sherwood Magnum, Blizzard, and for warm water the Brut are nice and less money. And if properly tuned they breath damn good. And how many dives do you plan on doing a year? We have 3 or 4 local shops in my area, I offer my students the option of allowing me to go with them to each and explain the pros and cons of each set up they are interested in. If they want to buy a top of the line reg to go once a year on vacation that's their choice. But if they say they want one that will do the job without breaking the bank them I will not let a shop sell them more than what they need or can realistically afford. Will your instructor do this for you? He/she should.

 

[Splash-X]

Almost all gear is created equal to a point. It serves the basic functions like all other gear and as Jim pointed out you should buy gear that both fits your budget and diving style. Each person has a preference on the type of BC they get.

Let me ask you this, did you look at the different styles of BCs, like jacket style, rear inflate, rear and side, back plate and wing, etc?

One of the best things you can do is shop around at several different dive shops to see how each brand and style fits. You'll take note of the way one company may place a pocket where it is convenient or the way another company places a D ring in a particular spot.

Another great resource is a local diving club or even a charter boat. Take a trip out with some divers and see the gear they have, ask questions. Your LDS will be biased towards the brand they sell so you may not get an objective opinion.

Everyone will think their BC is the best so ask why a diver thinks that the BC they have is best for them. Be sure to ask what they don't like about their BC too as there may be things you don't realize until after you've used it a few times, like pocket placement, thickness, comfort, etc.



I'm not trying to sway you away from your gear choices, because it's good gear, I do want you to step back and ask yourself why you have selected the gear you did. There is a whole world of dive gear out there so keeping an open mind will take you a long way.

 

[Cod]

Sherwood regs are something I'd not hesitate to buy. I have two of em myself. As for the bc's what else have you looked at. What kind of diving will you be doing? Is the Luna something your daughter will outgrow quickly? The tropic is fine if you only plan on diving warm water on vacation. Same with the Luna- it's a good travel bc but with no drings to clip off a light or other accessory it may be somewhat limited in function. If you could give us an idea of your interests and budget we may be in a better position to help. What kind of advice did your instructor give you? Did he discuss the various options for gear? ie jacket bc, back inflate, backplate/wing. Has the shop allowed you to try the bc's in the pool? Is the SR1 your choice or the shop's. The Sherwood Magnum, Blizzard, and for warm water the Brut are nice and less money. And if properly tuned they breath damn good. And how many dives do you plan on doing a year? We have 3 or 4 local shops in my area, I offer my students the option of allowing me to go with them to each and explain the pros and cons of each set up they are interested in. If they want to buy a top of the line reg to go once a year on vacation that's their choice. But if they say they want one that will do the job without breaking the bank them I will not let a shop sell them more than what they need or can realistically afford. Will your instructor do this for you? He/she should.

Thanks!

I haven't looked at much of anything else, they all look the same to me for now.

Instructor is the one who suggested these, as for other dive shops there is only one other one that is close to us, the reason i'm using this one is during the instruction he gives you 25-30% off, i checked his prices againist internet pricing and he's cheaper.

The only type of diving i see me and my daughter doing is warm water, at this point i'm not sure how deep we'll even go??

My daughter tried on the Luna and it fit her perfect, she's a small build girl and will more than likely stay that way, the instructor / LDS did offer that when / if she out grows it he would definitely take it in on trade in and either sell it or put it in with the training gear.

As i said only two dive shops within our area so we just picked one and went with it, it's a family run business and the people are extremely nice and have worked with our hectic schedule of training, of course he's training about 6 or 8 of us, all family members.

Also, i'm not rushing to buy anything just checking out and researching gear....

Once again thanks for the info

 

[Cod]

Almost all gear is created equal to a point. It serves the basic functions like all other gear and as Jim pointed out you should buy gear that both fits your budget and diving style. Each person has a preference on the type of BC they get.

Let me ask you this, did you look at the different styles of BCs, like jacket style, rear inflate, rear and side, back plate and wing, etc?

One of the best things you can do is shop around at several different dive shops to see how each brand and style fits. You'll take note of the way one company may place a pocket where it is convenient or the way another company places a D ring in a particular spot.

Another great resource is a local diving club or even a charter boat. Take a trip out with some divers and see the gear they have, ask questions. Your LDS will be biased towards the brand they sell so you may not get an objective opinion.

Everyone will think their BC is the best so ask why a diver thinks that the BC they have is best for them. Be sure to ask what they don't like about their BC too as there may be things you don't realize until after you've used it a few times, like pocket placement, thickness, comfort, etc.



I'm not trying to sway you away from your gear choices, because it's good gear, I do want you to step back and ask yourself why you have selected the gear you did. There is a whole world of dive gear out there so keeping an open mind will take you a long way.

As i said above i don't know the differences in BC's yet, but i will find out what they are as i try to research anything i get into...

The biggest factors for me is, I want good safe gear, I want my daughter and myself to be comfortable with the gear (that way she continues the interest).

While i'm not rushing I would like to buy something that especially she can use during training and get use to and becomes comfortable with, if she's comfortable she'll be watching what she's doing rather than questioning her gear...... i think

Thanks for the input keep it coming!

 

[SeaHound]

I agree with Splash X that when it comes to brands all gear is created equal to a point and expensive rarely means better for recreational diving. The reg you have chosen is a higher end reg and if recreational diving is your objective then there are more budget friendly regs that would get the job done.

 

[shoturtle]

Thinking about purchasing the following for me and my daughter:

SR1 Regulator

X2 for both of us

For Her

Genesis Tropic BC for me

And a sherwood console.

We're as noob / green as one can get but are exctied

We've already picked up masks, fins etc... but since to me these are the most important (or appear to be) and I in now way know what we need. This is what the local dive shop suggested.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

The SR1 is a extremely good reg. Any problems were from the first batch, and were resolved by the company. But it is a bit pricey as it is their top of the line reg. You may want to look at sherwood's other brand the genesis GS2000, it is less expensive and a great breathing reg, it is all you really need for rec diving.

On the BC piece if the Luna fits perfectly. Then it may be the best one for your daughter. My wife tried couple before picking the one she got the Mares Kalia. It is all about fit. So if the luna is the best fitting for your daughter, then it may be the right one.

The tropic is a back inflate, and if you are comfortable with it and it fits correctly. Then there is nothing wrong with it. Unless you are diving cooler waters, you may want one with more lift capacity the the the tropic.

Like it has been stated before, all gear out there form the big brands are pretty equal for rec diving. And if the shop that you are getting it is giving you a great price and service is not an issue. And you like it. That is really all that matters.