I went to a local dive shop today to sign up for my cert. I really like the environment and the instructor I spoke with. I didn't even have to ask questions they were right on the ball. But they wanna sell me some very expensive equipment. Here is a list of the equipment they want to sell me, I need you guys to help me since I was set on buying used.
You really really should wait until after your OW course. I can't stress that enough. When I first got certified I got the following gear:
-Beuchat 7mm semidry wetsuit - I like this
-Scubapro Ladyhawk BC (female version of the one in your package) - I just HATED this BC and I spent a fortune on it, my biggest purchasing regret. I asked the shop for a BP/W and they told me only technical divers use them and I believed that and ended up with this. It takes a tonne of lead to sink and the air does not distribute evenly so I was having floaty feet. I thought this was just me but have loaned it out and they said they have floaty feet too (when this has never been a problem for them before). The pocket is crap and there are way too many pieces hanging off the straps. A strap on it broke after only 80 or so dives (I take care of my gear) too.
Not even 12 months after certification I have replaced this with OMS BP/W - 32lb wing, SS BP and hog harness. It was MUCH cheaper than my BC, a million times more comfortable and it is very modular. One good thing about having a spare BC now is I have friends I can loan my rejected gear too as they don't dive a lot and don't want their own gear.
But I really could've saved myself a fortune by just going straight to a BP/W set up. Which is what I wanted first but let myself be talked out of it.
-Scubapro MK11/S555 + R295: No complaints with the performance. Though it is a pain that it requires servicing once a year from only Scubapro authorised repairpeople. The person I will be taking my regs to is not one of these (though has been a reg technician for over 25 years) and I will violate my warranty by doing this. But seeing as this has already saved me a few hundred dollars I am not too fussed. I would say you can definitely get away with a cheaper reg - even one of the cheaper Scubapro regs.
-Scubapro Smartcom computer: I got this second hand and I like it a lot. However, I would not have purchased it knowing what I know now: the batteries are not user changeable and you need to send it back to Scubapro to change them. Also I would definitely get a wrist mount now. It's hard to look at a console sometimes, say if I am sending up an SMB and carrying a huge bag of scallops, or something like that. Or if I have the camera in one hand and a light in the other. My next computer will be a wrist mount for sure.
-Tusa Tri-Ex fins + Serene mask + snorkel: Mask is fine. The fins were crap though as they are positive and very long. They go fast but I never go fast anymore. They are hard to manouver in so I switched to Jet Fins which are shorter and stiffer, and negative. Harder on the legs to swim fast but I find them great to manouver in (I do a lot of pier diving and it helps to be able to avoid the pylons). There are a few different types of fins you should try out (splits, paddles, and different types of both). Snorkel was expensive and I never use it any more. Get a simple J style one if you have to have one.
-Northern Diver Divemaster drysuit: Love this. I got it very cheap and it made diving in 10C water over winter very enjoyable. If you are diving predominately in cold water I really recommend a drysuit asap.
-Tanks: I got a 10L steel to start off with, and now a 12L steel as well for deeper dives. Happy with them but should have bought 12L steel sooner as it would have saved some rental fees for when I had to hire a second tank for double dives. Also I bought the 10L steel from the LDS I did my training with. Well I should've gone straight to the distributer like I did for the second tank as I would have saved a lot of money there too!
Anyway, my experiences may not be relevant to you at all. I am just showing how my opinions and knowledge have changed rapidly and I haven't even been diving a year yet.
Don't buy immediately. Try out things as much as possible before buying.