Looking for wetsuit and light recommendations

[AllaninHamilton]

Hi all,
Another newby here - just got my OW a month ago, only have 9 dives under my belt.
I've wanted to do this for years, and finally got the opportunity.

Absolutely loving it so far - working on getting the equalizing under control (especially that obstinate right ear!), but no big issues so far.

I'm still using loaner gear from the organization that I belong to in Hamilton, so I'm looking into building up a set of my own, but really have to keep costs down.

Does anybody have a recommendation to make regarding wetsuit types?
I plan to pick one up soon - the definite's are: - 2 piece, and 7 mm.
I've trained using a 2 piece farmer john & shortie and find it very comfortable. The vast majority of my diving will be here in Ontario, so I'll stick with the cold water gear.

I'm currently looking at a 2 piece Bare suit, but the top is a short jacket - not a shortie and not a beaver tail - would this tend to ride up? - Any suggestions on this?

Also, I'd like to pick up an inexpensive light - (can't afford a canister light, so no need to get into that!) -any suggestions on brand / type here? (flashlight / pistol grip / LED / Xenon / Halogen)?

Thanks for your indulgence - looking forward to picking a lot of brains on this board!

Allan

 

[Hatul]

How about starting with a drysuit? If you're diving in Ontario it's just a matter of time that you'll want a drysuit, so why waste money on a wetsuit?

Adam

 

[rongoodman]

There have been some really good deals on used drysuits showing up here lately, depending on your size. The economy seems to be killing the prices people are getting for used equipment. I recently got a killer deal on a DUI 30/30 from their factory close-out page--it's worth taking a look, since it changes frequently.

 

[_Blue]

I decided to go with Princeton Tec Miniwave II (paid around $35 USD) and the Princeton Tec Amp 1.0 as a backup (paid around $12 USD). I know there are more expensive/brighter lights out there but for my first lights, I couldn't resist the prices and so far I haven't been disappointed with their performance.

 

[Wayward Son]

for recreation diving, 2 general tips on lights:

1) Get LED heads. Battery life is twice as long & you don't have to worry about replacing rather expensive bulbs. The one in my older Ikelight costs about $15.

2) Buy lights with lifetime warranties. It's not if they fail, it's when. The Ikelight 8C has failed once & been repaired, then failed & required replacement -which Ikelight handled promptly, new light in my hands in a week total. Both of my Princeton Tec shockwaves are now out for repair/replacement & I have a smaller Ikelight that quit working at depth yesterday -I was using it bc my primary had failed- but now works on the surface. I'll try it at depth the next time out to see if that's repeatable, but my guess is I'll be sending it off, too.

 

[Wayward Son]

oh, and #3:

3) If your lights are over a year old, pick up another so you have at least one while getting one or more of the older ones replaced, LOL