May I introduce myself?

[jackdav]

Thanks a million NetDoc, Mario, Alison, Butch, Joewr, Burt, Kate, Daylight, for your welcoming words, and your sagely advice. I am agonizing right now over whether to pay 500 plus 8.5% tax at my LDS for a Ranger BC, or to chance it and buy a Pro Unlimited (the BC I really want) from Leisure Pro for 549+shipping (it would cost 800 + tax at my LDS which pretty much puts it out of reach unless all I ever do is sit home and admire it). So..... the advice from this board has been food for much thought.... but just now I am at a frustrating impasse...... AND today is payday ..... What to do, what to do..... Reckon I'll sleep on it.

Cheers!

Jack

 

[TexasMike]

I'll add my H O W D Y ! ! ! as well!

$450-$500 for the Ranger is about right. That's close to the going price here in Dallas. But please remember these things when spending that much at the LDS:

1. You are buying one of the better BC's out there for recreational through moderate technical diving (I use one of these) and
2. you will more than make up the extra money spent up front at the LDS with freebies and discounts on future purchases if you continue to patronize that same shop.

.

 

[Mario S Caner]

The bottom line is that an LDS is usually going to have to sell at a more expensive price because they have to make up for more overhead as well as lack of volume. In order to get the best pricing from the manufacturer, they have to sell a certain amount of product volume throughout the year... which makes it very difficult when someone can save big bucks by clicking their mouse a few times. The online vs LDS controversy will continue...

 

[artsprite]

Welcome to the scuba board. I'm very new myself and I admire you for going through a class again. I think that is very wise. I just finished my classes today, and I know what you mean about the age. I don't know your age, but the swimming pool sessions were tiring for me and my 45 year old previously injured knees. The surface and underwater rescues were difficult for me too. I'm 5' tall and had to surface rescue a 6'3" 300 pounder.(a very nice guy,who cheated a little and kicked a few times for me) Needless to say, it wore me out dragging him to shore. We couldn't really drop weight belts because the water was so murky, so he was a lot for me to move through the water. Kind of funny now, LOL. For the underwater rescue, though, I got to rescue someone a little closer to my size. Post lots of messages and have fun!

 

[jackdav]

Hi, artsprite, and thanks for the kind words. I am 47 and I certified the first time in 1990. I think that if I had remembered it clearly I would have thought longer about going through it again. Last Sunday we did our lake snorkel dive at a local lake named Saguaro Lake, but more commonly known as "Lake Foul" (a play on the name of another Arizona lake named Lake Powell which in fact is a magnificently beautiful and breathtaking lake). Anyway, Lake Foul is just nasty... lots of gang types hang out there..... smells nasty, full of nasty clingy grass near the surface..... everyone makes nervous jokes about the "fudge snakes" which are reputed to be seen floating in the water from time to time. So anyway, if I had remembered the lake dive clearly, I might have opted for a quick refresher course instead of accompanying my wife through the entire process. However, the worst is over now and I have two more classes and two more pools coming up next Saturday and Sunday, and a Nitrox class tomorrow, and I am ready for my open water cert dives which should be big fun and should take place off California at the Catalinas next month. Before then I hope to make it to one of the cleaner lakes in Arizona a few times to exercise these old out of shape legs in my fins before I face El Pacifco again. One thing Lake Foul did was to make me wish my legs were in better condition. But all in all this is really turning out to be fun and exciting, and this time I am in a position to actually afford some gear! So, life is good!


Best of Luck to you!
Jack

 

[artsprite]

Birds of a feather. I wish I had done something to strengthen my legs first, too. You don't realize how out of shape you are until you decide to do something like this. You know, the in water stuff is not so hard on my knees, it's getting the gear to the water! I was really worn out after all the class dives, but I'm going diving this weekend. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. Best of luck finishing the classes, and let us know when you get that temp card.

 

[Liquid]

Your words:

I am agonizing right now over whether to pay 500 plus 8.5% tax at my LDS for a Ranger BC, or to chance it and buy a Pro Unlimited (the BC I really want) from Leisure Pro for 549+shipping (it would cost 800 + tax

now mine:
here's a little advice-not evrythings that's shiny and great is what you need. what you are talking about here are BCs for TECHNICAL diving and are somewhat uncomfortable for recriational diving. I myself have a Mares Vector 840 BC.
Its an old moddel, it has no shiny doodads but it is comfortable, it delivers what it needs to deliver it's quite cheap (actualy was, but the moddels that came instead are still cheap), about 250$ and way better for recriational diving than the ones youmentioned, and was used for thousands of dives, and i still use it.

I know americans tend to like shiny and well "doodadded" equipment, just think of comfortability first, technical BCs are very hard to keep good bouyancy with, aspecialy for new divers.