Question about BC and Regulator

[ZzzKing]

I'd have to agree with the "try a lot of different setups before buying" school of thought. And definitely wait until after you are certified. If the shop pushes you to buy reg and BC before you take the classes, I'd look for another shop.

Another recommendation is to save your money and buy as much as you can at one time. That will give you a little more bargaining power plus most places will make you a special deal if you get all your gear at one time from them.

 

[Cheekymonkey]

Yea not buying piece meal with save you all a whole ton. I also agree that you wait until after you are certified for naything more than a wetsuit, snorkel, mask and fins set since those you can at least use for snorkeling if for some reason the diivng doesnt work out.

 

[boulderjohn]

I'm with those suggesting you wait. It is not just fit and comfort that count. You really have a lot to think about in choosing a BC, much more than you think right now.

 

[av8rboie]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I've decided to heed your advice and wait for awhile to buy the BC etc.

Thanks again!

 

[bfisher]

Waiting and trying stuff is a wise choice. Things to consider in a BC:

Back inflate or Jacket style. How many D-rings. Pockets for goodies (how big do you need). How many dump valves and their location. Two tank straps or one (one works). Comfort and adjustability. There's other things, too.

One thing to consider is weight. Where are you going to be diving? If you are going to be traveling by plane you want to try to trim a little weight where possible as the airlines are getting stingy with baggage limits.

 

[Newlynarked]

Not a silly question! I had the same questions, and I took a lot of time (and fun) to do the research. Again, I’m new to it, but I think my research seemed solid and brought me to some valuable conclusions. There is no doubt that someone will jump on me if I stray too far, so here’s what I found….

You will probably buy your regulator and vest for two reasons, comfort and reliability. You will be surprised and delighted when you compare a poor to average regulator or vest with a really nice one. The ease of breathing is the primary benefit for your regulator, usually due to the construction if not the fine-tuning adjustments. Better vests have multiple dump points, as well as other goodies.

The regulator usually (if not always) comes with the “first stage.” This is the part that connects to the tank. Depending on the cost and quality of the regulator, the first stages will also have their differences and benefits as well (e.g., the number of ports for future hose attachments). Now that you have your primary air source (regulator), you still need to have an alternate air source. These come in two forms, the octopus or “octo”, which is an additional hose coming off of the first stage, usually yellow (for easy identification) it usually fits under your right arm, and the integrated alternate air source, which has a mouthpiece in your short BCD inflator hose on your vest. (There are four pages on which is better on a fairly new thread). Here's the point. If you go with the octo, you buy a regulator, and octo, and a pressure gauge/computer. (You will need to buy them all at one time, really. I don't think that you can rent "just a pressure gauge.") You can mount this hose package on any rented tank and vest and rock on, being free to buy your vest later (or visa-versa). But if you want the integrated alternate air source, you kinda need to buy them both at the same time, because the vest's inflator hose is your alternate mouthpiece. It would be awkward to buy a regulator, pressure gauge and no octo…..until you have a vest that has an integrated secondary source? That hose combo is awkward if not impossible to functionally use when you are renting a plain vest. Or, let’s say that you buy a vest with an integrated secondary air source. You’ll have to rent hoses that support that set up. If you go with an octo, you have flexibility to purchase slowly. If you go with the integrated alternate, it may be easier to buy the hoses and the vest at the same time.

Vests. There seems to be two primary styles of vests, full jacket, and back inflation. These refer to the air bladders inside. The vest style surrounds you more with air. It is usually easier (so I’ve heard) for many nubies because it is easier to control buoyancy both under the water as well as when you are on the surface. It is generally easier to stay upright. The back inflation is a very popular vest with many divers because you can plane easier and it is less cumbersome. Many schools teach primary classes with back inflation vests. The thing to realize is that air goes up. So if you have a head down or sideways attitude, you will need to maneuver yourself to get the air where it needs to be in order to vent it. Again, this is not a problem if you are talented, experienced, lucky, or have a great instructor. It may not be a problem at all. The point is, know the advantages and disadvantages of each, depending on your comfort level in the water as well as the kind of diving you eventually want to do.

