LDS Vs. Leisurepro

[MikeR]

Recently I was shopping for regs for my wife. We decided on the Scubapro S600. The price at Leisurepro was about $145.00 less than the LDS, but the shops been pretty good to me and I dive their boat often so decided to go with them. About a month after the purchase we were on their boat and my wife had a 2nd stage freeflow issue which was not resolved on the boat so we did not dive. Upon return the shop master took the regs fixed them and gave us rain checks for the dives we missed. After this experience I will undoubtedly give him all my business.

So on Leisurepro Vs. LDS a good dive shop will win everytime. While money is definately important, I view the markup as good dive shop tax. If I have to pay it to keep them open I will gladly do so.

 

[Cave Diver]

It's nice to hear someone reporting a good experience with an LDS.

All too often, we only hear the horror stories.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[OneBrightGator]

Indeed... sounds like you got your money's worth, and found a good shop.

Ben

 

[redacted]

But what failed in a 1 month old S600?

Also, the way to avoid the loss of dives to a misbehaving kit is to carry a spare. One would cover both you and your wife.

 

[Robinhood]

Great choice!
I would definitely recommend buying any Scuba Pro reg from an LDS over LP. LP, ofcourse, doesn't come with the Scuba Pro warranty which is free parts for life as long as you get your reg serviced once a year. If I recall, the parts kit is roughly $25 - 30 and your savings is gone in 3 years. Additionally, your LDS will be none too thrilled to work on a reg that they KNOW you bought from LP. Some say, well I don't get my regs serviced every year so I keep the savings. I'm sure CaveDiver would agree with me and anyone else who participates in more of the technical side of scuba diving that you don't want to mess with life support gear. You must ensure it is working correctly. Also, the high end regs MUST be serviced every year and your simply asking for trouble if you don't keep up with the servicing.

Now that I'm rambling, I'll shut UP!

At any rate, I'm glad you got your reg fixed and a rain check.

 

[MikeR]

But what failed in a 1 month old S600?

Not really sure what the problem was. Whatever it was ordering parts was part of the solution.

She does have a backup set; unfortunately they were being serviced at the time the SP went down

 

[Titletowndiver]

I wish my LDS was that decent. Consider yourself lucky! I was getting nickel and dimed on every little thing so bad I now drive 70 miles for fills and service. :fury:

 

[GDI]

:doctor: Finding a LDS that you are comfortable with is very important. To many times we hear that the LDS caused a customer to have a bitter taste in their mouth. I have heard similar things about LP. The LDS will 9 x out of 10 provide services that LP can't or will not. Remember that the LDS has to make a living. They are restricted to what they are permitted to do with equipment in terms of sales through the store or even on the internet. There are brands that LP sells and they are not an authorized dealer. For someone who is solely worried about the cost of a piece of equipment I suggest that you look at the big picture, the intrinsic value of a LDS. The service, the personal contact, advise. Sizing of equipment, getting your hands on it looking at the quality. These things make it worth your time to visit the LDS and to purchase from them.

Another point we could add to the LDS vs LP battle is what about e-bay. Some good deals can be had, yes but to many times people have acquired equipment that really should do nothing more than sit on a shelf as an antique. Cylinders that can no longer be filled. What about e-bay?

 

[O2Addict]

My experience when I lived in Scotland is that the LDS is such a valuable resource, whilst you normally pay more for the equipment, the advice, local knowledge and support is really worth the extra cost.

I have never purchased from one of the large online retailers so I have no experience, most equipment I buy these days is either from an LDS here or from Ebay.

My advice would be if you are looking at getting just some equipment and are not worried about after care, support or advice then use a large online retailer. If you want to have a long lasting resource to rely on for service and repairs etc, the initial increase in cost is far outweighed by the continual servcie and support you will get from a LDS.

 

[Scott M]

:doctor: Another point we could add to the LDS vs LP battle is what about e-bay. Some good deals can be had, yes but to many times people have acquired equipment that really should do nothing more than sit on a shelf as an antique. Cylinders that can no longer be filled. What about e-bay?

Ebay is fine if you invest a little due diligence. Some have good luck, others not so good. I have never bought scuba gear off Ebay but I have bought a lot of other stuff. I am usually pretty cautious and have never been burnt. I have found with carefull research you can find good people to deal with on Ebay.

Last year I purchased a kegerator from a dealer on Ebay. When it arrived it had slight damage (shipping), the company sent me another one. (charged it back to FedEx) and I was told to keep the old one. It still worked but had a small scratch. Several weeks later I called the company because I was havng trouble with foaming (my fault) during that conversation I told the rep that the paint had checked a little but I wasn't worried about it and I was only telling him so they could save themselves some future problems. Two days later they sent me another one. When I called to inquire they said they didn't want me to have one with checked paint. When I asked if they were going to want this one back they again said no. I offered to pay something they said if I sent them $ 75 to offset some of the shipping they would be happy but it wasn't needed. I now have three kegerators for the price of one plus a little shipping. Can't beat that.

I guess my point ( I did have one one I started) is that it is up to the individual to do DD (Due dilegance) when buying anything scuba or not when dealing with an LDS, LP or Ebay. No one place is right for everybody. I find a good mix of all to work for me.

Scott