Opinions

[NewDiver2]

Hello Everyone,
I am a new diver and I am looking to purchase my 1st BC, Reg., Octo., and Dive computer. Any advice or opinions you can offer on the following equipment and brands is appreciated.

1.)Dacor Eagle Regulator
2.)Dacor Eagle Octopus
> I believe these regs are "unbalanced." Can anyone tell me what this means and how it will affect my diving/breathing?
3.)Dacor Xtremelle AT BC
>Is a jacket designed especially for women really a better fit?
4.)Archimede Console Computer
>Is this a good beginner computer? Any comparably priced alternative I should consider? I wanted a Nitrox computer so I have that future option.

Thank you!!!

 

[Kestrell]

I am not a very experienced diver, but I will share with you what I have learned so far, both on this board and elsewhere.

I will assume you are a woman due to you choice of BC. I will also assume you are going to be interested in purely recreational diving at this point in your diving "career".

Dacor does not have a great reputation with many people here. In truth, if you are doing mostly warm water diving, occasional quarry diving etc. when it isn't too cold and so on, any regulator from a reputable manufacturer will work for you.

As for BC's made for women, I have heard women swear by them and also swear about them. The most important thing is fit. You may want to think about a back inflate BC as opposed to a jacket. They are more comfortable and tend to keep you in a better position (more horizontal) when diving. In short, try a BC on before you by it. Better yet, try it out in the water if possible. Zeagle makes a BC called the "Escape", which you might be interested in. They also make a female specific BC called the "Zena". Both of these BC's are back inflate and have their fair share of supporters.

I will also make one more assumption; your dive shop is trying to sell you a Dacor package. How much are they charging? You should shop around, at other dive shops, and on the web to get the best price. Some good places to check out are Leisurepro.com and scubatoys.com. Leisure Pro will not allow you to have the factory warantee, Scuba Toys, for the most part, will. Even if you do not shop on the web, you may be able to get a better deal at your local dive shop if you let them know you are aware of what other people are charging for the equipment you are interested in. If you do buy from th web, you may be able to afford better equipment due to the lower pricing.

As for a computer, there are many good ones, just make sure you get one that does what you want, you know how to use, and is easy to read.

The best thing to do is to educate yourself. You wouldn't (or should) completely trust someone else with your safety under water, why do it out of the water. What you buy now will be what you dive with later. Get good equipment and learn how to use it. If you can get it at a reasonable price, well that's good too.

 

[rescuediver009]

I would agree that you should shop around. Although there will be some people that think a given brand is the best, it is rare that one brand (in your case Dacor) has the best of everything for you. When a shop puts together a package, they usually bring a couple of different brands together in your best interest. I encourage you to shop around, or at least see what else is out there.
If you are interested in comfort the Zeagle Zena is one of the womens BC's sworn by as oppposed to about.
I am not sure, but I don't think that Dacor is one of the manufacturers known for their value. Other brands usually capture new divers as far as reliability and value is concerned. Sherwood is one that comes to mind. Again there aren't many, only combinations...