DIR- Generic Help putting together a beginner gear set

[VR78]

Hi DIR community,

My diving experience is about a decade out of date as I have been pursuing other things. I have been tasked with putting together a gear set for a new diver who wants to eventually get into cave diving. If I were to make my choices 10 years ago, I would have dismissed Halcyon, Apeks, Scubapro, and Atomic as too expensive for no good reason, OMS, Hollis, Dive Rite (looking at you, TransPac, if you are still around), and XDeep as too weird, and would have likely gone with HOG regulators and a DirZone backplate and wing, plus a 330M bottom timer.

I am sure things have (massively) changed in a decade. I see a lot of new brands and a lot of new options (notably, not in the bottom timer department where sensible options seem to have gone the way of the dodo).

Please recommend a solid, true DIR, budget-friendly single tank setup available in the US. I know I can just put together a Halcyon set, and I am very specifically looking for other, newer and less obvious options

Thank you for your input!

 

[lostsheep]

The DGX one is going to be hard to beat:

DGX Custom - DGX Gears Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package

A basic DGX backplate/wing/harness package for single tank diving at a value price.

www.divegearexpress.com

 

[VR78]

The DGX one is going to be hard to beat:

DGX Custom - DGX Gears Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package

A basic DGX backplate/wing/harness package for single tank diving at a value price.

www.divegearexpress.com

Looks pretty good. I've been looking at the Sub-Gravity Paragon setup, but you are right, this one is substantially more affordable. DGX regs too?

 

[lostsheep]

I don't have an opinion on regs you're going to like...I standardized on Apeks for serviceability

 

[34109411]

Actually things didn't change that much for the last 20 years. Technology, fabrics, engineering is pretty much the same. (bcd,reg)

I bought my scuba pro regulator back in 2010...pretty much the same if i go buy a new one righr now.

Bought my bcd in 2005. Some people are telling me wow great piece of gear, where, when do you buy it they are surprised it s more than 20 years.

One things for sure at 399$ for that rig you will get what you paid for. Is it a good gear ? Yes entry level. At one point you will soon realize that it doesn't meet your need or that doesn't meet your expectations as you will get better.

The reason you consider some brand too expensive is that you don't see the values they could bring to you. Yes they are more expensive but brand like scubapro and apek and halyclon will last you forever and you will be able to get service them around the world and find spare parts anywhere.


Especially for cave diving dont aim for the less expensive stuff but what you could rely on for the next 10 years and the end it s life support equipment. For cave diving i will go hand down with Halyclon or Dive Rite.

be safe

 

[crofrog]

Looks pretty good. I've been looking at the Sub-Gravity Paragon setup, but you are right, this one is substantially more affordable. DGX regs too?

The DGX xtra regs are solid options but do not get the ACD regs they’re unsafe.

The breath extremely well

 

[VR78]

The DGX xtra regs are solid options but do not get the ACD regs they’re unsafe.

The breath extremely well

Frantically googling "ACD" )

 

[VR78]

The DGX xtra regs are solid options but do not get the ACD regs they’re unsafe.

The breath extremely well

Gawd almighty..

 

[crofrog]

Frantically googling "ACD" )

Auto closure device. It’s an option on the DGX regs

 

[chaad]

Gawd almighty..

There were some failures of Aqualung regs with ACDs that resulted in a recall. It still has people freaked out about ACDs today.

Air Supply Cuts Off When Regulator Failed

Scuba regulators work on a "downstream" principle, where the air flows down from a high pressure to an intermediate pressure and then down to a low pressure.

dan.org