newbie ready to invest in gear - any comments / critiques on my picks?

[chuckfee]

Hi there. I'm a somewhat clueless newbie who has tried to do his gear-buying homework. I'm looking to buy gear for myself and the wife. We are doing a long liveaboard trip in the spring and want to have our own gear. Our budget is roughly USD 1000 per person.

I've tried to find items that are affordable but good
quality - best of breed or best bang for the buck if you will. If anyone would be kind enough to give me some feedback I'd be delighted.

I've spent most of the last 2 weeks reading articles and reviews on this site, magazine sites, divernet.com and
undercurrent.org. I think I understand the plusses and
minuses of these items a bit better than before but
I would be fooling myself to say I understand all
the little gotchas here. One thing that's not clear to me
is access to service and parts on short notice. Will it be problematic to get an Oceanic regulator or Aeris computer serviced on short notice in Asia?

Also, before anyone asks me to support my local dive
shop please be aware that I am currently living overseas
and my 'local' dive shop is 15 time zones away.



Regulator - oceanic alpha 8 cdx5 unbalanced
(scubatoys.com or joediveramerica.com - about $200)

Yes, I realize this is an unbalanced piston reg. I
know I might have to work to get air at depth,
but I haven't had an issue with unbalanced rental
gear in the past.

I live and dive near the equator so freezing problems are not a big concern. Reviews of this item (or the alpha 7) are very positive, as is the scuttlebutt here. undercurrnet and divernet.com seem to consider this one of the best bangs for the buck in regs. Is that true?

Will it be challenging to get an oceanic service in Asia? I have seen Mares and Scubapro here but don't recall seeing Oceanic, though I wasn't really looking for it either. Plan 'b' is probably an aqualung or Scubapro but that has its own complications - no legitimate online sales.




Octopus / Safe Second:
Oceanic Alpha 8 or possibly an apeks egress
(scubatoys.com or joediveramerica.com - about $100)

I'm sorta torn here between buying the same unit as my main regulator or buying the apeks which seems to be a more capable unit. Is diversity a good thing for backup air or is it better to buy the same as the main units for ease of servicing or performance matching between 1st/2nd stages? Acquiring the apeks via online sales is a bit of a challenge, and it's a lot more expensive than the Oceanic. I'm leaning toward the oceanic because of cost and consistency with my first stage.




BCD - scubal/triple-l stratos air
(factory direct, about $160 shipped)
http://www.scubal.com/worldwide/content/index.php?proid=1013&catid=201&procatid=151

Low price, good reviews, and their factory
is in the neighborhood so shipping costs are minimal.

We will probably also have scubal make us custom
wetsuits and core warmers ($250ish for both) We dive warm water but still get chilled.

I've heard mixed opinions about their wetsuits but the
BCD's seem to be a good deal for the money. Mares Kaila is my wife's 'plan b'. I'm not sure what I would get.



Computer / Gauges
Aeris Atmos 2 console & addon compass
(scubatoys.com or joediveramerica.com - about $350)

I am leaning toward buying a non air-integrated computer. My friends are happy with their suunto cobras but I think they are beyond my budget. I'm also a bit concerned about having all of my eggs in one basket with the cobra. The aeris console seems like it's sufficient for our needs - nitrox, downloadable, relatively intuitive interface. If it stops working I still have gauges to fall back on.

Finally, I'm also fascinated by the Sensus Pro dive data recorder ($150). Part of me is tempted to skip the fancy Aeris downloader and just buy this thing to get basically the same data at a much more granular level. Any thoughts on the Sensus - as well as their software and compatible 3rd party software - are very much welcome

Also, as the holidays are upon us - Does it make sense to push these purchases into January for after-christmas pricing? I imagine the holidays are a busy time for scuba retailers. Should I expect any post-holiday deals?

Thanks for humoring me and letting me pick your brains.

 

[MSilvia]

I don't have first hand experience with any of that gear, but I will tell you my thoughts on backup second stage regulators.

Basicly, I think that both regs should be of equal quality. My own regs use the same second stage for primary and backup applications. I don't see any compelling reason to use different ones, or for that matter to get one specifically marketed as an "octopus reg". If I wanted a clearly marked octo, I'd just get a flourescent yellow faceplate for the same model reg I use as a primary.

 

[squidster]

Do not scrimp when it comes to regulaters , get a balanced first stage and second.
oceanic has a good balanced piston and diaphram reg.
the diaphram reg is completely sealed.
get your best price then call scuba toys they will match any ones price and you will get full mfg warrenty.
oceanic has adjustible second stage , you can set it in shallow water and it will breathe the same way at depth.

 

[shark.byte.usa]

I like my Atmos 2. I dove with a console for awhile and immediately decided I hated it and went to wrist mount, I have the wrist mount Atmos 2 and just an spg clipped off where I can just glance down and look at it. I have compass on a retractor, but will be switching it to wrist mount as well. Other than that suggestion, really whatever works for you, as others have said don't skimp on the regs and make sure you can get them serviced where you live. Do you really need a core warmer? esp. custom made?

 

[ScottB]

I love my Sensus Ultra =) if both you and your wife get one.. you would only need one download kit.. I use a Mac and their *free* software works well for me... You can go ahead and download their software and try it to see if you like it.. it comes with 3 dives programmed as samples.. it keeps track of time, temperature, depth, and estimated ascent/descent rates. You still need to keep track of dive site, buddies, other conditions you think are important, but the software does have blocks so you can input that stuff..

It also figures out your SAC rate for you =)

For the other stuff.. haven't tried any of it... so I can't rate it.. sorry

Take Care,
Scott

 

[ScottB]

Also.. if you call up scubatoys, and tell them your budget, they can help you pick out quality gear =) and give you a discount on it... remember to tell them you are a scuba board member.. (10% discount just for that =)

-Scott

 

[chuckfee]

Thanks for the feedback. I will look into upgrading to a balanced reg.

as for the core warmer, it's probably overkill but I hate being cold. It's
also cheap from scubal.com - about $75 for custom-fit, and basically
no extra shipping cost. I figure for $75 it's a good insurance policy
against the chills on the 3rd dive of the day.

--chuck

 

[dbulmer]

Chuckfee,
A Uwatec D-Timer and Sensus Pro would probably save you some money for the regs you are after - also as you're a new diver the discipline of having to use tables to plan your dive will be good practice in dive planning. If you feel you have to get a computer at a later stage the DTimer won't be a waste because you can use it as a backup.

 

[terrasmak]

Where are you at , are you military if so and in the area take a HOP out to Okinawa before your trip. There is plenty of good diving there and great mil run dive shops with good prices.