May I introduce myself?

[jackdav]

Hello,
This by way of introduction. My name is Jack, and I live in Phoenix. I am learning to dive for the second time. The first time was in 1990. I did my open water check out dive, got certified, went shallow water diving in Mexico a half dozen times with borrowed equipment, and then got involved with a woman who is deathly terrified of swimming. And since I was on a pretty strict budget, I kinda became less involved in diving until I was completely uninvolved.
But now I am married to a woman who is extremely keen to scuba dive, AND I am in a position to buy some equipment. I am taking scuba classes with my wife at a local school as a refresher .... the pool work was a little easier 10 years ago when I was 36! .... and of course I am able to be a little smug, having already gotten my open water cert. So I am looking to find unbiased (by commercial interests) opinions on what to buy and where. The dive shop where I am taking lessons seems to be a bit pricey and to be dedicated to selling students as much expensive stuff as humanly possible. One guy there told me that all employees were sworn, yes "sworn" not to endorse any other store or its products. So, I feel like I am in need of a second (or third) source of information and opinion. I am especially interested in finding places to get good deals on equipment online. I have already found one called Leisure Pro which seems pretty good to me. Is it known here? Good or bad rep? Are there others like it? Better than it? Well, this looks like a great forum from what I've seen so far. I guess I toddle off to the BC forum and ask some novice questions there about what BCs are considered to be good deals.

Best Regards,
Jack in Phoenix

 

[daylight]

It's good to see another "mature" diver joining in.

Leisure Pro has some +'s and -'s. You already are leary of the shop you are taking your classes from, so shop around some of the other shops in the area. IMHO, BC and Reg are best purchased from a local shop so you can obtain personal service. The rest of your gear is pretty much commodity stuff so go with good name brands and best price.

Enjoy being back in the water.

DSAO

 

[Mario S Caner]

Hello Jack & SO, welcome back to diving and thus the ScubaSource family. You will find a wealth of information here on the boards. Everyone is always willing and able to help out whenever possible.

Leisure-Pro experiences are up and down with most people. You'll find that's it's usually 50/50. There's plenty of good and bad experiences to speak of. My recommendation to you would be to check their prices on specific pieces of gear you are interested in, and visit your LDS (Local Dive Shop) armed with the knowledge. Then see if they are willing to meet you somewhere in the middle.

I'd also encourage you to start sifting through past threads in the Equipment section of the forum for useful info on specific types of gear. Hope this gets you started!


Sea you in the Deep Blue!

 

[scubakat]

Welcome "Jack in Pheonix". I agree with Mario & Daylight. There are certain pieces of equipment that I will only buy from a local dive shop (LDS). I guess *my* rule is, if it has to fit, or be fitted, then I buy locally, unless I know my size and am absolutely confident that what I am buying will work. I like having a relationship with my LDS... I have to go there at least twice a week for air. But just like everything else in diving, fit & comfort are #1 priority. That means your LDS too!

-kate

 

[ScubaBurt]

Welcome Jack,
Glad you found Scuba Board and the woman interested in diving. Like you I have a better half that loves to dive almost as much as I do. She is a wonderful wife and dive buddy(not that she is reading this over my shoulder or anything). It really does make a marriage work if you both have fun with each other instead of apart. It has worked 28 years for us. About the equipment, I agree with the advice given. The Local Dive Shop may be a little higher in price because they are smaller than the "warehouse' online sites or catalog shops. However, they can give you great service when you are in need of a good line of equipment. Sure, they want to sell you their brand but, if it doesn't fit, look right or heaven forbid, doesn't work, a reputable shop will either make it right by exchange or money back. Our shop has an on site pool and we can always try before we buy. Remember, after you obtain the equipment you have to have it serviced and you will need that LDS relationship to be trustworthy. You want a friend servicing your reg and pumping tanks. They real problem you have now is you always have to buy x 2. Welcome again to "The Family of Scuba Board". Good Diving.

 

[joewr]

Jack,

Barbara and I are buddy team, too, and it is great! And it is so nice to sit around the pool apres diving and have all four people among two couples recount the day's wonders--as Flo and Burt and Barbara and I did in Cozumel one sunny afternoon. We actually met for the first time at that pool and it remains a very fond memory for Barbara and me.

And neither Burt nor Flo is looking over my shoulder since we live 3,000 miles apart!

At any rate, welcome and enjoy your scuba--but, heck, that is easy to do!

Joewr

 

[Butch103]

Jack, Welcome to another "Wet Head" waiting to join the throngs of divers whom will take over the earth. Ha Ha Ha lol. My wife just certified this summer and is a great dive buddy. Butch

 

[keralucu]

Hi Jack and welcome back to the wonderful world of scuba. While I have neither a husband as my buddy p) or the knowhow to offer advice on equipment purchase, specially as I'm in another part of the world to you, I do want to say that you have come to the right place to ask all your questions and some of our most esteemed members, Mario, Scubakat and Joewr have already given you some feedback. (Now what does SHE want? I hear you ask - nothing... just =-x-ing a few scuba butts!)

Enjoy it here - it's the best place to be when you're not in the water!

Cheers from Thailand

 

[Mario S Caner]

LOL! Thanks Alison... I feel much better now!

 

[The Chairman]

Hey JackDav,

The problem with these regulators is that they tend to stick together and gang up on ya... I'll watch your back, if you watch mine!

As for online vs. local, I prefer the later by a long shot. I have had more promises broken over the internet on regulators and BCs than I care to think about. But the local shop knows they have to deal with you f2f.

However, sometimes you can only find certain things online... like the Seal Reel, the Pony Tamer, certain hardware, Spring Straps for fins. These companies tend to deal straight... just watch out for those deals that are "too good to be true"... they usually are!


:all: