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

[river_sand_bar]

Best Buy.... OW cert for my son for Christmas... we spend more time together now diving then ever before.

Worst Buy... Aqua lung Micra regulator... good reg, light weight... too small of exit ports so lots and lots of bubbles when trying to take pictures.

 

[Cacia]

Titanium Suunto Stinger, grey market at half price, Best buy.

Used Glacier Bay power cat that a former Marine Continental pilot sold us for less money because he liked JB.

Worst Buy...group dive trips where you are on everyone else's program, (jellyfish lake! boring tours)

Great buy: Bali trip, Palau, on the "day by day" plan. Raining? don't get up, don't pay. Why did it take me so long to figure this out? Doing whatever you want is the best bargain going...

 

[Colliam7]

So . . . What are your best deals? What did you find that you either got a great price on, or figured out how to replace an expensive piece of equipment with something that works just as well but is far cheaper?

I think you like gear! Seems you may have also started a fascinating thread about a year ago on gear purchases that people most regretted making. I recently went back and summarized the 60+ responses to that thread, to see if there is a David Letterman Top Ten (there isn't). But, it may stimulate additional enlightening discussion on this thread, as gear we really regret buying would seem to be a bad deal. The responses were fascinating, appearing to fall into four broad categories: 1) gear considered clearly useless; 2) a brand or model of gear with which a poster had a unique, bad experience; 3) gear that didn’t ultimately match their personal preference, and 4) gear that some liked and some regretted. A very rough, not statistically validated, summary of gear that people ultimately seem to MOST REGRET BUYING goes something like this:

1. Snorkels in general, particularly big snorkels, and dry snorkels
2. Small independent air sources, particularly Spare Airs, as well as small pony bottles (anything less than 19cf)
3. Combo octo/inflators
4. Colorful (pink, yellow, etc.) gear (exposure suits, fins, mask)
5. CHEAP gear (safety sausages, lights, reels)
6. BIG knives, cheap (rustable) knives, titanium knives
7. Jacket BCs instead of back-inflation models, and BCs instead of BP/W
8. AL 80 tanks instead of steel, and yoke valves instead of DIN valves
9. Computers that are air-only, console-mount instead of wrist-mount, and those with small read-outs
10. Masks with a big volume, a clear skirt, or a purge feature, and, of course, masks that leak
11. Gear bags that are too big (e.g. a huge Pelican hard case) or too small. Duffle gear style instead of backpack style bags. Bags that are cheap, and have metal zippers that rust
12. Split fins
13. Gadgets, such as retractors, tank bangers, shakers / noise makers
14. Exposure suits that don’t fit (too small, too big), thick wetsuits (7 mm, even 5 mm), and stock size drysuits
15. Brass snaps instead of SS
16. Certain dive lights, such as expensive, handheld lights (instead of canister lights), tank lights, and cheap back-up lights that leaked

(At this point, those ready to spit at me for insulting their precious pink tanks and yellow fins should remember, this is just what others said, not MY preferences.)

Based on those responses, the profile of those most likely to DIVE WITHOUT REGRET (DWR, rather than DIR) seems to be those who wear a custom-fit, all black drysuit, with a small-volume black-skirted mask, dive a BP/W with DIN steel tanks and a 40cf pony, a canister light, a nitrox-capable wrist computer, and a small pair of cutting shears attached with SS clips. Their fins are black, and not split, but may or may not be attached with springs instead of straps. These divers write underwater with a slate or Wet Notes depending on their preference, but don’t use a tank banger or shaker to make noise. Above all, they won’t ever use a snorkel!

Hmmm. I need to sell some gear, I think.

 

[lmorin]

Best buy--designed a custom package of BC, computer and regs which the LDS sold to me at a substantial discount. Also, a light-weight, wheeled duffle bag big enough to hold 2 sets of gear for only $95 from a non-diving internet site. Also, the Apollo Bio-tank lock I bought for my wife was a best buy because it really works as advertised and my wife likes it.

Worst buy--small inexpensive dive slate that was lost on its first dive. (I suppose the "lost on its first dive" opens up a whole different topic!)

