Question about which manufactures

[gbe378]

Hey everyone. Just got certified this past weekend and looking to get some equipment. This is prolly a stupid question but, I am looking at Oceanic and Aqualung and since I know basically nothing about equiptment I was wondering if these are considered good manufacturers? Also I didn't see Aqualung in the manfacturers forum, do they have another name that I dont know about? Any othersuggestions about who to look at are more than welcome, since I am here to learn.

Thanks

 

[RJP]

Any of the commercially available gear from any of the major manufacturers is high-quality. Differences are relatively minute and mostly based on which specific features any particular piece of equipment has.

Manufacturers forum is based on participation, and not all manufacturers have elected to do so.

 

[ScubaSpicher]

I have to agree with RJP...most any dive gear will work as long as you are comfortable with it. I dive primarily Oceanic stuff and it works for me!

 

[divenutny]

Apex/Aqua Lung does not appear interested in participating with forum. I have tried to get Apex/AL to respond to a thread regarding their "over balanced" regulators, they declined.

IMHO, you would do fine with either Oceanic or Aqua Lung. Comes down to which model/features you want and how much you want to spend.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

Since any time anyone bashes a manufacture 10 people will defend it I will just say what companies who's gear I no longer use or would not ever use.

Tilos, Oceanic, Aeris, Mares, Aqualung, Cressisub, Dacor, Bare, Genesis, Sherwood, Tusa and others.

Of those several make good stuff (oceanic, sherwood, aqualung) or at least some of what they make is good but I made a decision not to use it.

Some companies which I like are:

Scubapro, Dive Rite, OMS, Halcyon, DUI, Whites, Salvo, Oxycheq, Apollo, etc.

There are companies like zeagle that make great stuff but I just dont like it for one reason or another so I dont buy it but If a good deal came along on something I needed I might take it, ya know.

Brand is important but for me the biggest factor is durability, lots of the cheaper stuff it just that and will not last as long or hold up to punishment (not saying you should treat dive gear poorly, but stuff happens). And for me I like to have everything the same, as example, all the regulators I own are scubapro mk17/S600's except deco regs so I choose to avoid all other regs just cause I want them to match.

Another reason I avoid certain companies is because they promote Jacket BCD's and choose not to sell backplates. That is a big deal with me as I realized how much better a diver a person can be with the proper equipment.

shop around, dont be pushed into a sale, shop online too, and dont buy anything without checkin into it well before hand. I made those mistakes and had a full set of gear that I didn't like by the next season as I realized my needs changed.

If any part of your brain even remotely thinks it would be fun or cool to cave dive or do some deep stuff avoid all the bs now and start buying stuff that can be used for the future. A BP/W style BCD will grow with a person forever and is modular to any needs, a good diaphragm reg will work in cold or warm conditions and likely outlast many expensive piston regs but a cheap piston reg like a mk2 can be used for anything from primary backgas regs to 100% O2 deco gas if you move into tech diving, Jet fins or turtle fins with spring straps are easier to use and more comfortable (when used properly) than long split fins or huge blades and will likely outlast any other piece of dive gear, a dry suit can be adapted for use in any climate but is more expensive however you will realize that being warm and dry is priceless. the list goes on and on.

 

[leapfrog]

Hey everyone. Just got certified this past weekend and looking to get some equipment. This is prolly a stupid question but, I am looking at Oceanic and Aqualung and since I know basically nothing about equiptment I was wondering if these are considered good manufacturers? Also I didn't see Aqualung in the manfacturers forum, do they have another name that I dont know about? Any othersuggestions about who to look at are more than welcome, since I am here to learn.

Thanks

Aqualung equipment is also under the US Divers brand name and the BCDs are SEAQUEST. And yes, Aqualung is a good manufacturer. They make good wetsuits and semidrys (I use other brands, but that is not important). Good regs, ( I also use other brands but again, that's just me) and SEAQUEST BCDs are very good value for your money. Be happy to answer any other questions. As always, think what kind of dives you will be making and in what water temperatures. Finally, IMHO, buy your gear bit by bit if you can. Good stuff lasts if you take care of it. Get the best reg you can afford. ENJOY!

 

[Stu S.]

Welcome to diving. We are in a great diving state. We don't require a lot of heavy-duty equipment to have fun here. People fly in from all over to make dives that we can drive to.

Do you have the ability to visit Diver's Direct? There's one in Orlando, and others around our state. These are like a "Dive Superstore". If you want to try on all the gear, you can get more accomplished there than at five or six dive shops. You may choose to buy elsewhere, but those stores are a great way to start. The gear there is Florida-oriented.

Happy diving!

 

[2905luvsbubbles]

Both of these manufactures are good. I would buy good gear as it will last a long time. You do have to have an idea of what type of diving you will do before you buy. I agree that a BP/W are great BC's that will grow, but if all you are going to do is occasional vacation diving, you might be better getting a jacket style BC, however, I would clearly rethink that if you thing you will be doing a lot of diving and ever see yourself getting into more advanced diving/techncal diving.

 

[don Francisco]

Both Aqualung & Oceanic are good brands among many others. Aqualung rightfully or wrongfully chooses not to participate in this forum for their own reasons as is their right.

It's easy to get caught up in and confused by the various opinions as to what's best, especially since most folks strongly believe that what they use is best. Since collectively we use a tremendous spectrum of brands & features, clearly most of us can't have the "best". Darwinism does a decent job weeding out the losers, so any company that's survived for a decent length of time has a raison d'etre.

There's no need to rush into equipment purchase. The money you "waste" on rentals for your first few dives will pay off hansomely by allowing you to purchase more smartly later. Just as you wouldn't jump into an unknown body of water without a local guide or, don't jump into the equipment buying waters unassisted. If you don't have someone you can trust to advise you, take your time & do some research into the features desired in each piece of equipment for your actual & reasonably forseable future needs. Shop based on those features rather than brands, sticking to a budget that doesn't break you.

Diving should be about diving, not about the equipment.