Some people are tellling me I could save money by mixing gear or going to websites. To be honest I don't trust leisure pro because they aren't a certified dealer for any of the stuff they sell.
That's no longer
true. Afaik - and I've checked several brands - the only one they're still not authorized for is
Aqualung. A simple way to check is if their prices are the same as other online retailers - they are.
Don't be wowed by "Platinum Reseller" as that means they're required by dealer contract to
only stock certain Scubapro lines
exclusively - judging from my local Platinum Reseller thats regs and bc's because they sell other brand suits. Scubapro doesn't make a computer I'm interested in so I don't follow those.
It doesn't make the Scubapro gear sold through a Platinum Reseller any better, cheaper or impact their warranty. If LeisurePro has a better price and you buy your ScubaPro gear there, your local dealer is obligated by his dealer agreement to provide warranty service and FPFL. Compare LeisurePro, beaverdivers (one of our members) and your local shop - chances are the prices will be identical.
One other thing is
call LeisurePro instead of basing your cost comparisons on their website price. And your local dealer also. Most dealer agreements require public advertising of a mfr's gear be done at MSRP or MAP - I know from my SP dealer they have 10% lee-way from Scubapro. Some apply it, some don't.
fwiw, Parts are typically 10% of the total cost of a service where I live so don't make that your sole reason for your selections. Also if you plan to dive in NJ or that region, almost all the Scubapro line this year - except the Mk21 - has been upgraded to their EVO line which is components specifically selected/modified for better cold water performance. Best of the SP diaphragm models is the Mk17 - IDK the 2nds they pair it with.
Inherently Diaphragm-based regulators are better in Cold water also since most/all of the moving parts on one are shielded by the diaphragm itself. On Piston models most reg mfr's provide an optional sealing kit which consists of a cap with some silicone-based grease that provides increased tolerance to lower temperatures. I dive Atomics and that's how they do it since their entire line is piston-based - I'm
relatively sure the Mk25 does also w/o having to check.
If you can afford it, I wouldn't let anyone here talk you out of the MK25 - I was all set to buy one (Mk25T/S600T) until I compared with Atomic. I really would've been happy with either one but in the end the 2 year service interval sold me on Atomic. Their seat-saver orifice makes sense for someone like me who only travels to dive - often once or more times per year.
Although people think Scubapro overpriced - I think you get what you pay for. It's a reliable company owned by a major corporation so likely to be around for a while. I feel the same about the Huish owned companies, Atomic, Zeagle, Bare etc.
Plus their worldwide dealer network is probably second only to Aqualung which may prove useful during travel. It did for me once, I blew something powering-up my reg (Atomic) - sat out that dive, the captain said he'd drop it with their reg tech while we ate lunch and as we were re-boarding the reg tech handed me my fixed reg an hour later. Because they had the part in-stock on Roatan.
hth,