 

[Diver0001]

I think you like gear! Seems you may have also started a fascinating thread about a year ago on gear purchases that people most regretted making. I recently went back and summarized the 60+ responses to that thread, to see if there is a David Letterman Top Ten (there isn't). But, it may stimulate additional enlightening discussion on this thread, as gear we really regret buying would seem to be a bad deal. The responses were fascinating, appearing to fall into four broad categories: 1) gear considered clearly useless; 2) a brand or model of gear with which a poster had a unique, bad experience; 3) gear that didn’t ultimately match their personal preference, and 4) gear that some liked and some regretted. A very rough, not statistically validated, summary of gear that people ultimately seem to MOST REGRET BUYING goes something like this:

1. Snorkels in general, particularly big snorkels, and dry snorkels
2. Small independent air sources, particularly Spare Airs, as well as small pony bottles (anything less than 19cf)
3. Combo octo/inflators
4. Colorful (pink, yellow, etc.) gear (exposure suits, fins, mask)
5. CHEAP gear (safety sausages, lights, reels)
6. BIG knives, cheap (rustable) knives, titanium knives
7. Jacket BCs instead of back-inflation models, and BCs instead of BP/W
8. AL 80 tanks instead of steel, and yoke valves instead of DIN valves
9. Computers that are air-only, console-mount instead of wrist-mount, and those with small read-outs
10. Masks with a big volume, a clear skirt, or a purge feature, and, of course, masks that leak
11. Gear bags that are too big (e.g. a huge Pelican hard case) or too small. Duffle gear style instead of backpack style bags. Bags that are cheap, and have metal zippers that rust
12. Split fins
13. Gadgets, such as retractors, tank bangers, shakers / noise makers
14. Exposure suits that don’t fit (too small, too big), thick wetsuits (7 mm, even 5 mm), and stock size drysuits
15. Brass snaps instead of SS
16. Certain dive lights, such as expensive, handheld lights (instead of canister lights), tank lights, and cheap back-up lights that leaked

(At this point, those ready to spit at me for insulting their precious pink tanks and yellow fins should remember, this is just what others said, not MY preferences.)

Based on those responses, the profile of those most likely to DIVE WITHOUT REGRET (DWR, rather than DIR) seems to be those who wear a custom-fit, all black drysuit, with a small-volume black-skirted mask, dive a BP/W with DIN steel tanks and a 40cf pony, a canister light, a nitrox-capable wrist computer, and a small pair of cutting shears attached with SS clips. Their fins are black, and not split, but may or may not be attached with springs instead of straps. These divers write underwater with a slate or Wet Notes depending on their preference, but don’t use a tank banger or shaker to make noise. Above all, they won’t ever use a snorkel!

Hmmm. I need to sell some gear, I think.

This is a terrific post. I love non-biased assessments like this. My compliments.

Are the cliff notes still on sticky? This post (or part of it) should be added to the cliff-notes.

R..

 

[garyfotodiver]

Best Buy #1: The advanced courses that I took in 2004-2005.

Best Buy #2: Finding a clean used Conshelf 3 regulator on eBay.

Worst Buy: None. I take responsibility for researching before I buy something. Caveat Emptor.

 

[TSandM]

This thread's a little different, though -- Both of the things I listed as worst buys are things I wanted and don't regret owning. I just should have gotten them smarter.

I forgot to list under "Best buys" the Aquaholics membership I have at Northwest Sports Divers. All the Nitrox I can breathe for $400 a year, plus discounts on everything I buy at the store. I broke even on that one in about two months . . .

 

[amascuba]

I forgot to list under "Best buys" the Aquaholics membership I have at Northwest Sports Divers. All the Nitrox I can breathe for $400 a year, plus discounts on everything I buy at the store. I broke even on that one in about two months . . .

That's an awful lot of Nitrox. What did you do? Setup a Nitrox respirator for surface intervals too?

 

[redacted]

Not so best buys: The used Scubapro regulators I got a very nice price on, which have lost their chrome and corrode quickly, and require frequent and not inexpensive service. In the long run, they're going to cost me easily as much as I would have spent for them new and in warranty, with the "parts for life" program.
.

My best buys are the used Scubapro regulators I have picked up on ebay, probably 6 or 7 sets plus some odd 2nds. I do my own service Or that first service can add significantly to the cost. But even those showing their age in brass perform well in FW and SW (lots of soaking), and last for years before another "full" service.

Worst buy: A couple spare airs top that pile. Unfortunately, my jet fins are in that pile also - they just don't like my high arches. And then there are a couple pieces of my wife's neoprene wardrobe that just take up room in the closet.

 

[tedtim]

Best buy = my OW course, it does not matter what agency. Without it I would not be diving and would not have met a bunch of really nice folks over the past few years.

Worst buy = EFR course. I don't know how they get away with that name. I won't do that again, but rather take a course that actually will teach something useful about first aid.