I was looking for some help buying equiptment

[Burner]

Hi,
I basically need everything. I would like to try to keep my budget around $1000 if possible but might be willing to spend a little more. Does anyone have any suggestions on what equiptment to buy? I want everything to be nitrox compatible so I won't have to upgrade it. For a computer I would prefer air integrated with a large display, but it might not fit into my budget.
I found this on an ebay store, is it a good deal or should I be looking for something else?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3608101171&category=1300
Thanks for the help.

 

[Boogie711]

without knowing what sort of diving you want to do. Are you a vacation diver looking to hang out in the Carribean, a local Quarry rat, or looking to dive the Andrea Doria some year in the future?

I won't comment specifically on the Dacor Rig - I'll leave others to do that, but let me say that without seeing what they're going to say, I agree with them.

(that's my diplomatic way of saying "run away.")

I'll give you a good search term - go to the search function of this website and type in "Dacor Rig." And for fun, type in "Dacor junk"

 

[ScubaPete]

I was aboutto by used then I realized for a few extra bucks I could get exactly what I wanted and had a choice. Check out leisurepro.com if your LDS is too expencive I just bought two apeks regulators and an oceanic dive computer for around 800 bucks. Im looking at a BCD for around 250 then all i need is a mask and fins. Nice thing is that you can buy a few things at a time and wait on the expencive stuff if you want.

Check it out

 

[Burner]

Thanks for the quick replies. It sounds like the dacor isn't a good idea to get.
I will be mainly diving off the california coast, both monterrey and catalina. I will also do some trips to more tropical areas like SE asia and Hawaii so I want the equiptment to be able to do pretty much everything. I don't currently plan on diving anything colder then monterrey which is at probably 50F at the lowest, but closer to 55 most of the time.
I want to be able to do at least 4 dives a day so I would prefer to dive on some nitrox to extend bottom time on later dives.
For a computer I like the look of the Oceanic Datamax Pro Plus 2. I don't think I would like wrist mounted computers, and I like the air integrated idea.
For regulators I'm not really too sure which one is good. My local shop said that all the regulators will work with up to 40% nitrox, but most of the online descriptions don't say that.
I was thinking of ScubaPro MK2 Plus/R190 Regulator or Atomic Aquatics - Z1 Regulator
For the octopus I'm fairly open to recommendations.
The BCD I would like a few recommendations as well. I will night dive and do some photography (or rather try to)
I will also need a drysuit, I saw a couple of deals that leisure pro for the whole drysuit package does anyone have any comments on these? I also found an used DUI CF200X for $670 does anyone know about that?

As for my local dive shop they seem extremely expensive. The package deals are more then double the online pricing. If anyone has recommendations on good dive shops in the santa clara area I would check them out.

 

[SeaJay]

I like the metal plate. Frankly, though, I believe that after a few hundred dives you'd want to get rid of some of the excess things which do little to improve your dive... Like the cummerbund and the extra D-rings. There are simpler, yet similar systems out there that would cost less, be more durable, and do exactly what you want.

A 75 lift wing is pretty huge. If you don't need that much lift, then I would recommend something smaller. You'll find that a smaller wing gets in the way less, is easier to pack and dry, and is many times more streamlined in the water. The favored wings here on this board seem to be less than 30 pounds of lift for single tanks, and less than 50 with doubles.

I've never dived that particular computer or the regulator, so I can't comment on their performance. I can tell you, though, that they were not on the top of the lists in Rodale's recent reg tests.

I recommend doing some research. Rodale's site is http://www.scubadiving.com , but only look at this as a guide; remember that their mag accepts outside advertising, and that might influence their decisions. That said, they seem to be somewhat "on" with my personal experiences with the dozen or so regs that I've personally tried.

I also recommend looking at independent divers' opinions here on this board... Search around and I think you'll find the sort of information that can be really helpful. There are many advocates here of the backplate and wing (like what you're looking at, but simpler) and Scubapro and Apeks regs seem to be the most popular due to their reputations, performance, servicability, warranties, simplicity, and hose routing. I've heard positive comments about Aqualung and Atomics regs too.

Lastly (and most importantly) I would recommend trying out the gear as much as possible. Many shops will allow you to try it out before purchasing, and if you're buying a package and have good prices for the online stuff, you may find a dive shop willing to work a good deal for you. They have the ability to throw in air fills, annual service, and things of the sort. Just remember to include shipping costs when comparing prices. No doubt you'll find better prices online, but with all of the extra services and freebies that a dive shop can offer, it may be worthwhile to keep your business there.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[Burner]

Both of the regulators I posted were testors choice in the most recent review on scubadiving.com one in the cheapest category and one in the middle category. Can someone give me a link to the wing system so I can read some more about it. Do you have to buy a bunch of different wings for different situations? I'll mainly be doing single tank diving, probably always in my wetsuit once I get it, but possibly in a 3 mil suit in tropical areas.
Are you talking about something like this?
http://s1059kxm.leisurepro.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=85745&prmenbr=946
How much lift would I want for the type of diving I'm doing?

 

[ScubaPete]

If your gonna be planning 4 dives a day I would buy the best possible gear you can no matter the price. If you buy cheap thats what you'll be doing./...buying and buying and buying

Make sure to try stuff out at you lds for comert if you can

 

[Phish-phood]

I recently tried out a set of Dacor regs on a holiday and they were okay. Not fantastic but okay, they did the job and that is the best I can say about them.

If you are diving in a drysuit them I presume it's coldwater diving you will be doing, if so then apeks and Scubapro do some very good coldwater rated regs as do Oceanic.
Sunnto do very good computers, both wrist mounted and for consoles. I use a Vyper which suits me, it has large display and can be used with Nitrox when I get that far!
I don't know what the tax/VAT rules are like if you b in the UK but I am pretty sure you can claim it back in which case I would recommend you take a look at Diverswarehouse which is similar to LeisurePro but an authorised dealer so warranty isn't a problem. Also a shop called GoDive in Derby does some very good prices, among the cheapest in the UK.

You'll find some very mixed views on the board as everyone has their personal preference for kit. In the end it comes down to what you yourself like and the way to find that out is to try different kit. Maybe your LDS will let you try some before you buy or maybe you can hire some things.

 

[RICHinNC]

As one of the early astronauts said....."""how would you like to ride to space on the lowest bidder??""

i would recommend saving up a little longer and get good gear...if not ....the price you pay could be higher than you ever imagined.

 

[cornfed]

Kinda surprised no one has gotten around to this yet...

How much experience do you have? Did you just get certified? Still in OW class? If you're new and don't have many dives logged I would highly recommend renting gear for a while. I know it's more expensive and can be frustrating but in the long run it will pay off. Before buying my BC I rented a stab jacket, back inflate jacket and Dive Rite Transpac II. I also found a shop that rented BP&Wings but never got around to renting one. In the end I think i was much better informed and I made a better decision then had I rushed out a bought the first rig I could afford. A lot of people seem to drop a lot of money early only to replace things relatively soon. Renting can help avoid this because you can try different types of gear and while diving meet other divers and learn about their gear. Dive gear is expensive and well worth the price of a few rentals to "research" your purchase.

Cornfed