That's a good question. The answer is that I really don't have one.
I wear a lot of gear from one company, but that is for the same reason that I used to be a walking ScubaPro billboard--I was the tech instructor for a shop that sold that line and got me excellent discounts on that gear. That is the only reason I use that gear. I obviously think the gear is OK, or I would not use it. Do I believe it is the best? No--but that requires some explanation.
My last tech diving happened two weekends ago. I just searched my memory and decided that I used gear from 8 different companies. I am about to go on an extended recreational dive trip in about a week, and for those dives, I will use gear from 7 different companies. I could be forgetting something.
Some of the reasons for the diversity:
- Time passes, and gear accumulates. On the tech trip, I took 3 different brands of canister lights. Two of them were selected because of past shop affiliation. Each one had once been my primary, but 2 were eventually surpassed as technology changed. I actually used all 3 that weekend for unusual reasons.
- Different companies have different strengths. I have learned over time not to get some kinds of gear from a company that sells other stuff I will use readily.
- I am no longer tied to a dive shop, so I can buy whatever brand I want. Fortunately, I still get a good discount from a couple different sources, so I can pick and choose.
- I believe that for a lot of gear, there is little difference in the choices, so I go with the best price available.
- With tech gear, many of the options are from companies small enough that you can know the owner, either personally or by reputation, and that definitely flavors my choices. When I like an owner and/or his reputation, I will prefer that company when making a choice, and I will recommend it to friends. The opposite is also true. There is one popular choice I will not consider when buying gear because I have no desire to support that owner.
