It was the best of buys, it was the worst of buys . . .

[stiebs]

Best Buy: Getting rid of my 10y.o Oceanic Omega for $400 after spending $350 on its last service, then getting a Aqualung Legend instead.

Worst Buy: Buying that Aqualung legend, because now whenever I find myself in a position to use someone else's reg, it's never as good!

Another Best Buy: CLX450 drysuit. After over a decade of diving 7+7 wet, I don't know why I didn't go dry sooner.

Another Worst Buy: Getting a Sony DSC-P10 w/ housing on impulse after drowning my DSC-P5 by not checking the o-ring. I should have spent more time researching and gone straight to the DSLR rig I now have.

 

[jpsexton]

My best buy was an Oceanic Delta3/DX4 with VersaPro console bought on ebay for $80 and a $50 rebuild for it.

My worst buy is all the masks I have bought trying to find one that does not leak, don't give me a headache, and that I can see through. I won't tell you how many I've bought trying to find one. I still keep falling back to my first mask ever that has terrible periphial vision.

 

[m3830431]

Best Buy Apeks ATX 50 with an Egress Octo with warranty for Liesurepro price. An Aeris Atmos 2 console for better than Leisurepro from Larry before they where discontinues and were being closed out for more.

Worst Buy an AL 80

 

[billtodive]

good buys:
$300 Quickie "weekend, mediocre, forgot most of it the same week" OW course.
But the short time commitment brought me underwater ( and my daughter with me). AOW, Rescue, and a hundred plus hours weightless would never have happened without first getting me diving! Forever thankfull for that!

$36 Scuba Pro solid plastic (box) backpack ebay; included 3 vintage masks, some small items, vintage dive mags, and like new *** SP jets ***. my size


$165 OW lessons (from a good local shop) bought on a radio auction.
The shop owner told me about the unsold class when I was in the shop buying minor stuff! Did I mention I like that shop?

$500 initial ($1800 final cost) 20 foot Pontoon with 55hp motor. I replaced the floor and console, fixed the motor (fuse), and added a 350lb capacity ladder.

My wife didn't realize it was a dive boat untill she saw the tank rackpriceless
PS: Great thread, reminds us to be thankful. I'll check it when I get back from Coz

 

[do it easy]

My Best Buy has been my p-valve- it provides great comfort while diving and gives me the confidence to hydrate with abandon!

I don't have anything that I would consider a Worst Buy, although I do regret NOT buying two AL40s when I bought one last year. Why buy one, when you can buy two for twice the price?

 

[DiveMaven]

Best buy: My Zeagle regs and Aeris AI computer for an outstanding price from ScubaToys. Still love them 3 years later.

Worst buy: My SeaQuest Diva BC from ebay...hated it and sold it less than a year later after 20 dives for what I bought it for. Only bought it originally because "everyone" has a Diva, and it was the "best" BC out there. Uh, NOT (for me at least)!

 

[The Kraken]

Best buy . . . my "gas passer" course (Gas Blender). The complete course cost $175. With annual vis and O2 cleaning requirements for 10 tanks at about $40/tank, it was a no-brainer. Made my tank tumbler from stuff I had lying around.

Worst buy. . . some Tusa "Platina" fins. Ended up hating them.

And the . . .
Worst of the worst. . . my open water certification!!! Dear God, look at all the money I've spent!!!!

the K

 

[D_B]

:lol: OW ... Boy, do you have that right ... $ 4,646.45 Total so far ( my gear & training )

Good deals ... (besides joining ScubaBoard)
most all my gear, purchased at my LDS ...

$255 Oceanic VEO 200 comp and console
$269 SP Mk18/G250HP
$280 Worthington HP 100

And From reading here at Scubaboard, I think that I got the long deal on my traning ...

_____________________________-Course + Materials + Cert
PADI Open Water ....................... $85.00 + $34.00 + $25.95
Advanced Open Water .............. $150.00 + $24.95 + $25.95
National Geographic Diver ............. $25.00 + $65.00 + $25.95
Eme. First Response + DAN O2....... $65.00 + $32.90 + $32.95
Rescue Diver..............................$100.00 + $29.95 + $25.95
Nitrox.........................................$99.00 + $45.95 + $25.95
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ $ 916.60
(yes, I know .. too many certs, not enough dives ;-)

Worst ..
My Al80
and paying full pop on my SP Knighthawk $575 ... I think I want a BP&W

 

[talonraid]

WORST BUY (hands down): My ex-wife. Has cost me a fortune and I still haven't finished paying it off. Worst liability I've ever seen. Anyone want to take over payments?

BEST BUYS: Membership in this board, which has already put me lightyears ahead of having to learn everything by experience alone.
My Zeagle Ranger BC. I just happened to walk into a LDS and mentioned I was going to buy one from Scubatoys. The salesman tried to meet or beat the price...made a calculator error and got it for $100 below Scubatoys. The LDS owner was not so happy but honored the deal when she found out what her salesman had done. Sorry about that Joe & Larry. I made it up to Scubatoys by buying damned near everything else I own from them.

 

[Carribeandiver]

BEST BUYS: Scuba Board cause I aint paid em anything yet. The 3 trips I 'won' on the DAN auction - trip back to Bay Island Beach Resort in Roatan for around 600 bucks and another Blackbeard cruise for around 500 bucks and a 5 day Cozumel trip for $137.00. I just bought some Jets off of e-bay for $33, waiting to see if that is a best buy. Got a great mask from Salvo for 30 bucks and I love it. Got a keen little knife from Salvo for $25 and I love it too. And Blackbeard liveaboards, accommodations suck, but you cant beat the diving at their normal $900 rate for the week.
WORST BUYS: I paid this guy of Mundelein Illinois $410 for a SmartCom, he got the $410 and I got nothing. He used to use the name ScubaIteach. And I have a whole closet full of dive gear that I either will never use or will never again use. Now I have to figure out how to sell stuff on e-bay.
Most befundlements: In less than 9 months I have spent around $10,000 on dive gear and that doesnt count the trips. I pay more to dive than I do for my house payments. And I am not close to Jacque Cousteau in skill, yet.