Personal bank loan

[cburgert]

I only need three pieces of gear, I'm just tired of the whole rental thing. I only use Scubapro gear. Renting all the time is more of a waist of money if you dive all the time, not to mention Scubapro gear isn't always available at the shop i use. I'll be diving pretty much every Saturday until Dutch Springs closes for the season.

 

[TMHeimer]

Life is better debt free.

Maybe. Depends. Now we're talking about small sums of money here. I agree with buying used stuff that is safe and works. Not all that costly. You can just save up and buy. If you did take out a loan the interest would be very low--you know, that "300 for 20" commercial we even get in Canada.
If you're talking larger sums, I agree it's USUALLY best to not go into debt unless you can deduct the interest. But there have been times we've done that (cars) rather than taking cash out of our investments to buy something. You have to juggle the numbers. I don't know how house/tenant insurance goes with something that is stolen but hasn't been paid for--something to consider.

 

[EricTheDood]

In all seriousness, I don't understand why you'd need a loan for something like this. Why not get a part time 2nd job?

Are you expecting some sort of windfall in the next few months/years? Are you currently paying for something where the bills will be gone in a few months time?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I only need three pieces of gear, I'm just tired of the whole rental thing. I only use Scubapro gear. Renting all the time is more of a waist of money if you dive all the time, not to mention Scubapro gear isn't always available at the shop I use. I'll be diving pretty much every Saturday until Dutch Springs closes for the season.

There's your problem. ScubaPro is not what I would consider gear for the diver on a budget. Especially since you're paying a premium for the gear name. It is good gear. No arguing with that. It is not however any better than equipment costing half as much or less.
I started out with a used Sherwood Brut and a new Oceanic Probe BC. Then "upgraded" to an Oceanic Delta3 with CDX5 1st. Honestly, could not tell the difference between the two as a new diver. Sherwood was much cheaper to service though!
Went through two more Oceanic regs, one ScubaPro, a US DIVERS SEA2, and a Sherwood Blizzard. All of them worked and all had one other thing in common - I could not get parts from a dealer to service them myself. Got rid of them all or have relegated them to fill tires, mount blowguns on, etc.
Now I own and only dive HOG and Edge regs. Nine of them at last count. Service them myself and teach others how to service theirs.
For what Leisure Pro wants for a Mk17 G260 I can put someone in a complete reg set that performs just as well. As a cold water diver that would be the only SP combination I'd consider. Too expensive and can't buy parts for it.

BC's - BPW's, Sidemount, and one jacket. The jacket I only use in the pool to demonstrate how a BPW is a better option for many divers.
Last night I just put together a homemade sidemount harness and the wing came in today. I'll have about 200 bucks in it.
Computers- started out with a Veo 250 that I still have. Now have a Shearwater Predator and CosmIQ plus two bottom timers. I'd never buy a ScubaPro computer. They don't let you choose the algorithm you want to use. Shearwater and Ratio are the only ones I'd even consider with Shearwater first. As a newer diver - cheap Oceanic or used Aeris computer that will do nitrox.
If you really want all SP be prepared to pay through the nose. Or buy a set of gear that will get you through a few years and when you are flush with cash spend the big bucks. A BPW will run 300-400 bucks and last maybe 10-15 years. Then you replace the wing. A HOG reg set will run you 599 with a sealed coldwater 1st, identical seconds, hoses, and an SPG. It'll last you 10 years and at some point you could learn to service it yourself and not pay shop labor.
If that's too rich still, buy a cheap used BC on ebay. Write ScubaPro on it with a sharpie. Buy an entry level reg set for 300-400 bucks. Use the sharpie again and enjoy the dives.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

You could also go through Leisure Pro and use a PayPal 6 months no interest deal if you have a good history with PayPal. I have done that on occasion with lenses for my camera when I really wanted one and KNEW that I could pay it off in 2 or 3 months.

 

[jringold]

ScubaPro is not what I would consider gear for the diver on a budget.

Totally agree. SP is NOT cheap. My wife and I rented a couple of times. But we went with SP when we bought. As mentioned earlier, went to the store and bought the whole SP setup, fins, BC, computer and reg. I absolutely love my SP Glide BC and wife loves her SP Bella. When we didn’t have our gear and rented, we could really tell a difference. The SP Luna computer rocks! Love it. Could we have gone cheaper - Heck yea. But this is how I look at it. Scuba is a hobby for us. We have several hobbies - and when we do the stuff we love, we find the money for it and go all out. We both work our guts out and became empty nesters a couple of years ago. We are old farts - (53 (actually I’m 52 for two more months)). I have seen several friends my age take the dirt nap… (sorry, don’t mean to be graphic). But my point is that I have learned that life is short and we are living for today. Not a great financial plan but I’m enjoying life with my beautiful spouse seeing 71% of Earth that most will never see! Yes, you can do the same thing cheaper. It’s just a matter of personal preference of how you get there.

P.S. Don't get me started on the Dodge vs Chevy vs Ford.... I'm a Dodge Ram dude....

 

[jringold]

You could also go through Leisure Pro and use a PayPal 6 months no interest deal if you have a good history with PayPal. I have done that on occasion with lenses for my camera when I really wanted one and KNEW that I could pay it off in 2 or 3 months.

+1 on that. Paypal is great for this. Have used it several times. Just make SURE you calculate out how much you need to pay a month to pay it off before interest hits.

 

[Bob DBF]

If that's too rich still, buy a cheap used BC on ebay. Write ScubaPro on it with a sharpie.

I always wondered how I could get the gear I always wanted.

How do you spell Poseidon?


Bob

 

[cburgert]

Scubapro isn't too expensive. I don't need all the gear, I only need 3 pieces. I only buy one brand, because people look goofy wearing a different brand on every limb. I buy Scubapro because deep down I want the best!

 

[lionfish-eater]

It sounds like you have been convinced by the shop that you will die if you use a different brand. I was also a new diver once and was totally swayed by a very convincing SP shop owner. I can sell you my set of SP regs because I upgraded to a set of used Atomic regs.

Most manufacturers make a line of regs, good better best. Often there is little performance difference at the top of each line.

My new SP computer was dead on first use and had a big hassle from the dive shop or SP because they both blamed each other while I waited for a replacement.

The free parts for life if you service it every year is a scam. the parts are minor compared to the labor. You had to have it serviced even if you didn't use is very often, and I often had problems when it came back from being serviced. If I asked for the old parts I was handed a few cut up o rings.

SP is not the best. I will never buy SP again and I would never recommend it to anyone as there are better regs if you are willing to pay up.. You are being suckered by the guy trying to sell you the gear.

Find a shop that sells Atomic regs and compare one to the SP. Try breathing from one at depth.