But most important of all…make sure your LDS (Local Dive Store) asks what kind of diving you are going to do!!! Hiking in the desert uses very different gear than hiking in the mountains! Diving cold water is very different than diving warm water! A kick-butt warm water reg may freeze up in cold water! Make sure that all of your hoses compliment each other in function (not just in color, for heaven’s sake). Whether you're buying SCUBA equipment, stereo equipment, or investments, if your sales person is not asking you questions about what you want to accomplish, RUN! [sales person in a stupid voice,] "Well, we have this package over here..." AHHH!!!! BS!! BS!!! It may be great, but know why it's great for you!

Last piece of advice. Be careful about buying complex equipment on line!! MANY MANUFACTURERS WARRENTIES ARE NOT VALID UNLESS PURCHASED THROUGH AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. Many items are not to specs when shipped from the factory! Most dive stores will cut you a deal if you buy regs and a vest that are within $100-200 of what you would spend online, and the support is invaluable!!

Have fun researching! Read. Read a lot! Go to different stores and ask the same questions. Then start to build your questions on the past answers.

 

[Newlynarked]

When you do your training, see if your school rents different styles of equipment. Many schools will use the "cheap" stuff during pool dives, and expose you to the "good stuff" during your open water dives. Yes, it's better for sales, but you want good equipment. Cheap is wonderful for may things, but serves you jack-diddly at 80+ feet. And it is sooooo nice!!

 

[Scuba Brad]

Buying your own gear is one of the most important things a young diver can do. I agree with the above........life support first then BC.

We'd be happy to assist you please call anytime. We also provide a discount for all Scuba Board members!

Happy Diving

 

[Sharky1948]

The BC is the jacket you wear to provide the ability to come up or down or hover in the water. They are two seperate systems. If I were you I would probably buy the BC first, as it requires more fit and will allow more comfort than a regulator.

One minor correction so that we don't get this new diver off to a bad start. The BCD is not a device used to "come up" in the water column. Assuming your are diving properly you will be neutrally buoyant at any depth and a gentle fin toward the sun will be more than enough to begin an ascent.

 

[sambolino44]

I don't have a whole lot of diving experience, but I can share with you my experiences of buying my own equipment. I agree with those who advise waiting a while, trying as much as you can before you buy, and then you probably want to get the regs first. Well, like that other guy said, get your mask, fins and snorkel FIRST first. And you may well be able to save some money if you buy a bunch of stuff all at once.

Some other things to consider: yearly maintenance on the regs. I understand there can be a pretty significant difference in cost and convenience here, and that's not usually taken into account. Ask your dealer about yearly service/maintenance before you decide on a reg.

My gear has worked OK, but it didn't take very many dives before I decided about some expensive changes, and I wish I had made better, or at least different, choices early on. For one, I'm very dissatisfied with my jacket BC. Mainly, how loose it fits. I mean it fits, but jacket BCs by design just don't hold the heavy cylinder onto your body nearly as securely as other designs, and I really don't like that weight shifting around. I'm looking at a BackPlate/Wing setup, but even a back-inflate would be more secure than a standard jacket-style. In my experience, BCs are one of the most subjective choices. Regs seem to me to be pretty much okay, good, or better, but BCs can be great for one person and another hates it.

Another thing I wish I had done differently is get a separate octo second stage reg instead of one of those integrated-with-the-BC-inflator rigs.

Something else I've learned to look for is, if you get a BC with integrated weights, check out how easy the weight pockets are to attach to the BC. They all are supposed to come off easy, but some of them are a real pain to put on, and others aren't, and this is something you'll probably do every dive.

The more people you talk to, the less important any one person's opinions become, except your own.

Oh, yeah, I know this isn't really about gear, but one of the most important pieces of advice I can give a new diver is put a lot of effort into finding a good instructor. Ask around, check them out, whatever you can do. The quality of the instructor, and not just objective quality, but how well you relate and communicate, is probably THE most important thing that determines the quality of your diving experience. The most important piece of gear you'll take on every dive is your brain. Feed it well.