How to try before you buy equipment?

[x509v3]

From everything I've read "fit" and "comfort" are key factors in things like BCs and regs. As I check out this equipment in my LDS, I'm trying BCs on over my street clothes and am unconfortable sticking regs into my mouth of the shelf ("did the family just in here before me do the same thing?!"

It seems getting wet is the only way to accurately gauge if it's worth purchasing.

So what's the acceptable rule of thumb here? Should a LDS let you try equip you're interested in? Do only the "good ones"? If the LDS doesn't have a pool attached to the store, do most let you rent or borrow new equipment? For how long?

If stores do not do this, there's not much advantage over an online store...but I want to support the LDS where I've taken classes and am building a relationship.

I'd appreciate any insights to a newly certified diver. thanks!

bill

 

[tombiowami]

Around here some stores have good stuff in rental and some do not. The store I took my OW class from would let us try stuff off the shelf during class but I have not tried since then. I think they might have a rent to buy deal but did not check on it. I kind of went the route of finding out what stuff I wanted from questions on the boards and friends and then bought mainly from the stores. In general I do all the research I can and then make what I call "the best informed decision I can at the time"
this way if I look back with remorse or hesitation I am confident I did the best I could and in the future I have more or different info and chalk it up to experience. I figure the more I dive the more gear I will be exposed to and will change my mind from time to time, just part of it. I got stuff that is good solid across the board gear that lots of people had and recommnended. LDS support goes beyond the initial purchase in most cases. I bought most of my stuff from lds, but as I learn more about the gear and what I want, that could change, though some shops come very close to matching prices and you get much better help when something does not fit. Sending stuff back/exchanging can be very time consuming and bothersome.
Some stuff can only really be tried over many circumstances to see if you like it. Wet suits will fit and be comfortable in very different ways depending on depth and temp and the changes. My bc barely fits on the surface, but get to 35 feet and it needs tightening. On the other hand I just lost some weight so the suit is a bit big in the belly, maybe I will gain it back and it could be tight. I eventually found a store with very knowledgeable and honest folks and use them most of the time now.

Tommy

 

[TexasMike]

Tom's info is spot on. Now that you have found some gear that deserves the next level of investigation, it's time to find a shop that has the right level of customer service to help you make up your mind.

When I had made up my mind that the Zeagle Ranger BC was the one that I wanted, I found a shop where the shop owner was also a fan of the Ranger and allowed me to try out his BC in the pool. He also let me used the Zeagle Reg that I was interested in. So I put on his gear, slipped on my fins, and hopped into the water. 20 minutes later I was sold on the fact that the Ranger was exactly what I wanted.

A diving friend has stated, "Finding a the right dive shop for you is a lot like finding the church that you want to attend. Each will help you get to the same place, but only a few will get you there in a way that you like and want to support."

So go back to the shops that have the equipment and explain that you are very close to making a purchase, but you want to actually dive with the equipment to be sure that "BC 'A' and "Reg 'B'" are the ones that you really want. If the shop is of the helpful sort, and they see that you are fairly serious about spending your money with them, then they should allow you to "test dive" the gear in a local pool. If they don't then I'd reconsider spending money there. Think about this, would you buy a car or truck without test driving it first to see if you like how it handles and "feels"? Dive gear is much the same way. How it feels on dry land is completely different on how it behaves underwater.

I wish you good luck in your hunt for quality gear. And if I or the other ScubaBoarders can help you, please ask away. Oh, and be sure to post your results of your hunt, we like seeing if we really did help you out.

(gosh, I'm about as wordy as Joewr! <<sly snicker>>)

 

[The Chairman]

I hate to admit that, him being from Texas and all, but

A great LDS will go out of their way to let you try their stuff out. Mine has a generous return policy, if things just don't work out, and he has offered some to come dive with a class and see if they like it. He ain't that cheap, but I like his attitude. Way to go Don and the crew!!!

:all: