Honest opinions on equipment that won't break the bank

[pedo]

Buying used gear can be a great bargain, but you always have to add in the cost of having the stuff serviced. It costs me about $100 or a little more to get a regulator serviced, so a used one has to be a really good buy.

OTOH, I can both test and service a BC myself, that's a different story.

A computer with a locally replaceable battery is probably a good buy used, if you have recourse should it prove not to work at all. (Most of them, you can at least fire up and play with on land to be sure some part of it works.)

Don't buy a BC that doesn't fit you, just because it's cheap. And I would highly, highly recommend a BC with some kind of rigid support for the tank (like the plastic plates in the SeaQuest Balances) over one with no rigid part. It makes me so sad to see students and new divers unable to keep the tank on their back, because it slews around so in ill-fitting, soft jackets.

I got a Mk10 for $10. I think that's a good price for a paper weight.

 

[cowdog77]

Hold off on purchases. If you can get contacts with other divers, dive clubs that would be good. A lot of people have extra gear that they would be more than happy letting you try out. You would get a lot of other opinions as well. Make sure you know why someone doesn't like a piece of equipment as it can depend on what kind of diving you do.

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Excellent suggestion........worked for me. And several times on liveaboards, nice diving folks lent me gear to try which went a long way towards deciding what really
would be most suitable for my needs.

Don't get in a hurry!

 

[Codiak]

BCD, Wetsuit, Regulators. Bigger ticket items.
Anything or any company to avoid outright?

Everyone's already said wait until certified before spending the money and that's good advice.

Advice is free but always opinionated

I perfer to do business with the manufactures so when looking at gear check if the was manufactured by the brand on the label or "re-branded".

Like most things in life, it's the reoccuring costs that will get you!
Look for parts warrenties and check shipping costs if purchasing/servicing online.

You need to understand how often and what type of diving you plan to do.

• Rental costs very widely, but if your diving 10 days a year owning your own BCD and REG can be an excellent value.
• If you plan to get use double or do technical diving in the furture you might consider a Wing and Backplate rather than a BCD.

Finish your open water, dive at a couple locations on rental gear and look at configurations the divers are using. Just start talking with other divers about why they chose what they did, most divers love talking about gear!!!!

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If we met at a resort and you asked about my gear:
I use ScubaPro for all my Open Circuit gear.
MK25 + S650 for regulators
KnightHawk for BCD
Galileo Sol dive computer with wireless air integration.

I like the free parts warrenties good at any authorized dealer and can get qualifed local service as required. The gear is manufactored by ScubaPro. The fit is comforatable and I'm on a two hose system which I perfer for OC. The Galileo has a large easy to read screen with lots of info like heart rate remaining bottom time, and not only does it tell me my air... I have it hooked to nephews tank too :shocked2:

All of that said, there will be people who won't like this configuration for any number of reasons, but it works for me!

 

[JohnB47]

If you find a good price on a wetsuit, used or on sale, that "almost" fits, you can have it altered for a reasonable price. Try to get one that has the right length in the torso, as that is the hardest thing to alter. Also, try to get one that is too big rather than too small, as it is easier to make smaller than to make it larger.

If you are interested in a Scubapro regulator, the MK17/G250 is probably the best choice for a budget - and many people prefer them at any price.

As far as I know, there are no really BAD regulators on the market any more. This was not always the case. When I started diving, there were some regs that were dangerous!

If you don't mind the buoyancy characteristics of aluminum tanks, the AL80 is the best buy on a budget.

If you want to buy a used regulator or tank, it is best to buy one that has just been serviced (reg) or just VIPed with a recent hydrostat (tank).

The most important thing about a mask is how it fits. See if you can find a cheap one that fits you well, and that will be a good buy.

There are some very different types of fins on the market. They also have to fit properly with the boots that you will be wearing. You really have to try them before buying.

I hope this helps.

 

[Jimbob1317]

I want to thank everyone who has responded to my question. As I'm sure you all have experienced, when you first got into this, you think more of buying than renting.
I plan on taking the advice of the majority of you and rent for a while (at least a year). I just wish that my LDS had taken this approach to begin with. I'll try different manufacturers each time and keep detailed notes. Who knows maybe I'll start a blog about it. Thanks again.

 

[MJJ]

I already said regulators don't always make sense because by the time you pay the used price and pay $100+ to get it serviced, you come pretty close to the purchase price of a new regulator. In that case, you might as well buy new.

It's looking like a minor service to a reg is available for about $35. So if I can pick up a primary, secondary and safe second on ebay for, say $200, then spend another $105 + shipping for the service, doesn't that compare well with buying new?

I'm going to stipulate that I won't need a major service because anything in that poor shape will be returned for a refund.

 

[Codiak]

It's looking like a minor service to a reg is available for about $35. So if I can pick up a primary, secondary and safe second on ebay for, say $200, then spend another $105 + shipping for the service, doesn't that compare well with buying new?

I'm going to stipulate that I won't need a major service because anything in that poor shape will be returned for a refund.

If any parts need replacing the price will go up quickly.
Look around locally in the 300-400 price range and you might be surprised.

 

[BarrelRoll]

I just went through the same thing, and through all of my extensive research I decided on a few items that would be my "standard buys" if I didn't find great deals on other things:

Sherwood BCs
Sherwood Brut Regulator
Suunto Cobra Computer

From every review I read, every suggestion I got from a friend, etc, these were the items that I saw used as rental gear in the most places, reviewed as indestructible and reliable, etc.

Coincidentally I didn't end up buying any of these items myself as I got an incredible deal on some slightly higher end stuff, but if I were to lose all my gear tomorrow this is the stuff I'd look at to replace it.

 

[Mayor]

Hummm. My order might be as a new diver.

Mask
Fins
Boots
Snorkel
Regulators
BP/W
Wet Suit
Hood
Gloves
Compass
Computer/bottom timer

 

[stargost]

I want to thank everyone who has responded to my question. As I'm sure you all have experienced, when you first got into this, you think more of buying than renting.
I plan on taking the advice of the majority of you and rent for a while (at least a year). I just wish that my LDS had taken this approach to begin with. I'll try different manufacturers each time and keep detailed notes. Who knows maybe I'll start a blog about it. Thanks again.

If you dive a lot and locally, you are going to be bored with renting very fast, and will want your stuff too.

Try to get a initial budget (1000, 2000, 3000) and build a good excel file. Try some configurations, ask for some quotes at your LDS, and of course the main internet stores: scubatoys, diveriteinscuba, leisurepro, divers-supply, divegearexpress, etc, etc... Some are really helping and do negotiate to get 'good' pricing.

Then, spend hours and hours on this board, looking at equipment questions. To almost a point it's become painful to browse, but then you'll get to learn a lot of tricks, and know the few people with the 'pragmatic' opinion and relatively unbiased. Or when they are really too biased, then it is for good reason ( ... )
The different advices from here will be priceless. But you have to make your own decision, mostly based on your wallet. Does it mean you'll get a SP reg and and Back plate and wing from "H" (well known Hanna Montana scuba brand), maybe maybe not.

I still think that buying gear is expensive, even if you consider it relative to other hobbies. You often figure out something you need at a time, then upgrade, then change.

From exposure suit to reg, the amount of choice and scale of $$$ is really big.
Used is a clear options. ebays, craigslist, or some local divers, but in reality, it is difficult (while possible) to get good bargain. It takes time.

Once you get to something decent, you dive, but then realize you have to spend more on additional training and cool diving ! Which is eventually what matter !

good luck !