Recommended equipment

[JustJoe]

There are so many different reasons for buying gear. I can tell you why I purchased mine. These are the main reasons, not the only reasons. You should really read up and ask alot of questions before you buy. Get what fits! Very important.

Reg.-Oceanic PX4, Alpha 7 x 2. My LDS services them and they are perfect for the type of diving I do. Oceanic
BC Triple L Orion - good reviews and excellent price Triple L
Guages Cressi Sub mini - slim profile. non-bulky brass housing Cressi Sub
WetsuitPlural. 3mm shorty for summer and 3mm jumpsuit when it gets cold . Triple L (cost) shorty and Evo (excellent fit) one piece.
Steel LP120 PST LP120's. steel, capacity and cost

Here are some links.
Scuba Toys Great guys. Contact them
Cylinder Information


One last thing. Go to your local dive shop and try on everything. Let them know that you are shopping and let them win your business, if they can. Be an informed buyer.

A few more links. More information than I can give here.
Halcyon
Dive Rite and Dive Rite Express

Good luck,
Joe

 

[OE2X]

Here is what I like:
Regulators: I have 6 Scuba Pro S600's that are great. I just got two Apeks ATX200's that breath even better. Either one will last for years and are easily serviced. There are a lot of great regulator brands out there. If you are traveling look into what is easily serviced in the places you are going. IMHO - avoid the AirII's.

BCD: I've had 2 back inflate bcd's that I won't recommend. I went with a backplate and wing which I now love.

Depth Guage: I have 2 Uwatec nitrox computers (only one of which I use during a dive). I use them as bottom timers and depth guages. Both are wrist mount. To me this is very important. I keep my hands in front of me, so it is very easy to look at my depth without reaching for a console. I keep my pressure guage clipped off on my left hip. I only look at that 3- 4 times during a dive, but I am constantly looking at my wrist for depth and time.

 

[Scubaguy62]

I'd suggest you get the best reg you can afford, but don't skimp. However, stay away from piston 1st stages. They have a tendency of being more succeptible to internal corrosion than diagphram 1st stages. I don't say this to discredit Atomic or SP regs, but because I've been shown what a piston looks like (on a very prominent brand of regulator, owned by a very careful diver) after 2 trips to the shop for servicing. Whatever your choice, make sure the 1st stage is a BALANCED 1st stage. I dive warm waters all the time (it's all we have in FL.) and I use the same 3 mm suit year-round. The 3mm is good for water temps to about 72F, which means you can dive well into December with it and it's less hastle because you don't have to fiddle with your weight system.

 

[Willar]

Find a good local dive shop (LDS) who can answer your questions, make recommendations, and support you in the future. There are many good manufacturers and local support can make the difference. I suggest you not buy the cheapest but spend a little more that will last a long time. I also strongly recommend against buying online because you will get much less support than a good local shop. However, a bad shop can be worthless. Ask questions and make sure they CARE.

I will tell you that I love my equipment but don't take too much from what people say here. Some are of the "use only what I use or you are wrong" or "if it isn't brand XXX then it's junk" mind set and there are many very good options out there. What matters is what you are comfortable in and what fits your budget. Read, research, and choose for yourself depending on what kind of diving you do. From what you stated above, I am of similar mindset - clear, warm, tropical only.

I LOVE my equipment: AquaLung Titan LX reg set, SeaQuest Black Diamond BC (back inflate) with Air Source integrated inflator/backup, Suunto Cobra computer. I like the integrated inflator but can see that many people are more comfortable with a separate octo. Got for whatever you like. I love the Black Diamond but you can get most of the same features for less money with the SeaQuest Balance which is also back inflate (which I do strongly recommend). I have some friends who work at a different LDS and they dive with the Balance. This equipment meets your criteria but so do many others. Good Luck. And may the force be with you.

 

[Trisha]

Hello ekildjian:

"I am a PADI certified Open Water Diver and have about a dozen dives done thus far."
Have you tried several dive shops in your area? Do they carry enough variety for you to test (weight-integrated or belt, back-inflated or jacket)? What kind of customer service are you getting? Do you expect your favorite shop to still be in business five years from now?

-- Located in Montreal, Canada, and prefers warm water diving --
Unless you do a lot of traveling, you may find it easier to have a deal with either your local dive shop or the destination dive shop for rental equipment. While it would not be personalized, it would be, ideally, well-maintained and in good working order. Here is where "customer service" pays off.

Also, it means you can hop on a plane with just carry-on luggage.
BCs and fins are the space hogs. Regulators and a computer can be secured inside your 22" luggage, along with mask and mask case, snorkel, dive boots, and a 1.5 wetsuit (protection from jellyfish and sunburn.) Remember to leave your dive knife at home (I use dive shears), but add a small light, slate, whistle and safety sausage. Also bring extra bolt clips or Quik clips to secure your regs to your rented BC.

"For a casual recreational diver that has decided to only do warm water diving (nothing under 20 degrees celsisus), what would you recommend as equipment (BC, 1st stage, second stage, octopus, gages, 3mm warm water wet suit, etc)."
Buy what you will realistically maintain. Regs and computers should be taken in for annual cleaning and inspection, no matter if they have been used or not. Wetsuits and other neoprene items deteriorate over time, even in storage.

Diving is a very "use it or lose it" sport. Good equipment is essential, but so is staying in practice. Make your purchases count, and make time to actually use them!
Good luck.

 

[indiana*joe]

I have been diving (and buying gear) for 4 years now. The one thing I have finally decided on is to just keep buying gear and selling what I don't like on Ebay. Last quarter, I bought about every "quality" mask on the market and tried each out myself. I learned alot about MY needs. I take pictures so I found out that I needed a single lens so I could focus on the LCD screen at close distances (age=close to screen -ha!) Some of the silicone was softer than others. By buying all the different masks, I got to see the best each had to offer. (I am not going to tell you the one I settled on, because it was good for me doesn't mean it will be good for you.) I sold some of the masks to friends (for what I paid) as they fit and worked great for them. One of my 2 lens masks went to a friend that needed to be able to have prescription lenses - that doesn't work with single lens.

Anyway, the long and short of it is by now most of the gear is stratified by price. Most of the expensive gear performs similiarly. As does the middle-priced. Some lower, middle, etc performs either better or worse. Often depends on the model. You can take some recommendations from boards like this - at least what seems to work well in a given strata - or also look at reviews like Rodale's.

In the end, you are not married to your gear. If you don't like a piece of gear - sell it! If you like a buddy's piece of gear - talk his wife into divorcing him, ensure she gets the aformentioned gear in the settlement and make her a deal. (Or just find a good deal on the same make/model)

I will stop rambling now ..... Just don't sweat it so much!

 

[scubapro50]

are you looking for new or used equipment? there are some great deals out there on both new and used gear ...... Scubapro is my equipment of choice but there are a lot of other brands that are well made. I recommend staying away from Mares/Dacor because of their policy of not providing parts or service for some of their older products. For more information read threads www.scubaboard.com/-t70450-.html or www.scubaboard.com/t75084-.html for more information.

 

[paolov]

i enjoy the DAcor viper , it vents the bubbles on the side instead of infront of your face when in vertical position.

RAsh Guards for warm water and a comfortable fitting hood